From this angle, the fans on the floor look like they’re waiting to be harvested, don’t they? Giants Stadium, night two: A better show for the disciples of setlistology than for the casual fan. I couldn’t put my finger on why it didn’t entirely click for me until I read the report from Alpha Dog fan Hal, a guy who was a few years ahead of me at summer camp way back when. Contrary to his I AM MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN THAN YOU COULD EVER BE AND MY SEATS ARE BETTER THAN YOURS online persona, he’s a decent guy and a thoughtful critic, even if my clique will never entirely forgive him for withholding access to his collection of cassette bootlegs. He kept them locked in an industrial-strength toolbox, which he chained to his bed in Bunk Two. Anyway, Hal argues that this tour has devolved from a meticulously constructed set that asks the listener to, like, think about stuff (Gypsy Biker and Reason to Believe early, the Devil’s Arcade/Rising/Last to Die/Long Walk Home/Badlands five-pack late) to a bunch of singalongs. I agree. The second Bruce starts taking audience requests, the show’s momentum sputters. On pretty much every tour Bruce has ever done, there have been every-night song blocks that keep the set grounded - Empty Sky/You’re Missing/Sunny Day in ‘03, even Leap of Faith/Man’s Job/Roll of the Dice in ‘92-‘93. Now, he’s just playing a bunch of songs… some of the best songs ever written, of course, but just songs nonetheless, like Bon Jovi or Kenny Chesney or Olivia Newton-John might do. It’s time to wrap this tour up and move on to the next project. I spend a lot of time thinking about this stuff. Other tidbits: When Bruce did his politimacal rap before Living in the Future, during which he became the first person to utter the word “rendition” within a 2,000-yard radius of Giants Stadium, some guy in my section started chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” and promptly got shouted down… Based on the reaction it received, Held Up Without a Gun might as well have been sung in Cantonese… Of the 55,000 people in attendance, roughly 18 seemed to enjoy Drive All Night, which spurred a beer/bathroom run that looked like something out of the running of the bulls… Things we did to keep us occupied during the 29-minute Mary’s Place and its nonsensical intro about house-building: check the Yankee score, check the Yankee score again, fidget, stare quietly into space… Nils Lofgren gets the night-two MVP on the strength of his Because the Night solo, which included a standing somersault. The crowd responded more to the gymnastics than they did any of the Magic songs… Can’t a brother get a half-heated parking-lot pretzel for less than four bucks?… Again, there’s too much dwelling on the negative here. Detroit Medley, Sherry Darling and Two Hearts all kicked much tushie. 

From this angle, the fans on the floor look like they’re waiting to be harvested, don’t they?

Giants Stadium, night two: A better show for the disciples of setlistology than for the casual fan. I couldn’t put my finger on why it didn’t entirely click for me until I read the report from Alpha Dog fan Hal, a guy who was a few years ahead of me at summer camp way back when. Contrary to his I AM MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN THAN YOU COULD EVER BE AND MY SEATS ARE BETTER THAN YOURS online persona, he’s a decent guy and a thoughtful critic, even if my clique will never entirely forgive him for withholding access to his collection of cassette bootlegs. He kept them locked in an industrial-strength toolbox, which he chained to his bed in Bunk Two.

Anyway, Hal argues that this tour has devolved from a meticulously constructed set that asks the listener to, like, think about stuff (Gypsy Biker and Reason to Believe early, the Devil’s Arcade/Rising/Last to Die/Long Walk Home/Badlands five-pack late) to a bunch of singalongs. I agree. The second Bruce starts taking audience requests, the show’s momentum sputters. On pretty much every tour Bruce has ever done, there have been every-night song blocks that keep the set grounded - Empty Sky/You’re Missing/Sunny Day in ‘03, even Leap of Faith/Man’s Job/Roll of the Dice in ‘92-‘93. Now, he’s just playing a bunch of songs… some of the best songs ever written, of course, but just songs nonetheless, like Bon Jovi or Kenny Chesney or Olivia Newton-John might do. It’s time to wrap this tour up and move on to the next project.

I spend a lot of time thinking about this stuff.

Other tidbits: When Bruce did his politimacal rap before Living in the Future, during which he became the first person to utter the word “rendition” within a 2,000-yard radius of Giants Stadium, some guy in my section started chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” and promptly got shouted down… Based on the reaction it received, Held Up Without a Gun might as well have been sung in Cantonese… Of the 55,000 people in attendance, roughly 18 seemed to enjoy Drive All Night, which spurred a beer/bathroom run that looked like something out of the running of the bulls… Things we did to keep us occupied during the 29-minute Mary’s Place and its nonsensical intro about house-building: check the Yankee score, check the Yankee score again, fidget, stare quietly into space… Nils Lofgren gets the night-two MVP on the strength of his Because the Night solo, which included a standing somersault. The crowd responded more to the gymnastics than they did any of the Magic songs… Can’t a brother get a half-heated parking-lot pretzel for less than four bucks?… Again, there’s too much dwelling on the negative here. Detroit Medley, Sherry Darling and Two Hearts all kicked much tushie. 

Jul 29 2008

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