Well, he did it again. For the second week in a row, a Bruce Springsteen concert has left me speechless, unable to find the right words to properly capture the magic of another great show.
Last night's Indianapolis show was the best show I've ever seen him do. I realize this could change with the next show I attend, but I'm comfortable letting last night's show stand as the best.
Bruce came out and played like a man possessed. The show opened with "Night," and of course, Clarence's performance was right on the money. As it turns out, Clarence would be a busy Big Man for this night's show.
"Radio Nowhere" and "Lonesome Day" followed, as usual, but then it was audible time. Bruce saw a sign in the pit that caught his attention. He asked for it, looked at it, and then turned and faced the band with the sign calling for "Prove it All Night." This one's been showing up recently, so the band had no problem tearing into it and giving the Indy crowd a great performance.
Little Steven busted off another great solo in "Gypsy Biker," which was followed by "Magic" and "Reason to Believe." The energy in the pit and in the stands was electric. As Bruce was finishing up "Reason to Believe," he spotted another sign.
As he did before, he got a hold of the sign and then turned and faced the band. This time around the sign was for "Rendezvous." The band didn't skip a beat with this tour premeire, and it was great seeing the smiles on their faces when the song ended. They aced it, and they knew it.
"Because the Night," with Nils bringing down the house with another great solo, into "She's the One," and then "Livin' in the Future," didn't prepare us for what was about to happen next.
Bruce stepped up to the microphone, and in the understatement of the tour said, "We've got a special treat for you tonight."
There he was, The Phantom, Danny Federici, back behind his keyboards. The fans in the pit went nuts. The whole crowd gave Danny a great welcome back. Charlie Giordono gave Danny a hug, and then gracefully left the stage. The rest of the band looked Danny's way, before opening Danny's portion of the show with "The Promised Land." "Darkness . . . " was on the setlist, but this was a great choice for the moment.
The emotions were running high in the band and in the audience. Garry and Roy were beaming toward their returning comrade, and Clarence and Nils, both stood over by Danny at different points during the song.
Would Danny be one and done for the night? The answer would not just be no, but Hell no!
With Danny back, we got "Spirit in the Night" and "Sandy." During "Spirit . . ." I swear to God that Bruce was possessed by Van Morrison, as he did leg kicks, movng across the stage. The band nailed these two songs, and when they were over, Danny got another nice ovation.
Charlie returned to close out the main set, with the band attacking the material with an incredible level of intensity. It was a great main set, with Danny's return and the two great audibles. It should also be noted that the audibles replaced setlisted "Candy's Room," and "Growin' Up."
When Bruce and the band came back to start the 5-song encore, Danny was back in his rightful place. Bruce told the crowd they were "dedicating the encore to Danny," and with that, Roy kicked off the openng to "Backstreets."
What followed next can only be described as some of the best playing I've ever seen from Bruce and the ESB. They tore into "Kitty's Back," with Danny, Roy, and Bruce each taking great solos. Bruce was egging both keyboardists on during their solos, and then Bruce fired off an amazing solo of his own.
I've never seen the band as focused on each other as they were during this song. Steven and Soozie were in awe of what they were hearing, while Garry and Max kept the song moving like the great rhythm section they are.
I never thought I'd feel this way, but "Born to Run" was kind of anti-climactic. How could they go any higher, and give anymore of themselves than they had up to this point?
Well, they found a way, and it was all due to a girl named Hannah. She had a little sign that said "Dance with me," and when it caught Bruce's eye, it meant only one thing; "Dancin' in the Dark" was going to replace "Ramrod" on the setlist.
Toward the end of the "Dancin' . . . " Bruce pulled Hannah (9-10 years old, maybe) up to the stage for a dance. I'll tell you what, this girl put Courtney Cox to shame! Hannah had all the right moves, and Bruce was eating it up. He got her back into the pit, played some more, and then brought her out again. This time they moved across the stage, left and right. Not all the way across, but Hannah was getting plenty of profile, for sure.
Charlie rejoined the band for "American Land," teaming up with Roy on the accordion. When Bruce introduced the band, and got to Danny, there was a great ovation, and chants of "Danny, Danny, Danny" from the crowd. It was a beautiful ending to an incredibly emotional and power-packed show.
In the initial review on backstreets.com and in the Indianapolis Star, there was some noise made about the 5,000 empty seats. The backstreets.com review was amended to include the rest of the story, which was this.
The only empty seats wee nose-bleed seats. When I looked up at those, I knew that as much as I loved Bruce, I would not sit in one of those seats. The lower bowl and second level were full. The fans in the stands were on their feet quite a bit. Plus, there were some people up in the upper upper seats. The crowd of 11,000 was into the show, and at the end of the night, Bruce signed off with "Thanks for a great night."
No Bruce, thank you.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Is Anybody Alive Out There?
Bruce Springsteen and the E St. Band rolled into Omaha Friday night, and its safe to say everyone left happy. The fans got a great show from a band that is definitely hitting on all cylinders, and Bruce and the ESB got the kind of reception you'd expect from a city that hasn't hosted a Springsteen show for nearly 30 years.
Omaha was ready for this, with an energetic crowd in the pit, and a fully energized crowd in the seats.
Bruce and the ESB were ready too, matching the crowd's energy with an enthusiasm and intensity that turned into a night of, well, magic.
The show opened, for the second time on this leg, with "No Surrender," "Radio Nowhere," and "Lonesome Day." As the second leg progresses, the potential for a surprise opening song is alive every night. No complaints here with "No Surrender."
The first audible of the night came early, with a setlisted "Darkness on the Edge of Town" getting the boot in favor of "Adam Raised A Cain." The band tore through this with no problem, and it's clear that Charlie Giordano is getting more and more comfortable with Bruce's material. Everyone misses Danny, but Charlie is doing a great job.
"Adam Raised A Cain" was the opening bell for what sounded like a guitarslinger's battle among Bruce, Nils, and Little Steven. Bruce ruled the roost with "Adam....," but Little Steven stepped up and owned "Gypsy Biker."
This was only the second show I've been to on this tour, so I'm sure Steven excels on this song in every show, but something in Steven's work must have got Bruce's attention this time around, because he had a hug for Steven afterwards.
Nils had his shot, and stole the show, with an absolutely blistering solo on "Because the Night." If Nils was more of a role player during the opening leg of the Magic tour, his guitar work on "Because the Night" should serve as a great reminder that Nils is the "Godfather of the Guitar."
The next four songs were pretty true to previous shows on this leg, with "She's the One," "Livin in the Future," "The Promised Land," and "Waitin' on A Sunny Day." Bruce's anti-Bush comments prior to the start of "Livin in the Future" got mixed reviews from where I sat. He got the same kind of mixed reaction during his intro to "Magic." Omaha's not the most liberal city in the Midwest, so while many of us agree with Bruce's positions, it was clear there were many that came to hear him sing and keep his political views to himself.
Based on the good sing-a-long reaction Bruce got from the crowd for "...Sunny Day," he introduced the next song as another one the crowd could sing along with. I swore I saw some more unplanned equipment shuffling, signaling another audible. I learned later this one was on the setlist, with Bruce doing a great version of "The River."
The main set closed with "Devil's Arcade," "The Rising," "Last to Die," "Long Walk Home," and "Badlands." While this is the standard order for this part of the set, there was nothing standard about the performances.
"Long Walk Home" has been reworked with Nils and Steven adding their vocals to the arrangement. Apparently this is something that evolved during the European leg. Nils and Steven have unique voices, and they both sounded great, giving a great song an extra boost. All of which led into an absolutely killer version of "Badlands."
The fan energy was great for this number, as it is in the other cities where I've seen Bruce perform.
Then it was on to the encores.
Normally, a 4-5 song encore closes the show. Lately that number has risen to six, and as many as seven songs. What would Omaha get?
The first song in the encore has been "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," and has been the spot in the show where dedications are made and local food banks are recognized. There was nothing different about that for the Omaha show.
"Thunder Road" followed, with Bruce bringing out his friend Conor Oberst. Oberst is the main man in the Omaha-based band, Bright Eyes. Of all the surprises we thought could happen, I never allowed myself to think this would be one of them.
Oberst came out, was warmly greeted by the band, and then knelt on the stage while Bruce and the band began playing. He finally got up and joined in with something that resembles singing, but if that wasn't funny enough, Bruce and the band kept waiting for him to really join in and sing, but he was hit and miss at best. Bruce and Steven both had to quickly turn to their microphones when Oberst didn't come in to sing as they expected him to. As my friend Mark put it after the show, "he looked like he was taking a crap before for the song, and once the song started, he crapped all over it." Enough said on that subject.
Perhaps to make up for this blunder, but announced as being requests from the audience, we got a great version of "Jungleland," with Clarence doing an absolutely stellar job on the sax solo, and a great rave-up version of the "Detroit Medley." The emotional swing from "Jungleland" to the "Detroit Medley" was incredible. I've never been moved as much during "Jungleland" as I was this time around.
The encore closed with "Born to Run," "Dancing in the Dark," and "American Land." All told, this show clocked in at 2 hours and 40 minutes, which makes it one of the longest of the tour so far.
Even though the setlist had no premieres, it's clear that Bruce is comfortable enough to play around with the setlist some. The changes in tonight's show from the one I saw last year in St. Paul was worth it for me.
My girlfriend and I will be heading to Indianapolis to catch Bruce's show there next week. I expect it will be another great show with plenty of surprises. I can't wait. If there's someone that makes it possible to believe in the power and magic of rock and roll, it is Bruce Springsteen and the E St. Band.
Omaha was ready for this, with an energetic crowd in the pit, and a fully energized crowd in the seats.
Bruce and the ESB were ready too, matching the crowd's energy with an enthusiasm and intensity that turned into a night of, well, magic.
The show opened, for the second time on this leg, with "No Surrender," "Radio Nowhere," and "Lonesome Day." As the second leg progresses, the potential for a surprise opening song is alive every night. No complaints here with "No Surrender."
The first audible of the night came early, with a setlisted "Darkness on the Edge of Town" getting the boot in favor of "Adam Raised A Cain." The band tore through this with no problem, and it's clear that Charlie Giordano is getting more and more comfortable with Bruce's material. Everyone misses Danny, but Charlie is doing a great job.
"Adam Raised A Cain" was the opening bell for what sounded like a guitarslinger's battle among Bruce, Nils, and Little Steven. Bruce ruled the roost with "Adam....," but Little Steven stepped up and owned "Gypsy Biker."
This was only the second show I've been to on this tour, so I'm sure Steven excels on this song in every show, but something in Steven's work must have got Bruce's attention this time around, because he had a hug for Steven afterwards.
Nils had his shot, and stole the show, with an absolutely blistering solo on "Because the Night." If Nils was more of a role player during the opening leg of the Magic tour, his guitar work on "Because the Night" should serve as a great reminder that Nils is the "Godfather of the Guitar."
The next four songs were pretty true to previous shows on this leg, with "She's the One," "Livin in the Future," "The Promised Land," and "Waitin' on A Sunny Day." Bruce's anti-Bush comments prior to the start of "Livin in the Future" got mixed reviews from where I sat. He got the same kind of mixed reaction during his intro to "Magic." Omaha's not the most liberal city in the Midwest, so while many of us agree with Bruce's positions, it was clear there were many that came to hear him sing and keep his political views to himself.
Based on the good sing-a-long reaction Bruce got from the crowd for "...Sunny Day," he introduced the next song as another one the crowd could sing along with. I swore I saw some more unplanned equipment shuffling, signaling another audible. I learned later this one was on the setlist, with Bruce doing a great version of "The River."
The main set closed with "Devil's Arcade," "The Rising," "Last to Die," "Long Walk Home," and "Badlands." While this is the standard order for this part of the set, there was nothing standard about the performances.
"Long Walk Home" has been reworked with Nils and Steven adding their vocals to the arrangement. Apparently this is something that evolved during the European leg. Nils and Steven have unique voices, and they both sounded great, giving a great song an extra boost. All of which led into an absolutely killer version of "Badlands."
The fan energy was great for this number, as it is in the other cities where I've seen Bruce perform.
Then it was on to the encores.
Normally, a 4-5 song encore closes the show. Lately that number has risen to six, and as many as seven songs. What would Omaha get?
The first song in the encore has been "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," and has been the spot in the show where dedications are made and local food banks are recognized. There was nothing different about that for the Omaha show.
"Thunder Road" followed, with Bruce bringing out his friend Conor Oberst. Oberst is the main man in the Omaha-based band, Bright Eyes. Of all the surprises we thought could happen, I never allowed myself to think this would be one of them.
Oberst came out, was warmly greeted by the band, and then knelt on the stage while Bruce and the band began playing. He finally got up and joined in with something that resembles singing, but if that wasn't funny enough, Bruce and the band kept waiting for him to really join in and sing, but he was hit and miss at best. Bruce and Steven both had to quickly turn to their microphones when Oberst didn't come in to sing as they expected him to. As my friend Mark put it after the show, "he looked like he was taking a crap before for the song, and once the song started, he crapped all over it." Enough said on that subject.
Perhaps to make up for this blunder, but announced as being requests from the audience, we got a great version of "Jungleland," with Clarence doing an absolutely stellar job on the sax solo, and a great rave-up version of the "Detroit Medley." The emotional swing from "Jungleland" to the "Detroit Medley" was incredible. I've never been moved as much during "Jungleland" as I was this time around.
The encore closed with "Born to Run," "Dancing in the Dark," and "American Land." All told, this show clocked in at 2 hours and 40 minutes, which makes it one of the longest of the tour so far.
Even though the setlist had no premieres, it's clear that Bruce is comfortable enough to play around with the setlist some. The changes in tonight's show from the one I saw last year in St. Paul was worth it for me.
My girlfriend and I will be heading to Indianapolis to catch Bruce's show there next week. I expect it will be another great show with plenty of surprises. I can't wait. If there's someone that makes it possible to believe in the power and magic of rock and roll, it is Bruce Springsteen and the E St. Band.
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