New dates just announced. No NW! Bruce rocks Scotland,28 years since his last perfromance....

JULY 14, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND: LONG TIME COMING
Any time that Scottish Springsteen fans gather, inevitably the conversation turns to, "What have we done to piss Springsteen off?!" No visit from the E Street band in 28 years? Multiple dates in the UK but no journey north of the border? Someone must have served him his porridge cold when he brought the Human Touch tour to Glasgow in the early '90s. Before the gig I actually felt quite nervous: what if Bruce finally brings the band after 28 years and no bugger shows up? What if no one makes any signs? I had built this up to be the gig of all gigs and got some butterflies in fear that it wouldn't live up to my lofty expectations. Fair to say that I needn't have worried.

At exactly 8:00, Nils strolled on with an accordian to play "Flower of Scotland," which got the mass throng behind the band from the off. One by one the E Street band filed onto the stage until Springsteen himself strolled on last... cue mass hysteria. Straight into "Badlands,” the crowd are bouncing as one, and everyone I can see has a beaming smile ear to ear. Gem after gem is played, "My Lucky Day" goes over like a long lost classic, and Bruce is pressing flesh with the front few rows—after "She's the One," he gives his harmonica to a guy in the front row who practically bursts into tears right on camera! Bruce was a man intent on making it a night to remember for everyone: constantly falling backwards into the crowd, slapping hands, pointing crazy hats out, stretching his guitar neck into the throngs, and when he spoke to the crowd, he did it in his best Scottish accent, Shrek style.

Springsteen calls out "Working on the Highway," and it seems the band weren’t expecting it, guitars had to be swiftly changed. Bruce set up his mic near the front and gave those lucky enough to be around one of the three platforms a barnstorming performance. He was scoping the crowd for something, and then when he sang the line "pretty little miss" he zeroed in on a woman sitting on someone's shoulders and did a pelvic thrust.

The “Seeds"/"Johnny 99"/"Atlantic City" trilogy was one of the main highlights for me, "Johnny 99" was especially was incredible in this rawkus, stretched-out version. Then request time arrives, and my fears about no signs are unfounded. Bruce spends a few minutes collecting from every part of the walkway, and something catches his eye—he mouths, "Fuck me!" and struggles to carry this huge sign (big enough to fit on the side of a bus) on to the stage. After the bandmembers smile and nod their heads, he then turns it around so we can see: "Incident on 57th Street." He rests it on the riser and says, "Bear with us while we figure this one out..." Bruce, Nils, and Steven have a little meeting, then they break to pull it off with aplomb. The camera zooms in on a woman in the front row who is crying tears of joy—and I mean a river of tears.

The next sign is for "Pink Cadillac," and Bruce takes the time to point out the "collage" effect, which gets "20 extra points," and the glitter on the sign... again, the man is having a ball out there. "All that work,” he says, and he starts to play the intro before noticing his guitar tech standing next to him with a new guitar. ”Oh, kinda fucked that one up, didn't I? Well, if you're gonna fuck it up, might as well fuck it up at the start!" After changing his guitar and trying to get the intro right: "Shit, that’s Peter Gunn!... Okay, got it now!" he says before leading the crowd and band into a mass singalong. The sign set finishes with "Cover Me" as requested by 17-year-old Rebecca. "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" ends with Bruce handing the mic to a little girl held up by her beaming father; Bruce speaks to her softly and gets her to sing back the chorus to him. A great moment when Bruce takes the kid's hat off and plants a kiss on her forehead.

On the home stretch as the main set comes to an end, "The Rising" sounds very strong, and "Radio Nowhere" has beefed up immensely; before we know it, “Born to Run” is finishing and 140 minutes have flown by. The band don’t leave the stage, instead they soak up the adulation, Bruce telling Scotland that he won't leave it so long the next time. Then we're into "Hard Times," another highlight for me. Bruce digs out a sign for "Thunder Road" and places it front and center, and a mass singalong follows. "American Land," with Evan Springsteen on guitar, has the crowd jigging away and Bruce changes some lyrics to include Scotland in it. After "Bobby Jean" and "Dancing," the crowd wants more, but Bruce hams it up: "Glasgow cant handle any more! Glasgow is done, you're finished! You don’t have it in you! You're spent!!" Hell no, of course, and Bruce leads the band in one more: a ten-minute "Twist and Shout" complete with a chorus of "La Bamba." Given the length of time we waited for this gig to happen, we can only hope that it wasn't a last hurrah—Bruce and the band are on fire right now, playing with such conviction and joy.


Next stop: Thursday night's festival in France

Bruce rocks em in Italy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...LCP4&feature=related


July 21 / Stadio Olimpico / Torino, ITA
Notes: You gotta be there. Every time. Every time Bruce Springsteen is in town, you gotta be there. You may attend 200 shows in almost 30 years—that's roughly what happened to yours truly—and hold your breath every night Springsteen performs "Backstreets," hoping he would remember that long soulful rap he used to perform in 1978 in the middle of the song. And it won't happen. But if you miss that special night he performs "Drive All Night" (which during the River sessions sprung directly from that beautiful "Backstreets" interlude, "Sad Eyes," that's how bootleggers referred to that rap) you are in serious trouble. You may not want to go to a Bruce Springsteen concert anymore. You'd rather retire, and go fishing for the rest of your life, or diving for pearls.

Thank God I was there. Not only because the setlist included a good nine songs not performed during the previous show, six of them tour premieres (can anybody in the pop-rock business top that these days?), but due to the energy and joy Bruce and the E Street Band brought to that very same stage they had hit twice 21 years before, both with the Tunnel of Love Tour and the Human Rights Now! Tour. "Loose Ends" was a brilliant choice to begin the setlist with. "American Skin" was surprisingly played two nights in a row, as if Bruce knew that racism and intolerance—in the Berlusconi era—is increasing under the Italian skies. "Murder Incorporated" was another unexpected number that worked very well after "Working on a Dream," as a warning that when you are fullfilled with promises of a better government you always have to remember of all the things that didn't work before the election. So less of a "recession segment" tonight, but but then three songs—"Drive All Night," "Two Hearts" (which included the now standard "It Takes Two" coda) and "My Love Won't Let You Down"—that smartly followed a thematic fil rouge.



The preparation for "Drive All Night" was hilarious. When the band broke into "Raise Your Hand" to let Bruce collect signs for requests, three identical, sealed and numbered envelopes reached the stage. After playing a rockin' "Travelin' Band" (in a matter of days John Fogerty will perform in a few Italian cities), Bruce decided to open those envelopes. Inside, the first one says "Drive All Night." Bruce shakes his head; "naah, too difficult and long," he seemes to say, while the crowd dives into visible desperation. Envelope 2, the paper inside says "Drive All Night" once again. The trick is almost revealed, so when Bruce opens envelope 3 everybody is screaming—and needless to say, marked in black is "Drive All Night"—and a collective dream comes true. In a show really close to perfection (every musical ingredient is there, almost every Bruce topic woven through the setlist), "Drive All Night" is a brilliant example of how the art and magic of Bruce Springsteen not only lies in what the audience usually gets, but
resides as well in what it may not get. A majestic song like that might stay unrevealed in an anvelope that Bruce may not pluck nor open. This is why you should always be there, every time he plays, if you can.



If four songs from Born in the U.S.A. played in Rome (plus "Pink Cadillac to boot) weren't enough, here we got another batch from that chartbuster, adding "Working on the Highway," "Glory Days," and the tour premiere of "My Hometown" to the Italian roster. (In Udine, "Downbound Train" and "I'm Goin' Down" could now make a bunch of fans happy).

The night before the Torino gig, while recovering from the first of three Italian Bruce Springsteen shows (a memorable rock 'n' roll evening already reported here), I felt so tired that I almost feared—not even turned 48—my golden age of rock 'n' roll fanatism and activism was suddenly over. The "pit experience," though very satisfying, had been particularly stressful. My back was on fire, my legs were gone. My head was in turmoil. My nerves were shaking. Plus, Bruce was reported a few miles from my apartment watching Ennio Morrricone and his orchestra performing and I decided not to go. Squeezed—that's how I felt after spending two months retouching my new book and getting ready for the three upcoming E Street Band concerts. In the end, while walking home I couldn't hold a couple of tears. Now, after one of the best Springsteen concerts I've ever seen, I feel "born again," like Bruce himself in "Leap of Faith." Thanks one more time to the power of rock 'n' roll, I don't think about buying a fishnet yet, and I am sure I have a few more miles to go.
- Ermanno Labianca reporting - photographs by René van Diemen

Setlist:

August 2 / Monte Del Gozo / Santiago, ESP
Notes: The European leg of the Working on a Dream tour ended in Santiago de Compostela on Sunday, the fifth of five in Spain, and a show that will be difficult to forget.

To begin with, arriving through a small road to the auditorium on top of the hill was a real adventure that took a long time. According to the press, the organization oversold by thousands of tickets, resulting in a real overbooking, with around a thousand people who couldn't physically enter the venue and had to stay outside. Meanwhile, there were around 40,000 fans crushed inside and packing the house. The people outside tore down some fences trying to get in, and by just a pure miracle there wasn't a riot where people could get hurt. A lot of people ended up seeing the show from the grass outside the venue, and 50 of them went to the police station to file a report.

A bit after 10 p.m., the best version of Bruce Springsteen came onstage to offer a vibrant performance, similar to the one in Bilbao just one week ago. Nils Lofgren played the very popular "A Rianxeira" on the accordion, and the E Street Band quickly kicked off the show with a rousing "Badlands." Bruce was completely "on," tonight, and the tension and excitement grew and grew song after song.



"Adam Raised a Cain" was the first highlight of the night, an audible that took the show to another dimension. Bruce sang and played with fury, and the song smoked. It was a tremendous electric storm that continued with a fabulous "Murder Incorporated," where the guitar trio shone, followed by "Johnny 99" and a really great performance of another classic: "Darkness on the Edge of Town."



Thanks to a big sign held by a group of Italian fans Bruce debuted a tremendous version of Elvis Presley's "Burning Love." A superb performance that was followed immediately by an exciting "Born to Be Wild" that segued into "My Love Will Not Let You Down." Max went crazy on this one, and his final drum fills received a huge roar from the audience.

This was Bruce Springsteen at his best. The excitement and energy level never went down. Another sign request brought a beautiful "This Life," right into an immense "Backstreets" that filled the auditorium with emotion. It was epic: Bruce sang with passion, and everyone on the green hill was in awe.

With such high adrenaline levels both on stage and in the audience, there was a long, eight-song encore that started with a rare acoustic version of "No Surrender." That was followed by "Land of Hope and Dreams" and "American Land," plus the crowd favorites "Glory Days" and "Dancing in the Dark." A rousing "Rockin' All Over the World" led into the classic "Twist and Shout."

The audience couldn't stop singing, dancing, and jumping all over, and there was no way this could end. A totally unexpected and powerful "Born in the U.S.A." sent everyone hope with the feeling that we had attended a very special show.

Back to the United States

August 19 / Comcast Theatre / Hartford, CT
Notes: Back in Hartford? Must be opening night! In the same city that they opened two legs of the Magic tour, this is Springsteen and the E Street Band's first U.S. concert of the summer—last time they played on these shores was Bonnaroo on June 13. Fittingly, it began with with a summer song—no, not an old Connecticut folk tune on Nils's accordion, but Bruce's own "Sherry Darling." Nils did rock the squeezebox on this one, though, as did Roy Bittan and Charlie Giordano, just as they did in Udine on July 23.

And that's not all that carried over from the European leg. What was a fairly fixed "recession suite" last time around opened up while the band was overseas, and tonight they followed "Seeds" and "Johnny 99" with "Murder Incorporated" (a U.S. tour premiere, with two solos from Nils) and the always-magical "Something in the Night." A pair of covers in the request section, the rare "Mountain of Love" (played once before on this tour, in Philly), and the premiere of Manfred Mann's 1965 hit "Sha La La." The latter was rough but fun, Bruce acknowledging the high level of difficulty with some serious prep work beforehand. The changes kept rolling with the U.S. tour premieres of "Be True," the incendiary "My Love Will Not Let You Down"—these two being real performance highlights—and "American Skin (41 Shots)."

"Be True," the great "Fade Away" B-side, had Bruce reflecting back 30 years to when he was narrowing down songs for The River: "When you look back at the choices you've made, some of them are hard to understand. This one should have gone on—it came down to this or 'Crush on You.' We would have had to leave 'Crush on You' off... Steve says, 'Whaddaya mean we?'"

More input from Stevie to close the extended main set, "Thunder Road" added on the fly at his suggestion. For "Dancing in the Dark" there were 11, count 'em, 11 gals on stage—and each one got a kiss as she headed back into the crowd.



No pit-within-a-pit, just one G.A. section for this amphitheatre—the lottery was for order of admission only. A downside to the outdoor summer show: brutal heat. In the pit, the temp had to be well into the triple digits, fans soaked and parched. During "Spirit in the Night," Bruce went to sip a beer from the crowd and wound up practically chugging the whole thing. Here's what we're drinking to: one show down, 29 to go...
- photographs by Nancy Nutile-McMenemy

Setlist:
Sherry Darling
Badlands
Out in the Street
Outlaw Pete
Spirit in the Night
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Murder Incorporated
Something in the Night
Raise Your Hand
Mountain of Love
Sha La La
I'm on Fire
Be True
My Love Will Not Let You Down
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
American Skin (41 Shots)
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
Rosalita
Thunder Road
* * *
Hard Times
American Land
Dancing in the Dark
Twist and Shout

Triple digets No thanks. lol

So how did they run the lotto I wonder. I've seen it done different ways.

I've never seen Springsteen in concert. I think I might check him out if he comes my area.

August 23 / Comcast Center / Mansfield, MA
Notes: Night two for Boston brings a "setlist B," with half of the songs switched up from the night before. (Did we say Boston? we meant Mansfield. "Good evening, Mansfield!" said Bruce, before adding, "Where the fuck is Mansfield?") "Saint in the City" came out early, with Bruce and Steve flashing guitars like switchblades on a killer duel. "Murder Incorporated" (Nils taking one solo, Bruce the other) took the place of "Seeds," and after a powerhouse "Johnny 99" it was time for a tour debut. "Alright, let's try this one," said Bruce, leading the band into a nice "Independence Day."



For the sign collections it was an instrumental "Heat Wave," a song they last played six years ago with Martha Reeves herself. Granted requests included both "I'm Goin' Down" and its B-side, "Janey Don't You Lose Heart." Lots of conferring before the latter, Bruce explaining, "We know these... we just don't know them right away!" In between was "You Never Can Tell," the first reprise after its debut in Bilbao. Charlie strapped on the accordion for this Chuck Berry chestnut, taking a solo out on the thrust with Bruce. "Prove It All Night" spotlighted the guitar wizardry of Nils Lofgren, who took a tremendous, extended solo that proved to be a real highlight of the night.

A lengthy encore—bizarrely so, packing in nine songs—kicked off with "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," a rarity on this tour and played better than it ever was on the Magic tour. It was played for another sign, "Happy 6th birthday to 'a girl in her summer clothes.'" That resonated with Springsteen, just a month away from the big 6-0: "I'm coming up on that one myself. That's my number. It's fortuitous!" Soon the Dropkick Murphy's frontman Ken Casey was on stage to trade vocal lines with Bruce on "American Land." After a couple more crowd-pleasers we came to the now-standard closer "Twist and Shout"... but Bruce clearly had more gas in the tank, taking the band into "Hang on Sloopy" and "Growin' Up" before leaving the stage. And that still wasn't all, as a tenacious crowd brought them back out for a final "Hungry Heart."
- photographs by Nancy Nutile-McMenemy

Setlist:
Night
Badlands
Out in the Street
Outlaw Pete
It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City
Working on a Dream
Murder Incorporated
Johnny 99
Independence Day
Heat Wave (instrumental)
I'm Goin' Down
You Never Can Tell
Janey Don't You Lose Heart
Prove It All Night
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
The River
Lonesome Day [with Jay Weinberg from here on]
The Rising
Born to Run
* * *
Girls in Their Summer Clothes
Thunder Road
American Land [with Ken Casey]
Glory Days
Dancing in the Dark
Twist and Shout
Hang on Sloopy
Growin' Up
Hungry Heart

August 22 / Comcast Center / Mansfield, MA
Notes: Truly not knowing what was coming next for much of the show gave this night, the first of two at a big Boston-area amphiteatre, a real freshness. Bruce and the band opened with an unusual trio: "Jackson Cage" into "She's the One" and "Working on the Highway," when Bruce donned the "Outlaw Pete" hat to match his black magic acoustic. "Let's keep the hits coming for a minute," Bruce said as he took the band into "Hungry Heart." When you don't get "Badlands" until slot six, you can rightly say that Bruce is mixing it up.

Highlights included powerful takes on "Trapped," with mass fist-pumping from the crowd; "Point Blank," with a stunning solo from Roy, and "Backstreets," with Max killing it on the drums, the high water mark of the show performance-wise as "My Love" was in Hartford. These found Bruce improvising from the heart, which ratcheted up the intensity: repeating "It was all there... and now it's all gone" at the end of "Point Blank"; and during "Backstreets," intoning "until the end... just you and me, baby," over and over.



Further rarities: "Burning Love" in the request set was tight as a drum and a ton of fun, followed by "For You." A full band "If I Should Fall Behind" came out for just the second time on the tour, requested by Tom for Ingrid at their 224th show. No trading off the vocals as in '99, but Bruce brought the other E Streeters in for some nice harmonies.

"Detroit Medley" kicked off the encore thanks to a one-of-a-kind sign: a blow-up doll. ("Steve has many of these at home!") The doll's accessories were the tip-off: "And she's wearing..." "A blue dress!" "And the horns mean..." "Devil!" Yep, message received, and they rocked it. Though Steve went sans guitar for a little while, making some adjustments to the doll, repairing a wardrobe malfunction, and putting the red wig on Bruce's head. Jay Weinberg took over the kit from his dad for that one one, playing the entire encore including a booming "Born in the U.S.A." and a bonus audience-rewarding "Twist and Shout" to stretch out the show to 2:55.
- photographs by Nancy Nutile-McMenemy

Setlist:
Jackson Cage
She's the One
Working on the Highway
Hungry Heart
Outlaw Pete
Badlands
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Point Blank
Raise Your Hand
Burning Love
For You
Trapped
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
If I Should Fall Behind
Backstreets
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
Rosalita
* * *
Detroit Medley [with Jay Weinberg from here on]
Hard Times
American Land
Dancing in the Dark
Born in the U.S.A.
Twist and Shout

Seems like they have been on tour forever for some reason.

^Well, they just toured 2007-2008, took a few months out, and then got back on the road to tour for most of this year....
(I can't say I am disappointed about them touring for so long, they put on a kick-ass show....)

SPRINGSTEEN: KENNEDY CENTER HONOREE
Salute to Bruce and others on Dec 6; CBS broadcast Dec 29
Just announced this morning, Bruce Springsteen has been selected for this year's Kennedy Center Honors, the 32nd annual national celebration of the arts. "This year, the Kennedy Center celebrates five extraordinary individuals whose unique and abundant artistry has contributed significantly to the cultural life of our nation and the world," says Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman of Bruce and his fellow 2009 honorees Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry, and Robert De Niro. "With his gritty and honest songs that speak to the everyman, Bruce Springsteen has always had his finger on the pulse of America." Further details from today's announcement:

On Sunday, December 6, in a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage, produced by George Stevens Jr. and Michael Stevens, the 2009 Honorees will be saluted by great performers from New York, Hollywood, and the arts capitals of the world. Seated with the President of the United States and Mrs. Obama, the Honorees will accept the thanks of their peers and fans through performances and heartfelt tributes.

The President and Mrs. Obama will receive the Honorees and members of the Artists Committee who nominate them, along with the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees at the White House prior to the gala performance. The 2009 Kennedy Center Honors Gala concludes with a supper dance in the Grand Foyer.

The Kennedy Center Honors medallions will be presented on Saturday, December 5, the night before the gala, at a State Department dinner hosted by Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

The Honors Gala will be recorded for broadcast on the CBS Network for the 32nd consecutive year as a two-hour primetime special on Tuesday, December 29 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT

September 12 / Ford Amphitheatre / Tampa, FL
Notes: After a three-week break, the Working on a Dream tour resumes in Super Bowl country. Bruce tells the Tampa crowd, "You guys scared me.... It takes my crew a day to put this equipment together—you guys did it in five minutes!" With this past week's U.S. debut of "Working on a Dream: A Super Bowl Journal" on the NFL Network, those 12 minutes in February were surely on most fans' minds. This was Bruce and the bands first return since to "hot, sticky, sweaty Tampa," as Bruce called it—and tonight it was all of the above.

Max Weinberg was back behind the drums all night (a boon for anyone dismayed after Saratoga). Bruce was noticeably hoarse, his voice somewhat worse for wear—or lack of wear, as it were: "Sorry about my voice," he said, "Too much time off!" And a bit of a staid setlist, particularly in the back half of the set, but some choice rarities among the bunch nonetheless. The first jaw-dropper was "All or Nothin' At All," rare enough even on the '92-93 tour—this is a song that's only been played six times ever, and never before by the E Street Band. Human Touch gets a bad rap, but this is one of those overlooked tracks with a lot of live potential. As Bruce said at song's end: "A lost masterpiece, I tell ya!"

A strong "Growin' Up" followed, and then another long-lost gem by request: "Jole Blon." Back in 1981, Bruce and Steve worked up this Cajun classic for Gary U.S. Bonds' Dedication album. Bruce has been known to revisit it in clubs over the years; he and Terence Trent D'Arby worked it out on the final night of the '92-93 tour at the Garden. But the last time Bruce and the E Street Band did this one was at the very end of the River tour, almost 28 years ago to the day. Tonight, the only real rust that showed was trying to figure out the key. Finally, Bruce made an executive decision: "Goddammit, let's play this motherfucker: B-minor, on four..." Killer solos from Charlie on accordion and Soozie on fiddle. And Stevie looking happy as a clam.

Later in the set, a beautiful sign for "Racing in the Street" pictured a vintage Chevy, with Bruce noting, "That was actually my car when I was 24 years old!" And before "Hard Times," Bruce put the E Street Band's lengthy 2007-2009 run into perspective, seeing it all as of a piece: "This is the last leg of our long, long tour stretching out over a couple of records and a couple of years... thanks to my band for playing better than ever!"

Setlist:
Badlands
Out in the Street
My Lucky Day
Spirit in the Night
Outlaw Pete
She's the One
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Point Blank
Raise Your Hand
All or Nothin' at All
Growin' Up
Jole Blon
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Racing in the Street
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
* * *
Hard Times
Rosalita
American Land
Bobby Jean
Dancing in the Dark
Hungry Heart
Thunder Road

September 16 / Bi-Lo Center / Greenville, SC
Notes: Another magical night in the Carolinas, where as Bruce said once again, there must be "something in the water." If so, this time it was Springsteen who seemed to have taken a long draft. The crowd in Greenville was fine, good, responding with a roar as Bruce put a spin on his usual question, "Is everybody alive out there?" But Bruce himself was particulary committed, his energy unflagging all night, from the rousing "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out" to start. It was that self-generated energy that made the show. On the fly, Bruce put together a selection of songs to match: he dropped the soundchecked and setlisted "Wreck on the Highway," replaced the slowburn of the setlisted "My Hometown" with the intensity of "Backstreets," bypassed "Bobby Jean" in the encore and called an audible for "Detroit Medley." Start to finish, there was hardly a dip.

We felt the energy coming off the stage in the first three songs, "Tenth" into "Badlands" and "No Surrender," and by slot four, the stage couldn't contain it. "Hungry Heart" found Bruce heading into the pit, and it was no brief visit — he wound up circumnavigating the thing. He cruised slowly across the back barrier, slapping skin with those behind it, making his way around to the opposite side of the stage. The mass of fans up front surged and rolled along with him but seemed careful to keep things trouble-free— from where I stood, the pitgoers looked like gracious hosts, and the whole place kept singing along. Soon enough Bruce was back on stage, leaving a whole lot of "I can't believe that just happened!" expressions behind. (More pit forays later in the show, for signs and to pick up two girls to sing on "Sunny Day.")

The exuberance continued with a rollicking "Johnny 99," just a frenzy at the end as Jay wailed away on the drums (he played all night). "Atlantic City" was in the following slot instead of "Point Blank" or "Factory" or anything that might have slowed things down. The band vamped on "Raise Your Hand" as usual while Bruce gathered signs, and as he went to sing it, he began riffing on a sign he now held up: "You Sexy Thing." "I believe in miracles," Bruce sang, and the crowd sang back, Bruce eventually segueing into "Raise Your Hand," but bringing "Sexy Thing" back at the end, too. A great, hilarious slice of spontaneity.

A muscular request set followed: "This Hard Land," the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction," and "Ramrod." "This Hard Land" was a challenge for the drummer, who had to scramble—"Jay just told me he's never played this before!" the Boss laughed, but he wasted little time going right into it regardless. Nils could be seen back by Jay's riser as Bruce sang, some quick coaching before the drums had to kick in.

Then it was time to, as the sign read, "Give SC some Satisfaction! Hey Hey Hey!" Bruce played it with the Castiles back in '65, and a couple decades later he actually shared a mic with Mick Jagger on the song at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. But he was right when he called out to Greenville, "The E Street Band has never played this song!" Sure didn't sound that way. As you'd expect. The place ate it up.

As the encore began, Curtis and Cindy really got to shine on "Hard Times," with that immense a capella break, before a whole new set of folks got the spotlight: the Swingin' Medallions. "We're big fans of beach music," Bruce said as he brought them out, and he's long been a fan of their "Double Shot of My Baby's Love" specifically, breaking it out live from time to time. Here in their South Carolina stomping grounds, it was cool to see these guys get a moment, hamming it up and even adding some choreography as Bruce looked on and laughed. "The Swingin' Medallions... still swingin'!" Corny but cool.



Springsteen filled out the rest of the show as one big party, "Detroit Medley" being the high point of the encore. A majestic "Thunder Road" to wrap it all up was as sedate as this show got—and by that point, a cool-down felt like just the thing. Satisfaction delivered.
- Chris Phillips reporting

Setlist:
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Badlands
No Surrender
Hungry Heart
Outlaw Pete
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Atlantic City
Raise Your Hand
This Hard Land
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Ramrod
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Backstreets
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
* * *
Hard Times
Double Shot of My Baby's Love (w/ the Swingin' Medallions)
American Land
Glory Days
Detroit Medley
Dancing in the Dark
Thunder Road

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT ONE TO BE AT!!!

September 20 / United Center / Chicago, IL
Notes: What a wonderful diversion this show was, as the band settles in for the last leg of what has amounted to a two-year-plus-long tour. We knew we were going to get the Born to Run album start to finish but could only speculate whether it would open the show, close the show, or none of the above. Bruce takes such care to craft a new show—how would he insert a 40-minute opus into an otherwise solid set?

Not to open: a gritty "Seeds" took that spot for the first time. "No Surrender" followed, with Nils and Bruce locked in their frenetic guitar duel. "Johnny 99" had Bruce prowling the stage, cueing each solo with a shake of his fist. "Cover Me capped off this early Recession Suite, Bruce repeating the refrain "times are tough, just getting tougher" several times, and Nils closing the song with a searing solo.

Ater "Outlaw Pete" the mood brightened with "Hungry Heart," a major crowd pleaser for which Bruce again circumnavigated the pit as in South Carolina. He dropped out of sight for a moment, then suddenly he was making his way across the back barricade, hopping from one built-in bench seat to the next. Back on stage, two verses into "Working on a Dream," the song came to a halt. "Ladies and gentlemen, I hear the sound of the E Street Band fucking up! It can still happen after all these years... It ain't pretty." Following the song, Bruce fessed up: "Steven said I missed a verse, so it was the Boss's fault."

At 9:05 pm, the night's centerpiece began. Bruce introduced the Born to Run album: "What we are about to do we've only done once before, in a little theater in Red Bank.” He added, “When we made this record we were close to being dumped by our record company. This was our last chance." At the opening notes of "Thunder Road," the crowd became unhinged with emotion, turning the song into a full-length audience participation event.

And so the album sequence began. The only song of the eight that lagged, surprisingly for me, was "Night." It lacked the intensity with which I've seen them play it before. The much-coveted "Meeting Across the River" into "Jungleland" pairing was phenomenal, closing the Born to Run show-within-a-show at 9:54 pm; 49 minutes in total. In an era of iTunes and record company meltdowns, it was a treat to hear an album played as it was originally meant to be heard, some 34 years ago. Guest musicians included Curt Ramm on trumpet for "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out and "Meeting Across the River," along with Richard Davis for the latter, reprising his album role on on stand-up bass.

Back in the regular set, it was time for "Sunny Day." Mid-song, Bruce threw his guitar to Kevin Buell—it shot farther up in the air than out, leaving Kevin to dive in front of Max's kit to catch it. Bruce hunched his shoulders, offering a sheepish “Uh... Sorry?" A young boy, ten or 11 years old, came on stage to sing the chorus. His voice was shaky, but as Bruce made a move to count him back into tempo, the kid kept singing. Bruce laughed and looked at him as if to say "Don’t mind me, kid. It looks like you know what you're doing."

"Badlands" closed the main set, a counterpoint to its opening slot on much of this tour. And on to the encore: "Hard Times" was stellar, in particular the a cappella portion at the end, and the request portion of the night began, delayed but not preempted by the Born to Run performance in the main set. The band vamped on "Raise your Hand" as Bruce collected signs. I saw requests for "Man's Job" (!), "Point Blank," "Splish Splash," "Spirit in the Night," "Ramrod," "Runaround Sue," and what looked to be several hundred others. The first winner, however, was "Da Doo Ron Ron," on a big bright green sign from up in the 300 level, courtesy of my buds Jeff and Sarah (way to go, guys!). Bruce dedicated it to Ellie Greenwich, "a fantastic songwriter who passed away recently." The band didn’t have much trouble with it, achieving a Spector-worthy Wall of Sound just a few bars in. Bruce said to Clarence: "C, it’s got a very complicated sax solo. Just play it!" And Bruce sang it from a woman's point of view, channeling his inner Crystal: "I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still, Da Doo Ron Ron Ron, Da Do Ron Ron. Somebody told me that his name was Bill..."

Next was Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin" (no mention of Michael Jackson), which was considerably harder for the band to sort out. As the band worked to find the right key, the crowd started singing the song. Bruce said, in a gravelly, insincere, funny voice: “Yeah, we appreciate it! Yeah yeah, it’s a great one...” "Dancing in the Dark" (with a gaggle of adolescents on stage for the Heyyyyy, babys), "American Land," and a very loose "Rosalita" closed the show. Bruce shouted, "Thanks for a great night!" And off he slipped into the night.
- Marya Morris reporting

Setlist:
Seeds
No Surrender
Johnny 99
Cover Me
Outlaw Pete
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Night
Backstreets
Born to Run
She's the One
Meeting Across the River
Jungleland
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Badlands
* * *
Hard Times
Da Doo Ron Ron
Rockin' Robin
I'm Goin' Down
American Land
Dancing in the Dark
Rosalita

quote:

Originally posted by Bellevuerefugee:
THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT ONE TO BE AT!!!

Believe me - it was!!!
Jean (LucyB) and I were front row on the rail thanks to the GA pit lottery (thank you ticket gods!) Literally got dripped on all night. The nicest crowd I've even been in, noone jockeying to grab your place, no pushing or crowding - nothing. Thought of you (JohnMill) knowing how much you would have loved to be there. This band really worked HARD to put on one of the most amazing shows I've even seen.

Wish you all could have been there

^ Really cool to hear that...

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And I was in Greenville for one of the most amazing nights of rock and roll of my life! Your review captures the evening perfectly, Refugee. As I wrote on another thread, "Satisfaction" was a highlight for me. I have never seen a performer seque like The Boss does. Thanks for helping me relive the night with your spot-on review!

^ Wish I could take credit for the review, but not. I remember seeing Bruce's 35th birthday party. I think it was 35..Here is another one from last night.
September 21 / Wells Fargo Arena / Des Moines, IA
Notes: Bruce and the band hit Des Moines just two days before Springsteen's 60th, the closest we'll get to a birthday show. Lots of "Happy Birthday" signs scattered around, including those words emblazoned across the shirts of two women in the crowd, who got a lot of screen time. There wasn't a full house for the party, with much of the deck curtained off, but as is often the case, Springsteen seemed to work harder because of it.

It was an energetic show from the start, kicking off with a powerhouse trio of "Tenth Avenue," "Badlands," and "Candy's Room," with a blistering solo from the birthday boy. Max pounded the drums all night. "Two Hearts" included the "It Takes Two" outro, and by the sixth song, Springsteen circled the pit on "Hungry Heart" for the third show in a row. Tonights Recession Trio wrapped with "Youngstown," Nils again blowing minds with his solo.

Then, a choice request set. In a WXRT interview this morning, Little Steven called the recent E Street Band world debut of "Satisfaction" "one of the greatest moments of our career." Tonight they reprised it, bashing out the Stones classic for the second time ever. "Cadillac Ranch" followed before another first: Dion's "The Wanderer." Bruce and the band had a particularly long meeting before this one, but soon enough they were working it out, with an impromptu lyric change: "I tear open my shirt, I got Rosalita on my chest!" The sign for this one read, "The Wanderer... Stumped?" After their performance, Bruce tore the sign up.

You can request "Incident on 57th Street." And Bruce and the band might play it, and you know it'll be good. But you never know just how good it's going to be. Tonight's was stellar. Bruce stretched out his solo, and this was one for the ages. To top it off, they followed it, just as on the Wild & Innocent album, with a rare mid-set "Rosalita." (Sorry, no "New York City Serenade" to close it all out.) A couple songs later, a rare "Into the Fire" was an extra request, Bruce propping the sign agains the mic stand. Lovely emotional color from Curtis and Cindy.

In the encore, Steven led the crowd in a sloppy "Happy Birthday" for the Boss. Bruce had a wry smile as he sang "we ain't that young anymore" in "Thunder Road." But as he told the crowd, thanking them for coming out to the show, "We're having the best times of our lives." Which, hovering around 60, is saying something. Soon, Springsteen had an octogenarian up on stage with him for some "Dancing in the Dark," a nice reminder that it ain't exactly autumn yet. Wrapping it all up fittingly with "Glory Days," Springsteen finally hollered, "Thanks for a great birthday party!"

Setlist:
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Badlands
Candy's Room
Two Hearts
Outlaw Pete
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Youngstown
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Cadillac Ranch
The Wanderer
Incident on 57th Street
Rosalita
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Into the Fire
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
* * *
Thunder Road
Hard Times
Bobby Jean
American Land
Dancing in the Dark
Glory Days

This would have been fun too.
SPRINGSTEEN AND COSTELLO: SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO
Last night, over the course of a nearly four-hour Spectacle taping at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello discussed everything from their Catholic upbringings to fatherhood to being labeled "The Next Dylan" to Asbury Park to the role of the songwriter in a democratic society. They talked quite a bit about where and how their paths crossed over the years, including Roy Orbison's "Black & White Night" performance. It's unlikely that nearly all of last night's absolutely engrossing conversation will make it to air; the only consolation to seeing some of these insightful artistic musings fall on the cutting room floor is that they'll be left out to make room for the music. My God, the music!

Costello and the Imposters opened the show with a cover of "Point Blank," setting the tone early for what was to be a night of many non-traditional Springsteen tunes. At Costello's request, Bruce opened with "Wild Billy's Circus Story," for which he was joined onstage by an acoustic Nils Lofgren (who had performed "Like Rain" earlier with The Imposters backing him) and Roy Bittan on accordion. Costello coaxed some early memories from Springsteen regarding the traveling circus in Freehold and the sense of wonder and fear it inspired in him as a child. This was not Storytellers Part II, though. There was no line-by-line deconstruction of songs. Costello seemed primarily interested in the emotional effects of the music, both on Springsteen and his audience, and a major portion of their talk was devoted to the thematic shift that occurred following Born to Run. As Springsteen explained it to Costello, he became more invested in writing songs he felt he would still be able to relate to at the ripe old age of 40 (this of course drew a laugh).

The show was very explicitly a television taping and not a "concert," though, which meant a lot of stopping and starting to rearrange the stage and to get things just right. A solo acoustic version of "American Skin (41 Shots)" came off after a false start, and Springsteen initially forgot that "Galveston Bay" was in Drop D tuning. When the conversation wandered to Roy Orbison, Costello joined Springsteen in an impromptu cover of "Pretty Woman" that ended abruptly halfway through. They redeemed themselves shortly after with a show-stopping rendition of Sam & Dave's "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down," Bruce taking Sam's part and Elvis taking Dave's.

Following a quick break, the two reconvened with talk of family life. Costello praised Patti's role as musician, wife, and mother, and performed an acoustic version of her "Black Ladder." Springsteen discussed the pleasure he felt standing outside of his son's room one evening and hearing him listen to "Chimes of Freedom." "What do you think of it?" he asked. "Epic," his son replied, "it's epic, dad." And who could argue with that?

More than three hours into his own epic discussion, Springsteen expressed fear that the audience would keel over soon and indicated that it was time for the finale. He strapped on an electric guitar and delivered a gut-wrenching version of "The Rising" backed by the Imposters, Bittan, Lofgren, and Costello (who stepped up for the dream of lifes). There was a fiery quality to the performance that was only intensified moments later when the band ripped into "Seeds." Springsteen wailed on the guitar and bellowed like he was half his age or younger, and the crowd was on its feet. The night concluded with a "Radio" medley, connecting Springsteen's "Radio Nowhere" with Costello's "Radio Radio." While the two might not have been the perfect musical pairing to mash together, it was a thematically appropriate and satisfyingly creative ending to a truly unforgettable night.

Oh those lucky souls on the 2nd~!

YOUR FAVORITE RECORD'S ON THE TURNTABLE...
Live BTR, Darkness, and Born in the USA album sequences coming to NJ
When the Giants Stadium stand begins tomorrow night, the crowd will be treated, as they were in Chicago, to a performance of the complete Born to Run album, start to finish. But that's just the beginning: Bruce and the E Street Band will be offering up a complete album sequence each night of the five-night stand. From the press release:

In response to the overwhelming fan enthusiasm at Chicago's Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live performance of the album Born to Run, Springsteen has decided to perform one classic album each night at Giants Stadium:

Wed, Sep 30 - Born to Run

Fri, Oct 2 - Darkness on the Edge of Town

Sat, Oct 3 - Born in the U.S.A.

Thur, Oct 8 - Born to Run
Fri, Oct 9 - Born in the U.S.A.
In Chicago, Bruce began with a varied set list, performed the album portion of the show in the middle of the concert, and continued the show through its grand finale. Said long time manager Jon Landau, "Chicago convinced us that this was really worth doing. The audience was so supportive of the concept that it convinced us to go ahead with this at Giants Stadium."

While Bruce and the band performed Born to Run and Darkness last year in Red Bank, the complete Born in the U.S.A. in sequence will be a concert first.
- September 29, 2009

New one last night from The Boss!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o6aLzOasy4