Re: OT:Bruce Springsteen 2009
Date: November 15, 2009 23:01
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN:
I have no doubts whatsoever, that had Springsteen revealed the content of these two MSG shows a few weeks’ earlier, divorce courts all over the world would have witnessed a sudden, dramatic surge in activity as Boss fans – many here, including Gazza – gambled the future of their marriages (not to mention a considerable portion of their life savings) in return for the gig of a lifetime. It was probably a blessing therefore, that Bruce’s announcement that he would perform both The Wild , The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle and The River in their entirety, was left until just a few days before the actual gigs themselves, not least of all, in the Gazza household.
Somewhat fittingly, it was the aforementioned who broke the news to me about these gigs via text as I was tucking into a veggie burger in the Hard Rock Café on Tuesday night; and naturally, I thought he was winding me up.
I mean, surely, it was beyond the realms of possibility for Bruce to attempt an entire performance of an album as complex, non-commercial and relatively unsuccessful as E-Street.
Probably like all other Bruce followers back in the late seventies, I felt like I was the only person in the UK who actually owned a copy of this album, such was the scarcity of Springsteen fans at that time. Admittedly, I didn’t get hold of my copy until after I’d bought Born To Run, Darkness and the two essential triple album boots from the 1978 tour (all within a mind-blowing three-week period), but when I did finally get round to dropping the needle down on to that magical piece of vinyl, I found that it was a far different sounding Springsteen from that from which I’d recently been bowled over by. There was no moodiness, no wall of sound, no songs about having to escape to anywhere, and basically, sod all about cars.
In fact, it was so far detached and unrecognisable from his newer sound that I couldn’t help but get the impression that he had deliberately “moved on “ from this particular phase in his development, and that it was perhaps a mere stepping-stone towards greater, more spectacular things.
Not that it stopped me from playing the album; though when I did, I couldn’t help but get the impression that I was perhaps the only person on the planet doing so; all of which made it such a seemingly personal experience.
Telling Gazza to sod off and to stop winding me up (or words to that affect), seemed therefore, to be an entirely appropriate response; that is until the following morning, by when I had received a bombardment of texts from Boss fans everywhere, confirming the news.
Interestingly, on the day before the first gig, representatives of Badlands, the UK’s Springsteen tour operator, described an incredible, frantic surge of activity on Wednesday morning from fans wishing to attempt a last minute dash to New York, some of whom actually managed it.
The first signs that these were to be meticulously planned gigs, came by way of the printed setlists that were in place a good hour or so before each of the performances; there was none of the usual last-minute rushing around by roadies with walkie-talkies and black tape in their hands. Perhaps the addition of a string section and horns for the first night, not to mention the complexity of the arrangements, necessitated a tighter, more professional feel to the proceedings, and to this end, Bruce appeared to be almost nervous and very conscious of getting it exactly right.
He did, brilliantly.
In fact, the entire band delivered an almost faultless performance of E-Street which, while managing to be faithful to the original in terms of production quality was, incredibly, brought more alive by Bruce himself, by way of an utterly brilliant performance that resonated feeling, emphasis and passion throughout. Admittedly, I’ve heard Rosalita performed many times over the years, as well as the occasional outing for the likes of Kitty’s Back, Sandy and Incident, but never within the context in which they were meant to be heard.
New York Serenade was simply stunning, beyond words, and this incredibly emotional closing song was followed, not by the usual rock concert hollering and cheering, but by an appreciative, rapturous, moving reception from a stunned audience, all of whom, must have felt as privileged and humbled as I did, to have witnessed something of such epic proportions.
Again, with one eye on getting everything precisely correct, the remainder of Bruce’s set was an abject lesson in managing to raise the roof after the Lord Mayor’s show, which he achieved brilliantly by way of a volley of mainly high impact, foot-stomping, show stoppers; even drawing upon the audience’s still-euphoric reaction to that week’s New York Yankees’s victory. For me personally however, Does This Bus Stop (as a request), was a personal highlight, as was Human Touch (with Pattie making a rare appearance). There was also an incredible version of Higher & Higher, performed with special guest Elvis Costello, and exploiting the wonderful horn section
If The River was Bruce’s first genuine attempt at providing some material that could be commercial enough to sound good on the radio, then he certainly succeeded with Hungry Heart. It’s never been one of my own personal favourites, but the audience’s reaction to it on the first night provided an early indication that out of the two albums that Springsteen was to perform on this weekend of all weekends, it was Bruce circa 1980 that most were looking forward to witnessing.
The River is basically, a roller-coaster of different themes, feelings and emotions, and I half expected Bruce to compromise with the album’s running order so as to cope with the many mood swings that the listener is confronted with. As such, I feared that the likes of Crush On You, I’m A Rocker and Cadillac Ranch would have had a detrimental affect upon the manner in which the audience would greet Stolen Car and Drive All Night.
Thankfully, I was wrong; and with only a few exceptions, the crowd were as immaculately behaved as they were in Manchester back in 1981 when I first saw Bruce perform this album before a small theatre audience of just 2000.
Before Sunday’s show, I remembered how, back then, I had never before, cried and laughed in equal measures throughout almost the entire four-hour performance, and wondered if it would be the same all over again.
It was; and looking around me, I was certainly not alone in allowing my emotions to get the better of me, such was the intensity of the performance. Again, credit must be afforded to the E-Street Band, especially Clarence, who probably performed more sax solos in one single night than he has ever done throughout his entire career. He was absolutely amazing; and what an absolute farce that these guys were not inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame alongside Bruce!
I always thought that the album itself suffered from a very poor production, even in spite of the deliberate “live” feel that Bruce was attempting to achieve with it. Drive All Night suffered in particular, with comparatively little of the irony or tension coming across on record as it did when I witnessed it in a rare outing in Birmingham in 1981.
For all the right reasons it was absolutely magical at MSG with Springsteen delivering a performance as brilliantly compelling as any that I have ever seen from him. Ditto with Stolen Car in which he delivered the line, “…but I never do” with such chilling resignation.
The reception for the album, like with the previous evening, was one of astonishment and disbelief from a stunned, appreciative audience that had been well and truly bowled over by something that they had previously never even dared dream about.
The run-in was a magical tour de force that included as good a version of Atlantic City that you’re ever likely to hear, along with a beautiful I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You; a somewhat quieter conclusion to the evening after a prolonged spell during which the building was literally rocked to its foundations.
Both nights worked on every conceivable count, with seemingly everything coming together at once to create something that will forever live on in the memories of those who were there, and, hopefully, for those who may one day get to see this on DVD.
Bruce got it right, and so did his band; so too, did the backing vocalists, whose role might hitherto have been described as perfunctory. They played an important part throughout both nights.
Interestingly enough, we sat next to Kahoosier and Beast throughout the second show in fantastic seats that we did NOT have tickets for! I can recall the latter being less than overwhelmed when I saw her immediately after the Boss’s London O2 show a couple of years’ back. This time, she saw the real Bruce, and needless to say, I think he appeared to have broken through the hard exterior of this particular heart of stone.
For just two nights, Bruce had taken us all back to a time when stadium rock didn’t exist; a time when audiences could be won over by the subtlety and nuances of quieter songs; a time when audiences would come along to actually listen to the music as well as dance to it; and crucially, a time when it wasn’t all about squeezing every last single penny out of your fans.
Comparing then with now would bring tears to anyone's eyes.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-11-16 01:14 by LOGIE.