Live Report: The Boss Kicks Things Off

A Pop Life exclusive! Loyal blogger Guy reports from opening night of the new Springsteen tour. Guy braved the wilds of Hartford, Conn., on a Tuesday, so please enjoy his reportage...

"And so it begins."

With those words, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked-off a world tour Tuesday night in a sold-out Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Conn.

Springsteen and his musical compadres were in rare mid-tour form as they deftly merged songs from new CD, Magic, released that day, with older selections. Although the emphasis on Magic (eight songs!), along with songs from The Rising and those originally performed with the Seeger Sessions Band (American Land, Long Walk Home), left little room for Springsteen to explore his extensive back catalog, several of the new additions proved worthy of placement next to warhorses such as Badlands and Born to Run.

Opening with the sonic blast of Radio Nowhere, the most arena-ready of the new songs, Springsteen quickly segued into The Ties That Bind and Lonesome Day, much to the delight of the crowd of more than 16,000. Other highlights included Reason to Believe, which combined the return of Springsteen’s bullet mike with an intro harkening back to La Grange-era ZZ Top and the Night and She’s The One combination.  The wistful Girls in Their Summer Clothes, which kicked off the five-song encore, served as a welcome counter-balance to the heavier subject matter of songs like the ferocious Last to Die and 10th Avenue Freezeout-sound-alike Livin’ in the Future.

Although eschewing the extended “Public Service Announcements” which had become a trademark of Springsteen shows since 2004’s Vote for Change tour, Springsteen’s introduction of Livin’ in the Future, managed to cite a litany of events (rendition, illegal wiretapping) that have occurred during the Bush Administration and emphasized both Magic’s political underpinnings and the fact that Springsteen was unlikely to switch parties anytime soon.

The show itself was as streamlined as Springsteen’s political commentary, as the band stepped through 23 songs in slightly over two hours, barely stopping for band introductions.  Gone were the 20-minute versions of 10th Avenue Freezeout and Mary’s Place, which had served this purpose on previous tours.

Luckily, Springsteen did not miss an opportunity to cater to the alcohol-consuming portion of his fan base, electing to perform a mid-show duet wife Patti Scialfa on Town Called Heartbreak, from her recent release Play It as It Lays. The show’s only significant misstep, it nevertheless provided a welcome opportunity for a much-needed refill/bathroom break.

Comments

[Jim]

I enjoyed your review, Guy. Seriously, though - what's up with the itinerary? No dates in the South?

His Tampa stop during the Devils & Dust tour was one of the best shows I have seen in a long time.

Although many of Springsteen's fans long for the good old days of 1978, I am enjoying Bruce at his most prolific. Seriously, could anyone have imagined him releasing four CDs in the past five years and going on four different tours? And it just gets better - supposedly there's another album "in the can", so we may have some more Bruce to listen to next year.

[Guy]

Jim, this is just the barnstorming part of the tour, where he'll play 1, maximum 2 dates in major markets and vary the setlists only slightly.

2008 will be a different story; he'll hit Tampa and other overlooked markets, in some cases for multiple shows, and probably have longer, more varied setlists.

By the time this tour ends, you will have had your fill of the Boss.

[Patti Fan]

Seriously, when will it stop? Patti releases her best CD at the beginning of September, only to see it ignored by the press and the public. Having now been swallowed up by the Springsteen machine, she's catches more flak than Bush.

Enough already. It's time this truly unappreciated singer-songwriter gets her due.

[Bassnote]

I'll be seeing Bruce and the band in a few weeks in Chicago. I hope he changes the setlist a little by then. I like the new album, but most of it is way too mellow.

[Guy]

The new songs don't come off as mellow live, with the exception of Magic and Devil's Arcade.

[The Boss is a Pusss]

This Ant-American Loser is a Has-Been.

"The Boss".........Yeah, 30 years ago.

He and Mellencamp should do a tour in Iraq "Cheering Up" soldiers.

PS: Before you Liberal Posters get your Pink-Panties in a bunch.......

I'm a proud U.S. Army Air Assault Vet.

If you don't know what Air Assault is....go back to promoting gay and abortion rights.

[Marissa]

::blink blink::

[The Boss Rules]

Nothing anti-American about Bruce.
Keep rockin' Bruce!
The new cd is great.

[Bassnote]

Just because I like some of Bruce's music does not make me anti-American. I completely disagree with most of his politics. As far as I am concerned musicians should stick to music and leave the politics to the real idiots.

[Marissa]

::blink blink::

[Sure, Bruce was great thirty years ago]

I'm just not depressed enough to enjoy him any more.

BTW, technically, it's "warrantless" searches, which have been approved by the Court. So not "illegal."

Shut up and sing, Boss.