Concert review: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

All Phones Arena

Monday 18 March 2013

Wow. Just… fucking… WOW.

This is my third go at writing this review. I keep getting a few pars in and deleting everything I've written because none of it has gone close to either accurately recording and commenting on the facts of last night's gig or adequately explaining the way it made me feel.

Through a series of (for Mrs Schnitzel and I, very fortunate) events, we found ourselves driving to Sydney for a date with Bruce Springsteen. Baby Schnitzel in the safe hands of Moose and Mrs Moose, we battled traffic and then a computer glitch which said we already had our tickets to finally get inside. We've been to All Phones Arena before - in fact, just over a year ago we had sat on the other side of the venue to see Roger Waters perform The Wall - but we were closer this time, and the arena was almost at capacity. When the lights went down and the band kicked off with 'American land', the mood was set immediately - we were here for a musical party, a communal hootenanny, a celebration of everything beautiful and real in human art.

Wanky? Yes... but that's how it felt (sorry Creepy Dylan!).

I've tried discussing the whole night with Mrs Schnitzel (whose crush on Springsteen has deepened to all-out love (note: lust) after last night), with Moose, with Mrs Moose and with Baby Schnitzel (she's doesn't seem to pay too much attention but she doesn't talk back, either)… they're all shocked by the fact that for once I am very literally lost for words. I don't know what to say. Clichés commonly thrown around when talking about Springsteen - "messianic", "a religious experience" etc. - pop into my head… but they all fall short. I'm not religious, so the words don't mean too much to me outside of mildly useful (lazy) hyperbole; but even when used as a function of awe, they just don't cut it here. What I do know is that I had tears in my eyes for the first half dozen songs as I felt the raw emotion and love flying to and from the stage. Slowly they dried, the spine tingles ramped up and I was filled with a sense of euphoria which has not yet abated. 

For the empirically minded, here are the facts: the Boss lead the sixteen-strong ("heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, earth-quaking, booty-shaking, Viagra-taking, love-making, legendary") E Street Band through a total of 23 songs, which included a couple of covers. They mixed songs from as far back as Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ ('Spirit in the night') with tracks from Wrecking ball ('American land', 'Death to my hometown', 'Shackled and drawn', 'Wrecking ball', although 'We take care of our own' was a surprising omission) and a whole lot from inbetween. As expected, there was also liberal helpings from Born to run ('Thunder Road' and 'Born to run' being obvious highlights which saw couples all around the stadium holding hands and screaming their lungs out… myself and Mrs Schnitzel included) and Darkness on the edge of town ('Badlands' had everyone dancing), Individual song highlights are almost too numerous to list, but if I'm ruthless, you can't go past 'American land', 'Waitin' on a sunny day', 'Pay me my money down', 'Bad lands', 'Thunder road', 'Born to run', 'Dancing in the dark' and the blistering performance of 'The ghost of Tom Joad' (which saw Springsteen share the mic with guest guitarist Tom Morello, who lent his own trademark guitar playing to the raw and powerful tune - check this video from 2009 for a taste of what it was like… unbelievable!)

There were a bunch of 'moment in time' highlights, too. The numerous nods to the departed Clarence Clemons were touching, and it was very clear how deep an impact his death had on Springsteen and his band. His nephew Jake did an outstanding job, however; every saxophone solo was met with huge cheers, and nearly every one ended with the Boss embracing the newest member of the E Street Band. Springsteen pulled a 10 year old out of the audience to take lead vocals during 'Waitin' on a sunny day', he crowd surfed during 'Hungry heart', he danced with an audience member during 'Dancing in the dark' and he lead numerous singalongs. There was more… so many more moments that had me laughing, singing, crying, smiling… but I'm still a little overwrought, and I'm on my fourth run through of the iPod playlist I built from last night. I need time to reflect.

I'll end by saying this: the whole concert was beyond compare, and in a week where I saw Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Guns and Roses and now Bruce Springsteen; the Boss succeeded in besting the competition. It was astonishing, it was unexpected, and when he comes back to Australia, I will meet you on the floor.

SCHNITZEL

Set list:

- American land

- Prove it all night

- Adam raised a Cain

- Wrecking ball

- Death to my hometown

- Hungry heart

- My city of ruins

- Spirit in the night

- High hopes (The Havalinas cover)

- Youngstown

- Candy's room

- She's the one

- Pay me my money down

- Shackled and drawn

- Waitin' on a sunny day

- The rising

- The ghost of Tom Joad

- Badlands

Encore (although not really an encore because the break was only about 30 seconds):

- Thunder Road

- Born to run

- Seven nights to rock (Moon Mullican cover)

- Dancing in the dark

- Tenth Avenue freeze-out