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Bruce opened the first of 3 homecoming show in East Rutherford with a strong performance which opened with «Shackled and Drawn» inmediately followed by an intense «Prove it All Night», complete with its 1978 instrumental intro. Vini Lopez guested on a fun «The E Street Shuffle». Later in the set arrived a majestic and very long «Racing in the Street», featuring some superb work from Roy Bittan.

The second show at MetLife Stadium was really outstanding and no doubt one of the best of the tour. Bruce and the band were on fire and the show featured the world premiere of the rare River outtake «Living on the Edge of the World» to open the show, along with amazing performances of «Lost in the Flood», «In the Midnight Hour», «From Small Things» and back to back versions of «Incident on 57th Street» and «Rosalita» to end the main set.

Night #3 felt more like a big party than a focused or intense Springsteen show like Night #2. Bruce celebrated his 63th Birthday with 55,000 fans, a big cake and a lot of his family onstage (mother, sister, mother in law…) to share the moment. The show itself was uneven, with lots of ups and downs, all with a clear party atmosphere. Particularly good were «Cover Me» and «Downbound Train» early in the show, plus another amazing duo to end the main set: «Meeting Across the River» and «Jungleland». Both nights featured guest Gary US Bonds to sing «Jole Blon» and «This Little Girl». Strangely, there was no «Quarter to Three» in the encores, even though Gary was there.

See Night #1 set list.

See Night #2 set list.

See Night #3 set list.

For the second time on the tour, Springsteen kicked off yesterday’s concert in Washington with the epic 1978 version of «Prove it All Night», which was followed by the powerful duo «My Love Will Not Let You Down»/ «The Ties That Bind». It was a long show, with 30 songs during three hours and thirty minutes. Highlights included the band version tour debut of «Blinded By The Light» (previously performed in Helsinki in acoustic format), along with an intense «Jackson Cage» which lead straight into «She’s the One» and «Johnny 99». Later came the always majestic «Racing in the Street», and during the encores «Detroit Medley» after «Born to Run», plus «American Land» and «Twist and Shout» to close.

The stadium summer tour will end next week with three concerts at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey

See complete set list.

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.

See complete set list for Night #1 (9/7)

See complete set list for Night #2 (9/8)

The reports from the second concert in Philadelphia vary, but all agree that the show had a spectacular first half, then taking a dip and following a more standard setlist, more centered in festive songs and greatest hits. The two faces of Bruce Springsteen in one show. Taking a look at the setlist is hard to imagine how Bruce could keep pace after such a fast-paced and furious start, with five songs in a row off Darkness on the Edge of Town.

Celebrating «Labor Day» Bruce opened with an appropriate acoustic version of «Factory», followed by an unstoppable 4-pack with «Adam Raised a Cain,» «Streets of Fire», the 1978 version of «Prove it All Night» and «Something in the Night». An unbeatable streak that set the bar very high. After the usual songs off Wrecking Ball Bruce delivered a 3-song set devoted entirely to songs off his debut album, with «Spirit in the Night», «Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?» and «Saint in the City», followed by the beautiful and always welcomed «Frankie».

From there on the pace and intensity of the show decreased, and Bruce focused on more on hits and party songs («Darlington County», «Working on the Highway», «Waitin’ on a Sunny Day», «Lonesome Day», «The River», «Badlands»…). Until the encore, very trimmed if compared with recent performances, which featured an amazing «Jungleland» and ended «American Land». The 2nd night’s set was twenty minutes shorter than the first night. Still, we can’t call «short» a 3-hr 20-minute performance.

Veteran reporter Caryn Rose has summarized the show perfectly in the excellent article published in her Jukebox Graduate blog: «It was not a perfect Philly night 2, but it was tremendous in its own ways, and more than enough.»

See complete set list.

The afternoon soundcheck at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia gave the first signs that the first Philly show would be special: Bruce and the band did «None But The Brave», «County Fair» and, for the first time ever, «TV Movie». Although none of them ended up being performed that night (maybe today, in his second concert in the city?), the first show in the great city of Philadelphia was as good as any 2nd nights are: 33 songs in a 3-hour & 43-minute performance, opening with a bunch of «summer songs» such as «Summertime Blues», «Out in the Street», «Sherry Darling» and «Hungry Heart».

The fan requests brought a few rarities last night. While the band played  the instrumental «Green Onions» Bruce devoted some time to collect signs of all kinds, which resulted in performances of  «Lost in the Flood», «Cadillac Ranch», «Good Rockin ‘Tonight» (tour debut) and «I’m On Fire».

The intensity of the concert continued with «Candy’s Room» and «Mona/She’s the One». «Human Touch» reappeared for the second time on the tour. Later, and even if he wasn’t at his home state, Bruce premiered «Jersey Girl» on this tour, as he would later do with the classic «You Can’t Sit Down» during the long encores, which ended with «Twist and Shout».

See complete set list.

Read Caryn Rose’s report at Jukebox Graduate.