E Street Nation: The Bruce Springsteen Thread

[The Chairman]

Big news on the Boss front:

Bruce, along with the heartstoppin', pants droppin', earth quakin', air conditioner shakin', Viagra takin', legendary E Street Band, will play the final three shows at Giant Stadium this fall, Sept. 29, Oct. 1st and Oct. 3rd. Tickets go on sale June 1st.

Now for the big news:

After dreaming of this moment for months, I'm finally seeing Bruce live tomorrow night! It's at The Izod Center and I could not be more excited! It's the final show for this leg of the tour and I cannot wait! It's going to be special, especially it'll be the last show with Max at the drums for awhile.

 

[danoyse]

You're gonna love it, Chairman!! Have a great time.

I can't believe I passed by Giants Stadium on my way home today and missed this:

It's a week after U2 plays there. If I get to see both, I'm going to be in concert nirvana.

 

[The Chairman]

I'm thrilled. Word on BTX is that it's going to be very special because it's the last show with Max for awhile, plus judging from what's been rehearsed,

Spoiler

"Lost In The Flood" will be performed tomorrow.

I'm kind of bummed he did "Rosalita" last night, which means I'll get either "Glory Days" or "Dancing In The Dark."

 

[danoyse]

Is Max leaving to go back to Conan's show?

I never get Glory Days - the last time I heard it live was in 1992 when he wasn't touring with the E Street Band (although Steve van Zandt joined him onstage for that song). I'm dying to hear that in concert again.

 

[danoyse]

Then during LOHAD, I had the best and most powerful moment of the three Bruce shows I had been to so far. During Clarence's solo, decided to look back at Bruce who was scanning the crowd and he made eye contact with me. Not knowing what to do, I mouthed "thank you." Now, I'm not really sure what I was thanking him for... maybe helping me get through my first semester of college two years ago or maybe even thanking him for helping me for the bond with the girl next to me through Thunder Road, but none the less I thanked him. And to my glee, he got the widest smile on his face, pointed to me and gave me a little bit of a bow. Right afterwards, Amanda got a similar reaction from him. That was just so damn cool and I was floating for the rest of the night. I'm not going to start calling Bruce my friend or anything weird like that, but it was cool being noticed by the person that you've spent so much time listening to and watching. If anyone has videos of the song, please let me know. I'd love to relive this moment.

That is so cool. Sounds like you had a great show.

I went to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex in NYC last weekend, and on display they had Bruce's 1957 Chevy (the headphones you wear around the museum played Thunder Road as soon as you walk in the room), as well as the harmonica and guitar pick he used when he recorded Thunder Road. That's my favorite song, so it was amazing to see that.

 

[The Chairman]

Is Max leaving to go back to Conan's show?

I never get Glory Days - the last time I heard it live was in 1992 when he wasn't touring with the E Street Band (although Steve van Zandt joined him onstage for that song). I'm dying to hear that in concert again.

Yes, but he'll be back. His son Jay is replacing him. Word on the street is that he's definitely well within his dad's league and puts a fresh spin on Bruce's old stuff.

I'm also pissed he did "Jungleland" last night, though I'll probably wind up getting "Thunder Road" instead, which is a nice consolation.

One thing I'm hoping does not pop up tomorrow is the recent string of covers Bruce has been doing during the sign spot. It started off with "Proud Mary" in L.A. and has since been riddled with stuff "Wild Thing," "My Generation," "Hang On Sloopy," "96 Tears," "You Really Got Me," "London Calling," and a lot of others that take away from a lot of great Bruce songs to be heard.

Also, last week, I bough the Tracks boxed set, and holy ****, is it awesome. Songs like "Iceman," "Don't Look Back," "Take 'Em As They Come," the awesome "Loose Ends," "Frankie," and so many others are great songs most artists would give their left nut to write, and Bruce didn't use them. Not only that, but Bruce does them live! Most artists use those types of collections as a way to make a quick buck.

 

[danoyse]

Some people on my bus tonight were talking about Jay (I'm guessing they were at the show last night) and were raving about him. That's good to know!

Speaking of London Calling, have you ever seen the tribute to Joe Strummer that Bruce, Steve van Zandt, Elvis Costello, and Dave Grohl performed at the Grammys a few years back? Classic:

[YT]ZL4oJ5wKTY4[/YT]

 

[The Chairman]

That's awesome! Bruce also does a great cover of "I Fought The Law."

 

[The Chairman]

Best News Ever: I'm gonna be in the Pit!

 

[The Chairman]

Wow. Just wow.

Last night was everything I expected and more. The energy level from Bruce and the band - everyone was on top of their A-game, though it was really the Mighty One's night - was inhuman, and the audience managed to match them every step of the way.

The crowd was great, and the setlist was unbelievable. I had a dream set planned in my head prior to the show, but if I knew beforehand that my first Bruce show would include "Something In The Night," "The Ghost Of Tom Joad," "The E Street Shuffle," "Cover Me,"(!) "Incident On 57th Street,"(!) and "Kitty's Back," well, whatever I had paled in comparison. These songs were real highlights, as were the one-two opening punch of "Badlands" and "Spirit In The Night," "Johnny 99," "Thunder Road," and "Glory Days."

It was an amazing show. I wasn't in the pit, but I was on the floor, albeit far back, and it was a truly amazing experience. My dad and my cousin, who aren't big fans, were blown away by The Man's energy level. One of the best experiences of my life.

 

[The Chairman]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The set list from last night:

Badlands
Spirit in the Night
Outlaw Pete
Something in the Night
Out in the Street
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Good Lovin'
The E Street Shuffle (sign request)
Cover Me (sign request)
Thunder Road (sign request)
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Incident on 57th Street
Kingdom of Days
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
* * *
Hard Times
Kitty's Back
Land of Hope and Dreams
American Land
Glory Days
Mony Mony[/FONT]

danoyse, I hope you're not jealous I got "Thunder Road."

 

[Dwarf lord]

Incident and Something in the Night for your first show... I'm jealous. Incident is pretty rare, but you can generally catch it in Jersey or Philly. However, Something comes out very randomly, so it's all up to luck. One of my favorites.

 

[The Chairman]

Incident and Something in the Night for your first show... I'm jealous. Incident is pretty rare, but you can generally catch it in Jersey or Philly. However, Something comes out very randomly, so it's all up to luck. One of my favorites.

Neither of those songs was on the setlist. "Something In The Night" was added in on the spur of the moment, though it wasn't done as a replacement for any of the songs. "Incident," however, was an audible in place of "I'm On Fire."

 

[danoyse]

danoyse, I hope you're not jealous I got "Thunder Road."

Not at all! I've gotten it a few times. I'm glad you had such a great show! Wasn't he amazing????

I haven't been following the setlists much on this tour - when did he start opening with Badlands? That's usually the last song before the encores.

I've heard Incident live twice. The first time was when I saw him in Philly and he played it solo on the piano. The DJs at the Philly rock station we were listening to on the way home were hyperventilating over it.

You're officially an E-Street junkie now! Congrats!

 

[The Chairman]

He's been opening with it since the second rehearsal show at Asbury Park.

The collective gasp when the first notes of "Incident" first started playing was unbelievable.

The other major musical highlight was "Kitty's Back." Roy's solo was stunning, and Bruce's guitar work on this tour has been some of his best playing ever.

 

[Dwarf lord]

Were you able to hear if Roy did the 007 theme during Kitty's Back? He did it in Albany, but I couldn't hear much of Roy's solo in the pit. I could hear that he was doing one, but not the individual notes.

Both incident and something are on my list of songs to hear and I have a strange feeling that I'm going to hear Incident before I hear Something. My list:

1. Racing in the Street
2. Something in the Night
3. Jackson Cage
4. Blinded by the Light
5. Growin' Up
6. Prove It All Night
7. Incident on 57th Street
8. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
9. The Wrestler
10. Brilliant Disguise
11. Darkness on the Edge of Town
12. It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City
13. Meeting Across the River (The last one before I complete Born to Run)
14. The River
15. Atlantic City

 

[The Chairman]

I didn't hear it. I do know that while all of the solos in "Kitty's Back' were excellent, Roy in particular was phenomenal. Just spectacular. Him and Max were sort of in competition to see who could play a stronger

I know I've only been to one, but for me, I need:

Rosalita
Jungleland
Lost In The Flood
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Hungry Heart
Cadillac Ranch
The River
I'm Goin' Down
Prove It All Night
Growin' Up
Darkness On The Edge Of Town
Adam Raised A Cain
Fire
The Wrestler
Ramrod
Murder Incorporated
Detroit Medley
Sandy
Tougher Than The Rest
Brilliant Disguise
Because The Night
Atlantic City

Considering Bruce mixes up the sets so drastically from night to night, it would not surprise if I get most or even all of these at the Giant Stadium shows.

 

[Dwarf lord]

I didn't hear it. I do know that while all of the solos in "Kitty's Back' were excellent, Roy in particular was phenomenal. Just spectacular. Him and Max were sort of in competition to see who could play a stronger

I know I've only been to one, but for me, I need:

Rosalita*
Jungleland*
Lost In The Flood
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out*
Hungry Heart*
Cadillac Ranch
The River
I'm Goin' Down
Prove It All Night*
Growin' Up*
Darkness On The Edge Of Town*
Adam Raised A Cain
Fire
The Wrestler*
Ramrod
Murder Incorporated
Detroit Medley
Sandy
Tougher Than The Rest
Brilliant Disguise
Because The Night*
Atlantic City*

Considering Bruce mixes up the sets so drastically from night to night, it would not surprise if I get most or even all of these at the Giant Stadium shows.

If you go to all three shows, I am 99% sure you will hear the ones I starred. Out of those, I've seen Because the Night, Murder Inc, The Detroit Medley, I'm Goin Down, Hungry Heart, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Jungleland and Rosie. Most of them at the show in Foxboro last summer. Damn, that was a great night. Before the show, there was a massive thunder storm on top of the stadium that left us wet for the whole show. It did get him to give us the only tour performance of "Who'll Stop The Rain" and it also added a lot to the "let it rain" section of Mary's Place, making it the highlight of the night (outside of hearing my favorite song, Jungleland). You can like Jungleland now, Anthony, but when you see it live, it transcends everything. No experience I've had in my life has equaled my experience of hearing that one.

 

[danoyse]

So I just got my Giants Stadium tickets. t:

 

[The Chairman]

Bruce added two more GS shows, October 8th and 9th.

 

[danoyse]

I'm going on 9/30 - which is 6 days after I see U2 at Giants Stadium.

 

[The Chairman]

I'll be going the 9th, since it's the last show. With luck, I'll be at at least one of the other ones.

 

[The Chairman]

Giving this a bump, as Bruce kicked ass this past weekend in the U.K.

 

[The Chairman]

Giving this a bump. I have Nebraska on right now, and my gosh, it's just an incredible album. Just Bruce and his guitar singing some of the most haunting music ever written. "Highway Patrolman," "State Trooper," and "My Father's House" just shake you to your soul. And right in the middle, he throws in a fun number like "Open All Night" just to throw the mood off. And "Atlantic City" is such a classic.

"Well our luck may have died,
and our love may be cold, but
with you forever I'll stay."

 

[The Chairman]

Best news ever: 25 new concert dates!


19-Aug Hartford, CT Comcast Theater On Sale Now
22-Aug Mansfield, MA Comcast Center On Sale Now
23-Aug Mansfield, MA Comcast Center On Sale Now
25-Aug Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center On Sale Now
10-Sep Nashville, TN Sommett Center 25-Jul
12-Sep Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre 24-Jul
13-Sep Ft. Lauderdale, FL Bank Atlantic Center 24-Jul
16-Sep Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center 31-Jul
20-Sep Chicago, IL United Center 1-Aug
30-Sep East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium Sold out
2-Oct East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium Sold out
3-Oct East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium Sold out
8-Oct East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium On Sale Now
9-Oct East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium Sold out
13-Oct Philadelphia, PA Spectrum 27-Jul
14-Oct Philadelphia, PA Spectrum 27-Jul
25-Oct St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center 8-Aug
26-Oct Kansas City, MO Sprint Center 8-Aug
2-Nov Washington, D.C. Verizon Center TBA
3-Nov Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena 28-Aug
7-Nov New York, NY Madison Square Garden TBA
8-Nov New York, NY Madison Square Garden TBA
10-Nov Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena 22-Aug
13-Nov Auburn Hills, MI Palace At Auburn Hills 22-Aug
15-Nov Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center 1-Aug

I'm definitely going to try and hit at least one of the Giant Stadium shows (though the last two fall right around my mother's birthday), and will make it to at least one of the Madison Square Garden shows.