After a short break the Wrecking Ball tour resumed yesterday at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, where Bruce Springsteen offered a 3-hr and 40-min show, the longest he’s ever done in Canada.
Starting with «Working on the Highway», followed by «Hungry Heart» and «Sherry Darling», the show included old-time jewels like «Thundercrack», «Incident on 57th Street» (solo-piano version), «Rosalita», and the tour premiere of Bo Didley’s «Mona» as intro to «She’s the One».
Despite being a few miles from the city, the concert in Foxborough is considered the third «Boston» show, and not only a standalone performance, specially after such a good set list. Bruce did not disappoint. Drawing from his endless well of songs, Springsteen kicked off his performance at Gilette Stadium in front of 50,000 people with a powerful «My Love Will Not Let You Down», followed without pause by «Night», «Out in the Street» and «Hungry Heart», before proceeding with «We Take Care of Our Own» and «Wrecking Ball». A strong opening which would have been even more impressive if he had followed his own set list (see below), as his intention was to start the show with «Kitty’s Back»!
His third area performance did not lack surprises. After «Spirit in the Night» fans got the tour premiere of «Open All Night» (by request) in its swing Seeger Sessions version, and then there was «Growin ‘Up», the inmense «Lost in the Flood» and an inspired «Because the Night». And that was the tone of the night, a high voltage performance with a varied and special set list.
«Racing in the Street» was one of the epic moments, with his endless instrumental ending. But if you wanted epic, there mas more in the can. The encores started with the familiar piano notes of «Jungleland», in its second-only tour appearance, causing more than a shock in the pit. Jake did a good job on the solo and Bruce smiled and raised his arm in approval. As if that was not enough, after «Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out» Bruce picked up another fan request, Dobie Gray’s classic «Drift Away», a soulful treasure only played before on a couple of occasions in 1984 during the Born in the U.S.A. tour.
Fantásticos vídeos filmados desde primera fila en el concierto de Boston del 15 de agosto de 2012.
Fantatic videos shot from the front row at the Boston Aug.15th 2012 show.
Thunder Road
The E Street Shuffle
Knock on Wood
Frankie
Dirty Water
Boston 15.08.2012
«Summertime Blues», «Badlands», «Prove It All Night» (with guitar intro), «Sherry Darling», «Backstreets», «Quarter to Three»… If you’re familiar with Bruce’s concerts you may quickly think we’re talking about the famous Aug.15th 1978 show in Largo, Maryland. Believe it or not… we’re not.
Bruce played all those songs yesterday, August 15… 2012, at the second and last concert at Fenway Park in Boston. Springsteen digged deep into his magnificent legacy, without abandoning the present with the new songs (he played 6 off Wrecking Ball, including «Land of Hope and Dreams» and «Rocky Ground»), to offer an spectacular three-and-a-half-hour concert with a performance that matched his best European shows. It was, according to Backstreets.com, «a stratospheric performance», full of rarities, with 19 different songs from the previous night.
At 19:36 and under a storm threat, Springsteen took the stage and sang «Thunder Road», in its 1975 version, accompanied only by Roy Bittan’s piano. And then a bag of «summer» songs arrived: «Hungry Heart», «Sherry Darling», «Summertime Blues» and «Girls in Their Summer Clothes», plus an infectious «Two Hearts» in between «We Take Care of Our Own» and «Wrecking Ball».
After the touching «My City of Ruins» came the first sign request, Eddie Floyd’s «Knock on Wood», a perfect moment for the horn section to shine (the song had only been played previously at a 1976 gig in Memphis, with Eddie Floyd guesting with Bruce that night), which would lead to a string of marvelous jewels: «Does This Bus Stop at 82nd St?», «Thundercrack», «Frankie» and «Prove It All Night», again with the 1978 guitar intro. The main set closed with an extraordinary «Backstreets» which included part of Suicide’s «Dream Baby Dream» in the interlude, followed by «Badlands» and «Land of Hope and Dreams».
Bruce opened the encores with another surprise, an acoustic version of «Who’ll Stop The Rain?», followed by the return of «Rocky Ground» (a key song from the new album which deserves a steady spot on the set list). To the usual festive encores Bruce added two classic oldies: «Detroit Medley» and «Quarter to Three» (with Ed Manion on saxophone) giving to the show and even more 70’s feel. «American Land» with Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys guesting, was the final song of the night.