Reprint from DAN # 20:
I consider myself very lucky. Not only was I fortunate enough to see
Springsteen perform live several times this year, but each of this
performances were very special and rare. It started out with a bar gig -
the unbelievable videoshoot at the Cafe Eckstein in Berlin; next in line
was the 7-hour marathon in Cleveland where Bruce played a quite strong
role; then came a benefit concert: the 7-song stint at the 9th annual
Bridge School Benefit Concert. Now what I witnessed the past two nights
were another two concerts for the ages.
Armed with only a couple of guitars and some harmonicas, a thoughtful,
quiet, almost somber but still very friendly Bruce took the stage on
Wednesday and attacked the audience right away with a extremely
moving rendition of the titlesong of the new album "Ghost of Tom Joad".
After the first song Bruce gave a little speech which he quite likely will
deliver at every concert on this tour: "Most of this songs have been
written in silence and ask for silence to be conceived. So I ask you for
collaboration... If you feel like singing and clapping along, well, don’t
embarrass your friends & family. And don’t make me come down, like I
had to do in LA and collect a half dozen cellular phones".
Not that the audience of either night needed that peptalk; they perfectly
well understand the meaning of the song and proved with their whole
behavior to be genuine Springsteen fans. Bruce thanked them with two
emotional, perfect and moving shows. By just looking at the setlists both
gigs seem virtually equal (except the addition of "New Timer") but
something on the emotional level made them look sound different. While
the first show had the feeling of listening to a storyteller you know since
you were a small kid, the second show was ignited by an angry,
frustrated (?) and highly concerned Bruce. Especially on "Murder Inc."
and "Born in the USA" he almost ripped his guitar apart and let it nail
even without all the electric amplification.
Other highlights were the triumvirate of Bordersongs, the title track of the
Robbins Movie "Dead Man Walking", the sexy and sensual "It’s the little
things that count" and the sad but beautiful "Highway 29".
On top of performing those new songs in a manner, that even exceed the
powerful album versions, Springsteen also pleased his fans with
old-timers like "Does this bus ...?" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town".
(Man. Did he show the feelings that’ll bring him on this hill!!)
As always, when Bruce makes a career decision humongous amounts of
fans and critics second-guess it right away. ("He should have written a
follow-up to SOP" etc.) I personally think - although I too liked to see the
E-Street Band again - that GOTJ not only shows Bruce enormous talent
as a songwriter (and performer), but it also proves once more that he has
antenna-like conscience about what’s going on (and wrong) today and
express it in a powerful straight and poetic way.
I do consider myself lucky indeed; lucky and proud to be a Springsteen
fan stills.
by Manuel Pasi
NB: After the show Bruce not only signed my Berlin T-shirt but also
chatted a little bit and left me with the words: "Nice T-shirt, chief!"