May 23 / Izod Center / East Rutherford, NJ
Notes: "Good evening, neighbors!" said Bruce at this second of two Meadowlands arena concerts, "I'm so glad to be in the swamps of Jersey tonight—I'm so glad to be home!" (Despite the close proximity to home, Patti had to miss this one; "I have a young daughter who's on tour also," Bruce said for his "Kingdom of Days" dedication to the missus, "so Patti's with her tonight.") Tonight was not only a homecoming show, it marked the end of the tour's first leg—two months to the day after the first rehearsal show in Asbury Park— and it closed things out with a bang, a serious contender for the best of the leg. An electric performance, with ten different songs from Thursday night and a focus on material from the early days—including no less than three from The Wild, the Innocent, & the E Street Shuffle.
"Spirit in the Night" came out early, but the first real shocker was "Something in the Night"—an audible, no less—in slot four. Sort of a strange transition from there into "Out in the Street," but let's not nitpick, "Something" was just a classic performance, passionately delivered. As for covers, "Good Lovin'" subbed back in for "Raise Your Hand" as the sign collection song, but Bruce again steered the requests themselves straight down E Street. "E Street Shuffle" was Wild & Innocent cut number one. "Cover Me," a perfect fit with themes Bruce has been bringing to the fore in the past couple months, finally got its tour premiere, and "Thunder Road" closed out the requests.
Following "Promised Land," it was W&I number 2, another tour premiere: "Incident on 57th Street." Just a stunner. It started a little fast, but led to outstanding intrumental work at the end, Bruce's guitar solo outro and Roy's piano coda lighting the place up. Several showgoers remarked that, at a certain point during the show, the whole thing just went into the stratosphere for the second half—every band member on it, the current flowing. You might pinpoint that moment right here.
By the encore, that current was flowing through the entire crowd, too—everyone up for "Born to Run," all hands in the air for "Land of Hope and Dreams." W&I number three was an incredible "Kitty's Back," the best in recent memory, with spotlight again on Bruce and Roy, each with extended solos. Tonight really seemed to be about going the extra mile—look to "Johnny 99" as well, which was extended as Bruce and Steve took their time milking the crowd.
Bruce thanked "all our friends and neighbors for their longtime support of the E Street Band," and during the intros we got a "Max is back!" holler, the elder Weinberg having played the whole show, and Clarence got a "Theme from Shaft" vamp from the band. The legendary E Street Band? "That's fucking right!" But of course, there was no way this sucker was ending with "American Land" tonight. "Are you trying to test me?" Springsteen asked the roaring crowd. "The turnpike is closed—nobody goes home!" And from there into a one-two punch, "Glory Days" and a "Mony Mony" that had the whole place going nuts. And just before calling it a night, Bruce again mentioned the wrecking ball coming for Giants Stadium—but not before the E Street Band takes a few more whacks at it. "We'll see you in the fall!"
Quelle: Backstreets
Magie
