Some of you know me, many of you don’t. So when I say that the story I am about to tell involves me seated and still the whole time, you may not understand. I will explain; I fidget, I move, I can’t stay still, I have been told I should stay away from coffee in the morning and sugar in the afternoon, people have asked me to, “please speak slower” more times than I care to remember. At shows I have been known to boogie in aisles and dance down the stairs. But Saturday night I sat throughout the show. I wasn’t entirely still, I tapped my foot, banged my knee, bobbed my head, but I was seated, intently gazing upon the stage. Maybe it was because of the repeated announcements before the show, “Due to the intimate nature of this performance please refrain from…” it could have been the rules handed out upon entry into the Patriot Center stating that, “If you leave your seat, you will not be allowed to return during a song” or perhaps it was Springsteen himself imploring the crowd for as, “much quiet as I can get” or warning that if he, “hears one of them cell phones go off” he would have to, “sweep the crowd with a chainsaw.” It created an air of quiet intensity, which left me not wanting to be the one to ruin it, like my drunken Uncle at Thanksgiving who makes an inappropriate comment at dinner that makes everyone stop and stare.
Moving from instrument to instrument throughout the night, from piano, to guitar, to pump organ, Springsteen even broke out a retooled version of “I’m on Fire” that marked the stage debut of his banjo skills before a live audience. Many of the songs this evening were reworked to the point that it was like hearing them for the first time. Starting the evening on pump organ with a rendition of “My Beautiful Reward,” Springsteen took a journey through some of the more obscure tunes in his extensive catalog. There was no “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road” or “Dancing in the Dark,” but there was a gorgeous “Wreck on the Highway” and a great “Ghost of Tom Joad.” There was also an utterly intriguing “Reason to Believe” from
Nebraska, played only on harmonica and with an amplified foot stomp for accompaniment. Springsteen’s vocals were distorted to the point that they were almost unrecognizable, giving the song a spooky, haunting feel.
The night was made all the more intimate, by the snippets of conversation between songs. There were the obligatory political ramblings - before “Part Man, Part Monkey” he called President Bush’s take on evolution an “iffy proposition,” Even speculating that in this day and age The Flintstones cartoon could never be made because, “well there’s the whole evolution thing, and Fred and Barney’s relationship might have been a bit to close for some people’s taste, if you know what I mean.” There were also ruminations on listening to radio as a child with his mother and how it affected his songwriting and style. His take on love songs, “they are a government conspiracy.” Explaining how he used to hide his own love songs inside of other songs, before launching into “The River” to demonstrate.
The night still featured Springsteen’s distinctive “arena rock” skills, albeit on a scaled down level. “Maria’s Bed,” off the new album
Devils &Dust, is practically begging to be included on an E-Street Band setlist for one of Springsteen’s huge stadium shows. In my mind’s ear I can just imagine Max Weinberg exploding on drums right after the “And I keep my soul in Maria’s Bed” line. “The Rising,” already a stadium staple from the last E-Street band tour, delivered its anthem like chorus with all the strength of a full band.
This evening though was about the quiet, intense moments when Springsteen was backlit by a single white light, enabling only his silhouette to be seen, looking eerily similar to Bob Dylan during the concert footage in Don’t Look Back. It was about the moments during “The Hitter” or “Wreck on the Highway” when even the air seemed to be still and quiet, and paying full attention to the stage. Very few performers can own a crowd all by themselves, but Springsteen did all evening for over two hours and twenty-five songs.
A four song encore closed out the night, starting with the aforementioned retooled banjo version of “I’m on Fire,” followed by “Land of Hope and Dreams.” A great “Promised Land” came next, which was the oldest song to grace the stage all night. The final song of the evening was a new tune, “Dream Baby Dream,” which had only debuted a few nights previous in Chicago. It served as not only the show ender, but also as an opportunity for everyone to get on their feet and rock out. Springsteen was thanking the crowd for paying such close attention, encouraging everyone out of their seat. The stage was fully lit for the first time all evening. Springsteen moved front and center repeating the line “Dream baby dream,” over and over before finishing the song as he exited off the stage. The crowd was on their feet, but I chose to stay seated, fidgeting as intently as I had for the entire show.
