The two ‘back to back’ concerts at Wrigley Field in Chicago were immense, with a full and varied setlist, mixing old & new songs, rarities & popular hits. The first night started in an amazing and spectacular way, with the 1978 version of «Prove it All Night», more intense than at other recent performances, and for the first time this year with the full original melody. It was followed by a rockin’ «My Love Will Not Let You Down» and then «Out in the Street». One of the highlights was the tour debut of the fantastic «None But The Brave» (with Eddie Manion on saxophone), a very little-known song published only on The Essential Bruce Springsteen 2-CD set. Springsteen wrote the song in 1983, for Born in the USA, but it was, unfortunately, left off that record.
For both concerts Bruce invited on stage his friends, and native Chicagoans, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) and Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam). The first night Tom showed his talent on guitar on «Death to My Hometown», «Jack of All Trades», «The Ghost of Tom Joad», «Badlands» and «Land of Hope and Dreams» while Eddie sang a duet with Bruce in «Atlantic City». The second night Morello played for the very unusual «This Depression» and Vedder was superb in «My Hometown» and especially «Darkness on the Edge of Town».
Highlights from the first night included «Trapped», «I’m Goin ‘Down» and «Jungleland», plus Tom and Eddie’s participation on «Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out» and «Twist and Shout». Both also also guested in the encores of the second night, a show that featured 14 different songs, including «The Promised Land» (show opener), «The Ties That Bind», «No Surrender», «The E Street Shuffle», «Pay Me My Money Down», «Because the Night», «American Land», «Rocky Ground», «Rosalita» and an acoustic version of «Who’ll Stop the Rain?» when the rain showed during the show.