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!