Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
April 3, 2009
Jobing.com Arena, Glendale AZ
Wow, what a show! As a Springsteen concert neophyte, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Friday’s show but I knew I would be entertained. It’s been said that his concerts are more like a revival instead of a rock concert and I would have to agree. Bruce and his crew rocked the house in Glendale for almost three hours---non-stop. Bruce is almost sixty years old; the ages of his band mates average fifty-eight years old. One would assume age might limit their ability to perform the music America has been listening to for almost forty years; one would be absolutely wrong in that assumption. The energy they put into this performance was nothing short of amazing. Springsteen’s voice was strong from beginning to end and the E Street Band sounded like they could have played ‘til the cows came home.
From the reviews I read, Springsteen must have had a little extra love for us desert-dwellers. He took requests; “Because the Night” (written by Springsteen but made popular by 10,000 Maniacs) and “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” were ad-libbed to his set list and were huge fan favorites. “The Rising” was a request that he also played at Barack Obama’s inauguration concert.
Music that reminds people about 9/11 seems to have fallen out of favor but that didn’t stop him. “Hard Times (Come Again No More)” was written by Stephen Foster in 1855 but remains relevant today. The gospel/spiritual feel was complemented by background vocals and Soozie Tyrell’s soulful violin. Five out of thirteen songs from “Working on a Dream” were performed but it never felt like he was pushing his latest release. “The Wrestler” was edgy, raw, and emotional---as expected. “Working on a Dream” and “My Lucky Day” were upbeat and energetic which was a nice contrast to the folksy “Outlaw Pete” and the poignant “Kingdom of Days”. The six song encore set was slated to conclude with the rousing sounds of “American Land.” Instead, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band left us with “Dancing in the Dark”---the perfect ending to an outstanding and memorable performance.
-Linda (Downtown)
No comments:
Post a Comment