BERN, SWITZERLAND
Tuesday, July 30

Clappin' All Over the World

By Steven Strauss

Bruce's first stadium show after his excursion into the world of music festivals was met with clapping. Lots and lots of clapping. So much clapping, in fact, that I would have been led to believe clapping is an actual obsession for the Swiss, if not for the fact that many in the audience weren't actually Swiss. The front pit was largely comprised of Germans, Italians, and the British, all of whom took the short drive to Bern just for the Boss (short time for Springsteen fans = less than ten hours). And Bruce gave Bern many things to clap for.

Nils Lofgren began the night on accordion, with a local traditional tune praising the beauty of the Bernese Oberland region. "Badlands" back in the E Street Band's opening slot kicked off a fairly standard start, and the Recession Pack seemed to be following suit--until the tour premiere of "Atlantic City" (combined with "Johnny 99") gave the audience a rare Nebraska double-shot. In much the same way, it appeared as if the commonly played "Raise Your Hand" would follow the Pack... but instead the band shifted into "Hungry Heart," inspired by a sign that read, "After 10 years, Switzerland is HUNGRY."

Next up in the sign section was a true treat--the tour premiere of "I Fought the Law" (another nod to Joe Strummer after Glastonbury's "Coma Girl" and Hyde Park's "London Calling"). A very soulful performance of "Downbound Train" (with an extended outro) was followed by an audibled "Because the Night," giving Nils his much-deserved searing solo of the night.

"Waitin' on a Sunny Day" never fails (at least in Europe) to make everyone in the audience smile. The kid picked for tonight's "cute-kid-singalong-section" was alarmingly cute and had an alarmingly cute voice, leading Bruce to offer the kid Little Steven's job. Little Steven's response? A classic "whatever you say Boss" facial expression.

But the true highlight of the night followed "Born to Run." As the final chords rang out across the stadium, Bruce called for his harmonica and led the band through a brilliant transition into "Thunder Road." After the emotional whirlwind that is a Bruce Springsteen concert, ending with the adventure that is "Thunder Road" is really the only way to do the song justice.

As in Hyde Park, the band remained onstage after their first set of bows and kicked right into the encore. The "Glory Days"/"Dancing in the Dark" twofer seems to be here to stay, Little Steven declaring that, according to his Swiss watch, it was indeed Boss Time. But it wasn't over yet. Bruce returned to the sign pile for one last request, reading, "Marissa asks, 'Is Bruce still ROCKING ALL OVER THE WORLD?'" The band answered that one with a resounding yes, the John Fogerty classic a fitting ending to another spectacular concert in the E Street Band's quest to do just that--rock all over the world.

HARD ROCK CALLING FESTIVAL
LONDON, ENGLAND
Sunday, July 28, 2009

Greetings from Hyde Park

By Karl Birthistle

Hyde Park was Big, Big, Big! There were crowds of people as far as the eye could see--this was a massive venue, with beer tents, side stages, food stalls, entertainments for young and old. The audience was an exceedingly mixed demographic, from rabid Bruce fans pushing down the front (there was no pit), to tourists in London, simply paying admission at the door as they strolled by and wondered what all the fuss was, many seeing Bruce for the first time.

Near the back, thousands were lying on picnic rugs, sipping beer and staring at the sky as they listened to the string of classic Springsteen songs spilling out over the field. And what a collection of great songs in one show, from a riveting "Racing in the Street, to a set-closing "Rosalita," and then the almost indescribable strains of "Jungleland" as the sky finally grew dim. It was a pulsating, energetic, and eclectic show, pitched perfectly for such a venue and crowd.

I Just Can't Stop!

By Nigel Ford

What a show on a lovely, warm summer's night in central London--this was Bruce at his best, and up there with the best gigs I've seen. Even the frantic activity to prepare the stage after an excellent set from the Dave Matthews Band led us to believe we were in for something special. From the moment the Boss walked on stage it was down to business. Three hours flew by in a blur of high octane rock 'n' roll, played with energy (Glastonbury--when was that, then?) and loads of fun. Opening with "London Calling" was an inspired move, and by the end of "Night," called for by Bruce as "Badlands" was winding up, it was evident that the band was in great form. It's not fair to single anyone out, but Garry Tallent's work, especially on "Night," was top drawer, and Nils was on fire.

So many moments to remember: Bruce's first foray down to the audience ended with Steve cackling at his attempts to climb back up the staircase (yes, the stage was a full story higher than the crowd) and Bruce yelling "somebody get me a fuckin' elevator!"... the little boy who was presented with the mic to sing the chorus of "Waitin' on a Sunny Day," egged on by Bruce ("that's great, just a little bit louder!")... collapsing at the top of the staircase before the 1-2-3-4 in "Born to Run," both Bruce and Steve in stitches at this point... Steve prematurely changing guitars at the end of "American Land" ("Steve, come back, brother!")... Bruce and Steve holding aloft a sign from the crowd reading "Greetings from Hyde Park" before reverently laying it on stage in front of the Big Man... and, at the end of "Born to Run," deciding it wasn't worth leaving the stage for one single moment--"I can't stop now, man, I just can't stop!"--and launching straight into "Rosalita."

A brief bow, and then the encore started--but the word "encore" implies a return to the stage, and you can't return to something you haven't left in the first place. No, this was one single set, three hours long, played with a passion, commitment, and an empathy with fans that is unsurpassed. Anywhere, by anybody. The band got what it was looking for in return--the audience was rocking from start to finish. Can't wait for Seville, and wish I could go to Giants Stadium in October...

GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND
Saturday, June 27, 2009

Give the Strummer Some

By Dan French

Bruce Springsteen and I both came to the 39th Glastonbury as virgins of the festival, and I imagine he may have been as intrigued as me by the hype about the event, even circumspect. Would it be worth it? Personally, I'm so glad I was persuaded to go--and I'm guessing Bruce may just have thought so too.

Thanks to inspired timing by my tireless guide and companion Helen, we made it to the very left end of the front barrier as Dizzee Rascal left the stage, and held our positions there while CSN and Kasabian did their sets. Just as Bruce was supposedly due to go on at 10 pm (probably the latest I've seen him start a show), a reporter from BBC's Radio 5 Live came up to us, asking if there were any longtime fans present. He chose me to interview, asking if I'd seen Bruce before. From his reaction, I don't think he expected a triple-figure answer: was I serious? I assured him I was totally serious, adding that I knew many fans who travel all over to see him. I compared it to being a sports fan and following the team you support--if you're passionate about what they do, wouldn't you go see them again and again? The reporter said he had a setlist and asked if I'd prefer to be surprised... the first title "Coma Girl" caught my eye, and I realized we were due for a live world debut as the opener. I had to explain to the BBC man that it would be a cover of Joe Strummer song--as a fan, it felt surreal to be asked what Bruce was going to open with!

10.10 pm, and Bruce and Clarence came out and played an acoustic "Coma Girl," the arrangement highlighting the lyrics which perfectly fitted the occasion, reflecting the late Strummer's fondness for the "festival way out west," a great song from his Mescarelos phase. Then the E Street Band (with Max back on drums, and no Patti) made their Glastonbury debut with "Badlands." As "Prove It All Night" followed it was clear this title would define Bruce's approach to the set, determined to impress the thousands who had never seen him live, and to fulfill the band's vow to "rock the house." He certainly worked as hard as I've ever seen him, and he had evidently done his homework, commenting how he'd been advised to wear boots he wouldn't need again, how it was surprisingly rain-free, and referring to the "little tents out there."

Leaving the stage early and often to mingle with the crowd, during "Raise Your Hand" Bruce abandoned security to jump up and stand precariously on the inch-wide barrier right in front of us, his Glastonbury boots balancing between my hands--I had his knees in my face and was both holding him up by the leg and supporting myself from falling backwards into the milling crowd behind me. Somehow I managed to snatch a few crazy close-up photos with my right hand. A hilarious and magical moment.

Having guested earlier with fellow Jersey boys The Gaslight Anthem for their "The 59 Sound" on a different stage, Bruce invited their singer Brian Fallon to duet on the equally energetic "No Surrender"--and a true duet it was, with genuine chemistry and improvisation.

During "The River" Bruce seemed to be literally smoking, the video screens showing steam rising eerily from him in the stage lights. Talk about being on fire.

He opened a six-song encore with "Hard Times," and many of the band joined him right up front at the crowd barrier at the end of "American Land." "Glory Days" saw Bruce and Steve discussing "curfew time" and "Boss time" as the 12.30 pm curfew was passed, and the set closed with "Dancing in the Dark," incurring a four-figure fine which reportedly the festival organizers were more than content to pay for him.

Credit to Bruce for not succumbing to the temptation to do a "greatest hits"-dominated setlist, but instead remaining true to the format for this year's tour. Despite some puzzled comments overheard afterwards from festival-goers expecting to have heard "Born In the U.S.A.," I'm sure many converts were made among the Bruce virgins that night. As a Glastonbury novice and Springsteen veteran, I was doubly happy.

BONNAROO MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL
MANCHESTER, TN
Saturday, June 13, 2009

Tennessee Stud

By Jeff Vrabel

Even setting aside the Tennessee hot, the sprawling carnival-world landscape, and the frequent need to avoid people who are hula-hooping where you need to be walking, it's safe to say Bruce Springsteen has never played an environment like the one he burned down Saturday night at Bonnaroo. The night was jammed full of Bruce-time idiosyncrasies: it was only the band's second-ever festival date (after Pinkpop), and it unfolded not in the relative safety of an arena but on a lush, pastoral and almost entirely inaccessible farm that 48 hours prior had been prolifically drenched by what amounted to a freak one-night hurricane season (and spent all of Friday being dried out by a sultry sun that seared the grounds and turned the place into a wonderland for fans of the smell of fast-drying mud).

But more than all that, it provided for Springsteen what was maybe as fierce a battle as he's likely to find these days: Instead of looking down to see a sea of veteran, graying, obsessive bootleg herders, Springsteen walked out to probably 60,000 sun-baked, sleep-deprived faces, the vast majority of them young, and a good percentage of them not on hand for the sole purpose of seeing him. In short, here was a challenge to break, a mountain to climb, a—oh, fine, we'll do it—river to cross. A challenge that Springsteen does not find himself facing often these days, and one that he spent the entire near three-hour, 28-song set attacking with a relentless abandon that is getting really, really close to inhuman.

Truth be told, it didn't happen immediately. The early part of the Bonnaroo set was front-loaded with new stuff—including the still-weird "Outlaw Pete," which clocked in at a Phish-length running time but made fully 2/3 of my traveling party roll its eyes—that seemed to struggle to find footing with the massive crowd. This, of course, would not stand. So Bruce went to work.

He stood center stage facing the crowd and screamed like the devil, daring people; he crashed into them for "Out in the Street," he delivered his preacher-man speech early in "Working on a Dream," a challenge about collectively using music to build houses out of faith and love and sexual healing. The Bruce contingent in the crowd probably found it a bit much, but this was not a night for sermonizing to a safely converted congregation, this called for scorching, revival-tent hook-jab-hook '70s-era brushfire evangelizing, and the entire first hour was given to dragging people into that house. With the exception of the volunteer crews scrubbing the grounds nightly of empties and recyclables and expired pot, no one worked harder at Bonnaroo.

And with the stage set, things quickly fell into place: "Seeds" seethed and roared, the boogie version of "Johnny 99" left room for some "Bonnaroo-roo!" train noises, and Nils ate up "Youngstown." But the swing moment came in the requests, before a sweet "Growin' Up" and a lovely "Thunder Road": an appropriately incongruous "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." "It's too f---ing hot for Santa!" Bruce howled with a wink of his eye and a twist of his head, before leading what could safely be christened Bonnaroo's best-ever 60,000-strong mass caroling session.

From there, it was off and running: Jay Weinberg, who is a monster, stepped in on "Radio Nowhere" and drove it twice as fast. He gave "Lonesome Day" a loose groove, he beat "Born to Run" into tiny bits. In a fest full of blog bands and buzz, Jay Weinberg might have been the breakout star. And it goes on like this: "The River" under the stars, "Tenth Avenue" in the encore, a "Hard Times" that makes one wish for a Seeger Sessions revival soon.

But it wasn't over: Most fans figured (and heard eyewitness reports) that Springsteen vanished from the foothills. Not so: Bruce was spotted throughout the weekend taking in sets by MGMT, Band of Horses and Neko Case (evidently I missed him backstage at Neko by minutes, which is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO THINK ABOUT).

Now, full disclosure: I was back in the press tent during Phish's Sunday night show, when my wife texted that Trey Anastasio had just said something about Bruce (that he was his "boyhood hero and still hero"). As such, the subsequent seconds involved a ridiculous frenzy of instinctual Daffy Duck commotion that culminated with a plunging sprint into the massive mainstage crowd, a sweaty throng that was making it rain glow sticks all the way down to the pit (many hippies were injured during this part--sorry, fellas). And with Bruce taking the stage in the meantime, I screeched to a stop just after the beginning of the 10-minute Vermont bar-band version of "Mustang Sally," which was followed by "Bobby Jean" and, for the second time in two nights on the What Stage, "Glory Days" (if you haven't downloaded them already, they're available from livephish.com). Phish fans, as near as I could tell, ate up every second like ice cream, and Phish members had grins on their faces that you couldn't have chiseled off.

But for the Bruce contingent in the Phish crowd, that was the dessert. The main course was Saturday night's sweat-and-sponge-water soaked virtuosic clinic of rock-show stamina, one that, without sounding too cliched and superior about it, felt like a clinic, a showcase, a lesson to the kids about how it's done. And if Springsteen's fest blowout didn't necessarily convert every last fan in the house, it absolutely left scorch marks on them.

BERGEN, NORWAY
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The Way You Warm Me When I'm Cold

By Graeme Johannessen

The second of two shows in Bergen, an ancient Hanseatic port with a rich tradition of shipping and trading. Amongst other things the "Black Death" first came to Norway via Bergen in 1349 in the shape of an infected rat. Known for being the "gateway to the fjords", the town is more known in Norway for being the rain capital of the world, in much the same way that Seattle gets that title in the U.S.

Tonight's promised rain stayed away, thankfully, and with the sun shining directly on the stage, Bruce and the Band again emerged with sunglasses on. But the temperature had dropped considerably--by the time the band took the stage it was quite chilly, something Bruce himself acknowledged during the show. They even skipped the post-"Born to Run" routine and played straight on into the encores, Bruce saying "It's so cold here, if we stop we'll freeze!"

The show itself was a much faster, tighter, and more structured show than night one, at only 25 songs and clocking in at 2:40, but what it lacked in length was made up for in energy. On Tuesday we got to see the intimate, soulful Bruce who is capable of making a large venue feel like his living room; on Wednesday night it was Bruce the showman on stage. No personal stories, no teaching us how to beg to our women; instead, dedicating a song to the guys in the kitchen of the apartment block (actually a hotel) overlooking the venue; giving the mic to a kid in the crowd during "Sunny day" and then taking it back: "No no no...I can't trust you!" "Spirit in the Night" was unbelievable as always, "Two Hearts" had its tour premiere, and the John Lee Hooker classic "Boom Boom," an old favorite from the Tunnel of Love tour more than 20 years ago, returned by request.

After a false start to "The River"--he started on the intro and then stopped, vamping and doing a little jig as Steve got a guitar problem sorted out--"The River" proper brought goosebumps all around. What an amazing song in an amazing setting. The outdoor venue is not actually a stadium as such, but the courtyard of the town fortress, providing a beautifully historical framework for the concerts. In the encores, "Rosie" come out in Bergen, as well as "Twist and Shout" to finish. A worthy end to a fantastic two-night stand, with a promise of "we'll be back!"

BERGEN, NORWAY
Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Gonna Chase the Clouds Away

By Bo Persson

A very sunny evening at this Norwegian venue, the smallest one of the European leg, and the first of two back-to-back shows here. Bruce walked on stage in his Pilot shades, and most of the E Streeters had sunglasses on, too--I swear I saw the Ghost of Silvio Dante when I saw Steve in his.

"Badlands" opened loud and proud, and the audience went wild. Just to make sure, Bruce asked "Is there anybody alive in Bergen tonight?" before a heavy "No Surrender." Steve's singing was magnificent. "My Lucky Day" rocks, way heavier than on the record, and the band has gotten much more confident about it, obviously enjoying this one a lot. Both Bruce and Clarence gave it all they had, but Jay really shone (his future's so bright he's gotta wear shades). "Out In The Street" saw Bruce getting some vocal help from a small girl in pink ear muffs in the audience. Highly appreciated by the audience of 23,000, and a very joyous performance.

"Outlaw Pete" got another stellar delivery; for a minute it felt like Steve's guitar would never stop playing, and the final chorus seemed to go on forever. "She's The One" rocked--a high voltage performance by the band with Clarence's saxual healing standing out as one of his finest moments, though the Big Man impressed with every solo he took tonight. Perhaps boosted by the sharp gold colored nail polish he wore? Nils impressed as well. Putting those new hips to the best use, he clearly came to dance during the incredible guitar work in "Youngstown."

On to the request portion of the evening: the audience roar when Jay began "Hungry Heart" was deafening, and the Big Man's solo was again outstanding. Bruce clearly enjoyed this one as much as the crowd. Then a wonderful surprise with the tour premiere of "Back In Your Arms" (soundchecked on Sunday in Stockholm). A very soulful and majestic version, and tonight's finest vocal performance--Bruce's singing was out of this world, with both Nils and Steve adding shimmering harmonies. The power of The E Street was stunning on yet another request, a very strong "Because the Night."

Prompted by some raindrops, the prayer of "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" turned the audience into Norway's biggest choir. Bruce's musical umbrella actually stopped the rain! Heading straight into "The Promised Land," the Jersey magic continued at full throttle. Then another request, as Bruce spotted a girl who had "The River" written all over her forehead. The resulting performance was gripping and very moving--you could have heard a needle drop in the audience. Afterwards, Bruce gave his harmonica to the girl, but it was like he gave us all something personal. In terms of the night's highlights, both "Back in Your Arms" and "The River" were outstanding.

The encores took us from a memorable "Hard Times" through a truly inspired "Bobby Jean" to a wonderful display of all the virtues of the band in "Land Of Hope And Dreams"--the Norwegian audience truly committed to this magical anthem. As always, "American Land" made everyone in the crowd feel part Irish, with impressive work from wee lads MacBittan and MacGiordano. "Glory Days" rocked with amazing energy, and finally, Bergen shook from "Dancing in the Dark," with Bruce dancing on stage with a girl from the audience, while the E Street Band once again proved it all night. A very inspired evening, both on the stage and n the crowd.

Bergen is ecstatic the day after, the newspapers are raving and, I must say, there are some great expectations for tonight!

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
Sunday, June 7, 2009

I Don't Wanna Fade Away

By Bo Persson

After "Idas Sommarvisa," the band stepped on stage and just floored it for their final night at Stockholm Stadion. The opening "No Surrender," "Badlands," and "Night" sounded even stronger and more focused than usual. During "No Surrender" the screen showed pictures of younger E Street days, as if illustrating the chorus. "My Lucky Day" was without a doubt the best version so far, with the Big Man delivering three killer solos--this song is opening up, showing us more and more of what it can be. On Friday I thought I witnessed the ultimate version of "Outlaw Pete." I was wrong. Longer than usual, tonight's epic performance was just unbelievable (there were even a few bars of The Shadows' "Apache" in the beginning), with a powerful vocal from Bruce and Steve's guitar bleeding into the slowly descending sun over the stadium.

The ongoing live love affair between Bruce and the Swedish fans is 34 years down the road, and yet the passion never ends. To show it, "The River" made its Swedish premiere, and the crowd went wild after the first chords of this magical performance. Then a really raving version of "Mony Mony," with Steve in his best shape. Hardly having time to breathe, a breathtaking "Trapped" made the stadium tremble and shake all over. Gary's bass was incredible.

Waiting in line before the show we heard the soundcheck of "Fade Away" and "Surprise Surprise." And now... here they were, both tour premieres. Bruce picked out the "Fade Away" sign, talking about this one being Steve's favorite and that it's a true rarity. Steve smiled but told Bruce to "Just sing," and Bruce said "Hope we don't fuck it up". They didn't. With a long, emotional monologue from Bruce, it was completely brilliant. "Surprise Surprise" with Bruce's 12-string guitar got an immediate response from the audience. Not played since the Asbury Park tour rehearsals, it sounded unbelievably fresh.

Again, "The Promised Land" impresses more and more. Some big hats off to the backing singers, Curtis King and Cindy Mizelle. Never overused, just really adding dimension and with surgical precision, like here and in "Lonesome Day".

The encores brought one of tonight's biggest responses from the audience, and a sign on stage: "Jungleland." The Big Man's solo was outstanding, and even Bruce seemed in awe of how he made the evening glow. An ecstatic "American Land" turned the stadium into a small, crowded Irish pub with nearly 40,000 attendants. Then the ultimate ass kicking-version of "Ramrod," pushing the overdrive to its maximum. Bruce and Steve as the true blood brothers, driving the audience crazy. "Dancing in the Dark" in a very intense version surely must be the stadium wrecker for Stockholm. But wait, Bruce has one more--he holds up a sign saying "Break stadiums, not asses," a reminder of how he slipped on the wet stage on Thursday's show. And just to make sure, "Twist and Shout" really turned Stockholm into our city of ruins. After three hours, the E Street wrecking ball once again shattered any doubt about them simply being the best live act there is. This one was special!

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
Friday, June 5, 2009

Gonna Fly Now

By Bo Persson

No rain and a great 29-song show by any measure, even if for me it didn't quite reach up and touch the sky of yesterday's magic. Lots of changes from the first night, too, not just the fact that it was drier. The opening "Downbound Train" was surreal: that song as the opener? A master stroke! A focused "Youngstown" replaced "The Ghost of Tom Joad" and just blew us away. Even "Hungry Heart" seemed revitalized and revitalizing, with the crowd going crazy. The tour premiere of "Queen of the Supermarket" slowed things down somewhat, but it's still great to see him finally bringing out more stuff from Working on a Dream.

The show got back on track two songs later with a startling version of "The Promised Land"--startling in that it just keeps getting better after all this time--and then a real treat with "Lost in the Flood." That one gave the audience collective goosebumps, despite Bruce seeming a bit doubtful that the band would pull it off: a tour premiere, after all, and the first time ever for Jay Weinberg. But the poetry and the force of this performance were completely outstanding. Best moment of the evening!

In the encores, Bruce delivered some special eye candy to the Swedish women during "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," doing a dance using the microphone stand as a pole... no way this guy is gonna be 60 in September! Had there been a roof on the stadium, it would have been gone by now. And remember Rocky Balboa in the meat locker, pounding on the meat? Well, watching Jay on "Land of Hope and Dreams" really turned him into The Weinberg Stallion. Man, oh, man! The "Detroit Medley," with an added "Land of 1,000 Dances," burned like a fire in the cold Swedish night, right into "Dancing in the Dark." The feeling here is that the third show, on Sunday, will be something truly extraordinary. To quote Thunderclap Newman, "There's something in the air...."

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
Thursday, June 4, 2009

Waitin' on a Sunny Day

By Ivar Noer

My 29th Springsteen concert—the first of a three-night run at Stockholm Stadion—turned out to be a very wet and cold one. The rain poured down during the whole show and with temperatures around 7 degrees Celsius, it was time for Roy and Charlie to put on the gloves and black leather jackets. Garry wore a black hat during the whole show, while Bruce started the show with his scarf on. The concert started with Nils Lofgren (with his Swedish roots) coming out alone playing a famous Swedish folk tune, "Idas Sommarvisa," on the accordion. The E Street Band joined him for CCR's "Who'll Stop The Rain," a tour premiere, and we all seemed to forget about the rain.

Following "Badlands," "My Lucky Day" made a very welcome return to the set list. Other standouts in the first part of the show were "Seeds," with a longer ending than usual (Jay Weinberg received a lot of acclaim from Bruce for that one), and "Outlaw Pete." Despite being the 25th anniversary for the release of the Born in the U.S.A. album, Bruce did not mention this during the concert—but he did play "I'm Goin' Down" as the first request number of the night. (Clarence's son came out front, displaying a large homemade poster of the Born in the U.S.A. cover with "Going Down" written over it.) Also in the request section was "Wild Thing," played only for the second time ever!

During the encores—remember, it had been raining all night—Bruce fell flat on his back when jumping downstage at the end of "American Land": He clearly hurt himself a bit, but had a laugh during "Glory Days," stating that it was "ass hurting time!" before Steve corrected him with his usual "Boss Time." "Twist and Shout" followed, Bruce's famous Swedish "stadium breaker," but to everybody's surprise he made room for yet one more after this usual showstopper. "Dancing in the Dark" closed the show, clearly a bonus for everyone who had been out all day in the pouring rain. With that, Bruce said "See you tomorrow...." You certainly will!

TAMPERE, FINLAND
Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Rock and Soul

By Laura Tuominen-Lozic

First off, the intimacy of the Ratina Stadium, which holds 30,000 people, was really unique. Quite a small stadium for Bruce, but it was truly a fine choice. There were quite a few younger fans, some of whom actually got to make contact with Bruce. One little girl introduced presumably a kid brother as "Miiro, four years old, his second show," and Bruce commented with a grin, "that's pretty young for a second show!"

The setlist only featured three songs of the new album, but all in all, it was a well-balanced set that really got the crowd rocking. "Outlaw Pete" was so good it left me wondering why didn't they record it like that on the actual album. I loved the edgy "Johnny 99." Nils's solo in "The Ghost of Tom Joad" was another real highlight, like his "Youngstown" solo last year in Helsinki.

The cover of the James Carr song "The Dark End of the Street" was a true gift for the audience. Bruce and the whole band really got into it, and ever the showman, Bruce gave the song a true soul vibe, asking the crowd if there were any men stepping out on their women, or vice versa. He admitting to having been guilty of the same "many, many, many, many many years ago"--not forgetting to send his love to Patti at home for "Kingdom of Days."

Jay Weinberg was great, throwing in some real nice disco-like fills in "Cover Me," one of the songs played by sign request. Filling in for his dad all night, he also got a lot of thank yous from Bruce and the band at the end--a great job. The final stretch of the show had virtually no breaks between the songs, just solid rocking with "American Land," "Glory Days," and "Dancing in the Dark," ending with so many smiles on the faces of us Finns, normally regarded as reserved, that it was overwhelming.

There was a true demand for more, a feeling that nobody wanted to go home from this sweet summer evening with so much energy and warmth which the band produced. My hometown Tampere has never experienced a night like this.

PINKPOP
LANDGRAAF, NETHERLANDS
Saturday, May 30, 2009

From Young Things Mama

By Alexander Verhoeff

Last night Springsteen kicked off his European festival debut with a bang at Pinkpop. As he had announced trough the Dutch press, the show wasn't your typical Working on a Dream show. Jan Smeets, the festival's organizer for 40 years, explained that Springsteen feared a standard set would be too long for a group of kids who essentially came for the festival, not necessarily the Boss. So I was anxious to see how the show turned out and how Springsteen would do with a crowd who aren't exactly converts. Most of the attendees came for the full three-day program, with only 10,000 of the 50,000 tickets initially released as day tickets. Not even the pit would be hardcore cult territory this time around.

The minute he kicked off "Badlands" on this sunny May evening, things were looking to go down pretty well. The last-minute sale of extra day tickets made it so that the hardcore Springsteen fan made up about a third of the audience. The other two-thirds, mainly young kids, proved to be mesmerized under the spell of the legendary E Street band. When the storm was over, Smeets announced that more people had stayed for the closing act than ever before. The Boss had given Pinkpop a 40 year anniversary party that the audience would long remember.

Springsteen seemed to carefully tailor his set for both the festival crowd and the hardcore fan. The wild card slots at the start of the show were carefully picked crowd-pleasers. The young kids around me, who didn't always know the material, would start looking bemused at all these old timers around them who sang along with such passion to Springsteen staples as "Badlands," "Out on the Streets" and "She's the One." Midsong, they would get the gist of it, joining folks old enough to be their parents in the Whoa-Ohs and the Li-Li-Lis. Though they weren't always easily won over, Springsteen once again proved himself a master of audience manipulation. Some times he and Steve had to scold them by stopping mid-song and looking disapprovingly at so little audience noise. A little tug at the Boss' ear while tilting his head to the audience, with a De Niro-like challenging look on his face, proved enough to get the kids in the groove with the dinosaurs. By the time the preacher got into building his house, the kids were adding to the foundation the old timers had laid down for them.

Though it was a festival show of crowd-pleasers, that didn't mean there was nothing for the hardcore fan to enjoy. The recession pack remained intact, complete with Nils' blistering solos during the "The Ghost of Tom Joad." The Boss proved that the E Street Band could still rock harder than most of what the festival had brought that day. The request section, starting with a raving "Raise Your Hand," was kept intact as well, giving the hardcore fans a priceless nugget by way of a request stuck on a little girl's teddy bear. "From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)," indeed. Jay proved himself by recognizing a Chuck Berry beat when he heard one and nailed the sucker.

Near the end of the show, a few changes were made to accommodate the festival crowd. Brandon Flowers (of the Killers) got the epic slot early in the show when he got to do "Thunder Road" on stage with his hero. The new rock 'n' roll star was beaming like a kid set free in the candy store.The show soon made a short cut into "Born to Run," a very effective short cut. After taunting the audience, asking if they could stand any more, the band crashed into a long and raving encore, skipping "Hard Times," thus keeping both the kids and the old times on their toes, and going for the total knock out by combining "Glory Days" and "Dancing in the Dark" as the final songs. The Boss left the building, the crowd lingered for a while, exhausted but hungry for more.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY
Saturday, May 23

Incident at the Meadowlands

By Bill Kenney

There we were... Bud and I with our wives, chatting in the Giants Stadium parking lot, huge banner promoting the upcoming Fall Springsteen shows at said Stadium, the last concerts before it is replaced by a new stadium, looming to our left. And the last night of this leg of the tour, the second night in Jersey, awaiting us through the cattle herd of the tunnel just ahead to the arena... From the opening notes of "Badlands," it was another raucous night. Bruce will be 60 when he takes the stage at those stadium shows, but you'd be hard pressed to work the crowd and the stage any harder. It seemed on this night that everything got an extra vamp, an extra push, with no opportunity to encourage participation or any extra yell left untapped. This brought out my cynical hat at times, wondering why it all had to be so on all the time, but the feelings were fleeting, as just about everyone—save perhaps for the kids next to Mary, whose parents forced 'em to come—can't help but get swept up in the passion generated from that stage. The highlights:

* The return of Max. Yes, his son Jay does a great job filling in, and maybe it is pushing Max to new heights. He had a little more swing to his power and just dominated certain sections of the show, such as the climax of the chugging, welcome version of "Cover Me" that appeared in the request portion of the show. Bruce's guitar got a nice workout on this one, but Max blew the roof off to finish. He really has become Star #2 onstage.

* "Good Lovin'" replacing "Raise Your Hand." I associate this song most closely with the Grateful Dead, really, but E Street does a spirited take and of course gets the crowd to do most of the heavy lifting. It seems that the crowd has never been more integral to the show as it is today—certain parts, like the ending to "Out in the Street," demand the crowd fill a role. It's quite unique.

* The light-hearted version of "Spirit in the Night" was fun, but "Something in the Night" was unreal. This is not a song that has meant a ton to me over the years, but man, it hit home on this night. Just expertly played and bursting with emotion.

* One I had a feeling we would get, as he seems to save it for Jersey, "Incident on 57th Street" was just fantastic as well. Bruce raised the roof in the ending solo before its fade into Roy's magnificent piano coda... this song has evolved and aged very well in concert.

* "Hard Times" was sung with gusto, and then "Kitty's Back" was back, surprisingly becoming something of an encore regular at this point. I think they may like the fact that they have this one so well under their thumbs musically now, but Roy's piano solo, with egging on by Bruce and Garry, did become somewhat unhinged, marrying jazz and "Great Balls of Fire" and whatever else in a manic, extended jam, before Bruce ripped into his bit with his typical intensity. It was an inspired reading throughout. I love the opening guitar riff of "Glory Days," and the crowd ate it up along with "Mony, Mony" to finish. When Bruce hollered after "American Land" that the turnpike was closed and we weren't going anywhere, I had visions of some other grandeur to close... heck, even a "Twist and Shout" might have done the trick. But quibble, quibble, the place was rocking to the end, and another grand time was had by all. These shows never let you lag, they just keep the good times rolling. It seems likely some new dates will pop up stateside before the Stadium shows (the European leg ends on August 2 as it stands right now), so stay tuned for more good rockin' down the road...

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY
Thursday, May 21, 2009

Back in the Swamps of Jersey

By Lowell D. Kern

56. DiMaggio. LT. The number of signers of the Declaration of Independence. And the number of times Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will have played the Meadowlands Sports Complex after this weekend.

To this day, I still refer to the arena simply as "the Meadowlands." The still-standing-for-now football stadium to the west is "Giants Stadium." (The new football stadium is unnamed, but cursed in my mind due to the Jets pricing me out of my second generation season tickets via the use of PSLs.) I was there when the arena was opened under the name of a New Jersey governor who would have otherwise been long since forgotten. My Born in the USA tour ticket stubs refer to the building as the "Meadowlands Arena." I was resistant to the airline name, and the current corporate name just sounds wrong. In any case, I always thought of the building as "the House that Bruce built." Bruce celebrated this "old building" Thursday night, the first of a two-night homecoming stand, as he had recently with the Spectrum in Philly and the Nassau Coliseum, and I remembered back to 1984, when Bruce thanked the staff of the then-three year old arena after a ten-night run, saying something to the effect of "we play a lot of buildings like this one, and this is the best-run one."

I saw the banner hanging from the rafters of the Meadowlands before this show and wondered who else would even come close to playing the number of shows in one place that Bruce has played here. I couldn't come up with anyone. I started counting in my head and concluded that I'd seen Bruce more than 56 times in East Rutherford. Slightly confused, I looked up at the banner again and realized that it read "Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band." And it hit me—they are overlooking the 16 other times Bruce has played the Meadowlands: 11 times in 1992, once in 1993, and four times in 2005. Evidently the banner is intended to celebrate only the mythology of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Fair enough—most of the memories I have of seeing Bruce here are with the E Streeters.

To start off the encore, Bruce announced that the band would be playing Giants Stadium in the fall, to close out that building "before the wrecking ball." After the show, walking out to the hideous parking structure on what used to be the meeting ground of lot 23, we saw the banner on the side of Giants Stadium announcing the return of "Bruce Springsteen and the Legendary E Street Band" for the fall shows. That was quick—it certainly wasn't there before the show! More memories came back: the banner on the side of the stadium in 2003 for the ten-night run on the Rising tour; the banner on the side of the arena in 1999 proclaiming "Bruce is Back—15 shows." After that lengthy run was over, I remember driving down Route 3, not seeing the sign, and thinking something was wrong.

The Thursday show itself was heavy on nostalgia, and appropriately enough, heavy on E Street material rather then the covers they've been peppering the set with of late. Playing "Growin' Up" as a sign request, Bruce got to the break in the middle and I held my breath, hoping we'd get a story, even if I knew there was no chance that Jim McDuffie was getting back in the bear suit.

2009 will be the first time that Bruce plays the arena and the stadium in the same year. It won't be the longest run Bruce has played at the sports complex—that was 1999. It won't be in front of the most fans that Bruce has played for in a single run—that was 2003. But it will be yet another chance for Bruce fans to make the pilgrimage, the hajj, to see Bruce somewhere in the swamps of Jersey. And to create even more memories.

WASHINGTON, DC
Monday, May 18, 2009

Only Here for Fun

By Magnus Lauglo

Finally, with my third GA ticket of the tour, and at my hometown show to boot, the lottery gods smile on me. I end up in the third row on Patti's side. I've been to dozens of shows, but only been this close to the band a handful of times.

There is a palpable vibe of excitement before the show starts. The Verizon Center is packed to the rafters, with every last sterile skybox and humble nosebleed seat filled to full capacity. Tonight is a good night—DC crowds can be a little uptight, but the show starts strongly and finds its footing at once. And it's a celebratory, upbeat performance, quite unlike the taut shows he has put on in this building over the past eight years, when you got the sense that Bruce Springsteen was here on business. Tonight he's in Boss mode and more than anything else, he's here for fun.

It's such a thrill to be up close again. While I've had a terrific time at plenty of shows from much further away, there is something about the intimacy of being in the first few rows in an arena that is just very special, and something to truly treasure. The pit is inevitably the location where any given crowd is the wildest and most enthusiastic; and it's typically also where the highest concentration of the most dedicated fans can be found. If you want to lock eyes with a stranger next to you and form an instant three-second bond as you both sing along to "Kitty's Back," there's no better place to be. Up front you're close enough to appreciate the subtle interaction between band members without depending on the video screens. If you have a favorite E Streeter who you want to camp out in front of and pay particular attention to, this is the place to do it.

And then of course there's the thrill of being so close to the man himself. The front of the stage, with its three projecting platforms, has been designed specifically to facilitate Bruce's physical interaction with his audience. He moves out on the right and left sides several times, shaking hands, slapping high fives, and of course grabbing every request sign that catches his eye during "Raise Your Hand." I hold up my request sign for "Heartbreak Hotel," and what do you know, he actually grabs it, along with maybe two dozen others. Even though the song doesn't make the setlist in the end, it's as if a small but meaningful connection has been established: I thought it would be a cool song for the E Street Band to play tonight, and Bruce Springsteen—the man whose music has been a major part of my life for 20 years—is at least going to think about it for a second or two. And that's alright with me.

The Joy of Bruce

By Sean Mazur

The DC show was my first show since San Jose and Glendale, and it's incredible how the performance has intensified at every level: the musicianship, staging, lighting, even the accompanying vocals of Curtis King and Cindy Mizelle seem stronger and more confident. As in the campaigns of the past, the mighty E Street locomotive picks up momentum, strength and steam as it thunders down the track.

I will admit that while certainly excited to see another Working on a Dream show, my enthusiasm was not nearly as high as my earlier shows on the tour. After all, I had a fairly good idea as to what to expect (with the set changes, signs, encores, etc.). But as Bruce has done so so many times in the past, the man completely surprised me with the ferocity and freshness of the show. The Depression trio was even more inspiring then its debut in San Jose, with "Seeds" obtaining a soulful groove even with major power chords slamming down (check out Roy on the synth). "Johnny '99" has become downright giddy due to the twangy arrangement. I think "The Ghost of Tom Joad" is Nils' greatest moment on E Street.

And you can't get any more fresh then the joyful solos of "Kitty's Back." Never one of my favorites, this tour de force in DC jazzed my soul as Charlie, Roy and Bruce took extended solos. If you ever wanted to see Bruce as band leader, this was a prime example, watching how he gives his master accompanists bountiful room to just play and have fun. Actually, I don't think anyone had more fun during Kitty then Garry, whose grin went ear to ear while his fingers rode the bass frets way up and way down. Those in attendance had no choice but to get tight, get right and get down....

Jon Stewart rhetorically asked about a Bruce show, "Do you like joy?" DC was simply a joyous night. I didn't come expecting joy, considering all the political clouds and Ticketmaster snafus in DC. But this show had an adorable nine-year-old on stage holding Bruce's m