Thursday, November 19, 2009
The Spin Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Sommet Center, 11/18/09
Posted by The Spin on Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 12:37 PM
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The Spin can now confirm definitively: Bruce Springsteen is real. We know. We touched him. Five songs into last night's monster performance at the Sommet Center (where he last appeared a mere 15 months ago), as he crowd-surfed over our heads during the organ solo to "Hungry Heart," it was clear that his determination to outdo any other performer in rock is still unwavering. Now more than 35 years into their performing career, Bruce and the E Street band can still pull out a relentless three-hour marathon of take-no-prisoners enforcement that--at least from an audience perspective--is still the most exhausting and exhilarating in rock 'n' roll.
The Sommet Center, at least as far as we know, is not currently slated for demolition. That didn't stop Springsteen and his "heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, earth-shaking, booty-quaking, Viagra-taking, love-making, le-gen-dary" E Street Band from taking their wrecking ball to the stage and turning in yet another Middle Tennessee show people are likely to talk about for years to come.
After an opening run of songs that included his cover of Jimmy Cliff's "Trapped"--a fan favorite--a stirring rendition of the rarely played "Something in the Night," "Hungry Heart" and the title track from his latest offering Working on a Dream--the album's only song of the night--it was time for the show's centerpiece: a start to finish performance of his landmark Born to Run. It is a big record, in both sound and scope, and its grandeur was only heightened in the live setting. We stood transfixed as we watched the 60-year-old Springsteen belt out show-stoppers like "Backstreets" with the same amount of passion and purpose as the 25-year-old Springsteen who wrote them. As if not a day had passed since the the record's conception, the Boss and his E Street cohorts gracefully and handily recaptured the range of emotions that transpire through gems like "Thunder Road," "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," the title track, and ultimately the epic to end all epics: "Jungleland." Seeing this done before our very eyes is something we'll never forget.
Apropos of playing in Nashville, Springsteen started off a long run of encores by pulling a request sign for "Ring of Fire"--a song he claimed the band has never before played. What followed was a ramshackle full band sing-along that was far more spirited than it was tight, but what other rock 'n' roll band are you ever going to see attempt such a thing in front of 14,000 people? Among other highlights were ever-reliable live staples like "Badlands," "The Rising," "Dancing in the Dark" and "Rosalita." Springsteen delivered each with all his classic hijinks--from knee-drops to guitar-throws and windmills--while E Streeters Max Weinberg, Steve Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren and former Nashvillian Garry W. Tallent propelled him into the sonic stratosphere. While it has not been officially announced, word on E Street is that this tour, which ends on Sunday, is the last for the classic lineup of the band. The sense of finality was not lost on the crowd--a mix of traveling tramps, graying boomers and recent converts--as Springsteen declared near show's end: "You've just seen the last of, for a little while...the E Street Band." We can only hope that the end has yet to come as this was more than just a concert, it was a joyous celebration of life in the face of all the fears and hardships that make it tough.
Setlist:
Wrecking Ball
Seeds
Trapped
Something in the Night
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Night
Backstreets
Born to Run
She's the One
Meeting Across the River
Jungleland
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Two Hearts
Darlington County
You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Badlands
* * *
Ring of Fire
No Surrender
Bobby Jean
American Land
Dancing in the Dark
Rosalita
Higher and Higher
Comments (26)
Showing 1-26 of 26
Eh, it was allright, but I could see why there were more people at Kings of Leon.
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Anonymous,
Talk to me in 30 years, when Kings of Leon are LONG forgotten. Please don't show your youthful ignorance. The last time I saw Springsteen was 1976 on the BTR tour. Yes, I agree with the reviewer that some of the music was sloppy. But this was about passion and heart, and NOBODY can compare with the Boss in that space.
The final howl of Jungleland still sends shivers up my spine as I remember it.
I beg to differ, there were NOT 14,000 people there. I'd say 9,000 TOPS. And this show bored me to tears, except the part when the girl got on stage to help sing. That, unfortunately, was the highlight of the evening!
I don't know what show borntodouche saw but I thought it was AWESOME! Never seen Springsteen live. Was very impressed... even from the 200's.
Agreed, familiar sideman. Last night’s show was absolutely awesome. I’ve seen Springsteen before and I will continue to attend his shows for as long as he is willing to play them. 35+ years in and he/they still got it. I, too, am confused as to which show borntodouche attended last night. . . Seems like he’s aptly named. Instead of dissecting his/her inability to recognize phenomenal entertainment, let’s just chalk it up to that fact. . .
Tour de force spiritual experience!By the "douche" why didn't you leave after Waiting on a Sunny Day?there were were 14 more songs after it.Oh that's right,you probably had to wait for a ride from your mommy.
Say whatever you like, but the show sucked balls. Bruce is so funny looking on stage he looks like some sort of animated steroid muppet. The rest of the band is just OLD. So was the crowd. It was like attending a Dave Ramsey seminar.
I just don't see how you guys can praise this dinosaur and at the same time give bands like the KOL so much grief. Get with the times, granddad. Young rock is here to stay!
Wow--Kings of Leon better than Bruce? Kings of Leon are still in pullups--they have a LONG way to go. If you thought the little girl singing was the highlight--you missed a SPECTACULAR performance and may need to check your meds. Actual attendance was right at about 12,000. He's player here 3 x's in the last year or so and we're in a depression. Average ticket cost is north of $70--that's a good showing and the crowd was fully engaged from beginning to end.
Call KOL "young rock" if you like douche, but their front man (Followill) will be 28 in 2 months. Springsteen had 2 smoking albums out and was working on Born To Run when he was barely 25 while getting on the cover of both Time and Newsweek. Those covers meant something back then--just like the Noble Peace Prize did, but I digress. 9,200 is not an accurate number regardless of what you think you know. You're off by thousands --plural.
Troll on young fella--troll on
One more thing--I'm having fun here. The Nashville attendance is pretty much moot. Bruce sold something like a 1/4 million tickets in 4 nights at Giant's stadium last month then turned around and sold like 15,000 a night in 4 more nights at the Spectrum in Philly...Madison Square Garden a couple weeks later--same thing and on and on..let me know when KOL can do that will 'ya? I love me some Nashville--and I'm proud of it, but for whatever reason, there just aren't as many folks here who "get" Bruce--that's cool--but if it's not sold out, it's not so much because of Bruce.
KOL have the most record for the most in demand Today show performance EVER. They sold out Wembley. They've opened for U2. They are the biggest rock band in the world. Burce is an afterthought. He had his moment but now he' just going thorough the motions. Show sucked. Get over it.
You must be one of their roadies or mothers. If they're the biggest rock band in the world they wouldn't be opening for anyone else now would they? Bruce puts out more energy in one hour than KOL puts out in 3 shows--how can you not see that? There's no point in taking you even remotely seriously...but you're entitled to love whatever music you like--and you're entitled to live the rest of your life under the pen name you've chosen. Have a few more helpings of angst and anguish from KOL and party on amigo.
@douche You're an idiot. If you're gonna judge bands by their success then talk to me when KOL have a record that spawns SEVEN top ten singles. That's how many were on Born in the U.S.A. Seven top ten singles is a record. You know which album BITUSA is tied with? Thriller. Talk to me when they get inducted into the RnR Hall of fame. Talk to me when they have DOZENS of arena and stadium tours under their belt.
It's fine of you like KOL, but you come off like an like a real dunce when you try and suggest that there is any comparison to be made between the near 40-year career of Bruce Springsteen and any modern-day arena-rock act, especially the Kings of fucking Leon. It's like comparing David Haye to Muhammad Ali. Even the Kings of Leon would probably admit that they'll never have the relevance and dynasty of success that Bruce has and has had. Comparing their success to his is like evaluating the difference between riches and wealth.
And by the way, the attendance was over 13,000, I actually DO know this for a fact.
Given that seeing "Backstreets" sang with the kind of passion that he sang it with, watching him crowd surf during "Hungry Heart," or seeing him rock out and constantly engage the crowd during songs like "Badlands" and "Rosalita," for you didn't compare to the schtick of bringing a little kid onstage to sing, I glean that you obviously are not a Springsteen fan. Not even remotely. So, my question to you is this. Why the hell did you even go to show?
Gold, you're an idiot. You spend all your time trying to justify this dinosaur's career. You need to get with the times, dude! You are a music editor, not a historian! I paid for my tix like I'm sure you did---OH WAIT I bet you didn't!
And by the way, the attendance was 9,200. Or at least there were 9,200 tix sold. I KNOW THIS. I live with someone on the ticket sales company. Do I need to fax you the report from the next day?
Meh.
Don't feed the trolls. Besides, the guy is defending Kings of Leon for godsakes. He kind of torched himself right there.
My point was to prove that Gold can dish it out, but freaks when someone attacks a band he loves. My advice is not take these comments so seriously in the future, keep your composure. I used to run music blogs and that's a lesson I had to learn the hard way.
BTW, I have no opinion on The Boss, I didn't even go to the show!! I'm sure it was pretty rockin' though.
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