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Tuesday, April 29
Greensboro
The second North Carolina show featured an impressive opening with two tour debuts, the killer "Roulette" followed by "Don't Look Back". This was a high energy rock concert, with unstoppable electric tracks such as "Radio Nowhere", "Out in the Street", "The Promised Land", "Trapped", "Saint in the City", "Because the Night", "Darkness" and "She's The One".
Just a little rest to catch their breath with "Livin' in the Future", followed by another tour debut: "Mary's Place", this time considerably shorter than on The Rising tour. "Saint in the City" was dedicated to Danny, and was introduced by Bruce with these words about Danny: "He had nine lives, and he used up about five of mine" and then a funny story about Bruce finding Danny in the hotel elevator with a screwdriver: "A towel's not good enough for him, he's gotta take the elevator buttons!".
Two tour debuts: "Souls of the Departed" (opening the show) and "Wild Billy's Circus Story", in a show where once again Bruce shakes up the set list, as "The Promised Land" goes up to the fourth slot while "Gypsy Biker" comes back to the set, now after "Reason to Believe".
The Orlando Sentinel published an article recently telling the story on how Roger McGuinn ended up onstage with the band in Orlando. Read it here. Foto:copyright 2008 Mary Ann/crazy4bruce
Check out Bruce's official website to read his eulogy words to Danny, as read at Federici's funeral in Red Bank on April 21st. It is a very long and moving eulogy, worth reading.
"So today, making another one of his mysterious exits, we say farewell to Danny, "Phantom" Dan, Federici. Father, husband, my brother, my friend, my mystery, my thorn, my rose, my keyboard player, my miracle man and lifelong member in good standing of the house rockin', pants droppin', earth shockin', hard rockin', booty shakin', love makin', heart breakin', soul cryin'... and, yes, death defyin' legendary E Street Band."
"This night is a special one, so we'd like to start with something for Danny". After these words from Bruce, a special video tribute to Danny was shown in the screen behind Max's drums. The video shows pictures and films of Danny and the band since the late 60's, with the studio version of "Blood Brothers" as soundtrack (see video below). When the video was over, the show started with a very emotional and powerful version of "Backstreets", with a spotlight on Danny's keyboards (Charlie was not onstage for the opening song). The show in Tampa, the first one after Danny's passing was full of special moments and old tunes, including "Sandy" and "Growin' Up". Other highlights included "Because the Night", "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" or "Badlands", along with the usual amount of rarities ("Brilliant Disguise", "Racing in the Street", "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" or "Rosalita").
The first encore was another tribute to Danny Federici. With Max on tambourine, Roy on accordion and Garry on bass, Bruce sang the 1929 gospel "I'll Fly Away" ("Some bright morning when this life is over, I'll fly away"). Patti Scialfa is present for this show.
The next show, in Orlando, was full of surprises again. The video tribute to Danny continues to open the show, and is followed in this case by a full band, electric version of "Blood Brothers". Tour standards "Gypsy Biker" and "Magic" dissapear from a very shaken set list, which includes "Out in the Street", "Spirit in the night", "The River", "Fire, "Lost in the flood" and the tour debut of "Does this bus stop at 82nd Street?". The encores brought a very special treat, The Byrds' Roger McGuinn came up to sing "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and "Mr. Tambourine Man" after a great introduction by Bruce ("the incredible Roger McGuinn!") which said "I played that first Byrds album over 200 times in the dark". Steve was in awe, playing, as Roger did, a beautiful 12-string Rickenbaker.
And last but not least, Friday's show in Atlanta (where Magic was recorded) started with "Reason the Believe", featured the tour debut of "Blinded by the Light", plus a marvelous "Your Own Worst Enemy" (so few times played on the tour, unfortunately), a blistering "Prove it all Night", "Point Blank" and "Rosalita".
"Danny and I worked together for 40 years - he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much...we grew up together."
—Bruce Springsteen
Danny Federici, for 40 years the E Street Band's organist and keyboard player, died this afternoon, April 17, 2008 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City after a three year battle with melanoma.
The Federici family and the E Street family request that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Danny Federici Melanoma Fund. A web site for the Fund is being established and we'll post its link when it is on line.
Bruce Springsteen's concerts scheduled for Friday in Ft. Lauderdale and Saturday in Orlando performance are being postponed. Replacement dates will be announced shortly.
A permanent website has been established at Federici Melanoma Fund (The site will be active on Friday April 18.) The Federici family and the E Street family request that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made at the website to the Danny Federici Melanoma Fund.
Bruce Springsteen published yesterday in his official web site a letter of support to Senator Barack Obama.
"Dear Friends and Fans:
Like most of you, I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest. (...) He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years. (...) I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans. Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President."
Cadillac Ranch, in Amarillo, Texas, was created in 1974 by eccentric millionaire Stanley Marsh. The site inspired Springsteen in 1980 to write the song "Cadillac Ranch". Yesterday in Houston, this was the choosen song to open a very special show. Both "Gypsy Biker" and "Reason to Believe" dissapear for one night, being substituted by "Atlantic City" and "Because the Night". "She's the One" was followed by a rockin' "Out in the Street".
Later in the set, in the middle part, where anything can happen, "Girls in their Summer Clothes" was followed by a fan-request of "The E Street Shuffle" and, for the first time ever, "Terry's Song", the song that closes Magic, which was written in honour of long-time Springsteen friend Terry Magovern ("A friend of mine for 23 years... today would have been his 68th birthday"). "Thunder Road" closed the main set this time.
The encores had some special treats waiting. First, Springsteen announced "I've always been a fan of the Texas songwriters", and invited Austin songwriter Alejandro Escovedo onstage to sing "Always a Friend" (see video below), a brilliant song off Alejandro's forthcoming new album Real Animal. Escovedo has been fighting for years (with good results) a very serious case of hepatitis C, and is coming back with a new album and signing with Jon Landau management.
After that, it was the turn for another Austin songwriter, the great Joe Ely, who sang "All Just to Get To You", off his excellent album Letter to Laredo (where Springsteen himself contributes vocals on two songs). After such special moments, an explosive "Rosalita" was followed by "Born to Run" and an exciting "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out", with Bruce hanging down from the mic stand for quite a while. "American Land" put an end to a fabulous show.
The Texas fans got a two and a half hour show last night in Dallas, plus a tour debut. As it's been the norm lately, there was a different show starter, in this case it was "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out".
"Girls in their summer clothes" moved from the encores to the middle of the set, right after "The Promised Land", and was followed by the tour debut of "Independence Day", with Nils on pedal steel, and the song sounding beautifully, much like the original version on The River.
"Meeting Across the River" opened the encores, once again followed by the majestatic "Jungleland". Later in the encores, there was an appearance by Jon Bon Jovi, who sang part of "Glory Days".
During "Dancing in the Dark" Bruce invited some young girls to dance onstage, which prompted a rush of not-so-young people to jump onstage, totalling 17 different people onstage at one point.
The Magic resembles more and more each day the Devils & Dust tour. Not musically, but because of the constant changes and surprises in the set list. There's a feeling now that you can get to hear anything these days, which makes these shows even more exciting. Yesterday, for the second show in Anaheim, there were 8 set list changes. For the first time, "Devil's Arcade" and "The Rising" were left off the show.
"Thunder Road" opened the show, followed by an intense hour of non-stop rock'n'roll (except for "Magic"), which included super electric attacks on "Gypsy Biker", "Murder Incorporated", "Atlantic City", "Candy's Room", "Prove it all Night" (an audible) and "Because The Night", with ten glorious minutes for Nils Lofgren and his marvelous guitar solos. All of this before a frenetic "She's the One".
Minutes later Tom Morello would jump onstage again, for yet another killer version of "The Ghost of Tom Joad", one of the highlights of the show. "Last to Die" followed, skipping "Devil's Arcade" and "The Rising" for the first time. "Dancing in the Dark" came back, along with the brilliant duo formed by "Meeting Across the River" and "Jungleland" (with Clarence nailing the sax solo).
The first of two shows in Anaheim was one of the longest and most intense shows of the whole tour. From the very first song, the tour debut of "Light of Day", the energy level never went down, and Bruce and the E Street Band delivered a great night of pure rock, with burning guitar solos during "Gypsy Biker", which was inmediately followed by a smokin' "Murder Incorporated". After "Magic", another 20-minute rock attack with "Trapped", "Reason to Believe", "Because the Night" and "She's the One".
A historic moment arrived in the middle of the show, when Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine's extraordinary guitar player, was brought onstage and sang with Bruce a full band, electric version of "The Ghost of Tom Joad", with a blistering guitar solo from Morello at the end of the song.
The intensity of the show went on and on, and at the end of "Badlands", Springsteen yells out to the rest of the band and they start playing a joyful "Out in the Street", being the first time the main set ends with a different song.
More guests soon joined: Bobby Bandiera, coming all the way from New Jersey, came up to play guitar during "Ramrod", and Marc Anthony Thompson & Marty Rifkin (both from the Seeger Sessions Band) joined for "American Land".
Lotta changes in San Jose last night: "Out in the Street", "Trapped", "Something in the Night", "Fire", "Incident", "Detroit Medley"... and one that you will either love or hate, the tour debut of... "Bobby Jean" (if you ask us, we're in the 'fbj' sector).
Fun night in Sacramento, the first of 4 shows in California, which has raised a high standard. The show started with Bruce's very first single from 1973, "Spirit in the Night". Later in the show, the tour debut of "Murder Incorporated" (letting "Reason to Believe" out of the set for the first time), followed by a tremendous tour-de-force with "Candy's Room", "Because the Night" and "She's the One". "Sherry Darling" was a clear audible, and gave way to magnificent versions of "Backstreets" and "Devil's Arcade", two of the show's highlights.
Come encore time, a ton of fun and rock with a delirious "Rosalita" and "Ramrod", with Bruce and Steven clearly having a lot of fun.
Last night's gig in Vancouver opened with the tour debut of "Atlantic City", plus an obscure debut: "None But the Brave" (available only on The Essential Bruce Springsteen) , never played before with The E Street Band (Springsteen had previously performed it live in 2003 at the Asbury Park Christmas shows, with the Max Weinberg Seven). "Trapped", debuted in Seattle on Saturday, stays in the set, along with "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", "Rosalita" and "The River".
The second North Carolina show featured an impressive opening with two tour debuts, the killer "Roulette" followed by "Don't Look Back". This was a high energy rock concert, with unstoppable electric tracks such as "Radio Nowhere", "Out in the Street", "The Promised Land", "Trapped", "Saint in the City", "Because the Night", "Darkness" and "She's The One".
