While this review is a few days late, I figured hey what the hey, I wrote a brief review of The Replacements last ever show from 1991 a few blog entries ago, which is according to my math, is almost 20 years ago. First and foremost, if Springsteen is in the Chicago area, I go. Period. Exclamation point! End of conversation. I couldn't imagine not being there if he was just 30 some miles from my house. Well, I take that back, I did skip the show he did a U.S._Cellular_Field back in the olden days when it was called Comiskey Park for The Rising tour. I had already seen 4 or 5 shows on that tour and single gigs in stadiums usually result in a "typical setlist" for Springsteen. Then again, a "typical setlist" for a Springsteen show usually conquers any setlists by most bands.
Finding out when tickets went on sale that Springsteen would be playing "Born to Run" (the album) (Yes, that's a nod to Wilco) not just "Born to Run" (the song) had the Springsteen concert chills going even before the tickets went on sale. As most Springsteen followers know, he regularly changes the setlists from night to night but even then his shows can have a certain predictability, e.g. "'Point Blank' was put in 'The River' slot on night 2 in Boston". So with an entire album performed in it's entirety I thought there'd be an extra aura of excitement.
I brought my lovely wife and one of her favorite songs is "Thunder Road" so as we arrived at the U.C. we weren't late but we were pushing it, we parked, got out, it was raining outside and I said, "What if he starts the show with the album, we'd miss 'Thunder Road'!" So that prompted us into a slight jog . . . "We can make it if we run . . ." Instead, Springsteen played 7 songs before kicking off the record, the first being "Seeds", originally off the "Live 1975-1985" boxset. Next was a rousing, rocking "No Surrender" and then a few songs all the cool Bruce kids are calling "the recession set". Whatever.
What I call it was a no-nonsense, take no prisoners, rock n roll show. There was little Springsteen schitck and little time between songs. It was the song ends, guitar tech throws Springsteen another guitar and then it's "One Two Three Four!" he counts off the next song. Even "Preacher Bruce" was absent save for a little spiel during "Working On A Dream" and Springsteen spent most of that spiel pointing out, "that was the sound of the E Street Band fuckin' up." Then Steve_Van_Zandt pointed out the Bruce that he forgot a verse and Bruce said, "Steve told me that I forgot a verse so that was the sound of the 'Boss Man' fucking up." Sprinsteen was waaaay out in the "pit" a.ka. mainfloor, for "Hungry Heart" which caused Steve Van Zandt to quip on WXRT the next day, "Bruce spends more time in the audience these days than he does on the stage."
Then Springsteen introduced the moment we had been waiting for, "Born to Run". He said words to the effect how his first couple records stiffed and that this record was more or less a make or break record. So with harmonica in hand, house lights up, he let wail those all to familiar sounds of "Thunder Road". It's like it was no secret to the entire audience what song was next but yet to hear it open the record live, the crowd let out a collective "aaaaaaaah". It was incredible. "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out" was quick, to the point, "Here's the important part" when "the Big Man joined the band", and no band intros like in the 1999 tour. There was also an added trumpet player, Curt Ramm, to join Clarence Clemons. "Night" was good, and having backseats behind the stage for "Backstreets", watching Max Weinberg play the intro to "Backstreets" was surreal. It was odd to have "Born to Run" in the middle of the set but the place went nuts and the obligatory house lights were up! Clarence seemed out of the picture when I saw Springsteen in May. He doesn't get around as much, but on this night he was on his game and Springsteen used him as a foil like he used to in "She's the One". Bo Diddley would have been proud.
The highlights of the record as it was performed were "Meeting Across the River" and "Jungleland". Personally, I had heard them in sequence before but this time they had the trumpet player! Sheesh, I'm having a "Magnolia" moment right now as a slew of acorns are falling on my porch roof. On Roy Bittan's piano riser were just Roy, Curt Ramm on trumpet, and Richard Davis on stand-up bass. Davis played stand-up bass on the original record in 1975. And of course, Springsteen on the mic . . . "Hey Eddie, can you loan me a few bucks . . ."
As with the rest of the record, we knew *what* songs were next yet to hear "Jungleland" follow"Meeting Across the River" was a Springsteen concert goers dream. Again, just Suzee Tyrell on violin next to Roy Bittan on piano . . . "The rangers had a homecoming..." Not to cite to many Springsteen concert cliches but Clarence really nailed the sax solo on "Jungleland". Springsteen took a stand on Roy Bittan's piano during the sax solo punching the air for emphasis along with Max's drums. As the song was ending, I was thinking if this band doesn't get a 7 minute standing ovation we all should turn in our Springsteen fan cards.
It appeared anything to follow "Born to Run" would be a letdown but it was not to be. The rest of the show continued with "Waiting On A Sunny Day" (the singing kid section needs to be retired already), "Promised Land", "Radio Nowhere", "Lonesome Day", "The Rising", and (upcoming concert cliche) a blistering version of "Badlands".
This has now become a nice change of pace at Springsteen shows, the request segment. Fans bring signs, hold up signs, for Springsteen to play. Some of them are obscurities and some are cool and no so cool covers. Bruce will scour the "pit" for request signs, get confirmation from the band that they can indeed play it, then rip through it. As Van Zandt pointed out the next day on an interview on Chicago's wxrt, they really are rehearsing those songs right then and there on the spot. These signs aren't "plants". He said words to the effect of, "We just run through it and make sure there is not bridge that won't embarrass us." On this night we were treated to, "Da Do Ron Ron", "Rockin' Robbin", as well as the little played "I'm Goin' Down" from "Born in the USA".
What was odd was that the band never left the stage for encores. They just stayed up there. The show ended with "American Land", "Dancing In the Dark", and what appeared to be a treat (okay, we'll just say it probably wasn't on the original setlist) for all us good fans in Chicago, "Rosalita".
In my 25 plus years of seeing Springsteen, this was probably one of the best shows I had seen him play. The last time I saw him it didn't seem that energetic, a lot of newer material from the new record, and probably, the biggest indictment of the show probably came from me. My daughter had fallen off (umm pushed off) a swing-set at the neighbors, was okay, but banged up purty good, so my mind may have been elsewhere for the May show.
Then when my 5 year old daughter asked about the show on Monday, I told her Springsteen played all of the "Born to Run" record. She exclaimed, "He played all of side one and then side two?"
