Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band Open U.S. Tour

07/19/1999 4:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(7/19/99, 1 p.m. PDT) - Kicking off the first of 15 sold-out shows at New Jersey's Continental Airlines Arena, Bruce Springsteen and the reunited E Street Band pulled out all the stops Thursday night (July 15), playing a 26-song set that clocked in just shy of three hours.

Shortly after 8 p.m., one by one the members of the E Street Band --Roy Bittan, Danny Federici, Max Weinberg, Gary Tallent, Nils Lofgren, Little Steven Van Zandt, Clarence Clemons, and Patti Scialfa--took the stage, each drawing applause from the overzealous crowd, who then welcomed Springsteen with a thunderous ovation.

After a brief hello to the fans from his home state, Springsteen--clad in black jeans and a black, short-sleeved, button-down shirt--and the band wasted no time getting to the music, launching into "My Love Will Not Let You Down." This was followed by a spirited run through "Promised Land." From there, they ran through many of Springsteen's familiar hits, such as "Darkness On The Edge Of Town," "Born To Run," "Bobby Jean," "Thunder Road," and "Hungry Heart."

Missing was most of the storytelling that had become trademark of Springsteen's marathon shows in the '70s and '80s. The show moved from uptempo rockers to spare and slower fare such as "Mansion On A Hill," "The River," "Streets Of Philadelphia," and the title track of his most recent solo work, The Ghost Of Tom Joad.

The introductions of the E Street Band members were saved for a break, inserted into the band's performance of "10th Avenue Freezeout," during which Springsteen "testified" to being alone, walking the streets, finally happening upon 10th Avenue, where he found Bittan, Federici, Tallent, and the rest of the band.

Springsteen's wife Scialfa received the most touching introduction, with Springsteen falling to his knees. Van Zandt's nod noted his current acting role in the HBO series The Sopranos. The guitarist answered by playing a riff of the theme to The Godfather. Weinberg's intro noted his prominence in late-night television. Finally, as is tradition, the "Big Man," Clemons, was introduced last, with a protracted buildup that exploded back into the song with the line, "A change was made uptown and the Big Man joined the band."

After 18 songs, which ended with a rousing, preacher-like rant from Springsteen about the power and the majesty of rock 'n' roll, the band briefly left the stage before playing the first of two encores.

For the first encore, Springsteen strode alone to the mic at centerstage and proceeded to tell the audience about returning to his Catholic grade school last year to perform a benefit concert. To mark the special occasion, he wrote a song titled "Freehold," the name of the town where he was born and raised. After asking the crowd to bear with him during the song that he had only played once before, he began a touching and sometimes humorous lyrical tour through his life. The Woody Guthrie-esque song touched on his roots, his family, early sexual experiences, and friends. It also noted how he'd come full circle, growing up and breaking free of the trappings of his hometown, only to return later in life appreciative of the impact the town and its people had on him.

The band, sitting on the side of the stage during "Freehold," rejoined Springsteen for the roaring rocker "Stand On It," "Hungry Heart," "Born To Run," and "Bobby Jean," before exiting. The second encore included "Thunder Road," "If I Should Fall Behind," and the song that closed all of the shows on the earlier European leg of the tour, "Land Of Hope And Dreams."

The opening-night gig was not without problems. Poor sound plagued the performance throughout the evening, Springsteen's vocals were often drowned in a mix where the keyboards and guitars distorted into a musical blare. Springsteen himself wasn't perfect either, calling out a cue to Little Steven as Clemons started a brief solo in "Where The Bands Are," which prompted Van Zandt's solo. The mix-up left all three laughing.

Here's the complete set list from the opening-night show:

"My Love Will Not Let You Down"
"The Promised Land"
"Two Hearts"
"Darkness On The Edge Of Town"
"Darlington County"
"Mansion On A Hill"
"The River"
"Youngstown"
"Murder Inc."
"Badlands"
"Out In The Street"
"10th Avenue Freezeout"
"Where The Bands Are"
"Workin' On A Highway"
"Ghost Of Tom Joad"
"Streets Of Philadelphia"
"Backstreets"
"Light Of Day"

First encore:

"Freehold"
"Stand On It"
"Hungry Heart"
"Born To Run"
"Bobby Jean"

Second encore:

"Thunder Road"
"If I Should Fall Behind"
"Land Of Hope and Dreams"

To read a transcript of an exclusive LAUNCH.com chat with E Street drummer Max Weinberg, click here.

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