It’s Pacific time!
The Pacific Coast tour started last Friday at the Rose Garden (photo) in Portland, Oregon, followed by a Saturday night show in Seattle. After a spectacular string of shows in the Midwest Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kept up the great work with more intense performances and tour debuts. Even though there was no premieres in Portland, the oregonian fans got a double shot of classic tunes off Greetings from Asbury Park N.J.: «For You» and «Lost in the Flood», both for the second time only on the Magic tour. Come encore time, and extraordinary «Jungleland» was played upon a fan request with a special sign (an Oregon license plate, see photo below). Another sign in the front rows that read «Lesbians love Bruce», brought a lyric change to «American Land», when Bruce sang «The Blacks, the Irish, Italians, the lesbians and the Jews».
Saturday night in Seattle, the show opened with a tour debut: «Trapped». Nils Lofgren shone again during his spectacular guitar solo on «Because the Night» (as he did the previous night in Portland during his solo on «Prove it all Night»). «Your Own Worst Enemy» re-appeared after a while, followed by the tour debut of the classic «Point Blank», off The River, a lost gem that should be played more often. For the encores Bruce let aside the handwritten set list (which included «Girls», «Thunder Road» and «Glory Days») and delivered a fantastic, non stop 4-song encore with «Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out», «Rosalita», «Born to Run» and «American Land», thus ending a brilliant show.
And let’s not forget the songs from Magic, sounding more intense and powerful night after night. «Radio Nowhere», «Gypsy Biker», «Devil’s Arcade», «Last to Die» or «Long Walk Home» are the real backbone of the show.
Tomorrow the tour goes across the border, to Vancouver, Canada, and will later go down to warm California for 4 shows, then on to Texas (2 shows) and Florida (3 shows).
See complete set list for Portland.
See complete set list for Seattle.
Photo: Portland by Joseph Quever/courtesy Backstreets Magazine.