Tuesday, 29 September
Opening Reception/Celebration of the Publication of Light In Darkness
After
a long flight from San Francisco, I was finally in New York for the
official release party of the long awaited second Lawrence Kirsch
volume, "The Light In Darkness." As important as the Giants Stadium
shows were, I had been waiting nearly a year for this moment. The labor
of love began by Lawrence 2 1/2 years ago had grown to include so many
talented writers and photographers focusing completely on the
complicated but brilliant Darkness On The Edge Of Town.
The jet lag disappeared from my body as I held my copy in my hand.
Finally reading the many wonderful contributions and seeing my own
contribution on these pages instead of a computer screen gave me a high
like nothing I have ever experienced. It was the perfect event to start
the marathon five Giants Stadium performances of Bruce Springsteen and
the E Street Band.Wednesday, 30 September
Born to Run
There
was some inexplicable magic in the air, but it was clearly a presence
larger than us. This, the first of five nights of the most anticipated
U.S. performances by Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band during the
2009 Working on a Dream Tour. What began in Chicago with the complete
performance of “Born to Run” was reprised at Giants Stadium, an outdoor
venue that holds 72,000 people became the “battleground” for Bruce
Springsteen and The E Street Band in the ongoing debate over whether
they were too old to continue creating the shape-shifting masterpieces
on stage night after night, or whether they no longer held the
creativity, as they had since the early 1970s, to surprise the dedicated
tramps. The first two nights at Giants Stadium proved would-be cynics
wrong at every turn and with every note from beginning to end.
The band took the stage shortly after 8:15 PM. Bruce welcomed us to “his backyard” with a song he wrote specifically for Giants Stadium and dedicated to its life and impending death. “Wrecking Ball” displays an emotional intensity similar to the title track of the film “The Wrestler.” While “The Wrestler” presents itself as a subtle ballad willing to take a beating in a desperate attempt to leave you entertained at the expense of the subject, “Wrecking Ball,” written in first-person Stadium, angrily challenges you to look the history of this hallowed ground in the eye and pick a fight with it. “The Wrestler” welcomes you to witness the slow decline of an individual as a beautiful moment, but “Wrecking Ball” dares you to visualize the blood spilled in the field built on a swampland “where the mosquitoes grew as big as airplanes.” and where Bruce and the band have a rich 25-year history. “Wrecking Ball” dares us to witness this rage knowing that we will lose the war against progress and gentrification.
After unleashing this beautiful display of sonic rage, it was fitting to continue with the trio of the Born in the USA outtake “Seeds,” and a double dose of Nebraska material with “Johnny 99” and “Atlantic City.” Both “Seeds and “Johnny 99” have come to be known as the “recession suite,” but “Atlantic City" proved a more than fitting addition. It was clear that the Boss and his band did not want us to forget the turbulent economic times we live in.
After our recession history lesson, the first of two Working on a Dream titles made an appearance. “Outlaw Pete” has evolved into an entertaining early western comic book, translated into song. Musically, Soozie Tyrell and Steve Van Zandt highlight the pace of the story while Springsteen is the campfire storyteller, complete with cowboy hat, the fictional western outlaw who could take on Billy The Kid without hesitation. Next was the “River” sing-along “Hungry Heart,” which, to Springsteen's complete delight, had the packed stadium drowning out his every word. The title song was the last played from the newest record. The Boss spoke of the hard work devoted to this Giants Stadium run like the possessed street preacher we’ve all come to expect. He then unveiled what was next:
“I was trying to think of something to make our last stand here at Giants Stadium special,” he revealed to a hushed audience. “Friday night, we’re going to play Darkness top to finish and Saturday we’re gonna play Born in the U.S.A. top to finish, but tonight…” The opening piano and harmonica riff of “Thunder Road” began the complete “Born to Run.” The sequential order of the songs speak of the hopes and fears of coming of age and. As a prepubescent misunderstood misfit, I turned the lights in my bedroom off, lay in bed, and dreamed. I wanted Mary with her waving dress to come with me and kiss me for the first time, to hang with all the troublemakers beneath that giant Exxon sign. I wanted to join the band as I attempted to “learn how to make my guitar talk.” I imagined myself living in an abandoned beach house with my best friend hiding on the “Backstreets.” I looked up to the Magic Rat, immortalized in the working class one-act rock opera of “Jungleland,” and mourned when the ambulance takes him away at the song's end. I longed to comfort the “barefoot girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge” when she lost the Magic Rat.
I've heard most of Born to Run performed at Springsteen shows; this was the third time it was performed sequentially, in its totality. As a 38 –year- old single father, I relived the feelings I had when I first discovered it. After introducing the surviving band members responsible for making the record, he jokingly barked, “Get your asses back to work!” Born to Run began five nights of unforgettable moments.
Seven classics and contemporary songs followed: “Waitin’ On Sunny Day, “The Promised Land,” “Into The Fire,” “Lonesome Day,” “ The Rising,” “Badlands,” and “No Surrender” preceded the stadium's first vocal rendition of “Raise Your Hand,” accompanying the audience request sequence. The songs chosen were the rare and crowd energizing “E Street Shuffle,” and “Growin’ Up” featuring a foul-mouthed Bruce telling a rare mid-song story of dreaming of a cake with sixty candles-- a direct reference to his recent 60th birthday. This led to the audience to immediately sing “Happy Birthday” to Bruce.
“Dancing in the Dark,” “American Land,” and “Hard Times,” led to a fireworks display accompanying the traditional E Street shout-out, with the Boss declaring “that’s right, we splurged for the fireworks" before dedicating Rosalita” to his absent wife and band mate Patti. He closed the longest show of the tour -- three hours, fifteen minutes.
Friday, 2 October
Darkness on the Edge of Town
The band took the stage shortly after 8:15 PM. Bruce welcomed us to “his backyard” with a song he wrote specifically for Giants Stadium and dedicated to its life and impending death. “Wrecking Ball” displays an emotional intensity similar to the title track of the film “The Wrestler.” While “The Wrestler” presents itself as a subtle ballad willing to take a beating in a desperate attempt to leave you entertained at the expense of the subject, “Wrecking Ball,” written in first-person Stadium, angrily challenges you to look the history of this hallowed ground in the eye and pick a fight with it. “The Wrestler” welcomes you to witness the slow decline of an individual as a beautiful moment, but “Wrecking Ball” dares you to visualize the blood spilled in the field built on a swampland “where the mosquitoes grew as big as airplanes.” and where Bruce and the band have a rich 25-year history. “Wrecking Ball” dares us to witness this rage knowing that we will lose the war against progress and gentrification.
After unleashing this beautiful display of sonic rage, it was fitting to continue with the trio of the Born in the USA outtake “Seeds,” and a double dose of Nebraska material with “Johnny 99” and “Atlantic City.” Both “Seeds and “Johnny 99” have come to be known as the “recession suite,” but “Atlantic City" proved a more than fitting addition. It was clear that the Boss and his band did not want us to forget the turbulent economic times we live in.
After our recession history lesson, the first of two Working on a Dream titles made an appearance. “Outlaw Pete” has evolved into an entertaining early western comic book, translated into song. Musically, Soozie Tyrell and Steve Van Zandt highlight the pace of the story while Springsteen is the campfire storyteller, complete with cowboy hat, the fictional western outlaw who could take on Billy The Kid without hesitation. Next was the “River” sing-along “Hungry Heart,” which, to Springsteen's complete delight, had the packed stadium drowning out his every word. The title song was the last played from the newest record. The Boss spoke of the hard work devoted to this Giants Stadium run like the possessed street preacher we’ve all come to expect. He then unveiled what was next:
“I was trying to think of something to make our last stand here at Giants Stadium special,” he revealed to a hushed audience. “Friday night, we’re going to play Darkness top to finish and Saturday we’re gonna play Born in the U.S.A. top to finish, but tonight…” The opening piano and harmonica riff of “Thunder Road” began the complete “Born to Run.” The sequential order of the songs speak of the hopes and fears of coming of age and. As a prepubescent misunderstood misfit, I turned the lights in my bedroom off, lay in bed, and dreamed. I wanted Mary with her waving dress to come with me and kiss me for the first time, to hang with all the troublemakers beneath that giant Exxon sign. I wanted to join the band as I attempted to “learn how to make my guitar talk.” I imagined myself living in an abandoned beach house with my best friend hiding on the “Backstreets.” I looked up to the Magic Rat, immortalized in the working class one-act rock opera of “Jungleland,” and mourned when the ambulance takes him away at the song's end. I longed to comfort the “barefoot girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge” when she lost the Magic Rat.
I've heard most of Born to Run performed at Springsteen shows; this was the third time it was performed sequentially, in its totality. As a 38 –year- old single father, I relived the feelings I had when I first discovered it. After introducing the surviving band members responsible for making the record, he jokingly barked, “Get your asses back to work!” Born to Run began five nights of unforgettable moments.
Seven classics and contemporary songs followed: “Waitin’ On Sunny Day, “The Promised Land,” “Into The Fire,” “Lonesome Day,” “ The Rising,” “Badlands,” and “No Surrender” preceded the stadium's first vocal rendition of “Raise Your Hand,” accompanying the audience request sequence. The songs chosen were the rare and crowd energizing “E Street Shuffle,” and “Growin’ Up” featuring a foul-mouthed Bruce telling a rare mid-song story of dreaming of a cake with sixty candles-- a direct reference to his recent 60th birthday. This led to the audience to immediately sing “Happy Birthday” to Bruce.
“Dancing in the Dark,” “American Land,” and “Hard Times,” led to a fireworks display accompanying the traditional E Street shout-out, with the Boss declaring “that’s right, we splurged for the fireworks" before dedicating Rosalita” to his absent wife and band mate Patti. He closed the longest show of the tour -- three hours, fifteen minutes.
Friday, 2 October
Darkness on the Edge of Town
“Wrecking
Ball” opened the 2 October show. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” replaced the
recession suite, showcasing the Big Man in fine form! The energy level
continued with “No Surrender,” followed by “Outlaw Pete,” “Hungry
Heart,” and Bruce the preacher with “Working on a Dream.” From there, it
was time for the one of the most important moments in the 2009 tour.
“Badlands” opened the Darkness On The Edge Of Town suite, but it had a
different feeling than the usual raucous, crowd-pleasing
sing-along. It opens arguably, Bruce's greatest recording. Darkness is the hardest record for many loyal tramps to listen to. It tells stories of despair, destitution, anger, and a loss of hope still unmatched in rock and roll. As much as we can relate to something on this record, it is light years from an easy listen. For many (myself included), as much as the “Born To Run” suite was the ultimate classic rock treat, Darkness was a religious experience previously unheard at a Springsteen concert. It was both an emotional roller coaster and a masterpiece.
Some in the audience clearly wanted a “regular” show with a variety of songs rather than the complete Darkness suite. After introducing the original Darkness performers, including referencing the late Danny Federici, Springsteen shifted the tone with the upbeat “Waitin' On A Sunny Day” followed by an instrumental “Raise Your Hand” to collect audience requests. The winners were “I'm Going Down,” “Be True,” and a never-before performed version of the Lieber/Stoller hit made famous by Elvis, “Jailhouse Rock,” a fabulous rendition that was nearly impossible to believe that the band hadn't played before. “Thunder Road,” the nearly absent “Long Walk Home,” “The Rising,” and a Jay Weinberg -powered “Born To Run” brought the closing set for night two. “Cadillac Ranch,” “Bobby Jean,” and “Dancing In The Dark” preceded the band introduction, the fireworks display, and “American Land” before “Rosalita,” again dedicated to an absent Patti Scalfia) closed the show.
These performances were the antithesis of everything the cynics spent the entire tour claiming. “The Big Man is losing it, getting old and missing notes!” If this were the case, you'd never know it from these shows, as he never missed a step from beginning to end. Detractors claimed “Steve Van Zandt is turned down in the mix because he can’t sing or play guitar!” Steve Van Zandt in fact, dominated this show with both vocals and amazingly raw lead guitar playing throughout the majority of the performances. The next three nights proved this to be anything but a one-time stroke of luck.
sing-along. It opens arguably, Bruce's greatest recording. Darkness is the hardest record for many loyal tramps to listen to. It tells stories of despair, destitution, anger, and a loss of hope still unmatched in rock and roll. As much as we can relate to something on this record, it is light years from an easy listen. For many (myself included), as much as the “Born To Run” suite was the ultimate classic rock treat, Darkness was a religious experience previously unheard at a Springsteen concert. It was both an emotional roller coaster and a masterpiece.
Some in the audience clearly wanted a “regular” show with a variety of songs rather than the complete Darkness suite. After introducing the original Darkness performers, including referencing the late Danny Federici, Springsteen shifted the tone with the upbeat “Waitin' On A Sunny Day” followed by an instrumental “Raise Your Hand” to collect audience requests. The winners were “I'm Going Down,” “Be True,” and a never-before performed version of the Lieber/Stoller hit made famous by Elvis, “Jailhouse Rock,” a fabulous rendition that was nearly impossible to believe that the band hadn't played before. “Thunder Road,” the nearly absent “Long Walk Home,” “The Rising,” and a Jay Weinberg -powered “Born To Run” brought the closing set for night two. “Cadillac Ranch,” “Bobby Jean,” and “Dancing In The Dark” preceded the band introduction, the fireworks display, and “American Land” before “Rosalita,” again dedicated to an absent Patti Scalfia) closed the show.
These performances were the antithesis of everything the cynics spent the entire tour claiming. “The Big Man is losing it, getting old and missing notes!” If this were the case, you'd never know it from these shows, as he never missed a step from beginning to end. Detractors claimed “Steve Van Zandt is turned down in the mix because he can’t sing or play guitar!” Steve Van Zandt in fact, dominated this show with both vocals and amazingly raw lead guitar playing throughout the majority of the performances. The next three nights proved this to be anything but a one-time stroke of luck.
