Member Review: Bruce Springsteen and the (Rebooted) E Street Band

BPD's own GarrettG writes:

With a large video screen behind him and his large ensemble dubbed the “rebooted E Street Band,” Springsteen launched into a brassy Working On The Highway after sauntering out to Take Me Out To The Ballgame.

From there he briefly became a conductor, letting the audience take over Hungry Heart. It was also the first time Jake Clemons, the nephew of the late, great Clarence Clemons, got to shine.

Churning out one song after another, Springsteen nailed We Take Care Of Our Own, Wrecking Ball's first single, while playing off guitarists Steve Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren.

Part of Springsteen's long-standing appeal has been to completely revamp songs as was the case on lengthy, stirring My City Of Ruins which had a distinct Sam Cooke-like soul flavoring throughout before doing some introductions.

Working his way across the lower stage during Spirit In The Night, Springsteen looked like a possessed preacher as he glad-handed many in the front before running to the far end of the stage before receiving a beer.

By the proverbial sixth round of this fifteen round fight, Springsteen brought the rock factor back with Murder Incorporated and jamming out some fine riffs. But even that paled to the thunderous foot-stomper Candy's Room propelled by drummer Max Weinberg.

Slowing things down alone on piano with Incident On 57th Street, the band shifted back into a higher gear for the homestretch of The Rising, Badlands and Land Of Hope And Dreams to end the 150-minute main set.

The encore kicked off with a rambling We Are Alive before Thunder Road, Born To Run and going deep into the crowd with Tenth Avenue Freeze-out punctuated an incredible evening.

The Big Man would have been proud of this 215 minute extravaganza.

Backstage, I spent most of my time with Nils, as I knew him from his Grin days. Every once in a while, the Boss would add his two cents as would Stevie. Patti was AWOL for this show which is too bad as I was looking forward to meeting her.

SETLIST

1) Working On The Highway

2) Hungry Heart

3) Sherry Darling

4) We Take Care Of Our Own

5) Wrecking Ball

6) Death To My Hometown

7) My City Of Ruins

8) Spirit In The Night

9) Thundercrack

10) Jack Of All Trades

11) Murder Incorporated

12) Prove It All Night

13) Candy's Room

14) Mona/She's The One

15) Darlington County

16) Shackled And Drawn

17) Waitin' On A Sunny Day

18) Incident On 57th Street

19) The Rising

20) Badlands

1. Land Of Hope And Dreams

2. We Are Alive

3. Thunder Road

4. Born To Run

5. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

6. Dancing In The Dark

7. Tenth Avenue Freeze-out

8. Twist And Shout

9. Glory Days

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