{"id":4077,"date":"2007-11-20T20:44:25","date_gmt":"2007-11-21T01:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/?p=4077"},"modified":"2014-01-10T21:56:23","modified_gmt":"2014-01-11T02:56:23","slug":"4077","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/?p=4077","title":{"rendered":"Review: Happy Birthday to me: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band \u2013 MAGIC – Boston Garden 11\/19\/2007"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Backstreets.com\"<\/a>
Backstreets.com – photographer unknown<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band \u2013 MAGIC<\/em>
\n At the TD Bank North Garden, Boston<\/em>
\n Monday, November 19, 2007<\/em>
\nBy Robert Gillis<\/em><\/p>\n

Bruce Springsteen.<\/p>\n

In Boston Garden.<\/p>\n

On my birthday.<\/p>\n

Can it possibly get any better?<\/p>\n

Yes it can, and yes it did!<\/p>\n

Setlist: Radio Nowhere \/ Night \/ Lonesome Day \/ Gypsy Biker \/ Magic \/ Reason to Believe \/ Darkness on the Edge of Town \/ Candy’s Room \/ She’s the One \/ Livin’ in the Future \/ This Hard Land \/ 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) \/ The E Street Shuffle \/ Working on the Highway \/ Devil’s Arcade \/ The Rising \/ Last to Die \/ Long Walk Home \/ Badlands<\/p>\n

Encore: Girls in Their Summer Clothes \/ Tenth Avenue Freeze-out \/ Kitty’s Back \/ Born to Run \/ American Land<\/p>\n

I love the new TD Bank North Garden (formerly the Fleet Center, formerly the \u201cWhy couldn\u2019t they just call it Boston Garden?\u201d). I see all the banners for the World Champion Celtics and I look at how they dominated the 1960s and then look at the last time they won and think, guys, what the hell happened? And to see those legendary Bruins names: Bobby Orr, Ray Bourke, and all the others \u2013 is amazing. Most of those legends never played their careers in THIS building, but there still is a sense of wonder for the sports history they made in the original Boston Garden.<\/p>\n

\"backstreets,com<\/a>
backstreets,com – photographer unknown<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At 8:30 sharp (um, ticket said 7:30, Boss) the lights went down, the crowd started screaming and\u2026 um, carnival music began to play as an object rose out of the floor and you think, \u201cWhat the hell is that thing?\u201d It\u2019s a restored calliope that Springsteen had just been given as a gift. You might not know (or not have access to Wikipedia) that a calliope, also called a steam piano, is a musical instrument that produces sound by sending steam through whistles, It was often played on riverboats and in circuses, and is used as the characteristic instrument of Merry-go-Rounds. And what does this have to do with this tour?<\/p>\n

Nothing, as far as I can tell. So I guess this where we say, \u201cUm, nice calliope, Bruce,\u201d and move on.<\/p>\n

That bizarreness aside, suddenly Springsteen screams \u201cIs there anybody alive out there\u201d twice and rips into a version of Radio Nowhere that is absolutely SCORCHING. The show is off to a hard rock, full throttle start and the E Street Band sounds tight. Familiar, yes, but new. The band is (to use the clich\u00e9) such a well oiled machine, so in sync with each other that the sound is just, well, tight. Perfect.<\/p>\n

Springsteen\u2019s conversation and banter were at a minimum this evening; Springsteen and the band were obviously having a great time and clearly intent on playing a non-stop, won\u2019t catch your breath show \u2013 and for the most part it worked very well.<\/p>\n

Springsteen doesn\u2019t run around the stage as much as he used to (understandably) but still burns the guitar and learned how to make it talk. Whether he was on guitar, harmonica, or piano \u2013 he continued to prove his mastery of music.<\/p>\n

Radio nowhere ended and the band broke into an incredible surprise, the Born to Run classic, Night. I literally screamed with joy. The Born to Run album is arguably Springsteen\u2019s greatest, and many of the cuts from it aren\u2019t played often enough (although Springsteen did play Jungleland at the first Boston show the night before).<\/p>\n

NO ONE but Clarence can play sax on this one! In-credible.<\/p>\n

Springsteen played the song on the Today Show and a few other stops, but it caught the crowd completely off guard.<\/p>\n

Night is quintessential Springsteen, quintessential E Street, classic Springsteen and there just isn\u2019t a superlative worthy of describing tonight\u2019s rendition. It was that good \u2013 and obvious that this was a show for the fans \u2013 with many tracks seemingly chosen to play for the long time \u201ctramps\u201d who have followed The Boss since the early days.<\/p>\n

Lonesome Day was next; it\u2019s another powerhouse and Soozie\u2019s violin has always made this song even better. It was here I noticed how GOOD Springsteen\u2019s voice sounded tonight.<\/p>\n

Gypsy Biker is a moving song, one of my very favorites from the new album and I was thinking to myself how INCREDIBLE the guitar playing (by both Steve and Springsteen) was here, and how much the band seemed into the night. I liked that Steve was so prominent this evening, helping out on many songs. And God, I love it when Springsteen plays the harmonica.<\/p>\n

\"Backstreets.com<\/a>
Backstreets.com – photographer unknown<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Magic \u201cThis is the title track from the new CD,\u201d Springsteen said, with such an emphasis on \u201cCD\u201d that I thought he was going to correct himself and say, \u201cAlbum,\u201d as he always does. But he didn\u2019t. In one of the two times he got political this evening, Springsteen said, “It’s about living through a time when the truth gets twisted to sound like a lie and lies get twisted to sound like the truth. This is a time of betrayal and deceit, and the wheel on the street spins\u2026 It’s called ‘Magic’ but it’s really about tricks.” Musically the song was presented almost acoustic, just Bruce and Patti, very pretty, very haunting. I like it when the Springsteens sing together, they didn\u2019t do much of that this evening.<\/p>\n

Reason to Believe: \u201cShhhhhhhhhhhhhh\u201d Springsteen told us several times. Gotta admit, this Nebraska song has NEVER been a favorite. It\u2019s got a new jazzy-blues mix, a lot more harmonica but I just have never liked this one. Didn\u2019t help that for part of it Springsteen used the god-awful \u201caudible\u201d microphone (makes a voice sound like you\u2019re singing through cement).<\/p>\n

\u2026But that\u2019s okay because the next triple-play blew my socks off.<\/p>\n

Darkness on the Edge of Town: I got Goosebumps (literally) when Springsteen broke into Darkness. This is one of those Springsteen songs that you know every word, you sing very word and just feel the emotion every single time you hear it. Darkness is a beyond a classic \u2013 but live it\u2019s just in-credible. It\u2019s a track that can be played many ways, but despite the brooding in its lyrics I\u2019ve always heard hope, and that\u2019s how Springsteen played it tonight.<\/p>\n

Candy’s Room: God, I love this song. Another high octane classic blasted at us, with the crowd singing along. And Candy was a perfect segue into\u2026<\/p>\n

She’s the One: Another BTR track that doesn\u2019t get enough play anymore, She\u2019s the one is another song that gives you chills and Roy\u2019s keyboards and Clarence\u2019s sax made this one perfect. Just about brought down the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood evening Boston!\u201d Springsteen called out, \u201c\u2026home of the 2007 world champion\u2026\u201d and the crowd went bonkers. And there on the diamond vision screens is Springsteen just staring, giving us \u201cThe look\u201d to show his dissatisfaction, wiping away a fake tear and acknowledging that 2004 wasn\u2019t a fluke, but he still mentioned the team he loves, from \u201cNew\u2026 New\u2026 New\u2026 Haven Connecticut!!!\u201d Then he got serious as he introduced Living in the future He talked about how the country has been sleepwalking through things like rendition and wire-tapping \u2013 an attack on the constitution. \u201cWe\u2019re going to sing about it! It\u2019s a start! The rest is up to you\u2026 to us.\u201d This song is absolutely effervescent on the surface and then you hear the lyrics. Like many of the songs off Magic, the crowd didn\u2019t seem to know the words too well. But a great performance.<\/p>\n

This Hard Land: You have to love this song for no other reason than it contain s the line, \u201cThat\u2019s you and me Frank, we\u2019re looking for lost cattle,\u201d which always (for me) hearkened back to the first two albums and the preposterous (or brilliant?) lyrics of the seventies. With Danny on accordion the song reminded me of \u201cSandy,\u201d which may have been intentional, because the next song was\u2026<\/p>\n

Wait for it\u2026<\/p>\n

\"backstreets,com<\/a>
backstreets,com – photographer unknown<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wait for it\u2026<\/p>\n

4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy): OK, to say people went nuts at this point is a colossal understatement. The twenty-something guys behind me who\u2019d I\u2019d been high-fiving every time Bruce brought out an oldie flipped out \u2013 we shouted \u201cSandy,\u201d in unison, he grabbed me, kissed me on the cheek and told me, \u201cI love you man!!!\u201d This made me realize 1) Sandy is a very emotional song for many Springsteen fans; 2) I need to wear my wedding ring when I\u2019m at shows with Sue; 3) Apparently I have options I hadn\u2019t considered if my marriage doesn\u2019t work out. In any case, Sandy was the orgasmic song of the show, as in \u201cHoly-shit-he\u2019s-playing-Sandy! It\u2019s Sandy!\u201d<\/p>\n

And the song is just so much fun, done so well and such a glorious reminder of Springsteen\u2019s life on the boardwalk. I must mention that Danny starred on this one, stepping out from behind the organ for some beautiful accordion playing. In many ways, this was Danny’s night.<\/p>\n

And if there was any doubt this was a show for the fans, Springsteen next broke into…<\/p>\n

The E Street Shuffle: and you have to go waaaayyyyy back to hear that one live. Sad for a Bruce tramp like myself to admit but not one I know well. But it sounded incredible.<\/p>\n

Working on the Highway followed, a fun song from BITUSA that is just a great \u201csing-along\u201d song when performed live. Always a good one.<\/p>\n

One thought I had here \u2013 I saw many people snapping pictures with their camera phone and I know how crappy the quality is \u2013 why can\u2019t the tour management arrange to have a few professional digital images of the band on stage (and of Springsteen) at each show. You know how you take a boat ride (or on some amusement park rides) and they have pictures you can buy as you exit? Same concept — Have a few high quality digital images available and sell them after the show. Now THAT\u2019s a souvenir worth having!<\/p>\n

Devil’s Arcade: Probably my favorite song on the new album. Arcade is even better live. The song is hypnotic, sung with real passion, and just draws you in. I liked the effect of Springsteen superimposed over Max\u2019s drums for \u201cThe beat of your heart, the beat of your heart.\u201d Gorgeous. And in my opinion, the most personal, poignant song about war \u2013 any war. The ambiguity about the two characters \u2013 is the soldier dead? Is he recovering? Will he recover? You can just FEEL how many times that\u2019s happened in real life \u2013 the lover talking to her wounded \/ dying soldier at the army hospital \u2013 \u201cPromise me tomorrow. Promise me a future.\u201d Or \u201cI promise you a future. It will be better, this will fade away.\u201d No matter what the interpretation, this is one of my favorite Springsteen songs ever and he performed it with searing passion.<\/p>\n

The Rising: Another great tune from the album of the same name; dependable and always gets the crowd going. Everyone\u2019s on their feet again.<\/p>\n

Last to Die: No speeches in front of this one, it isn\u2019t needed. If you don\u2019t get the message on this song, well, you ain\u2019t been listening. Springsteen belts this one out hard and it works.<\/p>\n

Long Walk Home was a full-blown arrangement rather than the laid-back style from the CD. Liked it a lot.<\/p>\n

Badlands: What can you say? Everybody knows it, everybody loves it, the house lights are up, my new best friend is high-fiving me again and we\u2019re just screaming it out.<\/p>\n

The main set was over and the crowd wanted more. You know the times are changing when the practice of holding up cigarette lighters has been replaced with cell phones. Glad people are smoking less, but man, there is NOTHING like being in a concert where the fans are demanding more by creating a galaxy of stars with upheld cigarette lighter flames.<\/p>\n

Springsteen returned to talk about the Boston Food Bank \u2013 he\u2019s been endorsing local food banks since at least 1985 by my memory \u2013 and commended their good work to prevent people to have to choose between food and heat. He then dedicated the next song to the Massachusetts girls and broke into Girls in Their Summer Clothes which was another fun song and I think destined to become a concert staple.<\/p>\n

But this \u201cshow for the fans\u201d wasn\u2019t over as the band broke into another oldie but classic \u2013 the immortal Tenth Avenue Freeze-out — The song loosely tells the story of the formation of the E Street Band. We Springsteen fans never get tired of this one \u2013 and the line about the \u201cBig Man joined the band\u201d with Clarence still gets raucous applause and cheers. At this point we noticed Peter Wolf was in stage, prompting several people to ask, \u201cDoes Peter Wolf have anything else to do, or does he just show up when Bruce is in Boston?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"backstreets,com<\/a>
backstreets,com – photographer unknown<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kitty’s Back: Okay, okay, another one to file under, \u201cSad for a Bruce tramp like myself to admit but not one I know well.\u201d I promise to listen to \u201cGreetings\u201d and \u201cWild and Innocent\u201d more. The song has a long instrumental intro and ending and the music was great. It\u2019s a song with jazz, blues, and it\u2019s, well, sultry. The song feels hot and captures the spirit of Springsteen in the 70s. And it felt like the band was improvising a lot during a lengthy (9 minute or so) jam session. Great stuff. Awesome.<\/p>\n

Born to Run: BTR full-blown is a staple of most Springsteen shows and I know I\u2019m gonna get flogged for this, but maybe it\u2019s time to retire it for a little while? Sort of like Rosalita, it\u2019s so expected at a Springsteen show that even the raise-the-roof blockbuster performance I saw was \u2013 well, I\u2019ve seen it before. Many times. In its place, I would\u2019ve loved another lesser played song, like Backstreets, or Meeting Across the River. Or Dream Baby Dream. Maybe next time?<\/p>\n

American Land, the show closer is another song that sounds effervescent and poppy until you listen to the lyrics and realize its meaning. American Land is part of the Seeger Sessions special edition CD (so new that the WORDS TO THE SONG actually scroll on the screen!) and when you first hear it you wonder if the band is playing Celtic folk music or something. The song would\u2019ve been perfect for the Seeger sessions tour, as the Springsteen-penned song talks about the rainbow of immigrants who came to the supposed gold and diamond lined streets of America for a better life. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s no coincidence that the song is identifiably Irish\/Celtic, a nod to all the Irish immigrants of a century ago. But every immigrant is represented; the song talks about all the races and creeds that came here to make their home in this American Land. They made the steel, built the bridges and the roads and the buildings, and now are being kept out. It\u2019s another credit to my idol that he can take such important and poignant lyrics, comment so well on contemporary issues, but set the song to a beat that you get up and dance to. It really is a fun song, and the displayed lyrics add to the \u201csing along with Bruce\u201d mood as the show ends.<\/p>\n

In every Springsteen show I\u2019ve ever been to (and this is my 17th since 1985) Springsteen introduces the band around the middle of the show \u2013 but tonight, it was at this end point that he did so. Rather than give a little bio of each member or the instrument (for example, \u201con the drums, star of late night “telly-vision,” the Mighty Max Weinberg,\u201d he just called out their name, and I could see the reasoning \u2013 this was a show for the fans, and we weren\u2019t being introduced to their band members \u2013 we were being given a chance to applaud our old friends.<\/p>\n

A high-octane, 2:15 show with barely room for breath as Springsteen belted out 24 incredible songs. He\u2019s off to Europe next week and will be back next March \u2013 here\u2019s hoping I can score tickets to another night of \u201cMagic.\u201d Thanks for an amazing birthday present, Bruce!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band \u2013 MAGIC At the TD Bank North Garden, Boston Monday, November 19, 2007 By Robert Gillis Bruce Springsteen. In Boston Garden. On my birthday. Can it possibly get any better? Yes it can, and yes it did! Setlist: Radio Nowhere \/ Night \/ Lonesome Day \/ Gypsy Biker […]<\/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-4077","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\/4077","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=4077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4077\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}