![Bruce and the ESB at the Meadowlands, 10/8/09: I went into this one without expectations. I didn’t make plans to go until 5 p.m. and, besides, it’s not like I didn’t know what was coming (the full Born To Run album, one or two of the River fist-pumpers, Pete/Dream from the new record, Rising, Sunny Day, Badlands, American Land). I figured it’d be a drunky-wunky Bruce night with what The Missus calls my “man friends.”
The night was just that: beery fun at a big, dumb, loud show. I’m still recovering. I am *old*.
The good: As much as I hate the full-album thing - it is lazy, lazy, lazy - Born To Run is a moderately pretty OK rock record. Last night’s front-to-back performance didn’t measure up to the one in Red Bank last year, but it wasn’t too far behind… I’d rather have heard the set-listed Ties That Bind than Out In The Street, but Street got the casualists revved up well enough… Loved Bruce’s crowd-surfing bit during Hungry Heart. Kudos to the folks in the pit for keeping him aloft… We did well with the audibles, getting a bunch of requests instead of the set-listed Into The Fire, Promised Land, Last To Die and Long Walk Home… Speaking of those requests, the My Love Will Not Let You Down/Because The Night/Human Touch trifecta made the show for me. The latter deserves regular airing, especially with Bruce hitting the guitars breaks hard… The four-man horn section for Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out made glorious noise… Sandy was a perfect encore choice for the clear, balmy night - summer nostalgia, etc.
The bad: Bruce has ditched the recession suite (Seeds/Johnny 99/Joad-Youngstown-Murder-Atlantic City) for these big-building shows, rendering them a greatest-hits victory lap. I know, I know: to use my least favorite expression on the planet, “They are what they are.” But it still depresses me to see him put so little thought into it… The video screens and the images/animations thereupon have gone from distracting to embarrassing, especially the bright orange TENTH AVENUE FREEZE OUT cues. They’re also showing way too many fan reactions, as if to say, “Look! Reasonably attractive white people are enjoying themselves! You should be, too!”… Patti was back for the first time in a while and received more screen time than the rest of the band combined. She sure loves striking coy, gazing-over-the-shoulder poses… Saint In The City went off the tracks at the end, plus Bruce has to stop messing with the key. He can sing it in A; he can only shout it in B… I made a text funny to The Missus during Sunny Day, calling it “the [name of family member redacted] of Bruce songs.” She shot back with “does that make [name of another family member redacted] the Outlaw Pete?”… Come to think of it, at this point I’d rather hear Outlaw Pete than half of the arena mainstays, because it’s one of the few modern-era songs in which Bruce seems fully invested. Which isn’t to say I need to hear Outlaw Pete ever again, live or elsewhere.
I’m glad I went. I might even buy one of the event-specific concert tees. I’m just that big a dork. Set list here.](http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kr9qgg8J6T1qzn2rno1_400.jpg)
Bruce and the ESB at the Meadowlands, 10/8/09: I went into this one without expectations. I didn’t make plans to go until 5 p.m. and, besides, it’s not like I didn’t know what was coming (the full Born To Run album, one or two of the River fist-pumpers, Pete/Dream from the new record, Rising, Sunny Day, Badlands, American Land). I figured it’d be a drunky-wunky Bruce night with what The Missus calls my “man friends.”
The night was just that: beery fun at a big, dumb, loud show. I’m still recovering. I am *old*.
The good: As much as I hate the full-album thing - it is lazy, lazy, lazy - Born To Run is a moderately pretty OK rock record. Last night’s front-to-back performance didn’t measure up to the one in Red Bank last year, but it wasn’t too far behind… I’d rather have heard the set-listed Ties That Bind than Out In The Street, but Street got the casualists revved up well enough… Loved Bruce’s crowd-surfing bit during Hungry Heart. Kudos to the folks in the pit for keeping him aloft… We did well with the audibles, getting a bunch of requests instead of the set-listed Into The Fire, Promised Land, Last To Die and Long Walk Home… Speaking of those requests, the My Love Will Not Let You Down/Because The Night/Human Touch trifecta made the show for me. The latter deserves regular airing, especially with Bruce hitting the guitars breaks hard… The four-man horn section for Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out made glorious noise… Sandy was a perfect encore choice for the clear, balmy night - summer nostalgia, etc.
The bad: Bruce has ditched the recession suite (Seeds/Johnny 99/Joad-Youngstown-Murder-Atlantic City) for these big-building shows, rendering them a greatest-hits victory lap. I know, I know: to use my least favorite expression on the planet, “They are what they are.” But it still depresses me to see him put so little thought into it… The video screens and the images/animations thereupon have gone from distracting to embarrassing, especially the bright orange TENTH AVENUE FREEZE OUT cues. They’re also showing way too many fan reactions, as if to say, “Look! Reasonably attractive white people are enjoying themselves! You should be, too!”… Patti was back for the first time in a while and received more screen time than the rest of the band combined. She sure loves striking coy, gazing-over-the-shoulder poses… Saint In The City went off the tracks at the end, plus Bruce has to stop messing with the key. He can sing it in A; he can only shout it in B… I made a text funny to The Missus during Sunny Day, calling it “the [name of family member redacted] of Bruce songs.” She shot back with “does that make [name of another family member redacted] the Outlaw Pete?”… Come to think of it, at this point I’d rather hear Outlaw Pete than half of the arena mainstays, because it’s one of the few modern-era songs in which Bruce seems fully invested. Which isn’t to say I need to hear Outlaw Pete ever again, live or elsewhere.
I’m glad I went. I might even buy one of the event-specific concert tees. I’m just that big a dork. Set list here.
