by Sal Trepat
NIGHT 1
Springsteen’s relationship with his Barcelona audience went a step up last Thursday and Friday. He always gives good concerts in the city, always leaves a mark here and is received with enthusiasm, but these recent concerts at the Olympic Stadium can only be described with one word, the very same word used for his first performances in the city in 1981: unforgettable.
Bruce and the band came onstage at 21:46 while Donna Summer’s «Last Dance» was playing on the PA. After saluting with his now classic «Hola Barcelona, Hola Catalunya» he went straight into a fast-paced «Badlands» that put everyone on their feet. Jake’s first sax solo was received with joyous cheers of admiration by the 54,000 people in the audience. After good versions of «We Take Care Of Our Own» and «Wrecking Ball», improving as the tour progresses, came «No Surrender», an impetous «Death to My Hometown» (once again received enthusiastically) and another beautiful rendition of «My City of Ruins», which Bruce introduced with some words in catalan («this is a story of hello’s and goodbye’s, of life and death, of what we loose and what remains»). The end of the song was very moving, with Bruce singing «I’ve been so lonely… I’m in a sad mood tonight» before saying «Trovem algú a faltar?» (Are we missing anybody?) which was inmediately followed by chants of «Clarence, Clarence…» and a big roar.
Sadness was followed by joy when «Out in the Street» and an unexpected «Talk to Me» kept the whole audience singing and dancing. He addressed the audience again in catalan before «Jack of All Trades», which he dedicated to the spanish 15-M movement «and those fight in Catalunya». The song was respectfully followed with silence and attention. And then… something happened because Bruce, who was already doing an excellent job, went two steps up and for the next half hour brought the show to another level, with electrifying versions of «Youngstown», «Murder Incorporated», «Johnny 99», «You Can Look» (a tour premiere which sounded exactly like on The River tour) and «She’s the One». It was a pure blast of non-stop rock with The E Street Band in full gear. If that wasn’t enough, a fantastic «Shackled and Drawn» came next, with the horns and Cindy Mizelle on the spotlight, doing a great job. With this level of energy and enthusiasm, even «Waitin’ on a Sunny Day» wasn’t the drag it usually is, and «The Promised Land» sounded better than ever on this tour, with a little faster tempo than in previous shows and a great ending with Bruce on the small stage on the back of the pit. Bruce was on fire, running back and forth thru the side ramps lots of times, going to the different «little stages» in front, and receiving a lot of feedback from this crazy and happy audience. After nearly an hour of non-stop uptempo songs it was time to calm down a bit. «The River» was a nice surprise, so beautifully sung (with help from the audience) and so close to the original version, with the addition of some falsetto singing at the end.
What came next was the biggest surprise ever: some familiar piano chords started (that weren’t recognized at first), with Bruce saying «for this man, over there», and then we were speechless, awestruck, once we knew what that melody was: the 1978 intro to «Prove it All Night», with some striking guitar work from Bruce. Something we would have never thought of, not even in our wildest dreams. The unthinkable was happening. After so many years of memorizing that guitar melody almost note by note, listening to «the magic of bootlegging» late at night via the recordings of the Winterland and Passaic shows, we were finally witnessing «the magic». Needless to say those ten minutes are some kind of holy grail to Springsteen aficionados, something we always dreamed of and had to comfort ourselves watching videos from that legendary tour. Anyone remember how misteriously exciting it was back in the early 80’s to find out that videos from ’78 actually existed and someone would send us a copy? Oh well, we were happy to relive that sentiment again, three decades later, only that this time it was real, we were there, we ARE here, a few feet from Springsteen, and he’s doing it all again. Dreams come true sometimes. The next nine minutes we went to heaven and back and felt like teenagers watching their first rock show.
Some will argue the intro and its guitar solo were not the best last Thursday, and they’ll be right, but after 32 days it sounded like the best guitar solo ever done. Just a few thousands could say «we were there» up to Thursday. The 54,000 fans attending the Barcelona show are now proud to say «We were there, too». It was THAT good. Add up Steve’s solo at the end of the song, which was just mesmerizing and sent the energy and excitement levels to the stratosphere. Without pause Bruce yelled «one, two, three, four…» and we moved from ’78 to the summer of ’81 with a great «Hungry Heart», sounding as fresh and vital as the first time we heard it (no more «automatic pilot»). «The Rising» came next and benefited from the general state of excitement in the stadium. After a spirited «We Are Alive», the main set ended with yet another masterpiece, «Thunder Road», possibly most fans’ all-time favorite song, sung again with faith like in the old days, and ending triumphally with a great sax solo from Jake and the addition of the horns joining in at the end. Impressive.
After a brief pause the band was back onstage for the final half hour of encores, starting with a great «Rocky Ground», which led to a thunderous «Born in the USA», and then a frantic string of rock with the house lights on, with «Born to Run», «Bobby Jean», «Dancing in the Dark» and «Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out». The concert on Thursday is one that won’t be forgotten, at least for the 54,000 lucky souls who attended this historic performance. I haven’t been this excited since I was lucky to attend the St.Louis 2008 show.
NIGHT 2
Stakes were high for the second show. Some expected another, or even better, more amazing show. Others thought it would be a let down after such a special show the night before. It would be hard to top. Whatever the stakes, Springsteen jump onstage like a possessed man, a man with the mission to overcome his own achievements. After an intro in catalan («Hola Catalunya, preparats?» -Hello Catalunya, are you ready?), the start of the show was overwhelming, with «Night» and «The Ties That Bind» stomping in. «We Take Care of Our Own» was next, after which Bruce started giving instructions to the band, with two fingers up pointing to his chest, leading to an impromptu «Two Hearts» which was a blast, followed by «Wrecking Ball», «My City of Ruins» and the defiant rhythms of «Death to My Hometown». Springsteen was on fire again, jumping, dancing, coming down to the front rows and rockin’ as hard as the previous night. Though there was not a «holy shit» moment like the ’78 «Prove it All Night» from Thursday, the performance was equally strong, with 11 changes from the first show, and some terrific stuff.
With no time to catch his breath came two jewels from the early days: «Spirit in the Night» and «The E Street Shuffle», both memorable and so musically rich. «Spirit» featured a lot of crowd interaction with Bruce, and «Shuffle» was pure musical joy, with the E Street Horns shining on. It was a thrill, and a surprise, to see «Trapped» (another superb performance that brought back memories of the ’81 tour) followed by a great, uptempo «Downbound Train», then followed by the always intense «Because the Night» and a nice rockabilly version of «Working on the Highway» (after a false start because Bruce’s monitors were dead) in the small stage in the front. «Shackled and Drawn» was a highlight again, featuring Cindy & Bruce doing some great singing and dancing down front.
Later in the set, Roy Bittan’s piano brought us a marvelous 10-minute long «Racing in the Street», with great vocals from Bruce and an astounding 5-minute coda that, again, brought us to another level. It was the musical highlight of the night. Surprisingly, there was no «Thunder Road» or «Land of Hope and Dreams» after «The Rising» and «We Are Alive». Rather, some familiar instrumental intro (back to 1978 again) led us to a rousing, furious version of «Badlands», with several codas, to end the main set. The stadium roared in approval.
«Ramrod»opened the encores instead of «Rocky Ground», which followed next. The rest was the same predictable encores as the first night, only a little less spirited. After such a great night I expected something else, but maybe that’s me. Nevertheless, it was, again, another exhilarating concert. Both nights in Barcelona were an act of affirmation of a man’s enormous talents, with no tricks, no gimmicks, no fireworks: pure Springsteen at its best.
See the complete May 17th set list
See the complete May 18th set list
Photos: Sal Trepat, Barcelona, May 17th.
