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August 19 / Hershey, PA / Hersheypark Stadium Instead, the Hershey show was a cover-fest: cover songs opened and closed (as in Charleston), with a total of four in the set -- two of them tour premieres. First up was "Summertime Blues" to open. The next one was a tour premiere from the sign collection -- "Oh my god.... we've created a monster!" said Bruce, faced with literally hundreds of signs, and he gave Little Steven first choice. "Pick one, Steve! We're going with obscurity... start with obscurity..." and Steven opted for John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom." ("Appears hastily assembled," Bruce said of the sign, written on a box lid -- with the even more longshot "London Calling" on the reverse.) Steve also picked "Darlington," which followed -- what, no signs for "Held Up Without a Gun"? Two more covers came in the encore: "Seven Nights to Rock" had its first U.S. airing on the tour, with Garry singing along into Steve's mic, and the tour premiere of Them's "Gloria" was a major highlight to close the show. "Let's take it back to where it all started!" Bruce hollered, bringing up Joe and Johnny Grushecky to jam along. Another tour premiere was "Part Man, Part Monkey" by request, joining "Boom Boom" to recall the Tunnel of Love Express Tour. "We don't know this one," Bruce said (though 20 years ago, they were playing it practically every night), "See if the band can get it." They got it, just as they've gotten every other curveball Bruce and the signs have thrown their way. Like taking candy from a baby. Setlist: Thunder Road August 18 / Richmond, VA / Richmond Coliseum
But it's not like they saved all the good stuff for the end. In a very solid main set, a sign that read "My band just broke up -- please play 'Backstreets'!" brought us the majestic '75 epic, which led into a rare solo reading of "For You." Sitting at the piano, Bruce introduced it with some memories of Richmond, "an essential audience that allowed us to get out of town," and dedicated it in particular to old friend Russ Clem, who always introduced Steel Mill at their Richmond shows.
Setlist: Crush on You August 16 / Charleston, SC / North Charleston Coliseum
Surely aware of their long absence from these parts, Bruce and the band really turned it on and, frankly, played their asses off -- and the energy onstage was matched by the thunderous audience, clearly very appreciative of getting Bruce back. From the beginning, greeting the band with a roar to rival any European audience, this was, as Bruce declared a couple of times, a "great, great crowd."
One of the few times the crowd flagged was during "Janey" -- granted, the tempo was off, it was a slow version, but though it was a treat for the hardcores, it read as a headscratcher for the crowd as a whole. Which may account for Bruce dropping "Drive All Night" and calling for "Hungry Heart" after "Mary's Place" instead.
Opening the encore was a very rare (only the second time on this tour) "Streets of Fire" -- a searing version and a real highlight of the show, thanks again to a sign. "Jungleland" was an audible in place of "Thunder Road" -- Bruce blew the words, but no matter, the crowd ate it all up, from the Carolina beach music opener to the "Twist and Shout" by request that closed the show. As Springsteen said, ""We need to come back more often!"
Setlist: Streets of Fire August 15 / Jacksonville, FL / Veterans Memorial Arena
"Does This Bus Stop" and "Candy's Room" were both played for signs, and then Bruce had a fine choice of his own, the rare "Loose Ends." After a 14-minute "Mary's Place" (another holdover from the stadium leg), we got a second tour premiere as Bruce pointed to a sign for "Back in Your Arms." This one had been soundchecked earlier in the day, Bruce likely already having it in mind to send out to Jerry Wexler, who died early this morning. "One of the great soul men," as Springsteen called him in his dedication, Wexler was an owner at Atlantic Records, producing greats like Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, and coining the term "rhythm & blues." It was a wonderful performance, with a sweet solo from Clarence at the end.
Setlist: August 2 / Foxboro, MA / Gillette Stadium
It was a shorter show compared to the three nights in Jersey, not quite cracking the three-hour mark, and judging by the cross-offs on the handwritten setlist (including an unplayed "Racing in the Street" after "Mary's Place"), it seemed Bruce had to put some effort into how to trim the show a bit. But they still blew way past Gillette's 11:00 curfew, rocking "Rosalita" until ten past 12. In between, it was another party show -- all release, little tension -- with even more granted requests than usual bringing a pair of tour-debut covers and more rarities to set this night apart.
The biggest mind-blower came after "Tunnel of Love," as Springsteen gathered a heap of signs and complimented their "professionalism." One in particular made him chuckle: "The band will not be ready for this one... oh, they will not be ready!" It was "Little Latin Lupe Lu," a song they've only done a couple of times since the '70s -- and as opposed to some sign requests that probably would get played anyway, there's no way Bruce would have called this one up otherwise.
The requests kept coming, as "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street" (its second tour performance) and "Hungry Heart" followed, and then it was another cover special for the occasion. Not "Dirty Water" -- though there was plenty of that on the ground -- but another one almost as foreseeable: "Who'll Stop the Rain." Bruce played this one for Bill Belichick: "This is for the coach. He's out there tonight. He didn't bring a sign, though!"
Unusually, Bruce gathered more signs as the encore began, and kicked it off with another fan choice: "We have here the rarely played and even more rarely requested..." and he turned the sign around to reveal "I'm Goin' Down." That was another second tour performance, going into "Jungleland," by request for a birthday in the crowd. Thinking of nearby Boston, Bruce asked before "American Land," "Do we have any Irishmen out there?" The tepid response must have reminded him that this wasn't Boston, though, as at the end of the song he hollered, "Boston! Massachussets! Rhode Island! Connecticut! Wherever the fuck we are! You've just seen..." And on this night, it might have been a little late, but you could add rain-stoppin' E Street Band to the list.  - photographs by Alan Chitlik Setlist:
Appropriately enough, for both the heat and the traffic, Bruce began the show with "Summertime Blues." That one had been the sign-collection song at the previous two Giants shows; now "Light of Day" filled that slot, with Bruce gathering requests as Max pounded out an extended intro. The signs brought some classic early material to the set, but first Bruce had his own idea: an impromptu "Pretty Flamingo," last played in this very venue on the Rising tour five years ago (and only its third performance sinde 1978). As Springsteen strummed the chords, refreshing himself and the band, he told the crowd that it was "just Patti's birthday a few days ago," and began ruminating on their history together. "I first met her when I was 20 and she was 17," he said. And then again when he was 24 and she was 21... and again when he was 35. "In the meantime," he said, "something happened to me." As he went on to talk about Clarence's upcoming wedding (just a week away!), it was clear that he meant he had gotten hitched, saying that both the Big Man and himself had been married before. "But Clarence more than me!" He added, "Clarence is getting it right this time," before summing it all up: "So I don't really believe in love at first sight." Taking the band through the Manfred Mann song, it was a magical performance all the more impressive for the fact that it was obviously unrehearsed. "Bridge!" Bruce called out, to make sure they all stayed together.
Back to those signs: "Incident" was just about to get a play, thanks to a sign requesting it "for your old, bald fans" -- "seems to be particular!" Bruce laughed -- when another sign caught his eye. "Give that one to me," he said, pointing to a placard for "Blinded By the Light." "We'll do that one now, and we'll do the other one next." (And hey, that makes for two Manfred Mann hits in the same show!) After "Blinded," though, Springsteen opted to keep the tempo quick, going into a powerhouse pack of "Cadillac Ranch," "Candy's Room," Night," and "Because the Night" -- the last of these featuring another somersaulting solo from Nils. While that forward roll may have been less of a surprise this time, Nils having done the trick before, it was no less shocking -- how the hell does he do that and keep on playing? And after the drawn-out "Mary's Place," Bruce finally made good on his earlier promise, as the strains of "Incident" filled the stadium -- "for you old, bald fans."
A high-energy encore opened with "Jungleland," Clarence shining on the solo; Steve hammed it up good on "Dancing in the Dark" as he and Bruce struck a tango pose. Steve, it should be said, has been really into it on this stand, looking like he's having a blast (and ever-considerate, handing out bottles of water to overheated fans, too). For "American Land," the E Streeters were joined by three Sessions Band players: Jeremy Chatzky on stand-up bass, Sam Bardfeld on fiddle, and Curtis King, sharing a vocal mic with Patti.
And finally, Bruce and the band closed out their homecoming stand with "Rosalita," one more "fairytale" to send fans home happy, well after coaches had turned into pumpkins. Watch video from the all three nights, the first three songs from each Giants Stadium show, at NJ.com. Setlist: July 28 / E. Rutherford, NJ / Giants Stadium
But there were more goodies to come -- "Saint in the City" was next, and with some confusion about the key, it veered dangerously toward train-wreck territory... before Bruce and Steve shredded on an amazing guitar duel that salvaged it all and then some. As for guitar-work, Nils had a great night too -- most astoundingly, pulling off a forward somersault in the middle of his "Because the Night" solo, playing straight through.
Some intra-family dedications, as "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" went out to Sam and Evelyn -- "That's for my boy," Bruce reiterated at the end. After "Drive All Night" made its U.S. tour debut, an occasion in and of itself, Bruce added another dedication, turning to Patti to say, "Happy birthday, babe." To start the encore he encouraged a serenade, saying, "Tomorrow's my baby's birthday, so go right ahead..." The 50,000-strong New Jersey crowd offered up a weak rendition of "Happy Birthday." "That's terrible!" Bruce said, and so he sang it himself as the band joined in to play along. On the "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" that followed, Bruce came down to sing and dance with daughter Jessica, too.
"Detroit Medley" always rocks the house, but the real highlight of the encore was when Bruce said "We've got the next generation!" and welcomed Max's son, Jay Weinberg, who took over the kit for "Born to Run." Mighty ambitious, you might think... but mighty seems to run in the family. Jay kicked ass -- he's got the power, and Max looked on with pride.
One more after "American Land" ("I don't wanna hurt nobody -- I want everyone to go home happy!"), and tonight it was the stadium-wrecker, "Twist and Shout." Jesse Malin and Marah's Dave Bielanko came on stage for the show-closer, and the birthday girl was joined at the mic by Jessica and some of her friends. Garry's daughter was up there, too -- definitely familiy and friends night at Giants Stadium. Happy birthday, Patti! Watch video from the show at NJ.com. Setlist:
"Mary's Place" was "for my friend Wayne Myers, who has taught me so much about how to get there," Bruce said, "Thank you, Dr. Wayne!" Complete with knee-slide and an extended preacher rap (including Clarence in Ed McMahon mode, echoing Springsteen's offered wisdom), "Mary's Place" stretched out to 14 minutes, and that's even without band introductions. After rejoining the band for the four shows in Spain, Patti Scialfa was with us again tonight, bringing out "Brilliant Disguise" and "Tunnel of Love." Her husband gave her a quick peck after "Brilliant Disguise," explaining, "I didn't want to mess up that makeup." To open the encore, Bruce decided to send one out to "one special Jersey girl," which had some eagerly anticipating a certain Tom Waits cover... but just for a sec, before he went into, of course, "Girls in Their Summer Clothes."
After "American Land," and after making like he was done for the night, Bruce came back to the mic and told the crowd, "You ain't got it." He continued egging the crowd on -- "You ain't got it. I still got it... you ain't got it" -- before finally finding them up to the challenge: "Oh yeah? Let's get it on!" No twisting and shouting tonight, that's been left in Europe for the time being -- instead, "Rosalita" came out to jump. "A true fairy tale to open the show," Bruce declared, "and a true fairy tale to close the show." Watch video from the first three songs at NJ.com. Setlist:
Over the two nights, Bruce and the band played a total of 43 different songs, with 15 songs coming out for the final night that weren't played the night before. Night one, on Saturday, was a relatively straightforward set, at least for a tour that's continually evolving. Broensad continues: "The show has changed over the course of this leg, and Patti's return is a fine addition. There was less focus on the reqests than I saw earlier on the tour, with a little more structure in the set. 'Backstreets' and 'Janey' were by request, and he really nailed 'Backstreets.' No tour premieres or really big surprises, but what the hell. Those don't matter when you hear really great versions of 'Backstreets,' 'Jungleland,' 'Tunnel of Love' and 'The River.' " By the end of the show a good deal of the E Street Band: The Next Generation were twisting and shouting onstage, too.
For Sunday night's closing show, repeat attendees might have felt like they were witnessing a continuation of the night before: "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out," often an encore song, kicked things off, and of the first twelve songs, only "Radio Nowhere" was a repeat. Anyone disappointed in Saturday night's "standard" setlist got a slew of rarities, too, including the tour premiere of "I'm Goin' Down," the second tour performance of "Light of Day," and a trifecta of "This Hard Land," "Youngstown," and "Murder Incorporated."
Hearkening back to the show-closing cover-song blowouts of old, both "Detroit Medley" and "Twist and Shout" came out in the encore, as did the Young Springsteens once again, joining their folks to wave goodbye to Barcelona, and to the 2008 European Magic tour. It's been a remarkable two months, with Bruce and the Band quickly getting up to speed on the larger stadium stage and expanding the show to match. In addition to songs tailor-made for these bigger venues, like "Hungry Heart" and "Born in the U.S.A.," they broke out some classic covers ("Summertime Blues," "Twist and Shout," "Seven Nights to Rock") and long-lost rave-ups ("Held Up Without a Gun," "Stand on It," "I'm a Rocker," "From Small Things") as well as surprise slow-burners -- like "Drive All Night," "I'm on Fire," and "Racing in the Street" -- that overcame the enormous environs to play incredibly well. Hard to believe it's over so soon. But if you're looking for a sad song, we ain't gonna play it: in just one week, the summer U.S. leg begins -- and for a few shows, the outdoor venues continue -- with Bruce and the E Street Band's homecoming stand at Giants Stadium kicking off on Sunday night, July 27. July 19 Setlist: July 20 Setlist:
"In a magnificent stadium, pretty well packed to the rafters, Bruce and the band incited the crowd to near frenzy status on occasion. The energy, passion and sheer joy coming from the crowd was uplifting and at times electrifying -- no wonder Bruce delights in playing to Spanish audiences. I was lucky to be able to watch the show from the pit (which was as crowded as I’ve ever seen it), yet the fans sat high up at the back of the stadium appeared to be just as exhilarated.
"The show kicked off shortly after 10 p.m. Stand-outs amongst many were 'Spirit in the Night,' 'Cadillac Ranch,' and a barnstorming 'Seven Nights to Rock,' along with an extended 'Mary's Place.' 'Badlands' brought the stadium to yet higher euphoria -- with Clarence bizarrely forgetting to join in for his sax solo! The show drew to a close just after 1 a.m. with a fabulous 'Twist and Shout.'
"So while this show may not go down as a classic from setlist scrutineers, for those present amongst the Madrid hordes, it will certainly go down as a summer's evening to remember." And hey, friend-o: Check out the intro from Javier Bardem! Night Radio Nowhere Lonesome Day The Promised Land Spirit in the Night Summertime Blues Brilliant Disguise The River Cover Me Trapped No Surrender Out in the Street Because the Night Cadillac Ranch Livin' in the Future Mary's Place Tunnel of Love The Rising Last to Die Long Walk Home Badlands * * * Jungleland Seven Nights to Rock Born to Run Bobby Jean Dancing in the Dark American Land Twist and Shout July 15 / San Sebastian, ESP / Estadio Anoeta And one would think it would take quite a bit to get the locals into a frenzy. After all, they already live in what might best be described as one of the most beautiful, elegant cities in the world, where several thousand (including yours truly) spent the sunny, 80-degree day at one of the handful of eye-popping beaches located right downtown. And they already have some of the best food in the world, where one can wander through the streets and find pinxos (tapas) bar after pinxos bar loaded with even more delectibles than are at the beaches. And after Spain's recent victory in the European Soccer Championship, not to mention the previous day's conclusion of the Running of the Bulls just down the road in Pamplona ,it's not as though the locals need any more excitement in their lives. But that would only serve to misunderstand the passion deeply embedded here for Bruce and the band.
Bruce was as juiced up as the crowd, feeling the passion, feeding on it and giving it right back. He looked possessed most of the night. And other than a few surprises ("Growin' Up," "Atlantic City," "Incident on 57th Street" and "Tougher Than the Rest") the band expertly worked their way through the set list with their 'A' game. Having already heard so many of these frequently played songs so often, a skeptic or regular attendee of the tour might think that the San Sebastian show wasn't as interesting as some of the others. Wrong again. This show was about passion and perfect execution. After hearing "She's the One" or "Badlands" or "No Surrender" and others for the umpteenth time, I found myself saying to myself, "Wow -- that was really good." Same holds true for "Summertime Blues" and even "Twist and Shout," both of which have had a lot of air time recently. It didn't matter. They were stunning and most were as good as I have ever heard. And the passionometer kept steadily rising throughout the night, redlining on many occasions.
One of the better examples of the passion in the crowd is the European tradition of jumping up and down during songs, hands often up in the air. I saw a bit of this elsewhere in Europe, but nothing like what I saw last night. For the uninitiated Yank, start with what University of Wisconsin football fans do between the third and fourth quarter of every home game -- standing and jumping up and down for a few minutes while they pump House of Pain's "Jump Around" through the PA system. Great stuff to be sure, but the Cheeseheads are lightweights compared to the Basques. Last night's crowd jumped around for three straight hours. I've never seen (or felt) anything like it. It is infectious. Even Bruce was jumping up and down at a few points during the show while playing guitar. But to scan across the stadium and witness a sea of heads bobbing up and down is a sight to behold. And it wasn't just the people in the stadium jumping around. Just outside Estadio Anoeta, at the far end opposite the stage, stands a large apartment building which overlooks the stadium itself. Needless to say, all of the balconies and the roof were filled with people watching the show and, you guessed it... jumping around. It reminded me of Chicago Cubs fans watching a game from the buildings behind the ivy-covered walls of Wrigley Field. And it seemed as though Bruce was swinging for the fences and trying to hit one out of the park across Waveland Avenue to them. The video cameras actually panned to them during the show and projected the scene on the large screens beside the stage. After all of this locura (craziness) and an official ending at about 1:15am local time, it's hard to imagine how anybody there got up and went to work today. I just have enough energy to go to the beach then grab some pinxos and prepare for Madrid and Barcelona. San Sebastian might just be the aperitivo. Locura. No, Apasionada. Setlist:
Hard to find many faults with this show -- strong set list, good energy, and near perfect sound. Highlights in the main set were three "summer specials": "Summertime Blues," "Sherry Darling," and "Sandy." Bruce collected signs during the long intro of "Summertime Blues" and made a few comments about the short Finland summer and long winter and made a funny remark about Santa Claus possibly being from Finland. "I'll Work for Your Love" was a "small" request which Bruce honored and was a pleasant surprise. But the night's real power was the three-pack of "Candy's Room," "Youngstown," and "Murder Incorporated." With "Because the Night" not in tonight's setlist, Nils was showcased in "Youngstown" -- previously performed only once by Bruce on this tour, solo-acoustic -- and it was searing. "Point Blank" was also a surprise, a request from someone who Bruce said had been "chasing [him] around for a while." "Born in the U.S.A." was nicely weaved into the four-pack (now five-pack) to end the set, was very well received by the locals, and Garry W. Tallent's bass work was exceptional. It felt as though there were a sub-woofer beneath the field.
As good as all this was, it wasn't until the encore that the locals really seemed to rock out. An eight-song stunner, which didn't end with "American Land." After that traditional closer, Bruce went on a hunt for a particular sign he had seen earlier in the night, found it, continued his story about Santa being from Finland, and then the band broke into a surprise mid-summer version of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (complete with some great Ho-Ho-Hos from Clarence) just for Finland. The locals ate it up, and the band wasn't done. They went straight into "Twist and Shout" to close, and even the most reserved Finns seemed to be up and dancing at this point. A nice Scandinavian send-off as the band packs up and heads down to Spain. Setlist:
[Correction: Tom Gardner writes, "Bruce picked up the 'Growin' Up' sign from my little, but not that little and certainly not that young, friend Janice Bolton who was in the first row with myself and her boyfriend, Laurie. On the rear of the sign was a request for 'Jole Blon.' We were taking a break off from our ongoing campaign for 'The Price You Pay'!"]
"If I Should Fall Behind" was played in a full-band arrangement for the first time with the E Street Band (as opposed to the reunion tour's stripped-down performance), similar to the recorded version from Lucky Town but with the Big Man taking the lead vocal during the first part of the last verse. The were lots of changes from the handwritten set list, with "I'll Work for Your Love" being a particularly nice addition. "From Small Things" was played as a request from none other than the Big Man! "Born in the U.S.A." was added in the middle of the now well-established "five-pack" -- or lately, four-pack -- and it worked great.
As on July 7, the encores were particularily hot. Finally, Oslo got their version of "Twist and Shout" after Bruce picked up a sign from a fan saying "Let's wreck this dump too!" -- referring to both this song's status as the "stadium wrecker" at Ullevi, Sweden, and to the fact that Valle Hovin probably is the worst venue in Europe. It reminds me more of an old parking lot than a stadium. Regardless of the quality of the venue, this show was hot, finally giving Norway -- the country in the world where Bruce sells most records per capita -- an excellent performance. Having been to four shows in five days, I’m now beat, but I wish I could continue forever… Setlist:
 Setlist:Two Hearts Radio Nowhere No Surrender Lonesome Day Hungry Heart Cover Me Cadillac Ranch Gypsy Biker The River Atlantic City Prove It All Night Darlington County The Promised Land Because the Night She's the One Livin' in the Future Mary's Place Waitin' on a Sunny Day Racing in the Street The Rising Last to Die Long Walk Home Badlands * * * Tenth Avenue Freeze-out Born to Run Bobby Jean Glory Days Seven Nights to Rock Dancing in the Dark American Land
As for Magic itself, its presence in the show was notably diminished, as "Radio Nowhere" was dropped for the first time; the first song played from the new album was in slot 15. Instead, there were surprises left and right, with "Hungry Heart" and "Backstreets" played early in the set, and "Janey" getting a rare airing as well.
The climax of the show was perhaps inevitable, at least foreseeable, but no less thrilling as Bruce and the band offered up one more for Sweden after "American Land." Tobias Sonestedt writes: "The standard show-closer was wonderful, cheerful and as fantastic as could be... but when the band was persuaded by the audience to play the classic 'stadium-wrecker' 'Twist and Shout' -- Ullevi was damaged during the two shows in 1985, thanks to that song -- it felt like the stadium exploded. It was a fairy-tale ending of a wonderful night when everything worked and the audience was as good as an audience can be. Bruce Springsteen is the undisputed Concert Champion of the World." Setlist:
Notes: Swedish shows generate the same level excitement as Bruce's visits to Italy and Spain. With a two-night stand in Goteborg on Friday and Saturday nights, John writes: "The whole city went Bruce crazy for the weekend -- every cafe blaring tunes, newspaper pull-out sections, radio promotions -- it was nuts. The European fans don't take bruce for granted as some of us Jersey fans do, and here in Sweden they are still talking about when the fans broke the stadium in '85." And this 2008 return to Goteborg sparked even greater anticipation, with a performance on the Fourth of July.
Of course, Bruce and the band came through with flying colors, red, white and blue. For the occasion we had the tour premiere of "Born in the U.S.A." to open (last played at a Magic warm-up show), plus both "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" and "Independence Day," the latter played only in Dallas on this tour. Additional rarities included "This Hard Land," "Cadilalc Ranch," and "Be True."
Here in the States, SIRIUS' E Street Radio broadcast live from the show, including "Sandy," "Atlantic City," "Because the Night," "Cadillac Ranch," "Independence Day," and the final five songs of the night. Online, you can see video of the opening three songs at aftonbladet.se. Setlist: June 29 / Copenhagen, DEN / Parken
Also played on the spur of the moment were "Out in the Street," "Trapped," "I'm on Fire," "Downbound Train," "Seven Nights to Rock," "Ramrod," and that magical solo-piano "For You." Martin Jensen describes the last of these: "Bruce gave the band a break when he went to the piano and made 45,000 people silent while playing 'For You' in the darkness of the stadium. This song gave me the confirmation that Bruce's vocals are at their peak -- with the strong combination of power, masculinity, vulnerability, and even pain, he sang each word as a deep echo from his heart. Stunning, I must say!"
Setlist: Notes: Show-opener "Adam Raised a Cain" is as powerful as it comes, and it set the bar for the early part of the set in Paris. Highlights for me were "Spirit," a request for which happened to coincide with the setlist, another powerhouse in "Rendezvous" (a perfect fit for the setting), and a first outing in Europe for "Janey, Don't You Lose Heart." Bruce was so fired up during "Darlington County" that he left Nils behind when he shot off to one side to see the crowd, and their duet was conducted with Bruce on the run across the front apron.
What has become a fairly standard end-of-set section was augmented by a show-closing "Out in the Street," but if I'm honest, "Badlands" works better for that purpose. Fairly standard encores also, but of course this being Paris we were treated to not one but two guest appearances: Elliott Murphy of course, but now his son Gaspard joins in too, also a guitarist. Gaspard stayed as close to Bruce as possible during "Born to Run" to check out Bruce's moves. The look on Bruce's face showed that he was only too happy to be passing on his superior knowledge. Elliott shared a microphone with Soozie during "American Land," but -- especially through a long lens -- it was obvious that he had no idea how the song goes!
So, some moments that were truly wonderful. It would have been interesting if some of the other requests Bruce plucked out had coincided with the alternates on the setlist such as "Tougher Than the Rest," "Land of Hope and Dreams," and "Lost in the Flood"... there's always something more to look forward to, isn't there? Setlist: June 25 / Milan, ITA / San Siro
"What an amazing show! The concert was exactly three hours long, from 8:50 to 11:50 sharp. I hadn't seen such a long concert from Bruce since the Rising tour, or even the Reunion tour. Bruce is said to have a special relationship with the Italian audience, and particularly Milano, where he first played San Siro stadium on the 1985 tour. This one was full throttle -- it's been years since I've seen Bruce so charged, excited and powerful.
The first real peak of the gig was 'Darlington'/'Because the Night'/'She's the One.' A second emotional peak was 'I'm on Fire,' which Bruce sang while sitting on the edge of the stage, leaning out to the pit while hugging Nils (also sitting) with one arm. And then 'Racing in the Street' especially, with Roy Bittan on the piano and Bruce singing, and then the progression of Max's drums... one of the best moments of the show. 'Racing' was also played by request from a sign in the pit.
"Then it was a constant climax from 'Badlands' (the stadium seemed about to crumble down) onwards. 'Detroit Medley' was played becasue Little Steven tapped on Bruce's shoulder to point out the banner hanging from the upper level. After 'American Land,' Bruce called back the E Streeters, who were almost about to leave the stage, and started a riff on his guitar. There it was: a wonderfully enjoyable 'Twist and Shout,' a tour premier which had the whole audience dancing till we dropped."
Setlist: June 23 / Antwerp, BEL / Sportpaleis
"It was a full house, 17,000 fans, the sound was great, and it was rocking all night long. The songs followed up very fast, no time for stories -- only just after a pure and refreshing 'Spirit in the Night,' Bruce had a break. He went to the crowd, looking for some requests -- some written on a cardbord pizza box or on a very small paper -- and he took quite a lot of them back on stage. During the show, he would pick some of them out, playing songs like 'Sandy' and 'Point Blank.'
"'Fire': the duet with Clarence was great! An especially cool moment, when they both stopped singing. It looked that the show was one big "ask for your favorite songs" performance. But it was great, nobody was complaining. When the E Street Band came back out for the encore, they gave us a tour premier, 'I'm a Rocker.' The audience was burning and gave him a standing ovation for the rest of the show! That was followed by a rocking 'Born to Run' and 'Thunder Road.' 'Isn’t it too hot?' Bruce asked several times, and he and Steve acted like waiters when they gave the crowd water to refresh them. But nobody felt the heat, only the waves of the sound."
Setlist: June 21 / Hamburg, GER / HSH Nordbank Arena
Erik Knevelbaard reports: "The energy and fun Bruce has this leg is amazing. The now-famous move where Bruce bends over before the front row crowd had a special twist during a high-energy 'Spirit in the Night.' During previous shows it always was a woman on the big screen between Bruce's legs, this time it was a fellow -- which made for a good laugh throughout the sold-out stadium. But what made this show extra special is the fact that he played a killer set. "After 'Spirit' Bruce picked up a lot of signs, and some very good ones! We saw 'Something in the Night' and almost didn't dare to hope... but then Bruce said 'let's go, Steve' and showed the sign we hoped for! I finally got to hear one of my alltime faves -- it was beautiful and the highlight for me on this tour so far. And that was just the start, because Steve got his fave with 'Held Up Without a Gun.' Bruce described it as the band's most 'punk' song. It was great, just smoking, and Steve was all smiles! If I'm correct, it's the first performance of this short gem since 1981. "But it didn't stop there, as Bruce said 'we're gonna get them all out'... and they did! A great 'Hungry Heart' for a lady in the front row who Bruce had seen at many shows. Bruce wanted to play it acoustic, but the band (including Charlie) convinced him they knew it, so after Bruce played the first verse on acoustic guitar together with the whole stadium, the band kicked in and the crowd went wild. A great 'Incident' had me choked for the second time tonight, and the solo at the end was very powerful, Bruce was very focused for this one. The encores had the whole stadium shaking and left us all out of breath but oh so satisfied. After this show and the songs played, one has to wonder what comes next? I'm looking forward to the shows to come -- the game is really on now!" Setlist: June 18 / Amsterdam, NED / Amsterdam Arena
Massimo Benvegnu reports: "What a fun night we all had in Amsterdam, Bruce included! After a standard stadium start with 'Out in the Street,' things really got started with an amazingly touching 'Promised Land,' Springsteen singing the final verse holding the audience's hands. It was the first of many visits to the front of the stage, with Bruce visibly pleased by the attention he received from Dutch girls! And he wasn't the only one -- one brought a banner that read 'Princess of Little Steven,' which Bruce placed by Steve's mic. The obvious Dutch connection of Van Zandt and Springsteen made it for a very fun, loose atmosphere. Throughout the evening Springsteen extracted many different things from the audience, including a bunch of sunflowers, a 'Welpie' (a lion cub toy, the mascot for the Dutch football team), and a young girl that dove through the audience to hug the Boss during 'Darlington County.'"
"But what had the biggest impact was a sign for 'Summertime Blues,' which they actually played in the encores, much to everybody's amazement! At the end of the obviously improvised performance (they had not played the cover in 27 years), Steve even started the opening chords to 'Gloria' -- it felt like the E Street Band turned into a high school band playing a prom night in, errr... way back when! They kept rockin' with rarities from their own repertoire -- 'Stand on It' and 'Seven Nights to Rock' -- straight after it. 'Bobby Jean' was played with great feeling, and Steve did his best Sam Cooke on 'Long Walk Home,' which Springsteen praised with a 'Beautiful!' and the biggest grin ever. Bruce and the Band played with a great heart. A moving night, both poignant and funny!"
Setlist: June 16 / Dusseldorf, GER / LTU Arena Bruce and the band were carrying on for a few moments, maybe hoping for the sound to come back, but they finally stopped playing. The shock turned into a very funny moment, with the E Streeters waving and smiling apologetically. When the sound came back a few minutes later Bruce grinned and said, "Maybe we should have started with another one!" And so, the show re-started with a triumphant "Night," which ended with Bruce and Clarence crossing themselves, thanking the Lord for getting through the song without another sound glitch. However, during the following "Radio Nowhere," just as Clarence was going into his sax solo, the video screens and the sound went off a second time! This time Bruce used the free moments to go right into the audience and collect banners with the requests. Again, he didn't lose his sense of humor, remarking when the power came back: "This goes to show, the E Street Band is 100% live!"
The performance was one of the best I've ever seen, simply because Bruce and the band clearly were on a mission to show everybody that no power failure can stop the power of the E Street Band. In the end, everything went smoothly -- although Soozie's fiddle seemed to have its own power failure at the beginning of "American Land," so Bruce gave her two new starts -- without another major technical hiccup. The lack of electricity for the equipment was more than made up for by the sheer electricity of this band in top form. A magic night, absolutely. If only Bruce had announced that they would return! Setlist:
In the encore, a more bittersweet connection, as Springsteen sent out "Thunder Road" to the late Tim Russert:
In between, there was a riotous "Blinded By the Light," preceded by a story about Danny and Mad Dog, with particularly funny bit at the beginning as Steve tried to figure out what Bruce was playing. "The River," with some stirring falsetto at the end, was transcendent. Nils' "Because the Night" solo was a real highlight, as usual, and Clarence was in particularly fine form in the encore, with wonderful solos on "Thunder Road" and "Jungleland." And another highlight at the end of the show: Bruce telling the crowd, "We'll be back!"
Setlist: May 31 / London, UK / Emirates Stadium One notable change was moving "Radio Nowhere" to the fifth slot. They opened with a bang with "Out in the Street," and burned through "No Surrender," "Darkness," and "Gypsy Biker" -- none of which were played on Friday -- before getting to what had been the traditional concert opener last time they were in these parts. "Sandy" and "Growin' Up" were wrapped around some Danny stories, and then it was on to back-to-back Born in the U.S.A. rarities: "Downbound Train" and "I'm on Fire." These were the first tour premieres of this European leg. Ian Henry tells us: "It may have been a few songs shorter, but it was simply sensational and awesome tonight. Bruce was seriously on fire, the set was so radically different from the first night, and the performance of 'Jungleland' was, in my 32-show experience, probably the finest. But the real joy was 'Sandy'; this week, my list of songs I was desperate to hear live was three: 'Point Blank,' 'Sandy,' and 'NYC Serenade.' As another big man once sang, to Roy on the piano I believe, two out of three ain't bad. And tonight proved one thing to me, Ian’s First Law of Bruce Concerts Theory: if he is playing two shows in your town and you can't do both, do the second! But I did both, and I -- like the band -- need my two-week rest. Roll on Cardiff!" Setlist: May 30 / London, UK / Emirates Stadium
Opening with "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out" got the crowd into it right away, and the post-"Magic" run from "Atlantic City" through "Because the Night" was particularly structure-rattling. During "Working on the Highway," which Bruce sang from out on the center stage thrust, he asked, "Who's got the signs?" After a sweep of the crowd from side to side, gathering those request banners as he went, he deposited an armful at center stage. Foregoing "She's the One," he decided to dig through the signs instead, throwing them over his shoulder as he went and settling on one for "Caddy Ranch." That one was a real highlight, featuring solos from Soozie and Steve.
The "big" numbers like "Mary's Place" and "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" kill the momentum a bit, but of course they're perfect for venues of this size. Bruce made sure to get everyone on the sides and in the way back involved. "You gotta do that big stadium thing!" he encouraged on "Sunny Day," getting them to wave their hands in the air like they really, really care and to sing along. "Oh, that's pretty good for here!" he needled. Back to the sign pile for another request: a magnificent "Point Blank" that recalled "Racing" in Dublin as a song that really shouldn't work in a ridiculously large venue... but really did. Standout bass work from Garry Tallent.
Hit after hit in the encore, starting with an inspiring, communal performance of "Thunder Road" as a dedication: "We want to thank our longtime, faithful English fans... We're gonna do this for you." After "Born to Run" and "Glory Days" (Bruce: "Is it tea time?... Is it sexy time?" Steve: "Not yet!"), it was time to really drive the crowd wild. "You can't take it no more!" Bruce hollered. "We wanna give it to you!" he repeated. "We're gonna give it to you!" They did -- "Rosie" was a blast. Structure test passed. But of course, that's just night one. Setlist:
A rocking show by all accounts; Nigel Ford tells us: "Bruce took |
Tonight, Springsteen breaks a 28-year streak -- not with "The Price You Pay," but with the first "Crush on You" since December 16, 1980. "Crush" was played frequently on the 1980 leg of the River tour, but never again... until tonight. Reacting to a sign, Bruce himself seemingly couldn't believe they were actually about to play it. Steve even more so, from the look of him. "We firmly believe this is the worst song we ever put on a record," Bruce laughed, also revealing that he took the riff from the Car 54, Where Are You? theme. Still, butt of jokes though it may be, it was one of the biggest holy-shit moments of the tour to date, kicking off the encore with a blast of energy. On one hand, it's a throwaway River rocker... on the other hand, it's... a throwaway River rocker! The perfect kind of thing (as "Ramrod" has long shown) for encore time. The only thing we like better is some vintage rock 'n' roll, like, you know, "Quarter to Three." Yep, the Gary U.S. Bands classic was next (last played at Shea in 2003), as the nightly E Street Band-as-cover-band history lesson continues -- with "Twist and Shout" closing the eight-song encore to boot. Local boy Robbin Thompson, Bruce's Steel Mill bandmate, guested for this final song of the night.
A welcome return from the Magic record, "I'll Work for Your Love," was in part a celebration of Clarence -- "The Big Man just got married!" -- who raised his arms victoriously. "The Promised Land," though setlisted, got a needed rest for the third show running. In all, 13 songs not performed at the previous show in Charleston, also including "Cadillac Ranch" and, previously played only in Amsterdam on this tour, "Stand on It." "This is a little obscure," Bruce said to introduce the latter, "but that's why we're here!" With only five shows left on the tour, ain't it nice that we're all on the same page?
The show was full of requests and audibles, including "Two Hearts" early in the proceedings. Signs tonight brought us "Light of Day," "Growin' Up," and "Janey, Don't You Lose Heart," then in a roundabout way, "No Surrender," as a sign called for Springsteen to "Play want you want!" The "Atlantic City" that followed was for a sign, too. 
Tonight's sign collection came after "Spirit in the Night," and the first request was a reach-back cover right up there with "Little Latin Lupe Lu": "You Can't Sit Down." Bruce pointed to the sign behind the stage, and the band deftly tackled it cold. An intermittent encore treat in the late '70s and sometimes medleyed in '81, the last time they even touched this one was nearly a decade ago, when they worked a bit of it into "Light of Day" midway through the reunion tour in Philly. And just as Philly was an appropriate place to break it out (the Philadelphia-based Dovells took the song to #3 in 1963), the Sunshine State is a fitting place for it, too: Steve Van Zandt played with the Dovells in the '70s on the Florida oldies circuit, picking up the nickname "Miami Steve" in the process.
More requests in the encore: "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" for a little girl's sign (he autographed it for her mid-song), and "Glory Days" for an Iraq War veteran's first show. And after "American Land," there was the now-traditional one more: this time it was a smokin' "Kitty's Back," which did not get stadium play... that alone showing the benefit of being back inside. No Patti tonight, and unusually, no "Promised Land," either; Pat Riley was in the pit.
But it seemed the band was ready after all, the song sounded great -- and the professionalism of the sign sure didn't hurt Bruce's performance. As he pointed out, the sign had the "Lupe Lu" lyrics printed on the back (in a Bruce handwriting font, no less) with "Key of F" written at the top. "That's appreciated!" he laughed, and he wasn't kidding -- he made sure to have the words where he could see.
Of course, if you thought "American Land" would be the last song on this night, you haven't been paying attention. Two more songs, though? Well, that's a closing night special. First up was the long-awaited "Jersey Girl" (you knew it had to come out here, right?) played for a fancy two-part sign and dedicated to Bruce's mom. "She's here tonight," he said, "she's working the concession stand." The full-band rendition of the Tom Waits classic is always a special moment, and here it was like reliving the version from the Live/1975-'85 box set, with cheers from the crowd coming at the same places as on the '81 recording. 
During "Summertime Blues" Bruce began the nightly sign collection -- "Send 'em down!" he chanted. Flipping through them after "Tunnel," he found one to his liking, for a song previously only played twice ever: "Held Up Without a Gun." "That's a good sign for Steve," he said, cackling, and went on: "I'm gonna dedicate this to what it cost you guys to drive here! We're getting screwed somehow... This song was written in 1980 -- and it was prophetic." After blasting through all two minutes of it, Bruce hollered, "Goodnight everybody! That said it all!"
The show opened appropriately with the retelling of the Legend of the E Street Band, "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out." Lots of dedications, including "Janey, Don't You Lose Heart" for "my friend Jane," and "Growin' Up" for a ten-year-old sign-holder named Rosie. "This song was written a quarter-century before you were born," Bruce told Rosie, "It must be good -- your daddy was a wink in his mama's eye!" And later in the song, he added, "There you were: a little egg inside a little egg inside a little egg...." 
The night's biggest surprise came right out of the gate when Patti Scialfa, absent for so many of the recent Magic shows (having been home minding the teenagers) suddenly appeared on stage. And when the band kicked into "Tunnel of Love" to start things off, the needle on the passionometer started to register. And the jumping began (more on that later). Nils' great solo towards the end of the song was a thing of beauty, and the band was just getting started. With a solid if perhaps not jaw-dropping set list that included all songs previously played on the Magic tour, someone who wasn't there might conclude that this show was a yawner. Nothing could be further from the truth. 
Notes: A gorgeous Friday night in Helsinki for the last show on the Scandinavian leg of the tour. A sunny day in the mid-70s cooled down to mid-60s by the time the show began at 8 p.m. Olympia Stadion is a well-kept venue built in the 1950s, complete with a real grass field which gave the event a very park-like feel. The walk from the city center to the stadium is undoubtedly one of the most pleasant of all of the venues, a short 15-20 minute stroll through a park teeming with gardens, ponds and people having picnics, sunbathing (yes they do that in Finland) and some even engaged in pre-show festivities. Helsinki is a very refined, city and the reserved crowd seemed to reflect that: there wasn't the rabid passion that was evident in, say, Goteborg, but the audience was warm, appreciative, and even polite. Unlike Sweden, Finland hasn't been a regular stop for Bruce and the band over the years (much to the disappointment of some of the locals I talked to), so I didn't really have any particular expectation about the night prior to the event . And I certainly didn't expect a 31-song show with an eight-song encore, which ended a bit later than the 11 p.m. curfew the locals insisted had to be adhered to.
Complaints continue to come in about the sound, even in a scaled-down stadium like this one, but not about much else. Bruce is even handling concessions: "Spirit in the Night" -- which made for three songs from Greetings -- found him grabbing a pack of Carlsberg beer from he crowd, running across the stage and passing them out to fans (though not before taking a sip himself). From Anders Solberg's vantage in the pit: "In the encore when they played 'Seven Nights to Rock' and 'Ramrod,' I almost lost my hearing. Everybody was singing and screaming so much that I'm sure it was louder than the music. Just amazing. I will never forget the Copenhagen show. 29 songs. Three hours. Non-stop action. Great audience. Amazing energy by the band. I think this tour just made it's way up there with 1978 and the Reunion tour." 
Max may need stronger specs... he started "I'm on Fire" when Bruce was holding up a request for "Fire." They soon got it right, and Clarence comes into his own here with the deepest voice in the band; the two of them mugged it up, milking the pause for all it was worth -- that was magic. With even more magic to come, as Bruce took over the piano for a solo version of "For You." I'm sure I heard a pin drop up the back somewhere, and I felt bad but I had to take a couple of rare pics of Bruce at the keys... 
"Bruce opened the show shouting, 'Is it hot enough in here?!' And then he added, 'We'll make it even hotter!' before going right into 'Summertime Blues.' The second tour performances of 'None But the Brave' (Bruce: "Mmhh, let's see if I remember it...') and 'Hungry Heart' were selected by Bruce thanks to signs from the fans in the pit. 
"Another break came when Bruce was looking for the sign hanging above the back of the stage, above Max. He was asking the lights and cameras to catch the sign, but it was quite difficult... finally they found it: 'Thundercrack'! A great song from the 1970s. Bruce had to ask if everybody was ready, telling the audience that the E Streeters are always ready... almost always! 
Notes: A fun, interactive show in Amsterdam turned into a true stunner in the encore, as Bruce and the band tackled a classic cover they haven't done since the River tour. We'll let Helen set the scene: "The Netherlands are in a state of euphoria at the moment, as our country is doing very well in the European Football Championships. The team play in orange, our national color. Roy came onstage wearing an orange cap, and Bruce belted out: "Italy, France, Romania!" (the three countries we beat so far). A huge roar from everyone. Later on Bruce commented on it further, saying that everything in the Netherlands seemed to be orange: the houses, the people, the bicycles... Someone gave Bruce an orange garland, which he wore around his neck."
The power failure translated into a power high that made this show one of the most fierce and most fun shows I've seen. "Radio Nowhere" was played again, with great dedication and force in the face of everybody's fear of having the show cancelled. "Spirit in the Night" had Bruce diving into the audience, literally being lifted up by the many hands of the fans. When the song got to the quiet part (and everybody feared a new power glitch), Bruce grinned and added, "We're still on." This loose and "anything could happen at any time" atmosphere was on one hand unsettling (as Bruce remarked after the power glitch: "That was terrible!"). On the other hand, it made for a very special energy which the E Street Band used to create an extremely forceful and tight set. After "Magic" the first request was played: a haunting "Trapped" (which fit very nicely coming after "Magic"). The mood lightened with "Darlington County," during which Bruce again dove into the pit, interacting with the crowd in a way that suggested he was enjoying the experience more than ever. 
