It's been awhile since I've been this excited about Bruce Springsteen's stage show --although I didn't exactly notice a significant dip in quality earlier in this decade. In 2016, I'm way crazy about where the band is. After hearing five complete gigs on YouTube (they get taken down and then reappear), what Bruce and the E Street Band are doing is astounding.
One of my jobs is basically sitting a computer for four hours at a time, and that's when I listen. And other than a March 28 show at Madison Square Garden where cues were missed--including the ones Bruce was supposed to give--and Jake Clemons wasn't doing his best reproduction of his uncle Clarence's saxophone playing, the shows are thrilling, just bristling with energy and a precise, tight sound. No horn section or special backup singers this time around. And while it's smart that he's not playing back-to-back
concerts--there's always an open night between them--he sounds far younger than his
66 years and is still determined to give the show of a lifetime every night.
Hearing the entirety of The River, played live from start to finish five times, hasn't worn me down yet; in fact, it affords the opportunity to hear Steven Van Zandt's rhythm and lead playing to go along with Bruce's and Nils Lofgren's, not to mention the ensemble parts and riffs (keyboards from Roy Bittan and Charlie Giordano) that make almost every song stellar. Little Steven adds a trebly guitar chill to "Point Blank," enabling the song to cut more deeply, while Max Weinberg's physical drumming reflects what he's said lately about being truly healthy. Though not quite overplaying, his work is busier than I can recall from the last few tours.
As for Bruce--how does he do it? At the February 29th Minneapolis concert, his voice got stronger as the concert rolled on, and he even hit that wail at the end of "Backstreets" that just amazed me. While I'm not a huge fan of "Dancing In the Dark," it sounds tremendous after he's performed all of The River and gets into his song catalog. Even something I never cared for at all, "Human Touch," has a special momentum to it.
"I'm just a prisoner...of rock'n'roll!" I'd forgotten that he used to yell that out at the end of his epic concerts. No posturing, just fact. Thank you for the boost, sir; I'm feeling extra good lately. Now if I could just find my birth certificate so I can use the public restroom...