by Sal Trepat / Point Blank
After such an epic show in Madrid, I was wondering how the next show would be. The next stop was Montpellier, in the south of France, and the show was to be held in a brand new 14,000-seat arena.
Fortunately, the lengthy concert in Madrid did not dent on Bruce, who is in extraordinary shape on this tour. He took the stage as fresh as ever and delivered his goods for the “standard” 3 hours.
Living just under three hours away from Montpellier it was a no-miss show, and it was one of the few European indoor shows. The Parks & Suites is a spotless, warm and comfortable new arena that makes you feel like you’re in a theatre when compared to the huge stadiums Bruce is currently playing in Europe. The pit was small, the crowd was real close and it had a much smaller stage, making it for a very intimate feeeling. The small stage was once again there, in the back of the pit, and Bruce made good use of it during the “Apollo Medley” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”.
The sound was crystal-clear since the first song, «We Take Care of Our Own». It was powerful and sharp, allowing to hear every instrument with clarity. It’s interesting to see how Jake Clemons is improving night after night, and in Montpellier, perhaps because of the sound clarity and the short distance, he sounded better than ever, sounding triumphal on «Badlands» and, particularly, “She’s the One”. Though the audience was quite calm at the beginning, things started to roll up with «Death to my Hometown» and «My City of Ruins», where Bruce started to talk in French: «Bonsoir Montpellier, comment allez-vous?».
«Spirit in the Night» put the audience on its feet and got everyone excited when he walked thru the side ramps and started interacting with the front-row fans. It seems to have a well deserved fixed spot on the setlist and it’s truly one of the highlights of the show now.
A few familiar chords gave way to the first surprise of the night: «Growin ‘Up», for the first time on tour. Bruce spoke again in French, then English, and told one of his usual stories, only this time with a local accent: «And there I was… trying to speak French… I fell asleep and had a dream… a ball was being kicked from this side to that side… and they called it football! and Montpellier was the Champion of France!» (referring to the championship recently conquered by the Montpellier football club). The magnificent performance of “Growin’ Up” received a well-deserved standing ovation, before everyone stayed silent listening to “Jack of All Trades». No one went to the bar, nobody talked. It was time to listen to one of the best songs from the new album.
Next up was an incendiary trifecta. A breathtaking «Candy’s Room» led us to a great «Prove it All Night», which Bruce finished with a riveting guitar solo that, again, ressembled the classic ’78 performance. It was delirious. The band was absolutely tight, Jake was on fire on the sax, and «She’s the One» came next and the show’s temperature went even higher up. From then on there was no pause to catch our breath. Bruce and the band showed they’re in spectacular shape on this tour (impeccable, seamless, perfect as a clockwork) and each and every song was a new energy dose we received with pleasure. The duet between Cindy and Bruce in «Shackled and Drawn» has already become one of the highlights of the show. Bruce was everywhere, jumping up and down, interacting with the front rows, running thru the side ramps, going around the pit to the ministage to sing the «Apollo Medley» and get a lof of feedback from his then excited audience.
After a very brief pause he showed a sign request that brought us a majestic «Point Blank». It was sumbline, with Stevie doing some fine guitar work and singing harmony vocals to great effect, all lead by the beat of Garry Tallent’s classy bass, while Roy embellishes the song with some great piano chords, all sounding very much like the album version. It is one of those moments that stays in our memories. Indoors Bruce’s voice sounds great, deeper and heartfelt. The dark and serious tone of the concert continues with «The River», again flawless and sung with emotion. At times the feeling is the same as in those distant European concerts of 1981 which had the perfect combination of unbridled rock tunes and heartfelt ballads, plus the occasional party songs to lighten the mood («Waitin ‘on a Sunny Day», «Shackled and Drawn», «Dancing in the Dark»…).
«The Rising» and «Out in the Street» (during which a daring young fan mouthkissed Bruce for a few seconds) were the uplifting moments before ending the main set with the best version I’ve heard of «Land of Hope and Dreams», where the horns play such a big and effective role. Just brilliant.
Before the encore began Bruce picked up a two-sided sign which had «Thunder Road» on one side and «Fire» on the other. He chose the latter and debuted “Fire” on this tour. Bruce showed his most sexy, funny and provocative side. “Rocky Ground” was next and got a warm reception from the audience, before the E Street Band launched into a powerful «Born to Run» followed by a thunderous «Born in the U.S.A.» (Max’s drumming was terrific, and the song sounded even more overwhelming in such a small venue), and then «Seven Nights to Rock», «Bobby Jean», «Dancing in the Dark» and «Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out». Sometime during the delirious encores both Bruce and Steve wore work helmets and Steve drenched Bruce in water, wand at some point Bruce went to Roy’s riser and started playing the piano with his left ear.
It was Springsteen at his best in front of 14,000 french who had the luck to attend a stellar, thrilling, vibrant concert.
