Be a part of the community.
It's free, join today!
New album "Wrecking Ball" due out March 6th. A spring/fall North American tour is to be announced some time soon as well. The first single, "We take care of our Own" can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=M3Bz0d2xm7U
And here's a Rolling Stone preview of the album: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bruce-springsteen-returns-with-wild-new-album-20120118
Can't wait for that single to be completely misinterpreted and misappropriated.
It's weird, I used to not like bruce at all, couldn't get on with his voice, it's only now, as I've got older that I like him. I find the same thing happens with me and Neil Young.
This Onion article has pretty much ruined Springsteen for me.
I'll be curious to know if "Calvary" was a typo-- I could hear it either way, really.
His music has got me through bad times more than once in my life, so I can't pretend objectivity: I'm onboard for better (Magic) or worse (Working On A Dream).
And every now and again, he pulls a fast one:
Tracklist:
1. We Take Care of Our Own
2. Easy Money
3. Shackled and Drawn
4. Jack of All Trades
5. Death to My Hometown
6. This Depression
7. Wrecking Ball
8. You’ve Got It
9. Rocky Ground
10. Land of Hope and Dreams
11. We Are Alive
A special edition of Wrecking Ball will also be available including exclusive artwork and photography and two bonus tracks:
12. Swallowed Up
13. American Land
Interesting that two of the tracks on the album (three, including the bonus) were already staples of his live set. And though I rather doubt it's the same song, he'd sing the hell out of Ryan Bingham's "This Depression."
Booyah! After waiting around in a 'virtual waiting room" for almost an hour I was finally able to snag some general admission tickets to the Springsteen in Buffalo in April! I was about to give up hope and then the Rock Gods shined down on me. I'm gonna go blare some Springsteen now in excitement.
"Wrecking Ball" is Bruce's best since "The Rising". Or hell, maybe even since "Born in the USA". Much like how "Working on a Dream" was an experiment with different styles and having a more varied flavour "Wrecking Ball" goes to the next level. It's almost like "Dream" was him just being bored in the studio and he made a mix tape while horsing around with his band. "Wrecking Ball" is full of so much emotion, thoughts, power, heart, style, focus,... pretty much everything we're used too with Bruce. It's an amazing album.
I was excited about "Magic" and "Dream" but after listening to them I never felt like they were classic Bruce albums. "Wrecking Ball" does this. I can't nail down a favourite track just yet but I'm loving this "new" Springsteen in terms of how he's willing to add in different style of music to his work. There's some country twang going on, R&B, pop, rock, acoustic, Irish folk etc. It's a melting pot of sorts.
I may have read this wrong but I believe that Springsteen originally wanted this to be an acoustic type album with band members accompanying him only when needed. He was talked out of it and the album is elevated because of it. Again, the Boss makes the right decision. I really think Springsteen fans will love this new work. I'm already eagerly awaiting seeing him do some of these songs live. I can't wait to see how he brings them to the stage.
On a side note, when I saw that Land of Hope and Dreams was on the album I was worried how that would transition from a live only song to a studio recording. It's an amazing song when he does it live and he friggin' nails it. It's beautiful on the album how he did it. I really hope he plays it in Buffalo. It's one of my favourite Bruce songs. Though I'm not a fan of how American Land turned out and I think that works better live. Glad it's a bonus track only.
I was excited about "Magic" and "Dream" but after listening to them I never felt like they were classic Bruce albums. "Wrecking Ball" does this.
Well seeing as how I did feel like Magic was a classic Bruce album, this bodes well for Wrecking Ball.
I'll have my review for next week's Special Edition, but for the most part it's very impressive, and even it its weaker moments, it has a strength and commitment that is undeniable.
Here's a video of Springsteen & The ESB at the Apollo Theatre last night for a concert. It's long (10 minutes) but what he does around the 6-7 minute mark is great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_XwmrUVyqss
The best part is when he calls out the key change from up in the balcony, and the band hits it perfectly on the next downbeat.
I was at the show last Friday in Buffalo. It was great as per usual.
Here's the set list:
He opened with 'Buffalo Gals' and then went into the show...
The tribute to Clarence during Tenth Avenue Freeze Out is fantastic. Bruce pauses for a long time and points toward the video screens and it shows moments from the years of Clarence with Bruce and the band. I was happy we got American Skin. I wonder if he added that to the tour specifically because of the Trayvon Martin shooting. I think it first appeared on the 2012 tour when the band were in Florida.
Sounds like a great set, and it's killing me that I couldn't budget a ticket to next week's show in San Jose.
What's most impressive as I read about the tour is the lack of old-time fans going "you hadda be there" in the "old days"-- quite the contrary, veteran Springsteen fans are saying this is some of the best sound they've ever heard at his shows, that his energy and guitar playing are through the roof, and that the band is as tight as ever, despite all the new personnel.
One thing that's struck me is that, even with the growing pains of such a big ensemble, they're already at the point we usually get only when the tour hits its stride. Typically, the new album is featured heavily the first few weeks, with only a little jiggering of the playlist. Now, though, there's already wholesale substitution of setlisted songs, song sequences rearranged, and it seems that every show brings at least one tour premiere: your show, I believe, was the first time they've done "Point Blank" or "Rendezvous;" without doing anything like actual research, I know I've seen reference to about three dozen different songs from his back catalog, with new ones added every night. And they're already taking requests! I'd have killed to hear "Mountain of Love"-- I treasure a dim old bootleg performance I have of that one.
And, yeah, "41 Shots" was added for Trayvon Martin, being still depressingly timely.
Really hoping that the new summer dates will eventually include another West Coast swing-- I'm saving up!
Tickets went on sale for Toronto today, I wasn't able to snag GAs but I ended up grabbing some other ones. I'm disappointed but at least I'll be able to go. He's playing the Rogers Centre which should be neat to see him there.
I'm interested in seeing him, even though I'd only like about half the set list (a few songs on The Rising are the only recent ones I can tolerate).
Gillette Stadium is the worst place I've ever seen a show. I just can't go through that ordeal again. I got nosebleed seets for U2 there back in 2009. The way they have the stupid zig-zagging concrete walkways set up, I swear you have to walk an entire MILE to get to the upper section from the entrance. Once the show started, the acoustic phasing was so bad the show was unlistenable. There's a 1-1.5 second delay overlapping with the sound, creating an unlistenable mess. After a few songs, I went exploring to try and find a better spot. Thankfully, the 2nd level walkway behind the stage was sparsely populated and sounded fine. The place is still a nigtmare, though. 8 dollar cans of Guiness, and 4 McDonald's on each level, but none with the full menu. I thought this was America! :P
He's extended the tour again:
October 19 - Ottawa, ON - Scotiabank Place
October 21 - Hamilton, ON - Copps Coliseum
October 23 - Charlottesville, VA - John Paul Jones Arena
October 25 - Hartford, CT - XL Center
October 27 - Pittsburgh, PA - CONSOL Energy Center
November 1 - State College, PA - Bryce Jordan Center
November 3 - Louisville, KY - KFC Yum! Center
November 11 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
November 15 - Omaha, NE - CenturyLink Arena
November 17 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
November 19 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
November 26 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
November 28 - Portland, OR - The Rose Garden
November 30 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
December 4 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
December 6 - Glendale, AZ - Jobing.com Arena
I'll be trying for Hamilton tickets for sure.
Originally Posted by Brendan
October 27 - Pittsburgh, PA - CONSOL Energy Center
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
This'll be my fourth Springsteen show. CAN. NOT. WAIT.
Tickets went on sale for Hamilton today and I was able to snag two. Third Boss concert this year! I'll be at the Rogers Centre in Toronto next week.
Here's the set list from the show I was at in Toronto last night:
Highlights of the night:
An early sign request of Sherry Darling. A sign request for Thundercrack after Spirit (which during this song he had a little girl sing some of the song).
Rosalita was a sign request but I'm sure he was going to play that anyways, it's seems like a staple on the tour. During Dancing in the Dark he danced with a little girl that he brought up on stage and then he danced with a lady who was celebrating her anniversary. After Tenth Avenue Freeze Out the band finished and said good bye. People started filing out until the band came back rocked the house down with Twist and Shout. They finished that and started leaving the stage until Bruce yelled out 1,2,3 and they went into Glory Days to bring the house down!
Such a great time. The set list isn't as great as ones I've had in the past but they rocked the fuck out the songs they played. They gave each song everything they had and gave each song it's time to shine. This just felt like it was a show geared towards just dancing and having a blast. Which I'm fine with. I've seen the E Street Band enough times now that I don't mind what happens during the show.
Now if only he'd play Trapped! Hamilton in October is too far away!
for anyone thats interested if you go here: http://www.earthcam.com/usa/illinois/chicago/wrigleyfield/
you can hear the Springsteen show at Wrigley Field tonight (it's just finishing up; probably three songs left) and tomorrow. It's a webcam set up out the park and you can hear the concert pretty clearly. I came in late when he was finishing Born to Run.
I was my final show for the 2012 tour. It turned into a really great show. The set list started out ok (for me). This was my sixth Springsteen concert and so I''m pretty familiar with how the tours work and how he designs the set lists. So for the first part I was just enjoying the music, the band and the crowd. Copps Coliseum in Hamilton is fairly small. I've never been there for a concert but wow, yeah, no matter where you'd sit you would get a good view.
During the first part, I turned to a friend and said, "the set list is pretty standard so far tonight. I'm still enjoying it but I guess that's bound to happen since they had a few weeks off." Then Bruce pulls a sign out of the crowd that read: "We are TRAPPED in Hamilton". I lost my shit. Trapped is one of those rare songs that he only busts out maybe 2-3 times a tour, if that! In the previous five concerts that I had been too he had never played it. I couldn't believe it. From there my night was complete. I didn't what he played after. That made the show. The next three songs after Trapped were sign requests as well. For "I'm Goin' Down" the sign read "i just got dumped, please play i'm goin' down". Bruce asked the guy what happened and the guy said, "she said I wasn't spending enough time with her." Bruce replied, "she was probably right." Bruce then went on to say that he had been dumped many times before... but that they're sure regretting it now!
Later in the show Bruce asked for a sign to be passed forward. He was very happy to see that someone had requested Terry's Song (the hidden track on the Magic album; I think this might be a 2012 tour premiere). You could tell that he was emotionally moved by someone requesting that song. He played an acoustic solo of that one and then thanked the sign maker for requesting it. From there the show went back to it's usual closing set. The only exception was yet another sign request (in total there was six sign requests) with "I'm a Rocker".
I had someone there who had never been to a Bruce show before. She's not even a fan of his music. I asked her after the show for her thoughts and she didn't have one negative to say. She said that you could tell that the band loved what they do. You can see that they genuinely love each other and performing for the fans and making them happy. She said she felt out of place since she didn't know the songs and that the fans were singing along and hitting every beat with the band. But she enjoyed the show and said it was pretty impressive.
Another friend who was there who brought his wife (her first Bruce show) said that she was impressed to see just how much he loves his fans and plays to them.
All in all a good concert turned into a another great one.
Setlist:
My Love Will Not Let You Down
Out in the Street
Hungry Heart
We Take Care of Our Own
Wrecking Ball
Death to My Hometown
My City of Ruins
Spirit in the Night
Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?
Jack of All Trades
Trapped
I'm Goin' Down
She's the One
Because the Night
Working on the Highway
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
Terry’s Song
The Rising
Badlands
Land of Hope and Dreams
* * *
I'm a Rocker
Born to Run
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Oakland's Oracle Arena on Friday (11/30):
A really fun show: not the high intensity of some of his concerts I’ve seen in the past, but it’s pretty well known by now that, while Bruce loves the Bay Area, the audiences here don’t push him in quite the same way that they do in the south or midwest (to say nothing of the eastern seaboard): I’d have called the general tone more genial and high-spirited than anything else, with lots of audience interaction (some of which can get schticky for those who have seen him many times, but he’s always playing as much to people seeing him for the first time as to longtime fans). The Oakland audience also demonstrated themselves utterly hopeless in the crowd-surfing department, nearly dropping Bruce once, who had to keep instructing them on how to get him back up to the stage.
The tempos are more measured these days; a function not only of age, but of the enormous size of the current band: I remember when I used to think the seven-piece E Street Band was huge; there were eighteen musicians onstage Friday, and that was without Patti. I have to say, though, that the horns are much better integrated than has sometimes been the case in the past, and it’s remarkable that with so many new faces, they’ve still done around 200 different songs in the nine months or so of the tour; I can't say the Big Man isn't missed, but his nephew's growing into the role. And what may be lost in whipcrack intensity gets somewhat made up for with full, rich sound, even in a barn like Oracle Arena (our seats were pretty much nosebleed, but dead center).
Easy to pick a high point: “Kitty’s Back,” which I haven’t heard him do in something like thirty years, and which featured great solos from the individual band members: Bruce was so into Roy’s amazing piano part that he kept signaling him to keep going, building to a wild crescendo; it was easily as good as, or better than, any boot version I've heard over the years.
Given that only about half the setlist is fixed every night, you have to just hope he’ll randomly hit upon a few of your particular favorites, and I was delighted to hear “Ties That Bind,” “I’m Going Down” and “The E Street Shuffle,” which is one that I’d actually never heard him do live before. And when Bruce collected signs for requests, he seemed genuinely pleased and surprised by the request for “Devils and Dust,” which he played for only the second time on the tour, a beautifully intense performance. For what it’s worth, I like much of the new album, and the material sounded great live.
My college-age daughter was along for her first Bruce show (and it was my wife's first since the Tunnel of Love tour), and since she's only a casual fan (at best), it was nice that she got to hear the one song she was particularly hoping for: "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" (they both had a great time). On the other hand, I have a friend who went to the show (I learned later), and had been just desperately hoping for "Candy's Room"; he didn't do it, and I don't have the heart to tell her that I saw a photo of the setlist, taken pre-show, and it was actually on the setlist, but got dropped in favor of “Adam Raised a Cain”! No complaints on that from me, though, because "Adam" was incredibly powerful; in fact, it was a guitar-heavy evening, with Cover Me” featuring a stunning sequence of solos from Bruce, Nils and Steve, Nils going absolutely nuts at the end of "Because the Night," and Bruce on fire for virtually every solo all night. He was also in strong voice right up to the end of the show (not always to be taken for granted); he took advantage of the "let a kid sing lead" portion of "Waiting On A Sunny Day" to catch his breath, and that seemed to really fuel him for the stretch drive, from an impassioned "Raise Your Hand" to a "Thunder Road" that sounded and felt as though thirty years had dropped away, his voice soaring the way it did the first time I saw him way back when.
Setlist:
Land of Hope and Dreams
Cover Me
Adam Raised a Cain
Something in the Night
Hungry Heart
We Take Care of Our Own
Wrecking Ball
Death to My Hometown
My City of Ruins
The E Street Shuffle
Pay Me My Money Down
The Ties That Bind
I'm Goin' Down
Devils & Dust
Because the Night
She's the One
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
Raise Your Hand
The Rising
Badlands
Thunder Road
* * *
Kitty's Back
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Nice set list. Interesting that he opened with Land of Hope and Dreams. He's been saving that for the end with all the other shows. Shackled & Drawn and Death to My Hometown are my two favourite songs off the new album that I love seeing live. I've never had anything off of the Devils & Dust album (that I can recall anyways) so I'm slightly jealous about that. Pay Me My Money Down is one I would like to see. I love that Seeger Sessions album.
So happy to hear that you got Santa Claus is Coming To Town. I was fortunate to get that back in 2009 in Buffalo. The crowd must have went nuts when he started that.
In other exciting Boss news, he's announced a string of 2013 European dates and some have gone on sale already. So I can only assume that North American dates will be announced within in the next few weeks or early in the new year. Can't wait!
