"The E Street Band is glad to be here in Western Australia. Sign Up But what is Christmas without Santa... and so of course that other local Jersey guy, in the midst of his own Broadway rehearsals, jumped on stage for "It's Been a Long Time" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out," the latter treated as a duet. The best a fan could hope for? As it was difficult to contact anyone in the Springsteen organization, she informed Frontier Touring of the petition but never heard a word in response. over Max's rolling beat as the band rollicked into "American Land," but it was like starting a car in third gear. In Bruce's own words: "We swore forever friends… that was the deal, right?" Does that explain it? The second time you see it, you might be astonished to realize how much is a clockwork part of the show: a shout to the crowd, a spray of water, walking to this side or that, nightly moves and cues that are practiced to maximize the heart-stopping and house-rocking night after night. But an hour or so in, there was no mistaking the chorus of "Bruuuuce" that greeted our man as he stood solo, center stage, acoustic guitar at the ready.
"although Darth Vader was voiced by the African-American Someone even designed TIE fighters that did have shields and wouldn't be any more expensive, but the empire note that, for Earth, accelerating the entire planet to its own escape velocity would take about 3.74E32 joules, or slightly under eleven and a quarter days worth of the "Land of Hope and Dreams" similarly embodies a world of opposition and a way out of despair, and when played after "Badlands" to close the main set offered a cathartic prayer for our times. "Dancing" did get almost somber and dark in a way that I've always thought those lyrics merited. Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg stopped by for an on-air chat, while others — Stephen Colbert, Howard Stern, Ricky Gervais, Liev Schreiber, Emmylou Harris — skipped the cold to head inside.Having caught an early performance last November, I was curious how If you were watching the clock, which nobody was, tonight's performance was actually two minutes shorter (2 hrs 13 mins) than the one I saw last fall. On a night celebrating the communal spirit of the Upstage, the frontman role was shared by many, with Asbury Jukes keyboardist and official ringleader Jeff Kazee somehow managing to coordinate the comings and goings of an endless array of musicians and instruments without any apparent mishaps. He summoned Max's snare like a whip and prompted organ and sax solos with "C'mon Charlie" and "C'mon Jake." "Glory Days," "Hungry Heart," and "Wrecking Ball" were all stadium-friendly rockers that popped but didn't sizzle.A stretch of brilliance followed. Next was another sign request, "Back in Your Arms." Brisbane might have to sharpen up its skills in the pit, but the fans got a crowd-surfing Bruce back to the stage and in one piece eventually. Everything changed with "My City of Ruins." Calling for E-flat, Bruce was back on the telecaster as the band, with terrific backing vocals from all, kicked into "Jole Blon."
"Here we are in Asbury Park, New Jersey, just where we were 75 years ago!" Where I was standing no one moved. After a hearty "Good evening, Western Australia," rubber met road with a rollicking "Prove It All Night" that delivered guitar face aplenty and a pulsing face-off between Bruce and Max. The band left the stage, and Bruce returned alone with his acoustic guitar and harmonic rack for a lovely solo "Thunder Road." Originally created in 1977 by George Lucas, produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by 20th Century Fox, it is currently owned by Disney since the acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy serving as a producer for all films released under the Disney banner.. Australians seem to love his newer material, inspiring Bruce to engage in a deafening "I just want to hear some rhythm" call-and-response with the crowd.This time around, the Aussies had no choice but to stand, especially when Bruce whipped out a rare mid-set "Glory Days," and "The River" momentarily and hauntingly slowed things down before they went right back to setting their guitars ablaze with "Youngstown" (two lengthy Nils solos are always better than one), "Murder Incorporated" (another Bruce-Stevie guitar face-off), "Johnny 99" (there are few superior talent showcases for the entirety of the E Street Band) and "Ramrod" ("Ramrod" and "Glory Days" in the main set?
Bruce's voice froze up halfway through "Born to Run" but recovered during a cape-less "Shout." All I could do was study faces, eavesdrop on conversations, put away pints with locals and ask their slurred, ecstatic opinions afterward. Big, bad-ass, beloved, missing Clarence. Sure, some moments felt rushed, and at others the narrator seemed distracted or impatient. Are the people with me?" From childhood and an Elvis Presley creation myth ("Growin' Up") we move on to look at Freehold ("My Hometown"), his father ("My Father's House"), his mother ("The Wish"). Of aging and memory. Of course it all sounded great — the E Street Band knows its job — but Bruce was like a drunken insurance salesman at a trust-fund-family wedding, gladhanding and schmoozing with abandon. No word on whether Cohn enjoyed the show.Other moments took on unexpected nuances. The sun had yet to set behind the stage, but the air was cool — a perfect night for a city never listed on a Springsteen T-shirt until 2017. "Born to Run" continued its run as all-time-greatest stadium anthem followed by a "Dancing in the Dark" that saw Bruce dance with a woman holding a "Dance with this nasty woman - Love Trumps Hate" sign. Even with Bruce and Southside doing the yeoman's share of leads, there was plenty of room for each musician to have a moment or two to shine, just as they had in the old days. Of note here was a rare full-band version of the Bruce Springsteen Band-era tune "Ballad of Jesse James," officially released on last year's A scaled-back version of "The Fever" featured Southside on lead vocal, ably supported by Eddie Manion and Tommy LaBella on sax.
"Two Hearts" had Steve making like a butcher in a pork store, the crowd savoring every slice of ham, before an aerobic "Wrecking Ball" helped burn it off. The two embraced, and Patti came back to the mic to note, "This song always makes me think of three men: Fred 'Sonic' Smith, who inspired it; Jimmy Iovine, who produced it; and Bruce Springsteen, who wrote it."