30 May: Pinkpop Festival

The Pinkpop Festival was Bruce's first stop on the 2009 European tour. Festival concert-goers got a two and a half hour show full of greatest hits, and only two songs off the new album (even "Kingdom of Days" and the usual cover of "Hard Times" were dropped from the set). In the sign-request chapter there was "Trapped", "I'm on Fire" and the tour premiere of "From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)", plus "Thunder Road" sung as a duet with guest vocalist Brendan Flowers (from The Killers). Jay Weinberg sat on the drums (as he'll be doing in the forthcoming shows) and Patti was absent.

See complete set list.

photo: copyright 2009 René Van Diemen

NJ outlets sued for selling Springsteen tickets early

New Jersey's attorney general on Wednesday sued three ticket sellers who allegedly sold tickets to upcoming Bruce Springsteen shows before they were available to the public.

Read more on App.com

May 23: official videos from New Jersey

Bruce Springsteen performs Badlands at the Izod Center

Bruce Springsteen performs Spirit In the Night at the Izod Center

Bruce Springsteen performs Outlaw Pete at the Izod Center

May 23: New Jersey

Bruce says goodbye to his New Jersey neighbors with a phenomenal performance, possibly the best of the tour so far. With the E Street Band in full force, the last show of the US Spring tour features three tour premieres and lots of vintage classics. No less than 3 songs from The Wild, The Innocent... ("The E Street Shuffle", "Incident on 57th Street" -tour premiere- and a vibrant version of "Kitty's Back" -one of the highlights of the night-). Plus tow more tour premieres ("Something in the Night" and "Cover Me"), "Good Lovin" (during the sign-request collecting) and "Mony Mony" closing the night.

Max Weinberg was back last night, playing stronger than ever alongside his E Street Band buddies, who went the extra mile. Patti was absent.

Next: the tour lands in Euro land on May 30th, with a show at the Pinkpop festival in the Netherlands.

See complete set list.

Photo: copyright 2009 Amy Kaplan, 21.05.2009
(See complete photo gallery)

May 21 New Jersey: the videos

Courtesy of NJ.com

Bruce Springsteen performs Badlands at the Izod Center

Bruce Springsteen performs Adam Raised a Cain at the Izod Center

Bruce Springsteen performs Outlaw Pete at the Izod Center

Bruce Springsteen performs Working on a Dream at the Izod Center

May 21: New Jersey

Bruce Springsteen played last night the first of two sold-out shows at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. No tour debuts, but instead the band delivered a great performance with quite a bunch of classic 70's stuff like "Adam Raised a Cain", "Prove it All Night", "Growin' Up", "Thunder Road", "Jungleland" and "Rosalita". The last one closed the show, after Bruce said "Is this New Jersey? We can't go home until we've played this one!". Both Patti and Jay were back in the band. Jay played the whole show. See complete set list.

But the big news of the night was the confirmation that Springsteen and the E Street Band will be back in Jersey in the fall. Bruce himself announced it during the show. Before it is demolished, Springsteen will be the last artist to perform at Giants Stadium, with 3 shows on Sept. 30th, Oct.,2nd and Oct.3rd. Tickets will go on sale June 1st.

May 19: Pittsburgh

With numerous set list changes from the previous show, Springsteen offers a show full of vintage songs. After opening with "Badlands" there's "Candy's Room", "Jackson Cage" and "She's the One", plus "Darkness" a little later (sign request), and lots of classic covers. From the previously performed ("Good Lovin" and "Mony Mony"), to the tour debut of Bob Dylan's classic "Like A Rolling Stone".

Come the encores, and in good tradition, Pittsburgh native Joe Grushecky joins Bruce onstage for "Glory Days".

Set list correction: "Raise Your Hand" was not performed in Pittsburgh. "Good Lovin" took its place. Johnny Grushecky also guested on "Glory Days".

See complete set list.

May 18: Washington

Max Weinberg was back and played drums for the full show in Washington.

Tour debut of The Righteous Brothers' "Little Latin Lupe Lu" (see their original version), a song Bruce played quite often in 1977/78 (see Bruce's explosive performance), and "Blinded by the Light", both sign requests. A shorter but intense show that features both "Kitty's Back" and "Rosalita" during the encores.

Photo: Yolanda Ortega (Philadelphia)

See complete set list.

Radio Nowhere (with Jay Weinberg, Philadelphia)

May 15: Hershey

In his first stadium show this year, Bruce Springsteen delivers one of the best and longest shows of the tour. Once again Jay Weinberg sits at the drums for the whole show, as Max is in L.A. preparing for The Tonight Show's debut with Conan O'Brien on June 1st.

Jay's vitality and sheer energy captures the audience since the beginning, with strong performances on songs like "Badlands" or "Radio Nowhere" (now moved to the 4th slot, to better effect on the show). Jay being in the band doesn't stop Bruce from debuting new songs and taking requests. "Twist and Shout" arrives early, as sixth song of the night, after Bruce picks a great sign from the audience (see the photo). Later, there's requests for "Trapped" and the tour debut of "Give the Girl a Kiss" (the Darkness outtake released on the Tracks box set, and only performed before at a couple of shows in 1999). "Backstreets" stays in the set list, and a long set of encores, ending with "Rosalita" and "Bobby Jean", extend the show to nearly three hours.

See complete set list.

May 14: Albany

"This is a big, big night. For the first time in 35 years, someone else has sat at the drums: Max's son. We got a new blood brother there". That's how Bruce introduced Jay Weinberg last night en Albany. It was Jay's first full concert with the E Street Band, and he showed he's ready for the job, drumming with fury and intensity all night long, in songs like "Kitty's Back" or "Backstreets".

There was no tour premieres or rarities last night, as the set list was, understandably, rather standard. Sign requests included "Thunder Road" and "Mony Mony", previously debuted in Chicago.

See complete set list.

Video: Mony Mony (Chicago):

May 12: Chicago

In the wonderful city of Chicago, Springsteen debuts his version of the sensational "Mony Mony" (by Tommy James & The Shondells -see video of their original 1968 version-), a song that Bruce had previously sung only at small clubs shows in New Jersey or as part of the "Detroit Medley" during The River tour in 1980/81.

Other Chicago highlights include "Spirit in the Night" (as second song of the night, right after "Badlands"), the sign requests ("Trapped" and "Candy's Room"), and a shit hot version of "Jungleland" that gets a large ovation. During the afternoon soundcheck Bruce and the band rehearsed Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone", perhaps thinking of the next tour stop? Jay played from "Sunny Day" til the end of the show.

See complete set list.

Video. The full version of "My Generation":

May 11: St. Paul

Jay Weinberg joined the E Street Band at the St. Paul show since the very beginning with "Badlands" and "Radio Nowhere" and up to "Raise Your Hand", in a show with little surprises. "Is the old man in the house?" asked Bruce when Jay left. Max came up to play for the rest of the evening.

The cover song choosen for this show was The Rascals' "Good Lovin" (see video of the original Rascals performance) It was followed by more sign requests: "Prove it All Night" and "The E Street Shuffle". "The Wrestler" was dropped in favour of "I'm on Fire", and the show ended with both "Bobby Jean" and "Rosalita".

See complete set list.

May 8: University Park

In the arena at the Penn State University campus, Bruce delivered a long and exciting show in front of an audience full of veteran fans and young students. According to some fans, the first half of the show was amongst the most intense yet on this tour.

In the sign-petition slot arrive the tour debuts of "Ramrod" and the Who's "My Generation" (an eternal rock classic). Further on the show arrives (finally) one of the best songs off the new album, "This Life" (so far only performed at the first Asbury Park public rehearsal), though unfortunately that means skipping the great "Kingdom of Days". The long encores include "Jungleland", plus the tour debut of "Bobby Jean", followed by the "Detroit Medley" and one more tour debut, Sam the Sham's "Woolly Bully", last performed in 2008 Harleyfest. No Jay or Patti at this show.

See complete set list and another video.

May 7: Toronto

There's no bigger rock classic than Richard's Berry "Louie Louie", and Bruce and the band played it in full last night in Toronto, thanks to sign requests, along with "The E Street Shuffle" and "Prove it All Night". Minutes later "The Wrestler" was substituted by a long and beautiful rendition of "Racing in the Street", and the show ended with rousing versions of "Rosalita" and "Glory Days". For the second time on the tour, Jay Weinberg does not perform. Patti is absent, too.

See complete set list.

Just up on the official bs.net website: a video of "Expressway to your heart" from the Nassau Coliseum show.

"Greatest Hits", now in Europe

A new Greatest Hits package will be released in Europe on June 2nd, right at the beginning of the European tour, following the steps of the US Greatest Hits package that was an exclusive to Wal-Mart stores. The Euro version will feature different artwork and six more songs ("Blinded by the Light", "The River", "I'm On Fire", "Long Walk Home" and two live tracks: "Because the Night" and "Fire", from Live 1975/85). Sony Music is also planning a 7CD box called Tour Pack, to be released May 25th. This set will include all the live albums released to date Bruce Springsteen with the E Street Band: Live 1975/85, Live in New York City y Hammersmith Odeon London '75.

A lot more news are expected to be revealed some time this year, as more projects are underway, including the Darkness on the Edge of Town anniversary box set plus many other long-awaited releases.

The song list for the European Greatest Hits is:

01: Blinded By The Light
02: Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
03: Born To Run
04: Thunder Road
05: Badlands
06: Darkness On The Edge Of Town
07: Hungry Heart
08: The River
09: Born In The U.S.A.
10: I'm On Fire
11: Glory Days
12: Dancing In The Dark
13: The Rising
14: Lonesome Day
15: Radio Nowhere
16: Long Walk Home
17: Because The Night (live, Live 1975/85)
18: Fire (live, Live 1975/85)

May 5: Charlottesville

Charlottesville got quite a few tour premieres and surprises, and a stellar set list. The "Badlands" opener was followed by the always intense "Adam Raised a Cain", then "Outlaw Pete" and another gem off Darkness: "Candy's Room"; and in the middle of the "crisis trilogy" there was a surprising and stunning premiere: no less than "Roulette". Keep it there, Bruce!

Come the sign request slots, there was "Spirit in the Night" and the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" (see video) and a welcome track off Magic: "Gypsy Biker". A long and hot show that ended with Mitch Ryder's "Detroit Medley".

See complete set list.

Here's some videos from recent shows:
"Expressway to your heart" (Nassau Coliseum, NY 4/05/2009)
"Rendezvous" (Nassau Coliseum, NY 4/05/2009)
"London Calling" (Filadelfia 29/04/2009)

Tribute to Pete Seeger: The Ghost of Tom Joad

From Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday Concert at MSG on May 3rd: Bruce Springsteen and Tom Morello sing "The Ghost of Tom Joad".

May 4: return to Long Island

Bruce and the band return to the venue where they played for nearly 4 hours on New Year's Eve 1980. This time for a 2-hour and 50-minutes show that features 27 songs, including the tour premieres of "Rendezvous" and "Expressway to your heart" (the wonderful 1967 hit by The Survivors), plus brilliant performances of Bruce's own "Night" and "Jungleland".

See complete set list.

Greensboro & NYC

Bruce performed yesterday at NY's Madison Square Garden along with many other artists, at Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday show. Bruce and Tom Morello played an intense acoustic version of "The Ghost of Tom Joad", and participated in other songs with the full ensemble, including "This Land Is Your Land", "Well May the World Go" "This Little Light of Mine" and "Goodnight Irene". The show was taped for future broadcast at PBS. See set list.

A week ago Bruce also performed at another tribute show, in that case for Tom Hanks, and the song choosen was "Streets Of Philadelphia", sung with Patti. (More info)

Meanwhile the tour goes on, and after two magnificent performances in Philadelphia, Springsteen played Greensboro last Friday, in front of an enthusiastic audience for whom he sang 27 songs, including the tour debuts of "Seventh Son" (written by Willie Dixon), "Hang on Sloopy" (the 1965 classic by The McCoys) and "Human Touch". This show (without Patti) featured Jay Weinberg from the very begginning for 9 songs, plus all of the encores. (See complete set list and some videos)

Tonight Bruce and the E Street Band come back to the Nassau Coliseum in New York, where they performed for 3 consecutive nights the last days of 1980, including the now legendary New Year's Eve show.

"Radio Nowhere" with Jay Weinberg (Greensboro):


"Badlands" with Jay Weinberg (Greensboro):

Philly videos

Bruce Springsteen performs Badlands in Philadelphia

Bruce Springsteen performs Out in the Street in Philadelphia

Bruce Springsteen performs Outlaw Pete in Philadelphia