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Bruce Springsteen Hits the ‘Backstreets’ at Madison Square Garden on Monday night

Stan Goldstein By Stan Goldstein

Bruce Springsteen’s three-hour-plus show at  Madison Square Garden on Monday night was one that started off as a bit of a repeat (the first six songs were the same played at Friday’s MSG show) but picked

up speed toward the end and had some set list twist and turns

.BruceMSGdance.jpgPhoto by Stan GoldsteinBruce Springsteen dances with a young girl during “Dacing in the Dark” at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

It slingshotted with the tour premiere of “Backstreets” near the end of the main set. Then “Land of Hope and Dreams” was played to close the main set. The normal main set closer “Thunder Road” was not played for the first time this tour.

Show began at 8:26 p.m. with the band taking the stage as Frank Sinatra singing “New York, New York” played.

“New York City!” Bruce yelled out as the house lights stayed on and they broke into:

1. Badlands     Same opener as Friday. Always has been one of Bruce’s powerful choices to open a show.
2. We Take Care of Our Own      Still sounding good     3. Wrecking Ball      Big applause when the Giants were mentioned.

4. Out in the Street     The third time in the past four shows this has been played but it still sounds a bit rough. Again there’s confusion when Bruce asks other band members to sing along at the end (“Come on Stevie”) as in past tour and no one really knows how to respond.

5. Death To My Hometown     Keeps the crowd on its feet
6. My City of Ruins     Before the song, Bruce said he’s “the ambassador of peace between New York and New Jersey. I want to bring peace and harmony to the bridge and tunnel crowd. He then told the same story as Friday (and as he did at the 2000 MSG shows) how the Statue of Liberty “happens to be in New Jersey. We love ‘New York, New York.’ It’s one of the greatest theme songs about a city and it happens to be sung by a man from New Jersey.   “There’s the World Champion New York Giants who happen to play in a stadium that’s in New Jersey. “It’s like having the Empire State Building be called the Garden State Building and leaving it in New York.” Bruce then asked who came from New York, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut. He did the ususal speech how “your voice, legs and feel will hurt after the show and your sexual organs will be stimuated.” He then saw a bunch of people sitting on the side of the stage and said “we got to get your lazy asses out of your seats.”

Song is still one of the show’s highlights. Very powerful when Bruce introduces the band and then says “are we missing anybody” and a spotlight shines over Danny Federici’s and Clarence Clemons’ spots.

BruceMSG2setlist.jpgThere were quite a few changes to the printed set list at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

7. Spirit in the Night (tour premiere)     “We’re going to play somethig we haven’t played yet. We’re going to go way back,” Bruce said. He mentioned they used to go to this pond on a Saturday night as he broke into the song. I figured we would hear this one sooner or later. It’s always good and at one point,  Bruce lies down on the center extension right next to the crowd.

8. Thundercrack (sign request)     Bruce grabbed the sign from the front fo the stage. He saw it while playing Spirit.  I love hearing this song  but not sure how much the Garden crowd was into it.  Neither this song nor Spirit were on the printed set lsit.

9. Jack of All Trades     Point of the show where Bruce brings things down a bit and talks about current times and struggles.
10. Trapped       Has become a favorite of Bruce’s lately. as it was played at the second Philadelphia show (March 29), in Washington, D.C. (April 1) and at the second Izod show (April 4). Crowd always digs it.

11. She’s The One        Does this song ever disappoint? One of the many songs where Jake Clemons really stands out. Jakes been doing a great job. A friend texted me after the show and wrote “Love Jake!”

12. Easy Money       Another of the new songs that has been in the set list every show. I still love how the horn players play an individual drum.

13. Waiting on a Sunny Day      Looks like it’s here to stay. The crowd participation song. A young boy sang with Bruce and later did the knee slide with him.

14. The Promised Land       I’ll say what I always say… Rotate this one out every once in awhile.

15. Apollo Medley (The Way You Do the Things You Do/634-5789)   Bruce talked about how playing soul music allowed him to play “Elks halls, bar mitzvahs, Foodtown openings, intermission of drive-in movie theaters” among other places when he was growing up on the Jersey Shore.    He said how he saw a soul singer in the 1980s in California and loved how the women reacted when he sang way down.    He then asked all the women at the Garden to scream three different times and he said this is the reason why he plays music, almost as much as for that reaction as for the money.    Before the crowd surf, he once again chugged two beers from the platform at the back of the pit.

16. Because the Night     Where the show, which for whatever reason had slowed downt, started to take off. Great guitar solo by Nils. Patti sings along with Bruce at one point and it doesn’t work. Not the best song for her to sing along on.

17. The Rising       Continues to have a great crowd reaction.
18. We Are Alive       Not sure the crowd fully appreciates this one as there always seems to be a lot of talking.

19. Backstreets (tour premire)      Highlight of the evening. “New York City” Bruce yelled out before Roy Bittan hit those magical notes on the piano.  Garden crowd loved it. Played very well.   Bruce just said “Yeah, yeah, yeah!” at the end.

20. Land Of Hope and Dreams       Closed the main set. First time “Thunder Road” hasn’t closed on this tour.  This wasn’t played the past two shows. Nice to have it back and it made for a fine closer.

Encores: 21. Rocky Ground (with Michelle Moore of Long Branch)       Bruce said “Madison Square Garden is always a special place. When I was a kid, when TV was first invented, every Friday night there were the fights at Madison Square Garden that we gathereed around this tiny screen to watch. There was the Gillette razor commericals too.”

This seems to get better and better every show.

22. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)      Is this ever not fun? Only second time it’s been played on the tour. Before it started Bruce said “Spotlight on Steven. Spotlight on me: A little more spotlight on me!” and:   “There’s only one way to send you home!”     A screw up toward the end when the horns played the wrong part. Steven immiediately motioned to them that it was wrong and Bruce laughed.  At one point, Bruce jumped up on a riser behind the drums.

23. Born To Run       Houselights turned on for the remainder of the show. This song never gets boring. Watching the crowd with the lights on is always amazing.

24. Dancing in the Dark       Thought maybe we’d get “Glory Days” in this spot. Bruce brought up a little girl to dance with him.

25. Tenth Avenue Freeze-out       Bruce jumped up on the piano and again closed the show with a tribute to Clarence Clemons. Bruce goes to the stage at the back of the pit, and stops the band for 90 seconds  as a video montage of Clarence is shown. Tonight there were different clips than the previous two shows with more recent clips of the Big Man. I noticed Bruce’s guitar tech, Kevin Buell, even come out to the side of the stage to watch the video.     “We’ll be seeing you. Thank you New York!” Bruce said before leaving the stage.

Show over at 11:29.

Overall a very good show which got better as the night went on. Not sure the crowd was into it tonight as they were on Friday at the Garden.

A couple friends and I agreed that the Izod show last Tuesday was a bit better. And one friend, who has been to every show except one, says the Washington, D.C. show was the best one he’s seen on this tour.

Celebrities spotted: Michael J. Fox, Tracy Pollan, Jon Stewart and Jesse Malin. Also noticed one of the big video screens (right side facing the stage) had problems for much of the night. It froze for a bit, then went out, then just the bottom part worked. One internet posting I read said there were problems with one of the back video screens also.

A banner seen in the crowd: “E Street Lesbians Love Bruce”

This was my sixth show in 13 days and I enjoyed them all. Every show has its highlights and I’m looking forward to the May 2 show at the Prudential Center in Newark. Be interesting to see how much the set list changes by then.

Next show: Thursday at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Follow Stan Goldstein on twitter: @Stan_Goldstein

Bruce Springsteen, Madison Square Garden, NYC, 4.09.2012 Setlist

Set List

  1. Badlands
  2. We Take Care of Our Own
  3. Wrecking Ball
  4. Out in the Street
  5. Death to My Hometown
  6. My City of Ruins
  7. Spirit in the Night
  8. Thundercrack
  9. Jack of All Trades
  10. Trapped
  11. She’s the One
  12. Easy Money
  13. Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
  14. The Promised Land
  15. Apollo Medley
  16. Because the Night
  17. The Rising
  18. We Are Alive
  19. Backstreets
  20. Land of Hope and Dreams
  21. Rocky Ground
  22. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
  23. Born to Run
  24. Dancing in the Dark
  25. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

Bruce Springsteen Gives a Master Class at the Garden on Being a Rock Star

Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman, Contributor

Three hours–three freakin’ hours– that’s how long Bruce Springsteen‘s show at Madison Square Garden was on Monday night. He gave a master class on how to be a rock star, jamming in songs from his new “Wrecking Ball” with an essential selection of hits from his forty year old catalog. What can I say? A show that ends with “ Rosalita,” “Born to Run,” and “10th Avenue Freeze out,” “Dancing in the Dark,” and has also featured, earlier in the night “Because the Night,” “Spirit in the Night,” and the rare, show stopping “Thundercrack”–that’s what you can only call the perfect Springsteen show.

He’s 62 years old and he has the looks and energy of a 32 year old. And Springsteen isn’t stupid–he knows “Wrecking Ball,” which is doing well, isn’t going to pay the bills the way some albums did in the 1980s and 90s. So he gives a show that’s a once in a lifetime experience, completely free of hubris or arrogance or self importance. I will try to add a photo here in this space of the look of pure pleasure– a wide, honest grin of delight–during “Dancing in the Dark.” Also, did I mention that during this song, at the end of three hours, he pulled two different girls out of the audience and danced with them?

So important to this new tour is the replacement of the late Clarence Clemons with his nephew, Jake Clemons. The Big Man’s shadow hovers over the show, but it’s a celebration of his life and music, and how much Bruce loved him. “10th Avenue Freeze Out,” which comes at the end of the show, is literally stopped for several minutes as the audience goes wild with applause for Clarence and videos of him play above on screens. It’s not corny but just lovely. And Jake — while not yet his uncle’s equal as a horn man–is still very good. And he sings! He has a lot of potential, and the Springsteen fans are on his side.

Monday night’s had a smattering of A list guests but it was hard to see them, and harder still to be comfortable in the newly renovated, user-friendless Madison Square Garden. But I did see Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan and their family, Debra Messing, Josh Charles of “The Good Wife,” cheek by jowl. Earlier when we arrived, famed restaurateur Drew Nieporent corralled me, Josh, and a few others and brought us to his new hamburger stand in the fancy new food court. It may have been the best burger I ever had, a vast improvement over Shake Shack. Bravo!

I won’t forget to mention the E Street Band–Patti Scialfa, Steve van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, Max Weinberg, and Gary Tallent at its core. Then there’s the whole second layer of singers, horn players, and other vital instrumentalists. I do think Bruce totally surprised Little Steven when he decided to play “Rosalita”– maybe the most popular song of all in the E Street canon and not always heard. On Friday night, “Kitty’s Back,” also from the 1973 album “The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle,” had that spot. I know from talking to members of the band in the past that Bruce likes to call for songs out of the blue, and they have to be ready. He replaced “American Skin (41 Shots)” with “Because the Night,” the 1978 hit he wrote for Patti Smith– also a glorious surprise. Plus “Thundercrack”–all I can say is thanks, Bruce, I don’t know how you knew I was in the house. (LOL)

New rockers should be made to follow a Springsteen tour. It’s instructive to point out that in the latest Entertainment Weekly, the top 30 contemporary performers are listed. Springsteen, at number 23, is the only one included from a prior generation. There’s a reason for his longevity. To paraphrase one of his songs, he’s alive.

Springsteen Keeps Winning Streak Going At The Garden

Tris McCall/The Star-Ledger By Tris McCall/The Star-LedgerThe Star-Ledger Follow

$$9GA0407SPRINGSTEENMURRAY.jpgNoah K. Murray/The Star-LedgerC’mon, rise up: Mighty Max, Bruce, and Little Steve at the Garden.

Those who stuck around until the end of the E Street Band‘s nearly three-hour set at Madison Square Garden on Friday night — and nearly everybody did — saw two Springsteens onstage during “Dancing in the Dark.” Just as he did in Philadelphia, the Boss shared the spotlight with Adele Springsteen, his octogenarian mother. And after their dance was finished, Bruce Springsteen, 62, picked his mom up like a groom carrying a bride across a threshhold, and toted her offstage.

Lifting people is part of the E Street mission. Lately Springsteen has been literalizing this metaphor, dancing with little girls and young women drawn from the audience, taking them in his arms, and gently handing them back to the crowd.  As the shows have gotten tighter and tougher, Springsteen’s old desire to appear Herculean has blossomed anew. With each concert on the spring’s must-see tour, the Boss seems to travel backward in time, recapturing more of the virility and stamina that helped make him famous. His flirting with the crowd gets more pronounced, his cross-stage knee-slides are more exuberant, his joy is more apparent. At Izod Center earlier last week, he chugged a beer mid-set; at the Garden, he chugged two beers, flinging the empty cups into the crowd as he sang. The weary, downtrodden, victimized narrator of so many of the “Wrecking Ball” songs continue to fade away, replaced by the hedonistic, defiant, indefatigable blue-collar hero who strode through his ’70s songs.

What is most impressive is that he has made this transformation without turning his back on any of the “Wrecking Ball” material. Instead, he has channeled the energy of the classic material to the new stuff — and he is making it all hum and crackle. The Boss continues to stand proudly behind his recent work: Once again, he played eight of the eleven songs on “Wrecking Ball.” But rather than dwell on the album’s themes of economic hardship, Springsteen has seized on the thread of resurrection that runs through the new set. In rock and roll, the Boss is born again hard, howling out a final, glorious stand against his twin foes: time and mortality.

Springsteen was in a feisty mood Friday. He commanded the New York crowd to listen, twice, before beginning “We Are Alive,” a song that plays like Woody Guthrie covering “Ring of Fire.” ” Alive” is the most explicit resurrection story on a new album full of them, and the Boss delivered every word like a missionary in mid-sermon. (He also demonstrated a little Jersey patriotism, claiming the football Giants, the Statue of Liberty, and Frank Sinatra for the Garden State.)

The set list at the Garden was not quite as crowd-pleasing as the two from Springsteen’s Jersey shows. The Boss reached into the back catalog for at least two tracks that casual fans might have a tough time recognizing: the uptempo “Murder Incorporated” and the terrific “Lion’s Den,” an outtake from “Born in the U.S.A.” that reworks the Biblical tale of Daniel into a comeback story. Springsteen also returned to “41 Shots,” the elegy written in the wake of the police shooting of the unarmed Amadou Diallo. But every downcast number was answered with anthems of resistance and rebirth: “The Rising,” “Out in the Street,” “The Promised Land,” and other favorites.

The set peaked with a staggering version of “Kitty’s Back” that featured inspired solos by nearly every member of the eighteen piece band. Baritone sax player Eddie Manion, who has often been overshadowed on this tour by fan favorite Jake Clemons, made the most of his turn in the spotlight; by the time the normally taciturn reed man returned to the bandstand, he was swaying and swinging.  Rejuvenation, it seems, is communicable.

Bruce Springsteen Spends Good Friday Rocking Out Madison Square Garden 4.6.2012

Jodi Jill's photo

National Celebrity Headlines Examiner

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were playing for a full crowd at the  Madison Square Garden venue on Friday night. In a concert series that has  attracted thousands of people, Bruce Springsteen rocked the night away with hit  after hit in the Big Apple performance.

Being this concert was at Madison Square Garden and in the heart of New York  City, it isn’t surprising even celebrities were spotted in the crowd watching Springsteen perform. Sting,  Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Joel and Matt Damon were spotted at in the crowd jamming  with the artist.

The almost three hour show had critics and fans chatting about the  performance. With such a varied collection of hits, Bruce Springsteen has a big  catalog of singles to choose from for his performance and not everyone was  elated about his selection. That’s not to say he didn’t sound good, as everyone  agreed the artist sounded like he was on top of his game.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Bruce Springsteen spends Good Friday rocking out Madison Square Garden (photos) – National Celebrity Headlines | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/celebrity-headlines-in-national/bruce-springsteen-spends-good-friday-rocking-out-madison-square-garden-photos#ixzz1rOxIA6VD

At The Garden, Spending Passover With Springsteen

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER and -NY Times

Published: April 6, 2012

For those of the Jewish faith, the central question of Passover is familiar: Why is this night different from all other nights?

 Richard Perry/The New York Times-

Warren Rosen, at the head of the table, said, “You’re respecting the holiday as long as you’re having a Seder.” He has attended 200 Springsteen shows.  For 18 people gathered around a table in the upper reaches of Madison Square Garden on Friday night, above the clamor of the Bruce Springsteen crowd filing inside, it was unclear where the answer should begin.

This was Passover on E Street, where fans clutched a customized Haggadah featuring the singer’s face emblazoned onto the cover; where an original song, “Matzah Ball,” sung to the tune of Mr. Springsteen’s “Wrecking Ball,” made its debut; and where, in a city with many superfans of the band and many more Jews, a group of devotees was able to have its holiday Seder, and its Springsteen, too.

The idea came from Warren Rosen, 46, the owner of an insurance company who has attended about 200 Springsteen shows, starting in 1980 at the Nassau Coliseum.

He had no intention of missing Mr. Springsteen’s opener at the Garden because there wasn’t enough time to travel from a Seder at home to the concert.

So Mr. Rosen, a native of Massapequa Park, on Long Island, booked a private room at the Ainsworth Prime, a restaurant on an upper level, and invited friends, of all faiths, on Facebook.

He also asked members of the Springsteen band to join in before the show, and the saxophonist, Jake Clemons, the nephew of the late Clarence Clemons and a recent E Street addition, dropped in and read from the Haggadah. Mr. Clemons stumbled only over the pronunciation of “charoset,” a holiday concoction made from nuts and fruit.

Passover marks the liberation of Jews from slavery in Egypt, and traditionally, the Seder combines the solemn and the joyous.

Mr. Rosen, who belongs to a conservative synagogue on the Upper East Side, said he had not consulted a rabbi before holding the event. His family approved of the idea, he said, as long as it could be done “without being sacrilegious.” “You’re respecting the holiday as long as you’re having a Seder,” he said. “Instead of hanging out at the house after the Seder, we’re going to a concert.”

His wife, Jane L. Rosen, who wrote the “Matzah Ball” lyrics, said the Seder was in keeping with the holiday’s essence. “They’re both spiritual experiences,” she said of the service and the concert. “Everyone knows the words.”

Still, one rabbi contacted by a reporter questioned the appropriateness. Rabbi David Ingber of Romemu, a congregation on the Upper West Side, said Mr. Rosen should have skipped the Springsteen show. “If Sandy Koufax can miss the World Series for Yom Kippur, then he can miss the concert for the Seder,” the rabbi said.

The Seder was held in a spacious back room of the restaurant. Attire ranged from holiday formal to concert casual.

Soon, the group began singing “Matzah Ball,” punctuated by claps against the table. Through the room’s wooden doors, in the main restaurant area, the chorus of Mr. Springsteen’s “The River” was barely decipherable.

Just before 7 p.m., the group moved on to the feast, tucking into matzo, fruit salad and chicken. A waitress brought two of the younger fans plates of French fries. Mr. Rosen removed his skullcap and guests began snapping pictures of their first “rock ’n’ roll Seder,” as they had taken to calling it.

The group of children who attended, Mr. Rosen said proudly, would “never forget this for the rest of their lives.”

At 7:12 p.m., Mr. Rosen issued an announcement from the head of the table. “In 33 minutes,” he said, “we’ll begin our exodus to the Promised Land.” He appeared to mean the concert.

Soon, the family left the restaurant, moving toward a perch in the general admission pit near the stage.

Mr. Rosen, whose favorite Springsteen song is “Jungleland,” said earlier that he felt a kinship with the singer. Mr. Springsteen was raised Catholic, but the band once broke into an accordion version of “Hava Nagila” and even danced a tentative hora.

In a way, the Rosens’ gathering was an attempt to bridge the gap between rock and religion. “This year at the Garden,” read the cover of their Haggadah, echoing the traditional Passover refrain, “next year in Jerusalem.”

Still, not every scheduling conflict could be avoided.

Josh Feldman, a 12-year-old from the Upper East Side, came to the Seder with his mother, Amy, a friend of Ms. Rosen’s who had given her a copy of “The River” at Ms. Rosen’s 16th birthday party 30 years ago.

Wearing a pinstriped Derek Jeter jersey, Josh said he was happy to attend, though the Seder presented him with a problem: the Yankees’ season opening game had not yet finished as the Seder started.

“It’s not terrible,” he said, pointing toward a television at the bar. “I can watch over there.”

Bruce Springsteen rocks an ‘incredible’ crowd at Madison Square Garden on Friday Night

Stan Goldstein By Stan GoldsteinThe Star-Ledger

The way Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are playing, Newark Mayor Cory Booker is certainly not going to be the only one searching for tickets when this tour hits the Prudential Center on May 2.

Friday night at Madison Square Garden saw a very hot show played in front of a very hot crowd, that had Bruce saying “You were incredible!” at the end of the evening.

With celebrities in the crowd including Sting, Whopi Goldberg, Billy Joel, Matt Lauer, Brian Williams, WFAN’s Mike Francesa,  Matt Damon, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt and Bruce’s mother Adele and sister Pam, Bruce played a 2:53 show with two premieres and for the most part, it was very upbeat,

The show was rolling through, lost a bit of steam in the middle, before picking up in the encores with a staggering “Kitty’s Back” that had some fans saying to me after the show it was one of the best live performances they’ve ever seen of that song.

Show began at 8:27 p.m. and took off on a high note when the houselights stayed on with Bruce taking the stage and shouting: “New York City!” and breaking into:

1. Badlands      First time We Take Care of Our Own has not opened a show on this tour. This is always a great opener, going back to 1978 and even on the 2009 Magic Tour. And it was extremely powerful tonight with the houselights on for the entire song and all of Madison Square Garden on its feet. There was no “Apollo-style” self introduction for the first time this tour.

2. We Take Care of Our Own      Works well in the second spot after Badlands. Would be nice to see Bruce throw in a different opener like he did tonight.

3. Wrecking Ball     Crowd again reacted very favorably to the Giants mention. Bruce yelled out “Come on Steve! Come on Nils” toward the end.
4. Out in the Street     Ahh, another surprise. This has been played two other times this tour and was a bit sloppy when played during the encores at the Izod Center on Tuesday. Badlands, Prove It All Night and Ties That Bind have been played in this spot at previous shows. Played much better tonight than on Tuesday, no participation from Nils, Patti or Steve at the end as when Bruce used to have them come up and sing on the main mic..

5. Death to My Hometown     Keeps the crowd on its feet

6. My City of Ruins      Bruce talked about there being so many wonderful things across the bridge and tunnels. Then he started to do the same schtick that he did at the 2000 Garden shows during the Reunion Tour.    “There’s so many things to appreciate about New York,” he said.  “There’s the Statue of Liberty which we learn is actually in New Jersey.    “There’s the greatest theme song ever written about a city, which is sung by a man from New Jersey.    “And there’s a world championship football team who come to think of it, they play in New Jersey!”     Bruce then said  how there’s a lot of old faces and new faces in the crowd and here’s a story about hellos and goodbyes.    Again during the band rollcall he mentioned all the horn players by name.    One thing I did notice, which I had missed at past shows, is that when Bruce gets to the “Are we missing anybody” part, spotlights shine down on Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici’s spots.

7. Murder Incorporated (tour premiere)     Very hot tonight. Real great back-and-forth guitar work by Bruce and Steve.
8. Johnny 99     Played for a second straight show. It’s fun and crowd gets into it.
9. Jack of All Trades     Bruce again mentioned how “rich guitar players get a free pass.”
10. Shackled and Drawn        First time I got to see this live. I agree with fans who have been wondering why this hasn’t been played since the second show in Greensboro on March 19.  Keep it in the set lsit Bruce.
11. Lion’s Den (tour premiere)      Yeah!! Yeah!! Great to see this. Only the fourth times ever this “Tracks” gem has been played and the first time since the Feb. 28, 2000 show in State College, Penn. (home of the Nittany Lions).    Works great with the horns. Little Steven, who has always said he’d love to hear more songs played from “Tracks,” was smiling the whole time. And so was most of the crowd.
12. Easy Money       Patti Scialfa again comes down to the front to sing some of the vocals with Bruce.

13. Waiting on a Sunny Day       A cute young girl did an excellent job singing along with Bruce.    14. The Promised Land        Again, I wish Bruce would rotate some songs in this spot.    15. Apollo Medley       Bruce mentioned how you had to play soul music while playing on the Jersey Shore in the 1960s and 70s.    “It was a matter of survival and it allowed you to play Elks Clubs, bar mitzvahs, fireman’s fairs, Foodtown openings and drive-in-theater intermissions (all things Bruce did with his first band The Castiles).      Bruce chugged two beers tonight from the platform at the back of the pit before doing his crowd surf. 16. American Skin (41 Shots)      Bruce told the band member what they were going to play in this spot, not sure if it was on the set list or not.  I thought it would be played in New York City (it’s been played at quite a few shows lately). A nice version and great guitar work at the end.

17. Lonesome Day       As I always say, not one of my favorites. Maybe this is why the show lost steam for me here.     18. The Rising 19. We Are Alive 20. Thunder Road     This three-pack continues to close the main set. The crowd really sings along at the start of Thunder Road that Bruce just lets them keep going. At the end of Thunder Road, Bruce blew kisses to his mother Adele sitting in the front row on the side of the stage.

Encores: 21. Rocky Ground (with Michelle Moore of Long Branch)       Before the song, Bruce talked about how his  family was there tonight. His mother Adele, sister Pam, his nieces and others.     He had his mother stand up and had the spotlight put on her and she was shown on the video screens to a rousing ovation. “Shake that booty!” he joked. He dedicated “Rocky Ground” to her.    “I was too young to even know what I was watching,” he said. “She taught me hard work. This is for you kid.”    I really like this song. Gets better every time.   At the end Bruce said: “Thank you New York for being with us tonight!” and the band broke into:
22. Kitty’s Back     The highlight of the evening,  Spectacular. I saw it played in Philadelhia last week, but tonight was off the charts.    If there’s one song that showcases this 17-piece band’s talents, it’s this one. Charile Giordano gets a solo on the organ. Horn players Clark Gayton, Barry Danielian, Curt Ramm and Ed Manion have solos, then Roy Bittan takes it away on the piano for a couple minutes. It’s capped by Bruce just wailing away on the guitar.   “New York City!” Bruce yelled out at the end.   Awesome.   23. Born To Run      House lights on, Madison Square Garden turned on. Really fun to see the World’s Most Famous Arena rocking away to one of the world’s best rock anthems.
24. Dancing in the Dark       Lights stayed on. Bruce brought his Mom up to dance along with one of his young nieces. Not as long as dance with his Mom as last week in Philadelphia, but Adele still has those moves!

25. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out       Bruce jumped up on the piano again and danced around a bit. He then, just like at the Izod Center on Wednesday, went to the small stage at the back of the pit where he stopped the band for the Clarence tribute. Again video and pictures of Clarence appeared on the video screens as the crowd roared.

“We love you New York! You were incredible. Thank you! See you on Monday,” Bruce said as the left the stage.

Show over at 11:20 p.m.
Excellent show, excellent crowd. Can’t wait to see what Monday’s set list at Madison Square Garden will bring us.

Follow Stan Goldstein on twitter @Stan_Goldstein

Bruce Springsteen at Madison Square Garden: A Rich History

Jay Lustig/The Star-Ledger By Jay Lustig/The Star-LedgerThe Star-Ledger

Surely there aren’t many rock stars who feel more comfortable at Madison Square Garden than Bruce Springsteen. Counting guest appearances with other artists, he’s taken the stage there more than 40 times.

He performs there again tonight and Monday, on his Wrecking Ball Tour.

Here’s a look at some of his most memorable Garden gigs over the years:

June 14 and 15, 1973: Springsteen performed at the Garden for the first time as part of an 11-gig stretch opening for Chicago. Springsteen despised the experience of playing in arenas filled with another band’s fans, without proper soundchecks. “I went insane during that tour … . I won’t go to those places again,” he later told Crawdaddy magazine.

Sept. 21 and 22, 1979: Parts of Springsteen’s fiery Sept. 21 set at the “No Nukes” concerts (including the concert debut of “The River”) have been immortalized by the benefit’s album and movie. The Sept. 22 set, though, was marred by an onstage fight with ex-girlfriend Lynn Goldsmith, a professional photographer who was covering the show.

June 12, 2000: Press attention for this show focused on the new “American Skin (41 Shots),” a protest song about Amadou Diallo, who was shot and killed, while unarmed, by New York policemen. The president of the New York Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association asked officers to boycott the show. Springsteen stood behind the song by performing it.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band return to the Izod Center 4-4-12

Enlarge William Perlman/The Star-LedgerBruce Springsteen performs as the E Street Band returned to the Izod Center in East Rutherford on the first U.S. leg of their 2012 “Wrecking Ball” World Tour in night 2 in East Rutherford, NJ  4/4/12 (William Perlman/The Star-Ledger)Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band return to the Izod Center for night 2 on 4-4-12gallery (24 photos)

  • Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band return to the Izod Center 4-4-12
  • Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band return to the Izod Center 4-4-12
  • Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band return to the Izod Center 4-4-12
  • Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band return to the Izod Center 4-4-12
  • Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band return to the Izod Center 4-4-12

 

Oct. 29 and 30, 2009: At concerts celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Springsteen and the E Street Band headlined the first night (with Billy Joel, John Fogerty, Sam Moore, Darlene Love and Tom Morello joining them). On the second night, Springsteen guested during U2’s set, and sang “Because the Night” with Patti Smith. Nov. 7 and 8, 2009: Toward the end of the Working on a Dream Tour, Springsteen often included performances of albums in their entirety in shows. Albums such as “Born to Run” and “Born in the U.S.A.” were played multiple times, but these shows featured one-time-only performances of “The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle” (Nov. 7) and “The River” (Nov. 8).