The first show of the UK tour brought a strong show to Sunderland that started with «Badlands», and had a lot of energy with «Youngstown», «Murder Inc.» and «Johnny 99», plus a great duo of first-album songs («Spirit in the Night» y «Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?) and a fantastic «Point Blank». The encores started with the songs that used to end the main set: «We Are Alive» and «Thunder Road».
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.
by Alfonso Adánez and Salva Trepat
Madrid has historically had a particular relationship with Springsteen: a kind, cordial relationship with some interesting coincidences. In 1988 it was the comeback show to Spain, after the unforgettable show in 1981. Then there was a bitter event, when in November of 2007 Madrid was the first E Street Band show in 35 years without Danny Federici, who had to be replaced by Charles Giordano. Last Sunday the Madrid show also marked the first anniversary since Clarence passed away.
I could not imagine there would be two more milestones to add to the history of shows in Madrid: the debut of the beautiful «Spanish Eyes» (an outtake from Darkness on the edge of town, which was finally released on the double album The Promise), and the show being his longest ever, with Springsteen and the E Street Band spending 3 hours and 48 minutes onstage.
The stadium was packed and the expectations were high (specially after those extra long shows in Italy the week before). Bruce opened the show with the fury of “Badlands” and “No Surrender”, before going on with some tracks off Wrecking Ball, and album he’s strongly supporting and defending. Bruce looked fresh after a week off and despite the jetlag (he landed in Madrid that same morning).
As the show progressed both Bruce and the audience started sharing a huge dose of feedback. The audience got more and more enthusiastic, and Bruce responded with great joy and working real hard. The world debut of one of the mythical outtakes from the 70’s marked one of the highlights of the show. After numerous rehearsals during soundchecks in both San Sebastián and Madrid, the song finally made it onto the setlist
«Spanish Eyes» was dedicated to the Spanish women, and despite being a huge stadium it didn’t matter at all, none of the intimacy was lost, and there was magic behind every note and nuance. The afternoon soundcheck also included «One Way Street» (another Darkness outtake) and Sam Cooke’s «Havin ‘a Party», but those will have to wait for another occasion.
Another highlight was «Talk To Me». No big surprise here as it had been previously played at other shows during the current tour, but having Southside Johnny as a guest was a memorable thing to happen: it was a flashback to 1978, as we had onstage the 3 guys behind those fabulous Jukes albums: Southside Johnny, Bruce Springsteen and Miami Steve Van Zandt (let’s name him again ‘Miami’ for once). It might not be a popular song among the 60,000 people in the stadium, but both Bruce and Johnny gave a formidable performance, soulful, strong and fun, and absolutely everyone danced and had a great time. For a few minutes we felt like we were in a small club in the Jersey Shore in the mid-seventies. It was the first time the trio had been together on a stage in Europe.
«Spirit in the Night», revitalized with the new intro, sounded more powerful and soulful than ever. Again, maybe not one of his most popular songs, but everyone seemed to enjoy it and quickly catched up with the chorus. It was immediately followed by another rarity, «Be True», originally the B side to the single «Sherry Darling» in Europe in 1981. It was a brilliant performance, the band nailed it, Bruce sang it beautifully and Eddie Manion’s solo was just perfect.
As the night went on Bruce’s energy level just seemed to increase and increase, and a lot of adrenaline was spent on stunning performances of songs like «She’s the one», «Youngstown», «Murder Incorporated» (with its sharp, greasy and fiery guitar solos), as well as a rare appearance of «My Love Will not Let You Down». Another gift for Madrid was a spectacular «Because the Night», with Steven doing the final guitar solo. The «Apollo Medley» was back in the set after a little rest and it was well received. One of the emotional moments of the night was “The River”, which was dedicated to Nacho, a 20-year old fan who passed away the week before due to a brain tumor. Family and friends had sent messages to the organization (directly and thru the press) asking Bruce to dedicate a song to him, as this was going to be his first Bruce show.
A magnificent “Thunder Road” closed the main set. Bruce and the band looked real happy, the audience was on fire, so after a little pause they quickly began the encore part of the show, with lots of greatest hits that raised the “craziness” level even more. The audience was a roar. “Born in the U.S.A.” was a blast and it really gave an extra push to a show that had already passed the 3 hour mark a while ago. At the end of “Hungry Heart” Bruce left the stage thru the right side of the ramp, went into a group of workers who were waiting there, danced with them, jumped on some flightcases just a few feet from the seats, and people in there started rushing down, then the people in the pit moved to that side (Bruce was on the other side of the fence), and all hell break loose (in a good sense). The audience was hysterical.
The party went on and on, with delirious vesions of “Seven Nights to Rock” and “Dancing in the Dark”. Come “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” the show had surpassed the Milano mark from a week before, and Bruce still looked as fresh as when he came onstage hours earlier. The roar from the crowd was huge, and Bruce couldn’t resist to do “one more for Madrid”. A long and loose “Twist and Shout” put an end to the show, which by then had just made history: Bruce had just played the longest set of his career. All we could see then was happy faces everywhere in the stadium, faces of disbelief and surprise by the length, intensity and joy of the show.
Let’s say it again: it is incredible what this man is doing at 62, played some of the longest, and yet intense, shows of his career. His honesty, attitude, and dedication to his fans is just incredible. He’s a man on a mission. And he’s provin’ it all night, every night.
Fotos: Jordi Aguilera (2,3,4) / Point Blank (1)
On May 17, 2012, at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, history was made: Bruce Springsteen played again the 1978 version of «Prove it All Night», the long and epic version he used to do during his 1978 Darkness on the Edge of Town tour, the year of release of the album Darkness on the Edge of Town. Back then Bruce used to play a very special version of the song, preceeded by an instrumental introduction based on Roy Bittan’s piano chords, in a constant in crescendo, during which Springsteen launched a furious guitar solo culminating into the beginning of the song. The fury and rage of that tour was concentrated in ten explosive minutes.
Perhaps for many fans it is just a meaningless detail or they simply haven’t even heard about that particular version, but for the bulk of veteran fans and/or collectors of Springsteen’s live recordings, that version is considered some kind of holy grail of his onstage career. An unreachable myth, unattainable for anyone who was not in the United States in 1978 in one of these now legendary concerts (or in the only two occasions after that, when he performed it again in Los Angeles in 1980 during The River tour).
As expected, many fans have asked Bruce over the years to do it again, but the resquests always fell on deaf ears: Springsteen refused, and replied to requests, both in concert and during interviews: «So you’re one of the ’78 piano intro guys… there are clones of you throughout the United States». He also talked about it, to laughter: «If you’d like to hear it again… that’ll probably never occur, my friend. But it was good while it lasted!«.
Last May, four Portuguese fans decided to continue the efforts to bring back to the stage the ’78 Intro, and for this they created a large black sign with red letters that said: «With Intro ’78. Prove it All Night».
So Hugo Sá, Casimiro Jones, Moreira Paulo and Pedro Ferreira got down to business:
«We made a poster with a black plastic and painted big red letters over it, with the words ‘With Intro 78’ and then ‘Prove it All Night’ below that, so there was no doubt at all that we wanted the intro. We put the sign up since the beginning. Bruce saw it while walking from side to side in the front of the stage, pointed to us and inmediately started talking to Steve. But he sang «Talk to Me» next so we lost hope and put the sign down. But then, eleven songs later we confirmed Bruce had seen the sign as the first notes of the ’78 intro started sounding. We screamed and celebrated the feat».
And so, 32 years later, Springsteen performed once again this legendary version of one of this best songs, «for Barcelona… for this man, over here…«.
Photo: Hugo Sá
Video: versions of the song in 1978 (the original version, in Passaic, New Jersey) and 2012 (Barcelona)
Momentos estelares del concierto de Florencia.
Highlights from the Firenze concert.