October 19, 2009
Night #3 of the Final Stand at The Spectrum
When You Walk In The Room (a legenedary song, going back to the Main Point days, and the first time played since 1976!)
Two Hearts
My Love Will Not Let You Down
Hungry Heart
Working On A Dream
Born To Run in its entirety:
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Night
Backstreets
Born To Run
She's The One
Meeting Across The River
Jungleland (for the last time at The Spectrum)
Waiting On A Sunny Day
Raise Your Hand
It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City (OH WOW!!! Been waaaay too long!)
I Wanna Marry You (first time with the E Street since The River tour in 1981)
All Shook Up (A nod to Elvis)
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Badlands
No Surrender
Land Of Hope & Dreams
American Land
Bobby Jean
Dancin' In The Dark
Rosalita/You Can't Sit Down
All in all, another very different set, save the encores....only one more left. MGK live Tuesday night from behind the Press Box - sniff, for one last time!
And now...your takes:
From WWW.BACKSTREETS,COM:
"When You Walk in the Room" to open... "You Can't Sit Down" to close... What year is this again? The 2009 Working on a Dream tour has decidedly entered the anything-goes phase, that sweet spot at the end of every Springsteen tour when business as usual goes right out the window. If you needed any further proof tonight, just look to the Elvis impersonator.
"When You Walk in the Room" may have moved a tad slow, but the Jackie DeShannon classic was a holy-shit flashback to Bruce's Main Point era, performed by the E Street Band numerous times in 1975 and last in 1976. With "My Love Will Not Let You Down" in slot three, it was a particularly strong start tonight. A little strange that the place wasn't packed to the rafters to witness it: this third of four final shows at the Spectrum — "One of the last of the old-time rock houses, damn straight!" — wasn't close to a sell-out. During "Hungry Heart," Bruce looked up at a lone couple in a 300 section: "You got the whole place to yourselves!" But those present were treated to another doozy, particularly the first half of the night, featuring not only a nice selection of rarities, but Bruce and the band in loose mode.
By slot six we were into the main event, the top-to-bottom performance of Born to Run. Introducing the 1975 classic, Bruce namechecked the Main Point as well as a couple of influential local DJs: "David Dye and Ed Sciaky came down and supported us... This was the record where we all got introduced to each other." Highlights of the album sequence included a powerful "Backstreets," and Steven really feeling it on his stand-out "Jungleland" solo.
"Sunny Day" cleansed the palate as usual before the sign collection on "Raise Your Hand" — a particularly strong version, complete with the piano jump. First up, request-wise: "Saint in the City," with a kick-ass guitar duel. Then, a proposal, as a sign read "Nellie, will you marry me?" and a gent down front got down on one knee. "You're not the same guy who proposed last time, are you?" Bruce asked. "Serial proposer: That happens to some people." On the reverse of the sign was "Two Hearts." What to do, since they'd already played it? How about a song the band hasn't done since the end of the River tour? Bruce broke it out a few times in 2005, but the E Streeters hadn't tackled "I Wanna Marry You" since September 11, 1981. "We haven't done this one for a long time, I don't know if we can get through this one... Charlie, do you know this? [Giordano plays a few chords]... A little cheesier!" And man, they did themselves proud, a beautiful moment that reminds you what they're capable of.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, "All Shook Up" ("A great song by Otis Blackwell") came out next courtesy of a full-blown Elvis impersonator with a sign — and with a white jumpsuit and cape, as well. "A request by The King!" exclaimed Bruce, and he seemed pretty tickled as he worked it out with the band, "Although you're scaring me a little," he said to the guy. He brought "Elvis" up on stage to help out nonetheless, letting him take the mic and sing lead. "Take it, Bruce!" said "Elvis" when it was time for a solo. If that weren't enough, "Elvis" took it upon himself to take the band into "Blue Suede Shoes" from there. Which actually worked — with some significant scrambling from Bruce to make it happen, of course. (In a similar spirit, "Two Hearts" included "It Takes Two"; "Raise Your Hand" added a bit of "You Sexy Thing"; and "Rosalita" again featured Curt Ramm's "Rocky" intro.) "Elvis has left the building!" Bruce said at song's end. "We are truly in Philadelphia."
A bit more routine from there — Bruce nixed the setlisted "Last to Die," avoiding an awful transition and steering things back on course with audibles "Radio Nowhere" and "Lonesome Day" instead. (He also dropped the handwritten setlist's main set closer, "Born to Run" — wonder why?) A strong "Land of Hope and Dreams" opened the encore, Max pounding away at the end. And following "Rosalita," there was "One more for Philly!" The Dovells' hit "You Can't Sit Down," a local special and a '76/'77 staple that rocked this very building back in '78 as well as earlier this year, rocked it once again. For the last time? We'll find out tomorrow night!