After seeing Springsteen in Jersey on July 17 and the Eagles the following night, I continued the Gillis Concert Tour 2003 with both Bruce shows here in Foxboro.
Man, I am wiped! The final two nights of the whirlwind concert tour are now behind me — Bruce Springsteen’s two shows at Gillette Stadium were phenomenal, with Saturday surpassing the Worcester 1988 TOL show as my favorite Springsteen show EVER.
August 1 / Foxboro, MA / Gillette Stadium
Notes: With a mixture of rain and thick fog settling in over New England and Burt Bacharach’s “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” heard as the band takes the stage, night one in Foxboro gets nine songs in the encores, including a nice tribute to the man who founded Sun Records, the late Sam Phillips.
Set list: The Promised Land/The Rising/Lonesome Day/My Love Will Not Let You Down/Prove It All Night/Empty Sky/You’re Missing/Waitin’ on a Sunny Day/Darlington County/Worlds Apart/Badlands/Out in the Street/Mary’s Place/Backstreets/Into the Fire/No Surrender
First Encore: Mystery Train/Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out/Ramrod/Born to Run/Seven Nights to Rock
Second Encore: My City of Ruins/Land of Hope and Dreams/Rosalita/Dancing in the Dark
Maybe it was just that I was tired and didn’t feel so good. Maybe it was that Bruce seemed a little tired, but this show was hard for me to get into, at least at first. We had decent floor seats and I was happy with the camaraderie of the crowd … But it just took a long time to get into this one.
That said, it was an interesting and memorable night for several reasons. First up, the kid in front of me was so hammered that at one point I literally had to catch him as he tumbled backwards — he thought that was great and was telling everyone how I caught him.
If the guy who frisked me got any more intimate I would have asked him to buy me dinner first. Hey Gillette — get Metal Detectors, OK?
I talked to one woman who has seen Bruce 34 times (since 74) and other two ladies who liked my “Rising” T-Shirt. Both Sue and I were wearing them.
Bruce again his speech about the citizens being vigilant, and dedicated “Land of Hope and Dreams” to the troops and for peace in Iraq.
The woman next to me grew up near Asbury Park told me it was just about destroyed in the race riots of the early seventies and looks like Lebanon, but it is slowly coming back. Bruce wrote, “My City of Ruins” for it years ago.
The fog that rolled in gave the evening a surreal and magical feeling. When Bruce got to the Boss Time/Quitting time bit he said to Steve, “I can’t see shit out there!”
Prove it all Night featured and amazing guitar riff. Steve did some of the singing on “Waiting on a Sunny Day.” Mary’s Place featured the band intros again. “The Music must be RIGHTEOUS! YOU HAVE TO GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THE SEAT! YOU HAVE TO HAVE THES BEST HOUSE BAND IN ALL THE LAND!” He introduced Patty with, “Happy Birthday you sexy thing!” Very good to hear BITUSA favorites like a full blown out Darlington County No Surrender and then to hear BACKSTREETS! Wow! I like the new Seven Nights to Rock very much.
August 2 / Foxboro, MA / Gillette Stadium
Set list: Adam Raised a Cain/The Rising/Lonesome Day/Candy’s Room/The Ties That Bind/My Love Will Not Let You Down/Empty Sky/Waitin’ on a Sunny Day/Working on the Highway/Worlds Apart/Badlands/She’s the One/Mary’s Place/Racing in the Street/Into the Fire/No Surrender
First Encore: Night/Bobby Jean/Hungry Heart/Glory Days/Born to Run
Second Encore: My City of Ruins/Land of Hope and Dreams/Rosalita/Dancing in the Dark
The second show was the most incredible and by far BEST Springsteen show I have EVER seen. From the opening Adam Raised a Cain, this was definitely a show for the real fans — Bruce dusted off classics such as Candy’s Room, Ties that Bind, Working on the Highway (complete with banjo and washboard) She’s the One (incredible) Racing in the Street, an incredible, goose bump (really) Night, Bobby Jean (Not heard since BITUSA, I think) Hungry Heart, Glory Days … I was on my feet the whole night, I must have said “Oh My God” a hundred times, and was amazed that Bruce brought out this or that song. I was yelling Thank You, holding Sue and just enjoying THE best Bruce show ever.
IN-CRED-IBLE!
See you at Fenway! (Hopefully)