RobertXGillis

by Robert Gillis 8/2012

Another beautiful night for a Boss show in my hometown!

Our seats were in B2 which is behind the pit and behind “A” but not bad at all. I didn’t care, I just wanted to be there. The stadium looked pretty full.

From the start (8:10) it was obvious this was going to be another great show. I was on my feet the entire time, jumping up and down like a little kid, going bonkers. Got my “Wrecking Ball” shirt beforehand and never left for a pretzel — just wanted to keep experiencing it, and again, so nice not to have to take set list notes anymore but just enjoy the show.

• I LOVED that Bruce addressed the crowd all night as, “FOXBORO!” and not “Boston.” He’s called us, “Boston” at Great Woods (Comcast Center) and Gillette before. We’re Foxboro baby!
• Loved that Springsteen says he’s planning to keep playing for decades more: “We need some youth out here because we plan to be out here another thirty-forty years! They’re gonna have to drag me off here!”
• LOVED the comment about how the band has traveled by plane and bus and train and even by “a fucking boat” and that he got sea sick!
• It’s fun to stand on the field in Gillette (even though it’s covered) but there is NONE of the “sacred ground” feeling of Fenway. I like Gillette but it’s just a stadium.

Onto the show!

“My Love Will Not Let You Down” was a GREAT choice for an opener and I knew we were in a for a great night. Guys behind us were drunk but I felt, not obnoxiously so.

“Night” — and I’m already jumping up and down screaming. BTR is a tremendous album and Night is just classic. I have such love for BTR and “Night” is one the all-time favorites!

“Out in the Street” — Lots of crowd interaction and handshakes. E Street horns really add a lot to the show! “Uh-oh, yeah, yeah, yeah!”

“Hungry Heart” — Summer hit time and the crowd is into it!

“We Take Care of Our Own” — LOVE it. An instant anthem classic. I really think it’s one of the best songs Springsteen has written in years.

“Wrecking Ball” — And he mentions the Giants and then says, “I feel your pain,” to the good natured boos!

“Death to My Hometown” — I really like the Irish music in this one; it’s so much better live and so relevant to what’s going on now. And a great dance song, surprisingly. Like the “Revolutionary War” flutes.

“My City of Ruins” — Beautiful. “…originally about the rebirth of my adopted hometown, since then it’s about a lot of other things but now about Ghosts, Ghosts, walking beside is reminding us how precious life is. Dedicated to all our ghosts and the ghosts of the E Street Band.”  ROLL CALL!  “Are we missing anybody?”   Bruce the preacher! We are missing people, but the next generation is doing very well. It’s interesting that after Danny passed, they did the tributes and had his accordion on the stage, and that was it, while the tribute to the Big Man is so much bigger. But of course, as Bruce put it, the loss of the Big Man was, “elemental.”

“Spirit in the Night” — I figured this one out before much of the crowd and just went bonkers. LOVED how Jake sat with Bruce at the end of this one.

“Open All Night” — Collecting signs; what’s our key? Steve isn’t sure… “This man has no request, just — let’s go horns!” Really spotlighted the horns and the entire band.

“Growin’ Up” — Did Jake miss the cue? Bruce handled the “horn” part on his guitar.

“Lost in the Flood” — Took a while to recognize; I need to listen to the first two albums more often.

“Because the Night” — Never seen this one live; well done.

“She’s the One” — And I’m crazy again; just one of all-time favorite LIVE songs. Finally some harmonica!

“Working on the Highway” — Lot of fun; it’s such a goofball throwaway song on BITUSA but so great live. Horns add a lot to this one.

“Shackled and Drawn” — More Irish influence and VERY well done; one of the better songs on WB. I really like how this song feature’s Cindy. She’s VERY talented. GREAT commentary on current events.

“Waiting’ on a Sunny Day” — The kid Bruce picked was a little guy with glasses who didn’t know the words besides “Waiting” but we gave him a huge round of applause.

“Racing in the Street” — OMFG Roy’s coda to this was scorching, breathtaking {insert superlatives here} Dedicated to Jonathan Kraft and “pops:” “Thank you for their generosity to us.”

“The Rising” — Soozie makes such a mark on the Springsteen’s music and God I love this song.

“Radio Nowhere” — A surprise especially because Springsteen missed the first verse completely!

“Badlands” — Lights up and everyone crazy.

[Encore]

“Jungleland” — We’re all out mental at this point; it’s a religious experience and Jake NAILED the sax part so critical to this one. GOD I love this song!  It’s rare to hear it live and it’s AWESOME.

“Born to Run” — It’s BTR, what can I say?

“Bobby Jean” — Have not heard it live in a while!  Here’s a fun note: On the Springsteen Live 75/85 CD, the version of “Bobby Jean” was recorded during my VERY first Springsteen concert in NJ in 1985!

“Dancing in the Dark” — Bruce danced with two women, a young girl with a sign saying it was her first show (she was nervous) and another woman whose kids had a sign saying, “Dance with our Mom!” It was awe-inspiring.  We bumped into them afterward; they were in heaven!

“Tenth Avenue Freeze-out” — The final image of Clarence is sad, haunting, and he is so missed. But the video tribute is perfect.

“Drift Away” — Um, OK.

“Twist and Shout” — Nice way to end the show on a joyous note.

The show was incredible; it couldn’t beat this week’s Fenway II but not much could.  So good to see Bruce again and here’s hoping the tour continues into 2013!

By Robert Gillis, 4/2012

The eponymous track of Bruce Springsteen’s new CD, “Wrecking Ball,” was written a few years back in response to the demolition of the old Giants Stadium right next door here in the Meadowlands. It’s a great song; although the line about, “The Giants played the game” got some good-natured boos here in New England.

It was there at the Old Giants Stadium, in 1985, that my best friend David told me his fiancée (now wife) had invited us to her parents place in New Jersey to see Bruce Springsteen for the first time.

That “Born in the USA” show, close to four hours long as memories serves, blew me away and cemented me at a Springsteen fan for life. I couldn’t believe I’d never really heard of this guy and quickly bought every tape that Springsteen had released. By the time “Tunnel of Love” was released two years later, I was — and remain — a hardcore Bruce fan. And more often than not, when David and I went out back then, Springsteen was playing in the car.

I’ve been back to the Meadowlands with David and his wife several times to see New Jersey’s local hero, and it was somehow fitting that my 25th Springsteen show would return me to right next to where it all started, as they invited me to Jersey this past week to see Bruce at the Izod Center, next to the site of the old and new Giants Stadium.

Over the years, things have changed; we’re all adults and my friends have kids of their own, one of them making her first appearance at a Boss show. David and I wear glasses at concerts now (!) (Well, I’ve been doing that for years) but the enthusiasm and love we have for Springsteen and his music, which can border on insanity — has never wavered.

We’re on the far side of arena but again, it does not matter — to be there in any seat is a privilege.

In the rafters, where the championship banners would usually hang, was a banner reading, “Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 60 Sell-outs Meadowlands” Very cool! Did not know that!

The house lights went down, the crowd went crazy, and cell phone lights lit up the arena. (There are thankfully far fewer smokers these days, but God, I miss the thousands of cigarette lighters at concerts — there was something magical about the starfield of tiny flames that a cell phone just doesn’t have).

“New Jersey! Get your lazy asses out of those chairs! Are you ready for the romp in the swamp, part 2? Let’s have a thunderous New Jersey welcome for Bruce Springsteen and the legendary E Street Band!” – Springsteen’s intro.

01. We Take Care of Our Own — To me, it was obvious that Bruce seemed a little more energized and playful, a little looser, than last week in Boston. He’s already working the crowd and shaking hands. It all makes sense — first, he’s back home In Jersey, where he is rightly worshipped as royalty. Second, with a number of WB shows under their belt, the kinks have been worked out and it shows. Springsteen seemed incredibly animated this evening (even Backstreets.com said this was the better of the two Jersey shows) and Springsteen REALLY involved Nils, Steve, Jake, Roy and the rest of the 17 piece band all night — something I thought was missing a bit in Boston. And I LOVE, LOVE this song.

02. Wrecking Ball: Okay, we’re right next to Giants Stadium, but Boston-born and raised David and I still exchanged a look and added our “Boos” at the line about “the Giants played the game.” We were clearly outnumbered so we kept in down! Wrecking Ball IS a great song; we’ve all seen our favorite places torn down, but the song is about so much more than that. Soozie’s violins are awesome in this song.

03. The Ties That Bind [Wrecking Ball Tour Premiere] — “The River” was well represented this evening including this tour premiere. And while the importance of Clarence’s saxophone to Springsteen’s music was hardly ever a secret, it’s songs like this that emphasize what a difference the late Big Man made to Springsteen’s vision. Jake Clemmons, the heir apparent to mantle of the Big Man, makes his uncle proud, and I caught many instances (on the diamond vision screens) where Springsteen was watching Jake with a look of approval. To me, (and I’ve never met the man) the look on Springsteen’s face is still one of sadness that Clarence is gone, but there were many times when I could see that Bruce was sort of thinking, “It’s going to be all right. Jake is here. The Clemmons Sax will go on.” It was very touching. Bruce was beaming and threw a joyous punch into the air.

 

04. Death to My Hometown — Gets better with every listen. We’re close enough to New York City that I’m sure some of those bankers and “robber barons” are in the audience, but this song, written in 2009 and long before the “Occupy” movement is powerful and perfectly timed. I also like the nods to Springsteen’s Irish heritage throughout, and was amused to see Springsteen doing a little jig.

I was also happy that Springsteen is focusing on the new “Wrecking Ball” album. I would argue “Rising” and ‘Magic” set the bar so very high that “Working on a Dream” couldn’t help but disappoint a bit, and perhaps that’s why the “Working on a Dream” tour became the “fan request” tour, playing requests and not emphasizing “Working on a Dream” — which was incredibly enjoyable and fun. And sure, “Wrecking Ball’s angry songs about America 2012 could have been a turn-off to fans — but this tour Springsteen is standing by the new album and each song from “Wrecking Ball” seems to be very well received.

05. My City of Ruins — “Hello out there! How’ve you been? We missed you! We missed this! We’re so glad to back in the swampy meadowlands where we opened this building 30 years ago. You remember that. When they named it a human being then…” [Brendan Byrne Arena]” … “I’m not kidding ya, now it’s named after a shirt. Times change. But some things remain the same. And tonight we’re here with you with old friends and with new friends. And I look into the crowd and I see old faces and young faces. And we got a story to tell ya… We’re here to bring the joyful power of music, shoot it straight into your heart! We’re here tonight to bring you the news with a beat, and a beat and a beat! We’re here to send you home with your feet hurting and your back hurting and your sexual organs stimulated! Says so right on the ticket!” Crowd goes crazy.

Halfway into the song, same as Boston with a “Roll Call,” and introduces everyone, including the horns session. When Springsteen introduced Patti and she sang the riff from “Land of Hope and Dreams,” I thought how pretty she looks. And there are still those looks between Patti and Bruce that tell me they have been through a lot, and are still so very much in love.

And then, “Well are we missing anybody?” and then. “Do I have to say the names?”

No, he didn’t. We felt the loss of our absent friends.

06. Candy’s Room [Wrecking Ball Tour Premiere] — God, I love this one!

07. Johnny 99 [Wrecking Ball Tour Premiere] – Unlike the acoustic and “audible” from previous tours, this was a rollicking, balls-to-the wall dance party. It was stunning how good a song about murderer who gets 99 years and sent to death row can be!

“We’ve been waiting to do that,” Bruce said when the song was done, “We’ve been waiting to bust that out!”

08. Jack of All Trades – Springsteen talked about while we’re having fun in here, people outside are having hard times, losing jobs, retirement funds, and homes. And I loved how Springsteen mentioned that the, “folks at the top and rich guitar players get a free pass.” But unlike those bankers and thieves, this particular “rich guitar player” has always given back. Although he is quiet about it, his charitable works are very well known. For example, years ago Springsteen bought a brand-new $100,000 fire truck as a gift to the people of Freehold, where he lived for years. The truck was named “Born to Run,” by the firefighters.

Unfortunately, “Jack of all trades” was demonstrably the “go get a beer, go to the bathroom” song of the evening as the aisles became crowded with people filing to the concourse. Springsteen gets preachy, get a beer, I guess. I do like this one a lot and am glad Springsteen is featuring the new album. Seven songs from “Wrecking Ball” tonight.

Still sort of creeped out by how enthusiastically people cheer about the “shoot em all dead” line.

09. Jackson Cage — Still feel this one just doesn’t fit; there are so many other great tunes on the “River.” One incredibly amusing moment here: A few seats up, there’s ONE GUY dancing to this. I’m looking around, a lot of people standing, but no one else dancing. And this one guy is doing the “White Guy Dance.” It was very funny, made more so by David’s quip that the guy had been waiting all his life to hear this one live.

10. She’s the One – Now I’M on my feet doing the White Guy dance because this classic brings out the insanity in the crowd, and most guys know of at least one female that was trouble but fell for her and followed anyway before we had to run! Another powerhouse by Jake, Max outdoing himself, and God, God, I LOVE it when Springsteen plays harmonica! (I recall a previous tour where Springsteen was playing harmonica and then handed it to a fan in the front row!) A meltdown performance!

11. Easy Money — I read on a Springsteen blog that someone said this song reminds him of the Revolutionary War and I laugh because I always think “Yankee Doodle Dandy” type music when I hear this one. Bruce doing a jig again.

12. Waiting’ on a Sunny Day – I have to say again that despite the song being something of a throwaway on the Rising, I have grown to LOVE this song in concert. It is just so much fun, and it is very much a crowd favorite. And at 62, Springsteen is still bashing his knees each night doing his slide.

Springsteen is walking around the stage, pointing to people and shouting “You the man!” Then the most amazing “guest” singers: The two little girls who sang the song were brought up on stage with Bruce encouraging them, getting a huge response from the audience. As they finished their part of the song, they added in unison: “C’mon, E Street Band!”

And when they turned to rush back and grip Bruce in a bear hug, everyone in the audience felt it, it was an “Awwwww” moment and you’d have to not have a heart not to get lump in your throat.

13. The Promised Land – Another definitive Springsteen for me; LOVED the harmonica. People says it’s overplayed, I don’t agree. And Jake killed the sax again!

14. Racing in the Street – YES! The classic from Darkness with the gorgeous piano playing by Roy, and Gary and Max bringing it up. The emphasis on the keyboard was very powerful. Springsteen and the E Street Band at their best.

15. Apollo Medley (The way you do the things you do / 634-5789) – As he did a few nights before, Springsteen went into the audience during “634-5789,” where he hilariously and sloppily chugged a beer before crowd surfing back to the stage. (I overheard someone say that no doubt after the show, Patti tells her husband, “You are so changing that shirt before we get into the car!”)

I would agree with what Tris McCall of the Jersey Star Leger said in her review: “Fans adored these gestures, suggesting again that the robust, joyful Springsteen is generally preferred to the one who animates the stories of the weak and downtrodden.”

And I must say she is right — I’ve seen Bruce acoustic, I’ve seen him with other bands, but NOTHING beats Springsteen when he’s happy, into the crowd, playing with the band, flirting with his wife, being goofy — that’s the kind of show I love best. Springsteen can be deadly serious — TOO serious sometimes. And I think his shows work best when he can just get out there and have fun (and still get the messages in).

Also loved the obvious respect Bruce has for his influences and predecessors. And I think it’s important to him to remind people who these musicians were and keep their music alive for the next generation.

16. The Rising — Very well received; and gave me chills; I think to myself that we’re less than 15 miles from Ground Zero and the horrors of 9/11. The Rising is one of the true “goose bumps” Springsteen songs for me, from Wheels of Fire and images of the firefighters, but there’s also so much hope that the song becomes powerful in its joy of living: “May I feel you in my arms tonight, dream of love.”

17. We Are Alive — “Wrecking Ball” tune and just not a favorite (yet); bathroom break!

18. Thunder Road — I am amazed at my age that I can still get lost at a concert so I made my way back to my friends, scanning the crowd, so enthusiastically into the song. Another powerhouse by Jake.

[Encores]

19. Trapped. Crowd is officially bonkers! Meltdown! The Jimmy Cliff penned song which Bruce performed and donated to the “We are the World” album back in 85 has always been a favorite of most fans. (In fact, my handmade request sign at the Mansfield show a few years back was for Trapped, which Springsteen played that night.

Trapped is just an incredible power song on the “must have” list for any Springsteen fan.

20. Rocky Ground (with Michelle Moore) – For the first time in the tour, “Rocky Ground” was bumped to second encore.

“It’s nice to be home,” Springsteen says in introduction.

Then there were a lot of dedications preceding this song; the first was to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. I remember Springsteen talking about food banks when I saw him in the 80s. What a guy!

Then, Springsteen wished his good friends Ricky and Mary Anne a happy 30th anniversary. Apparently they are his children’s godparents and uncles and have played a key role in helping to take care of them when Springsteen was on the road. Springsteen also tenderly thanked Patti for all she’s done and sacrificed over the years so the show could go on, staying home many times to, “keep the house from burning down.” Patti’s looks at her husband were genuine love and affection, mixed with that look of shared adventures and battle scars that only a married couple understand. It was incredibly moving, and the Springsteen’s still look at each other like they are still very much in love.

I try very hard not to be a fan boy and what the Springsteens’ private life is like is not interesting to me (I’m not a tabloid guy) but I want them to be happy, if only for all the happiness they have brought me.

Back to the song… Michelle Moore is beautiful and brings lot to the song. The performance was magnificent but I am just not a fan of the rap. David had a different take that caught me by surprise; he said that he likes the rap part, and that he sees at as Springsteen saying he’s not deaf to today’s music. I guess I can see that but the rap just distracts me a bit — and I like rap.

21. Ramrod – Reminder to send email: “To: David, From: Bobby, very sorry I blew out your eardrum during Ramrod. “For me, Ramrod is MY Springsteen PARTY song, and I could have a 105 temperatures and I’d still be dancing to this one. AWESOME!

Jake, you must be tested,” Springsteen yelled before “Ramrod.” Once again, Jake passed with flying colors.

22. Born to Run — Aw, screw what I said about BTR in the Boston review. How can you not enjoy it? It’s an old favorite, and we’re in Jersey — how can he not play it?

23. Dancing in the Dark — As any Bruce tramp knows (or if you’ve seen the video, and who hasn’t) Springsteen traditionally brings a girl onto the stage to dance with him in this song. The young teen he brought up this evening was awestruck and words cannot describe the joy we saw on her face. She danced; Bruce spun her around, and then carried her back into the crowd where I thought she would explode from joy. The crowd was officially over the top crazy!

24. Tenth Avenue Freeze-out – New this evening, during the “freeze” after “Big Man joined the band,” as the crowd applauds and cheers for minutes, is a very touching video montage of Clarence Clemmons, both images and video.

Bruce steps out to watch it with the crowd. It was very moving.

This time just had so much more meaning with the pictures of Clarence shown.

And then, the cheers, the stomping, the applause, Springsteen yelling out, “See you in New York” and nearly three hours had passed like lightning.

As we made our way back to the car, I was struck, yet again, how a friendship formed over three decades ago in high school endures so well. Catching up with David and his family — and the chance to go to a Springsteen show with them — is such a joy, and I am once again so grateful to them, not only for their generosity and hospitality, but also for the genuine love I feel from my dear friends.

We’re all older now, and dealing with our adult issues, work, life, family, and doing our best for the kids in our lives. But some things never change — the love I have for this family is one of them.

To steal a Springsteen line, David and I are indeed, “Blood Brothers,” and as we drove into the Jersey night, I was feeling very content. For the moment, all was right with the world, and once again Bruce Springsteen had brought true joy into my life.

 

by Robert Gillis
Published in the Boston City Paper 4/2012

Nosebleed seats (section 330 row 10, place your trays in the upright position) but who cares, — it’s Bruce Springsteen back in Boston and ANY seat is a good one! And as always, the man did not disappoint!

All Springsteen shows are special but this is one we all needed, after the death of Clarence Clemmons, Springsteen’s oldest and closest friend, and the very soul of the group — would the E Street Band go on? Would Springsteen go back to the acoustic one-man shows? We needed this show, and in some ways, I think Bruce and the E Street band needed to get back out there, not to prove themselves in any way, but to make a statement that the show DOES go on even without its soul.

“Tonight’s story is about hellos and goodbyes. It’s about the things that leave us and the things that stay behind.” — Bruce Springsteen

The show began with Bruce actually introducing himself, like James Brown: “Good evening Boston! Are you ready for star time? Let me introduce to you right now a young man who brought to you such legendary hits as ‘Born to Run’ and ‘Dancing in the Dark,’ I’m talking about the original ‘Hungry Heart.’ Mr. ‘Badlands,’ the Jersey Devil, the future of rock and roll himself! He’s sexy and he knows it! Let’s hear it for Bruce Springsteen and the legendary E Street Band!”

01. WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN — Far BETTER live; I was hoping he’d open with it and he did. Have loved it since I first saw it on the Grammys telecast. This is a song that’s easy to love and easy to misunderstand (like BITUSA) but a powerhouse anthem and balls-to-the wall opening. And it’s really the theme of the show.

02. WRECKING BALL — The only “BOO” Springsteen got tonight when he sang the song’s line about the [New York] Giants. But Bruce was in on it; he gave us our moment to get it out of our systems and it was good-natured; the man is from Jersey, after all, and there was a smile on his face as he continued the song. Yeah, we Bostonians are still smarting from the Super Bowl, but it was honestly hilarious, and after all, Wrecking Ball was originally written about the demolition of the old Giants Stadium and Spectrum, and fits so much in with the theme of the tour and album. Springsteen can tease without getting mean.

03. BADLANDS — I’ve complained in the past that this is overplayed given the sheer volume of material Springsteen could choose from, but it felt like we needed it tonight. Usually it’s an opener or much later in the show as a pick-me-up. At this point I’m thinking: The band sounds incredibly good, they are a well-oiled machine live, Springsteen, vocally, sounds excellent and is clearly, “into it,” and Springsteen looks fantastic. And then everyone realizes — this is one of Clarence’s signature sax songs — it’s coming — it’s coming — how will it be handled? And then standing ovations for Jake Clemmons (the late Clarence Clemmons’ nephew) and his sax solo in “Badlands” doing his late uncle proud. Jake did a PHENOMENAL job all night. It’s a relief, and also a little melancholy for me — Springsteen is not shying away from the beloved Clarence’s saxophone-heavy songs. The horns section also did a great job.

04. DEATH TO MY HOMETOWN — One of the many songs on the album directly dealing with the “robber barons” and bankers who destroyed towns (and lives, and 401ks) without firing a shot, this song is FAR better live. Love the “Irish-y” musical cues in this one.

05. MY CITY OF RUINS — Originally written for Asbury Park, this song always brings back my memory of driving to New York eleven days after 9/11, that Friday night telethon and Springsteen’s “Prayer for our fallen brothers and sisters.” Tonight it was still oddly appropriate as Springsteen introduced the band this early in the show and then asked if anyone was missing. “Are we missing anyone?” he asked, a question with a double meaning. He never mentioned Danny nor Clarence by name but we all felt it as we yelled out their names. We felt the band’s loss, we miss these two who died much too soon. “If you’re here and we’re here, they’re here,” Springsteen said.

06. THUNDERCRACK — [Wrecking Ball Tour Premiere] A request from a 17 year old in front of the Pit; Springsteen asked him his age and he said 17, and Springsteen quipped, “This song is 3 times older than you” and then rocked it. Don’t think I’ve ever heard this live. I need to learn the words to this early classic!

07. JACK OF ALL TRADES — From the new album and well done. And again, a cheer from the audience to the line about shooting the bankers all dead (a little disquieting, to be honest, that people cheer)

08. JACKSON CAGE — [Wrecking Ball Tour Premiere] have not heard this one live in years; a classic from The River album. Good song but honestly, felt like a bit of a throwaway. Or maybe just out of place.

09. SHE’S THE ONE — [Wrecking Ball Tour Premiere] And holy shit the crowd is insane singing EVERY word. Quintessential Bruce. Classic. Awesome. MORE!!!

10. EASY MONEY — One of my favorites from the new album and really showcases Soozie’s violins, as well as the influence of the “Seeger Sessions” album. Great stuff and powerful commentary on the state of America, 2012. LOVE IT.

11. WAITING ON A SUNNY DAY — A crowd pleaser for sure and even at 62, Springsteen still did the the running / landing on the knees! Springsteen crowd surfed back to the stage! Also some pretty good harmony from three babes in the audience.

12. PROMISED LAND — Guys next to me are high-fiving me — I LOVE the camaraderie that comes out in Bruce shows when old favorites are played. The song is an anthem and everyone knows all the words. Crowd is on fire.

13. APOLLO MEDLEY (THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO/634-5789) — Change of format and I loved it. Springsteen talked about the honor of playing at the Apollo Theater recently and the many musical inspirations who have played there. Springsteen hilariously tried to do the high voice of Smokey Robinson and laughingly gave up. I have seen the song 634-5789 mentioned in many playlists but never seen it live; both songs paid tribute to the music that inspired Bruce and a chance for the whole band to sing. And that moment of them all interacting showed one thing really missing tonight — I would have liked to see more interaction with Bruce, Steve and Nils. It just wasn’t there. I wonder why?

14. AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) — Springsteen can say so much without saying a word. Very appropriate to have this song back in (which he played last week in Florida) after the 2/26/2012 police shooting of Florida teen Travyon Martin that sparked an outrage through the country. Hush over the crowd; everyone understands why Springsteen chose this one tonight.

15. LONESOME DAY — Soozie’s violins just make this song every time. Love the song, but seems out of place for the tour, maybe it’s just me?

16. THE RISING — YEAH! Guys next to me are high-fiving me again. We’re in church, we’re in the choir, we are shouting to the rafters! LOVE IT!

17. WE ARE ALIVE — Like this one. Quieter, almost stripped down, almost folksy, a reminder of the fallen from so many generations. Reminder of the theme of the show.

18. THUNDER ROAD — Always a crowd pleaser and a rousing rendition this evening.

[Encores]

“You always bring it a hundred percent, guaranteed, up here [in Boston].” Springsteen said to the crowd. Before the next song Bruce (as always) endorsed a local charity taking collection in the halls: Tonight was the Boston Food Project.

19. ROCKY GROUND (With Michelle Moore) — Like the song, Michelle is a great singer, but I still HATE the rap part of the song. I like rap, but not on a Springsteen song. Just doesn’t work for me.

20. LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS — The arrangement for this excellent song was more in line and style with the version played on the new album and not what we’ve heard live for years; but still very good, offering hope. We need that hope more than ever.

21. BORN TO RUN — Someone said recently, “You go to the Rolling Stones, you want to hear Satisfaction.” I suppose that’s true but I wish (and I’ve said it before) that Springsteen would retire BTR for a while. Springsteen tours so rarely; would like more variety and less BTR and…. and….

22. DANCING IN THE DARK — Arg, really? Meh. If I were a drinking man this would be my “go get a beer” song.

23. RAISE YOUR HAND (With Peter Wolf) [Wrecking Ball Tour Premiere] — I have often joked that Springsteen being in town gives Peter Wolf something to do, but then I was lucky enough to see the Aerosmith / J Geils Band show at Fenway a few years back and got an entirely new appreciation for just how talented Peter Wolf is. I mean, understand: I liked the J Geils Band FAR more than Aerosmith that night — they simply gave a far better performance. So, nice to see Peter! Also, I’d gotten very used to “Raise your hand” being an instrumental where Bruce would gather sign requests! I miss that!

24. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE OUT — THE story of the band and honestly, the most tearful, beautiful tribute to Clarence saved for the end — and in all of my years of seeing the Boss (since 1985) probably the most emotional, poignant moment EVER. The songs gets to the line, the CLARENCE line, “They made that change up town / and the Big Man joined the band” and then, in the spot where Clarence would blast into his sax solo, the music STOPS, STOPS, and the crowd goes insane for over three minutes, cheering, stomping, with a close-up on Bruce and his mike, Bruce wiping away tears. It is so obvious how profound the loss of the Big Man is — Clarence was the soul of the E Street band.

And then, after three minutes of cheering and applauding, we’re back into the song. AWESOME. AWESOME.

A three hour show without a break; the show does go on, and just pure Springsteen awesomeness, rock and roll and a healthy shot of what’s going on in America right now. As always, thank you Bruce. Thank you for being there, thank you for making the difference and keeping us such good company on the road!

Review: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, August 2, 2008
Foxboro, Mass – Gillette Stadium

By Robert Gillis
Published in the Foxboro Reporter 8/2008

Set list: Summertime Blues / Tenth Avenue Freeze-out / Radio Nowhere / Lonesome Day / The Promised Land / Spirit in the Night / Tunnel of Love / Little Latin Lupe Lu / Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street? / Hungry Heart / Who’ll Stop the Rain / Youngstown / Murder Incorporated / She’s the One / Livin’ in the Future / Mary’s Place / The Rising / Last to Die / Long Walk Home / Badlands

Encore: I’m Goin’ Down / Jungleland / Born to Run / Glory Days / Dancing in the Dark / American Land / Rosalita

Five years to the day Bruce Springsteen last played Gillette Stadium here in Foxboro, the Boss returned for a high-octane, high energy train ride that maintained an incredible level of energy, quality sound, and fun for the next two and a half hours. Of the 19 Springsteen shows I have seen, tonight was easily one of the most intense, energetic, tight, perfect shows ever.

The show began with blue and white fireworks — the natural kind. Intense lightning, loud thunder, and a torrential downpour opened up around 8, and it was surreal hearing 50,000+ people reacting to lightning strikes and thunder. After delaying the start until 9:20, there was no rain for the entirety of the show — except for the dreamlike water running off the stage roof into the pit!

The Calliope started playing, the house lights went down, and to roaring applause the E Street Band came on stage. As Bruce walked on stage with Clarence, he was smiling, he looked rested and happy, and then he RIPPED into Summertime Blues. It was clear from the first notes that this would be a great show.

“This is a New Jersey fairy tale,” Springsteen told us and broke into the story of the band, 10th Avenue Freeze Out. Incredible audience tonight. The sound was FANTASTIC. All night, there was a heavy emphasis on drums and guitars. Springsteen’s vocals were exceptional.

Radio Nowhere – This “Magic Tour” staple sounded MUCH better than in Jersey — in fact, Springsteen’s vocals sounded better all night. I noticed that Mighty Max, the drummer, looked a little tired, but he was playing his “A” game all night.

Lonesome Day – VERY well received by the crowd.

The Promised Land came next. Springsteen relied very little on any sort of visual effects, this track just featured clouds against a blue sky. There were constant visual cuts on the diamond vision screen to the audience all night; here a woman was crying. Every view of someone in the audience showed them mouthing the words or just staring at their idol. Everyone seemed enraptured.

Next up, Spirits in the Night with Bruce again playing very close to the audience (he did this all night), shaking hands, singing next to people, smiling. I was happy to see so many in the crowd knew this one from the 1970s.

The new arrangement of Tunnel of Love isn’t really too different than previous live versions except there’s no “carnival” preamble, just heavy drums and a burst into this one. Patti’s vocals were particularly good. Patti is so lovely, and smiles so much all night.

Next up, per the new concert tradition, were the hand-written requests. Bruce began collecting signs — “Let’s see what you got…” “Give me that…” “Maybe, maybe, maybe…” Then he paused —

“The band will not be ready for this one… oh, they will NOT be ready!” He gave an evil laugh. The sign read, “Key of F” and was called Little Latin Lupe Lu, a tune going back well over 30 years and one the band’s done a couple of times since the 1970s. The sign read, “Flip for lyrics, thanks, Boss,” with complete lyrics on the reverse. “That’s appreciated!” Bruce laughed. The band nailed this obscure classic, and I was blown away that E Street can just pick up and play something so old so spontaneously and professionally.

Another request — the classic track from Springsteen’s first album (1973), Does this bus stop at 82nd Street — complete with a picture of a bus. This one was full-blown and fantastic!

An orange sign said, Hungry Heart and by tradition the crowd sang the first verse. This tradition goes all the way back to the November 20, 1980 show in Chicago’s Rosemont Horizon, when the audience sang the lyrics back to the band during this intro. Since then, Springsteen always lets the audience sing the first verse and chorus.

Bruce walked to our side of the stage. “Go!” Susan said! We’re only 19 rows back. So close… So close… Just want to shake your hand… But he moved away.
Dream, baby dream.

Next up was one Springsteen said was for “The Coach.” He did not mention Bill Belichick by name but added, “He’s here tonight… He didn’t bring a sign.” The song was Who’ll Stop the Rain, written by John Fogerty for Credence Clearwater Revival. Great tune, and it helped keep the rain away. Well, after all, the new album IS called, “Magic!”

I was feeling so happy at this point — true joy. I love this guy!
Youngstown was next, the story of the steel workers (and so many others) “who helped win this country’s wars” but have now been forgotten. Having Springsteen lit up in harsh red works here — evoking the lyrics of the furnaces and “fires of hell.” This one went on for some time as Nils, Steve and Bruce competed in impressive guitar solos.

Murder Incorporated, to use a pun, KILLED. Clarence is probably one of the best sax players on the planet. More dueling guitar from Nils — he’s a phenomenal guitar player.

Another classic was next, She’s the One, featuring smoking harmonica, a full-blast performance, and scorching guitar. A stellar version.

The “Magic” track Living in the Future was next, as Bruce explained that the song was really about that’s going on right now — rendition, illegal wire-tapping, rolling back fundamental civil rights, and attacks on the constitution. “It’s about sleeping through changes.” He compared it to parents soothing their children at night saying it’s all going to be OK, but the song is about what SHOULDN’T be happening in the United States.

The “House Party” song, “Mary’s place was a lot of fun and just amazing. LOTS of crowd shots, with the audience faces clearly idolizing Springsteen.

Great response to The Rising, and the screen showed red flames as Springsteen sang the poignant lyrics of the 9/11 firefighter as he climbs the stairs of
the WTC.

I’ve been rather flip about Springsteen’s next tune, Last to Die, because it’s just so in-your-face about Bruce’s feelings about the war, echoing John Kerry’s “Who’ll be the last to die for a mistake?” (Springsteen supported Kerry in 04 and Obama this year). But I gave the one another listen this evening and thought that maybe subtly isn’t working — maybe we need “Last to Die” to remind us what’s going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The long walk home is just a perfect story. LOVED it.

Badlands followed; quintessential Springsteen but I feel overplayed. Still great; I just yearn for something else.

After a minute or two, the encores began, with Bruce kissing wife Patti as they returned to the stage.

Bruce began by thanking everyone for coming out tonight, and apologizing for the rain. He told the crowd, “We were dodging lightning bolts coming up here for about an hour and a half!”

Interestingly, Springsteen began asking for request signs again — he usually doesn’t do that for the encores — and chose one he described as, “rarely played and even more rarely requested…” and broke into the BITUSA classic, I’m going down, the story of a relationship gone cold.

Sue and I thought it was perfect for the couple in front of us — all night, we’d witnessed the girl being a cold hearted monster toward her boyfriend / fiancée / husband as he tried to kiss her and be nice to her. She was looking at him the way you regard something under the sink and kept hitting him, hard.

Hey, guy in A2-18-18 — Run while you can! She’ll walk over you the rest of your life unless you stand up for yourself!

That public service message aside,the next request sign said, “It’s my birthday (yesterday) Jungleland please!” and the version played just shook Gillette. Jungleland, from the BTR album, is an iconic Springsteen story and was delivered so perfectly, up to Clarence’s melancholy sax at the end. Gorgeous.

Springsteen next played Born to Run, followed by a sensational version of “Glory Days. There are many artists who just sound terrible live {cough, Madonna, cough} but Springsteen LIVE is nearly always superior to Springsteen in the studio. Glory Days is another example of a “fun” song from BITUSA that just explodes live and turns into a party. Awesome. As usual, Steve and Bruce played the “I think it’s quitting time” bit, with Steve telling everyone they’re in BOSS-TOWN!

This flowed right into Dancing in the Dark. Like Glory Days, dismiss your memories of the album or video with Courtney Cox; on stage, “Dancing” becomes a party.

“Do we have any Irishmen out there?” and the crowd went nuts as the penultimate tune was the Celtic-flavored, American Land, (with the words on screen this time), a great and fun song celebration the contribution of immigrants who came here (that would be all of us) in search of streets of gold and beer flowing from the taps, and a celebration of their hard work.

Since the show began with a “New Jersey fairy tale,” Springsteen ended with one — the iconic Rosalita. It was note-perfect.

Bruce thanked us again and announced that we’d “Just got rocked hard by the house-rocking, pants dropping, brain-shocking, earth-quaking, booty-shaking, Viagra-taking, lovemaking, sexifying, electrifying legendary E Street Band!” And the crowd went bonkers!

As Springsteen’s motorcade passed my house on Beach Street at 1:10am, the fan boy in me wanted to jump out, wave and scream thank you — the adult overruled and I just thought how cool it was that the Boss was passing my house.

May I add one item to my hometown Foxboro town officials — PLEASE do not penalize the band financially for running over the 11:00 curfew — given the horrific, dangerous rain and lightning, the decision to wait until 9:30 was prudent and a 90 minute show would have been unfair to everyone. Springsteen, his management and everyone involved made the right call delaying the show for safety reasons.

Finally, may I say that August 2, 2008 Gillette was easily one of the best, most energetic, and happy and dare I say.. Perfect of the 19 Springsteen shows I’ve seen since 1985. Bruce, thanks for another fantastic experience!

Concert photographs from backstreets.com by Alan Chitlik