Yesterdays’ show in Milano, the first of three in Italy, can only be described with one word: epic. It was long, intense, extraordinary. Perhaps, on paper, it wasn’t the most spectacular set list of the tour, nor it had the biggest or oldest rarities, but the energy level from Springsteen and the E Street Band, along with the always enthusiastic italian audience, made it for an explosive combination.
The result was Springsteen’s second longest show ever, with a show that lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes, and a staggering 33 songs performed. The prize for longest show ever still remains for the New Year’s Eve Nassau Coliseum show in 1980, which lasted 3 hours and 45 minutes (of music, the intermission doesn’t count).Up til yesterday, the honor of being the second longest show was for the July 1st, 2000 performance at Madison Square Garden, which clocked in at 3 hours and 36 minutes (The DVD «Live in New York City» comes from that show). Twelve years later, at 62, Springsteen proved he’s in top shape and still can deliver amazing performances, like no one else in show business does nowadays.
The show was full of special moments, with «Spirit in the Night», «The E Street Shuffle», a double performance of «No Surrender» (Bruce and the band had to play it twice due to some mistakes), or the tour debut of the solo piano version of «The Promise». All of it topped with the longest encore of the tour, with 10 songs, including two extras («Glory Days» and «Twist and Shout») after the regular ending with «Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out».