{"id":4064,"date":"2009-04-23T20:03:38","date_gmt":"2009-04-24T01:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/?p=4064"},"modified":"2014-01-10T21:59:13","modified_gmt":"2014-01-11T02:59:13","slug":"review-bruce-springsteen-e-street-band-boston-4212009-4222009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/?p=4064","title":{"rendered":"Review: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Boston, 4\/21\/2009 and 4\/22\/2009"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_4065\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4065\" style=\"width: 315px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SprinsteenBoston2009_01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4065\" alt=\"Image from Backstreets.com \u2013 photographer unknown but remains the property of the original copyright holder.  If you are the owner of this photograph please email me and I will credit you here.\" src=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SprinsteenBoston2009_01.jpg\" width=\"315\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SprinsteenBoston2009_01.jpg 315w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SprinsteenBoston2009_01-300x261.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 315px) 100vw, 315px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4065\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image from Backstreets.com \u2013 photographer unknown<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>by Robert Gillis<br \/>\n<strong>TD Garden &#8211; Boston &#8211; 4\/21\/2009<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Tonight\u2019s Springsteen show was arguably one of the best I have seen. Hell, they all are. Best to stop rating them.<\/p>\n<p>Bruce looks thinner, in great shape and his voice sounds fantastic. No earrings or other piercing and shorter hair.<\/p>\n<p>LOVED the new \u201csmoke\u201d effect \u2013 Bruce has never done much of that and it works. Patti absent tonight. A very lovely tribute to Danny \u2013 an under-lit armchair to the side with his accordion displayed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4067\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4067\" style=\"width: 233px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/NightOne.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4067\" alt=\"Set List from brucespringsteen.net\" src=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/NightOne-233x300.jpg\" width=\"233\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/NightOne-233x300.jpg 233w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/NightOne.jpg 614w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4067\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Set List from brucespringsteen.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Present: The full E Street Band (sans Patti). Great to see Charlie Giordano, and (shades of &#8217;92!) the fabulous Curtis King and Cindy Mizelle from the Sessions Band.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Badlands<\/li>\n<li>Adam Raised a Cain<\/li>\n<li>Outlaw Pete\u201d (complete with new smoke effects) is FAR superior live \u2013 SCORCHING! Still a goofy song but really good live. \u201cCan you hear me?\u201d Love it, love the smoke.<\/li>\n<li>Out in the Street \u2013 Now we\u2019re cooking. I\u2019m loving it. Bruce is trim, sounds VERY good.<\/li>\n<li>Working on a Dream \u2013 FAR better live. \u201cHello Boston!\u201d Springsteen tells us we\u2019re here to build a house, isn\u2019t it done yet? Been working on it since the Magic tour! Full band treatment, almost a joyous anthem. I think this one will become a concert classic, played often in years to come. It\u2019s positively joyous.<\/li>\n<li>Seeds \u2014 The line &#8220;The banker man said, &#8216;Sorry, son, it&#8217;s all gone&#8217;.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Johnny 99 \u2013 Full blown band song. Soozie amazing. Perfect.<\/li>\n<li>The Ghost of Tom Joad: Closes this potent arc of the show. Powerful. Full orchestra. Exceptional. Bruce in silhouette. Great solo by Nils. GOTJ is an underappreciated album. This title track is arguably the most powerful. All three of these songs in this arc talk about the group of people Bruce never forgets: The disenfranchised.<\/li>\n<li>I&#8217;m Goin&#8217; Down \u2013 By request; fun song; crowd loved it. Has it really been 25 years since BITUSA?<\/li>\n<li>Raise Your Hand \u2013 the new \u201cgoing to get signs\u201d song; Bruce collected what seemed to be a dozen request signs and posters and then broke into this classic. RYH has never been a personal favorite but it was well received.<\/li>\n<li>I&#8217;m Bad, I&#8217;m Nationwide \u2013 As part of \u201cStump the Band\u201d Springsteen chose this ZZ Top song and said, \u201cThey don\u2019t know it! They\u2019ve never played it! &#8220;Can they do it? Hell yeah, they&#8217;re the E Street Band!&#8221; And they nailed it. Crowd *loved* it when Springsteen said he was \u201cNationwide.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Growin&#8217; Up \u2013 also by sign request; lyrics as whacky as ever, and still fun.<\/li>\n<li>Waiting&#8217; on a Sunny Day \u2013 Well received even though it\u2019s almost a clich\u00e9 in the show after all these years, but the crowd liked it. No slide by Bruce.<\/li>\n<li>The Promised Land \u2013 And the fans go bonkers. This song just rocks; kid in front of me is high fiving everyone again including me. Springsteen\u2019s harmonica better than ever.<\/li>\n<li>The Wrestler \u2013 Don\u2019t know it at all but Springsteen won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for &#8220;The Wrestler&#8221; in 2009.<\/li>\n<li>Kingdom of Days \u2013 dedicated to Patti, who fell off a horse (the crowd thought he was kidding because Madonna did the same thing last weekend) but he was serious, she has bruised ribs and will rejoin the tour later. I didn\u2019t know the Springsteen\u2019s were such equestrians. Daughter Jessica is a competitive rider.<\/li>\n<li>Radio Nowhere (w\/ Jay Weinberg) \u2014 The kid is amazing. Max Weinberg\u2019s son, Jay \u2013 only 18 but an INCREDIBLE drummer and the crowd loves him. It blew my mind that here I was in this same building, 17 years ago, seeing Bruce sing \u201cLiving Proof\u201d about newborn son Evan, (and Jay was a baby then as well). Now it\u2019s 2009, Evan is at BC and Jay is playing drums for E Street. In-Cred-Ible.<\/li>\n<li>Lonesome Day (w\/ Jay Weinberg) \u2013 Soozie MAKES this song. LOVE IT.<\/li>\n<li>The Rising (w\/ Jay Weinberg) \u2013 Beautiful lyrics and Springsteen sounds far, far better on this one than he has in years. I\u2019ve been to shows where is voice was hoarse \u2013 not tonight.<\/li>\n<li>Born to Run (w\/ Jay Weinberg) \u2013 Despite the clich\u00e9 I enjoyed it tonight. House lights up!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Encore:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hard Times \u2013 Springsteen thanked Boston for its support for years, dedicated this song to \u201cMy handsome son Evan\u201d and \u201cbeautiful daughter Jess,\u201d and then talked about the Greater Boston Food Bank. This is a song written by Steve Foster in 1843; will give it another listen Wednesday.<\/li>\n<li>Tenth Avenue Freeze-out \u2013Bruce swooping and hanging off the mike. And the crowd already singing the \u201coh\u2019s\u201d to the song as it begins. AWESOME. And there\u2019s the Springsteen slide!<\/li>\n<li>Land of Hope and Dreams- Nice to have this one back. Perfect for the times.<\/li>\n<li>American Land \u2013 Always fun, well written, great meaning but I miss having the words on the screen. LOVED seeing Charlie trying to play Nils guitar. Bruce introduced the band \u2013 and in a first (that I\u2019ve ever seen) introduced someone twice \u2013 Garry W. Talent!<\/li>\n<li>Rosalita \u2013 Crowd went bonkers. LOVED IT<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The band was in top-form; Springsteen sounded amazing and was INTO it. GREAT SHOW.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4066\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4066\" style=\"width: 550px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SprinsteenBoston2009_04.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4066\" alt=\"Image from Backstreets.com \u2013 photographer unknown but remains the property of the original copyright holder.  If you are the owner of this photograph please email me and I will credit you here.\" src=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SprinsteenBoston2009_04.jpg\" width=\"550\" height=\"687\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SprinsteenBoston2009_04.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SprinsteenBoston2009_04-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4066\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image from Backstreets.com \u2013 photographer unknown<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>by Robert Gillis<br \/>\n<strong>TD Garden &#8211; Boston &#8211; 4\/22\/2009<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4068\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4068\" style=\"width: 215px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/NightTwo.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4068\" alt=\"Set List from brucespringsteen.net\" src=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/NightTwo-215x300.jpg\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/NightTwo-215x300.jpg 215w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/NightTwo.jpg 442w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 215px) 100vw, 215px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4068\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Set List from brucespringsteen.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>Badlands \u2013 at the concession stand for this one, but we have heard it before.<\/li>\n<li>Candy&#8217;s Room \u2013 All right! Crowd loved it; and I immediate notice (as I do all night) Springsteen\u2019s voice is VERY CLEAR. Songs like \u201cRadio Nowhere\u201d and \u201cRising,\u201d that he sang gruffly before, are now perfect.<\/li>\n<li>Outlaw Pete \u2013 The song is goofy but GREAT live and I love the smoke effect. \u201cCan you hear me? Can you hear me?\u201d and the crowd freaks. By the way, Sue ALSO picked up that the riff in \u201cOutlaw Pete\u201d sounds EXACTLY like \u201cI was made for loving you baby\u201d by KISS.<\/li>\n<li>She&#8217;s the One \u2014 Awesome<\/li>\n<li>Working on a Dream \u2013 great song and really great live. This was Springsteen\u2019s first \u201cguitar toss\u201d to a roadie and I wonder if they get fired if they drop the guitar? Great sax by Clarence.<\/li>\n<li>Seeds and Johnny 99 \u2013 INTENSE guitar work from Springsteen and Nils. Exceptional work by Roy. The band is in perfect sync, a well oiled machine, and CLEARLY having fun.<\/li>\n<li>Youngstown \u2013 no GOTJ tonight but this song is also perfect for this arc of the show. Nils was ON FIRE on the guitar.<\/li>\n<li>Raise Your Hand \u2013 It\u2019s a perfect way for Springsteen to head into the crowd for signs. He collects what looks like 20 of them and then sorts through them. Then he starts mouthing the words DeNiro used, \u201cAre you talking to me??\u201d Hilarious!<\/li>\n<li>I Wanna Be Sedated \u2013 Not a misprint, tonight\u2019s \u201cStump the band\u201d was this Ramones classic. Steve is a HUGE Ramones fan and Springsteen and Steve seemed to LOVE the challenge, and nailed it. Seeing Springsteen perform \u201cI wanna be sedated\u201d was surreal and a sure sign of the apocalypse. But it was great!<\/li>\n<li>Spirit in the Night \u2013 Holy shit this is a GREAT song and I just loved it. The band is really getting a workout and everyone has moments to shine. Charlie fills in nicely for Danny\u2019s organ playing. Close-up on people in the audience looking at Springsteen like they\u2019re seeing the face of God. Seriously.<\/li>\n<li>For You \u2013 My \u201cgo get a pretzel\u201d song, although it received FOUR separate sign requests.<\/li>\n<li>Waiting&#8217; on a Sunny Day \u2013 Clich\u00e9 but fun.<\/li>\n<li>The Promised Land \u2013 Another OMG I love this song. The harmonica, the drums, memories from so many listens. Just PERFECT. During this song there was this was young kid \u2013 he was maybe 15, looking up at Bruce with total awe. Bruce tousled his hair and the kid looked like he\u2019d seen God. Good to know the new generations love Springsteen like us older Tramps!<\/li>\n<li>Jungleland \u2013 OH MY GOD! I yelled and the crowd went ballistic. It has not happened in years but I got chills and goose-bumps \u2013 no kidding \u2013 the band nailed it; the crowd knew all the worlds and it was a religious experience.<\/li>\n<li>Kingdom of Days \u2013 Dedicated to Patti who did fall off a horse.<\/li>\n<li>Radio Nowhere (w\/ Jay Weinberg) \u2013 FAR, FAR better vocals on this than in 2007. Springsteen\u2019s voice was perfect and not screeching all night. Jay is a machine on the drums and the crowd really likes him. \u201cSpringsteen: \u201cHe\u2019s gonna run with the big dogs!\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Lonesome Day, The Rising, Born to Run (all w\/ Jay Weinberg) \u2013 The band is INTO the show tonight, smiling at each other, saying funny things to each other, dancing, mixing it up\u2026 Just excellent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Encore<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hard Times \u2013 A very nice speech about the greater Boston food Bank and them being \u201cOn the front line doing God\u2019s work.\u201d We donated $25 to them.<\/li>\n<li>Thunder Road \u2013 Crowd sang a lot of the song; Springsteen enjoyed it, walking around a lot (as he did all night) shaking hands, smiling. Dedicated to Sam and Jessie (\u201cI love you so much.\u201d)<\/li>\n<li>Land of Hope and Dreams \u2013 So glad to have this one back. Really reflects the hope for these times.\n<p><em>From backstreets: \u201cDropkick Murphy\u2019s guitarist Tim Brennan onstage, down on bended knee, proposing to his girlfriend Diane. She said yes \u2014 credit Nils with getting her answer on mic \u2014 and Springsteen told the crowd, &#8220;This is gonna be their wedding song.&#8221; <\/em><\/p>\n<p>To me&#8230; It seemed\u2026 strange. Tim taking the mike and saying, \u201cThanks, Bruce\u201d and then proposing. It didn\u2019t seem romantic; Diane seemed terrified on the stage\u2026 Dunno, just felt \u2013 forced is the right word. It felt forced. Hope she wasn\u2019t upset with him doing that!<\/li>\n<li>So Young and in Love (w\/ Dropkick Murphy\u2019s&#8217; Tim Brennan) \u2013 Bruce said this was their wedding song.<\/li>\n<li>American Land (w\/ Dropkick Murphy\u2019s, Jay Weinberg) \u2013 Lot of fun but don\u2019t think I\u2019d see the Dropkick Murphy\u2019s in concert. Song just rocks.<\/li>\n<li>Glory Days (w\/ Dropkick Murphy\u2019s, Jay Weinberg) \u2013 Just awesome; feels \u201cright\u201d for Boston and I love the \u201cHey Steve, what time is it,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s BOSS-time!\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Seven Nights to Rock \u2013 one more! Great way to end the night!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Robert Gillis TD Garden &#8211; Boston &#8211; 4\/21\/2009 Tonight\u2019s Springsteen show was arguably one of the best I have seen. Hell, they all are. Best to stop rating them. Bruce looks thinner, in great shape and his voice sounds fantastic. No earrings or other piercing and shorter hair. LOVED the new \u201csmoke\u201d effect \u2013 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[152,87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-backstreets","category-bruce-springsteen"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4064\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}