Something for the weekend!
A double hit from Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band from 2013 on the Wrecking Ball Tour. Two nights in Kilkenny that ended the European leg.
July 2013 found the E Street Band in Europe, playing mostly festivals on
The Wrecking Ball Tour. The performance in Rome stands out for a
quartet of songs from The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street
Shuffle. Kitty’s Back, Incident on 57th Street, Rosalita and New York
City Serenade featuring the Roma Sinfonnietta string section were
performed together for only the second time since 1975.
This new official release was dropped late last night.
Added Note from Springsteen HQ. This is obviously due to a number of complaints regarding the sound quality. PLEASE NOTE: We are remixing this show and will repost when
remixing and remastering is complete. All fans who bought the original
mix will be able to download the new mix for free.
Eleven songs from the first four albums, plus "Roulette" written in 1979, made this 25th show of the 2013 tour a superb, highly unusual set. If it weren't for the 16-year-old emo kid taking pictures next to me while Bruce sang "Incident on 57th Street," I could easily have imagined myself at a show where the singer wore a wool cap or long sideburns. Then add "Summertime Blues," which had been a set opener during the Darkness on the Edge of Town series of concerts; Bo Diddley's "Mona," a steady companion for "She's the One" back then; and The Isley's Brothers' "Shout" and "Twist and Shout," and you have more than half the set's songs written prior to 1980 — and still only a rough idea of how inspired was Bruce Springsteen during his fourth and last Italian show this summer.
After three full days off in Roma, the two fabulous sets delivered in Germany still echoing, the E Street Band took the stage at 8:50 pm, and it was instantly clear that the gentleman from New Jersey had something up his sleeve. His buddy Nils Lofgren had already promised through his Facebook status that they were "working on Rome surprises," advising of an "epic night ahead." (Nils, incidentally, is the only one who had played this venue before — Le Capannelle, a hippodrome located in the northeast of the city — 31 years ago with Neil Young during his Trans tour. Young will perform here with Crazy Horse in less than two weeks.) It's not that "Spirit in the Night" is at all a rarity — during this 2012/2013 tour it has been frequently played — but as an opener, it immediately establishes a level of intimacy and soul power at the same that it makes you expect the unpredictable.
As strong as the pair "My Love Will Not Let You Down" and "Badlands" might be, it's songs four and five that throw sparks and give you shivers, because of the connection between "Death to My Hometown" and "Roulette." Almost 35 years separate the writing of the two songs, but both lyrics talk about destruction, fear, crimes, homes unguarded, spiritual and physical robbery. No matter where you place it, the character is in danger, he has "a song to sing" and has to sing it "hard" and "well." Even in nights when the Wrecking Ball album seems to evaporate a bit, "Death to My Hometown" stays strongly and beautifully in the sets, evoking the sound of the bagpipes and delivering, intact, the anger that pervades that stunning collection of songs released a year ago. Ireland really seems around the corner (and many of us are ready to go to that beautiful country for another handful of shows before the Legendary E Street Band returns home). Then, so soon after Leipzig, the hard-edged, astonishing "Roulette" makes the set again and brings back some of that Tunnel of Love Tour flavor that some of us missed so far. Springsteen sang it hard and sang it well, meaning every single word as if it were his first delivery of this song about the meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. Along with "Lucky Town," which follows — and reaffirms that its author has suddenly opened up the box containing memories of 1992 — "Roulette" provides a powerful, guitar-driven segment that precedes an incredible request-fest.
When Bruce starts staring at the many signs held forth among thousands of arms, the first titles that he reaches for are "Girls in Their Summer Clothes,""Summertime Blues," and "Stand on It." While the first one doesn't make the show, the other two work very well together. The rockabilly flavor of the Eddie Cochran classic is perfect as a bridge to "Stand on It," which in 1985 backed the "Glory Days" single and was an evident tribute from Bruce to that rock 'n' roll era — especially to Jerry Lee Lewis' "killer" piano style. A request from "Gaia and Andrea" to celebrate their wedding anniversary, "Stand on It" is delivered with a sonorous horn section: first Jake Clemons, then Curt Ramm and Clark Gayton take solos before the rest of the quintet explode like we're in a crowded 1940s ballroom.
"Brilliant Disguise" is another very welcome request; among the many veterans, you can spot in the crowd generations of new fans, from Tunnel, from the early '90s albums to the hits from the Y2K and so on). After that, we all jump into a rocket ship that flies us to another planet and comes back 45 minutes later.
In days of "full album" shows, Bruce picks the four longest songs from his second record — more than a "half album" — and makes our day. No one from this planet could have predicted a sequence of "Kitty's Back" immediately followed by the complete side two of The Wild the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. Since Bruce never announced it, each song as it comes is more astounding than the one before: "Incident on 57th Street," into "Rosalita," into — yes, finally! — "New York City Serenade."The Wild & Innocent closing track was, before tonight, surely among the wildest dreams of every soul attending the show. After being put to rest by Springsteen in 1978, it was only played ten times since 1999, and only in the U.S. This stunning, long-awaited European debut is enriched by the Roma Sinfonietta, a string section directed by Leandro Piccioni, a group of musicians whose collaborations rank from Michael Nyman to Quincy Jones, and from Roger Waters to, last but not least, Ennio Morricone, whose C'era una volta il west (Once Upon a Time in the West) serves as the walk-in and walk-out music for this incredible night at Le Capannelle.
We could have gone home at this point, right after we heard, live, side two of one of the most beautiful and most underrated pop albums of all time, and our hearts would've exploded anyway. But Bruce Springsteen is special, we all know, even if we are always ready to complain about track lists and career moves (I do, all the times, as do many of my buddies); his blend of passion, sincerity, energy, fun makes him, at 63, the best performer in the world and his show the place to be, every night, and the next one.
From "Shackled and Drawn" (Cindy Mizelle's contribution and her interplay a lĂ Merry Clayton makes me think of this as the "Gimme Shelter" of our times) to the very last note of the acoustic, intense "Thunder Road," Bruce manages to turn what may look like a regular show ending into a triumph. He completes his half-Born to Run (can we say that two "half-albums" in this case are better than one?) and giving us the best long coda possible to "Twist and Shout": a full rendition of "Shout" that literally puts everybody in the house on his or her knees.
When at the end of the back-to-back Isley Brothers songs an exausted Bruce Springsteen shouts into the microphone, "I'm just a prisoner of rock 'n' roll," I see a small group of 14-15 year old girls smiling at each other while somebody takes a picture of them. They want that guy in the picture with them, they make sure he is on the big screen behind them. They might not know what rock 'n' roll really means and where it came from, but they trust him. - Ermanno Labianca reporting
Tonight's concert was an outstanding example of how Bruce can make
masterful use of his current album and back catalog to craft a setlist
with a strong thematic arc, songs that challenge and reward the
audience, while also showcasing the talent and power of his legendary
band. This was a show designed to enthrall someone seeing Springsteen
for the first or one hundredth time, and Bruce unquestionably succeeded. - Glenn Radecki (from his review of the show on Backstreets)
I'll Work For Your Love (solo acoustic) Long Walk Home The Ties That Bind Out in the Street Atlantic City Wrecking Ball Death to My Hometown Hungry Heart Blinded By the Light Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street? Ain't Good Enough For You WAGES OF SIN - WORLD PREMIERE* The River Youngstown Murder Incorporated Johnny 99 Open All Night Shackled and Drawn Waitin' on a Sunny Day Lonesome Day Badlands * * * Racing in the Street Born in the U.S.A. Born to Run Dancing in the Dark Tenth Avenue Freeze-out American Land
*Wages of Sin was an Outtake from the Born in the USA Sessions!
Final night of the South American Leg of the Wrecking Ball Tour at the huge 'Rock in Rio 2013' event. The show included a performance of 'Born in the U.S.A.' from start to finish. "I want to thank Brazil for giving us such a warm welcome. We will be
back again very, very soon! I promise! We love you. Thank you. Thank you
for keeping faith with us, all those years when we weren't here; we're
not gonna let that happen again!" - Bruce Springsteen.
Bruce will get to celebrate his 64th Birthday with a night off. Last year he was on stage at the Metlife Stadium NJ due to a storm delaying the start of the show. Listen to that show here. Will add more links when they become available, click on the ones available to listen to and enjoy the music.
Not many links around just yet but here's the setlist from last night in a cold Bueno Aries, Argentina. Will keep checking for links and will post when they become available. The last time Bruce and the band were here was in 1988 on the Amnesty International Human Rights Now Tour.
Added Note from Bruce 17/09/2013 There is a song I planned to sing at our Buenos Aires concert that I learned from the wonderful Argentine singer, Mercedes Sosa. I wasn’t quite prepared that evening so I’m glad to send this out now to all of our friends and fans in Argentina. -Bruce
01 Death to My Hometown 129 Born to Run 129 Dancing in the Dark 129 04 Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out 128 Waitin' on a Sunny Day 128 06 Wrecking Ball 127 07 Badlands 121 08 We Take Care of Our Own 111 09 Shackled and Drawn 109
10 The Rising 103 11 My City of Ruins 94 12 Land of Hope and Dreams 81 Thunder Road 81 14 Spirit in the Night 78 15 Hungry Heart 67 16 Jack of All Trades 65 17 Born in the U.S.A. 60 18 We Are Alive 59 19 Out in the Street 57 The Promised Land 57 21 Darlington County 53 22 The River 50 23 Working on the Highway 49 Because the Night 49 She's the One 49 26 Twist and Shout (The Top Notes cover) 42 27 Prove It All Night 41 28 Rocky Ground 40 29 Bobby Jean 36 Lonesome Day 36 No Surrender 36 32 Johnny 99 34 33 The E Street Shuffle 33 34 Glory Days 32 35 Apollo Medley 31 Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) 31 37 Atlantic City 27 38 American Land 25 The Ties That Bind 25 My Love Will Not Let You Down 25 41 Pay Me My Money Down (The Weavers cover) 24 Seven Nights to Rock (Moon Mullican cover) 24 43 Candy's Room 23 Murder Incorporated 23 45 Radio Nowhere 21 46 Trapped (Jimmy Cliff cover) 20 The Ghost of Tom Joad 20 48 Downbound Train 19 Backstreets 19 50 Youngstown 18 Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street? 18 Easy Money 18 53 Open All Night 17 Jungleland 17 Racing in the Street 17 Raise Your Hand (Eddie Floyd cover) 17 57 Night 16 Cover Me 16 59 Adam Raised a Cain 15 Shout (The Isley Brothers cover) 15 Something in the Night 15 Two Hearts 15 Darkness on the Edge of Town 15 64 I'm on Fire 13 I'm Goin' Down 13 Growin' Up 13 67 American Skin (41 Shots) 12 This Little Light of Mine 12 69 Cadillac Ranch 11 Light of Day 11 71 My Hometown 10 Incident on 57th Street 10 Jackson Cage 10 Long Walk Home 10 75 Ramrod 9 Who'll Stop the Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover) 9 This Hard Land 9 Lost in the Flood 9 Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (Harry Reser and His Orchestra cover) 9 For You 9 81 I'm a Rocker 8 Drive All Night 8 Seeds 8 Streets of Fire 8 Sherry Darling 8 It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City 8 87 Thundercrack 7 The Promise 7 This Depression 7 Meeting Across the River 7 91 High Hopes (The Havalinas cover) 6 If I Should Fall Behind 6 Loose Ends 6 Seaside Bar Song 6 Frankie 6 Talk to Me 6 Tougher Than the Rest 6 98 Kitty's Back 5 Save My Love 5 Better Days 5 Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran cover) 5 Human Touch 5 Point Blank 5 Factory 5 You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch) 5 Detroit Medley 5 107 My Lucky Day 4 Reason to Believe 4 Rockin' All Over the World (John Fogerty cover) 4 Roulette 4 Blinded by the Light 4 Be True 4 Leap of Faith 4 114 Stand on It 3 Boom Boom (John Lee Hooker cover) 3 Long Time Comin' 3 Savin' Up (Clarence Clemons & The Red Bank Rockers cover) 3 Brilliant Disguise 3 Red-Headed Woman 3 Jole Blon (Harry Choates cover) 3 Girls in Their Summer Clothes 3 Devils & Dust 3 I'll Work for Your Love 3 Ain't Good Enough for You 3 Fire 3 Janey Don't You Lose Heart 3 Jersey Girl (Tom Waits cover) 3 128 Don't Look Back 2 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) 2 Cynthia 2 Burning Love (Arthur Alexander cover) 2 Streets of Philadelphia 2 Pink Cadillac 2 Drift Away (Dobie Gray cover) 2 Lion's Den 2 Real World 2 So Young and in Love 2 Rendezvous 2 Queen of the Supermarket 2 Bishop Danced 2 Man's Job 2 This Little Girl (Gary "U.S." Bonds cover) 2 Mountain of Love (Johnny Rivers cover) 2 From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come) 2 Back in Your Arms 2 Lucky Town 2 Empty Sky 2 Quarter to Three (Gary "U.S." Bonds cover) 2 Surprise, Surprise 2 Follow That Dream (Elvis Presley cover) 2 Mary's Place 2 152 Highway Patrolman 1 All That Heaven Will Allow 1 Where the Bands Are 1 Nebraska 1 How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? (Alfred Reed cover) 1 Sweet Soul Music (Arthur Conley cover) 1 When I Leave Berlin (Wizz Jones cover) 1 Get Out of Denver (Bob Seger cover) 1 Working on a Dream 1 Gotta Get That Feeling 1 (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher (Jackie Wilson cover) 1 Hearts of Stone 1 Shake, Rattle and Roll (Big Joe Turner cover) 1 O Sole Mio (Eduardo di Capua cover) 1 Roll of the Dice 1 The Fever 1 Independence Day 1 We've Gotta Get Out of This Place (The Animals cover) 1 Fade Away 1 Dirty Water (The Standells cover) 1 Something You Got (Chris Kenner cover) 1 Wild Billy's Circus Story 1 Bad Luck (Social Distortion cover) 1 Across the Borderline (Ry Cooder cover) 1 My Kind of Town (Frank Sinatra cover) 1 Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover) 1 Terry's Song 1 None But the Brave 1 One Way Street 1 A Night With the Jersey Devil 1 I Fought the Law (The Crickets cover) 1 Mansion on the Hill 1 Give the Girl a Kiss 1 New York City Serenade 1 Spanish Eyes 1 Kansas City (Wilbert Harrison cover) 1 Mary Don't You Weep (Fisk Jubilee Singers cover) 1 Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover) 1 Man at the Top 1 California Sun (The Rivieras cover) 1 Monster Mash (Bobby "Boris" Pickett cover) 1 Stolen Car 1 Secret Garden 1 Take 'Em as They Come 1 Travelin' Band (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover) 1 Green Onions (Booker T. & The MG’s cover) 1 Wild Thing (The Wild Ones cover) 1 My Beautiful Reward 1 Knock on Wood (Eddie Floyd cover) 1 When the Saints Go Marching In 1 You've Got It 1 When You Walk in the Room (Jackie DeShannon cover) 1 Maria's Bed 1 In the Midnight Hour (Wilson Pickett cover) 1 I Wish I Were Blind 1 Ain't Too Proud to Beg (The Temptations cover) 1 Last to Die 1 The Weight (The Band cover) 1 I Saw Her Standing There (The Beatles cover) 1 Jailhouse Rock (Elvis Presley cover) 1 Good Rockin' Tonight (Roy Brown cover) 1 Pretty Flamingo (Manfred Mann cover) 1 The Price You Pay 1 State Trooper 1 Long Tall Sally (Little Richard cover) 1 TV Movie 1 Living on the Edge of the World 1 In Dreams (Roy Orbison cover) 1 Just Like Fire Would (The Saints cover) 1 Wages of Sin 1 Into the Fire 1 Shake (Sam Cooke cover) 1 96 Tears (? and the Mysterians cover) 1 Held Up Without a Gun 1 Local Hero 1 I Don't Want to Go Home (Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes cover) 1 You Can't Sit Down (Phil Upchurch Combo cover) 1 You Never Can Tell (Chuck Berry cover) 1 Lucille (Little Richard cover) 1
The Wrecking Ball Tour in Europe came to an end Sunday evening in Kilkenny, Ireland. Rumours abounded just what was going to happen on this special night. Three tour premieres and 'Born to Run' front to back, and a three hour and 19 minute set.
For the first time on the tour there was no 'Waiting on a Sunny Day' but that did stop Bruce from pulling a kid up on stage with him to dance on 'Dancing in the Dark'. That kid is going to go home a happy chap as at the end of the song Bruce presented him with his guitar!
First show at the brand new Leeds Arena (we won't give it it's daft corporate name - no free advertising here!). Three hours and six minutes and a very strong 29 song set including four tour premieres - 'Local Hero', 'Gotta Get That Feeling' and 'Bad Moon Rising' and 'Secret Garden'. Only two more shows to go on the tour with the coming weekend performances in Kilkenny, Ireland (oh and Rio and Chile later in the year) and one wonders what goodies are going to be unleashed there!
Three and a half hour set in Cardiff last night - 33 song set that included the first ever live performance of 'Born in the USA' outtake 'TV Movie'. More Links will be added and hopefully better quality ones as they become available.
A pretty amazing set list in Belfast last night with 5 songs in total from the 'Nebraska' album (including the title track which had only ever been performed live 5 times prior to this show). 5 tracks
from 'The River', 4 from 'Born to Run', 4 from 'Born in the USA', 2
from 'Darkness at the Edge of Town', 2 from 'The Rising', 5 from
'Wrecking Ball'. Click on the Links to watch the performances. Will check back later and add more links and better quality ones when they become available.
Posts
