A Bruce Springsteen concert is an experience, with no show being exactly the same and each show having it's own personality. He changes the set lists up nightly, has numerous false endings on songs, plays sign requests and calls audibles to the set list on the fly. Let's see any other stadium and arena acts, do this with their same "show" every city, with pre-programmed lights, choreography, etc., do something unplanned or unrehearsed.
Yes, there are parts and set pieces that fall into the same pattern. And yes, he has routines and schticks he uses. But they can and do go off-key, which is usually just laughed off and makes the concert experience better. Bruce is still a musician in addition to being a showman.
I saw Mr. Springsteen for third time, this time in Kansas City at the Sprint Center, Saturday night. I was hoping for a St. Louis date, but one never materialized (at least this year) on his Wrecking Ball Tour. Well, with the vacation days I had and not doing much else, I would have probably double dipped anyway.
Me and my dad got there about 6:30, just at they were opening the doors for the 7:30 show, which we knew wouldn't start until about 8:20. Once we got to our seats and having just seen McCartney at Scottrade a week ago, we noticed, even though having been there before, that the Sprint Center was smaller seating wise. And the fact the opposite side of the arena wasn't as far away as the Scottrade Center.
I got decent seats this time, 19 rows back in the second section over stage right and still a nice view of the video screen. There was an older guy, with a green shirt, who was totally psyched once it started getting close to start time. He was jumping around in his seat, clapping and chanting, "Bruuuuuuuce." And once the concert started he was jumping around playing air drums.
The lights went out and Big Boss Man started playing, it was time to rock. And he opened up with a song that me and my dad talked about him likely playing and Bruce said, "We can't resist playing this one whenever we come to Kansas City, so we're going to start off with it," and the E Street Band launched into Kansas City. With the horns(including Curt Ramm a native Kansas Cityian and who's played on a lot of Springsteen records tours) and back up singers he's now carrying it was cooking jazz version with a little Hey Hey Hey Hey thrown in like the Beatles did. It also set the mood for the show, in that it was going to be a festive affair. Then it was right into the Roy Bittan's piano introduction of one of my favorites, Prove It All Night. I knew it was going to be a good show.
After his march to the middle platform during the singalong that was Hungry Heart, he asked, "Is there any strong men in Kansas City?" before doing his crowd surfing back to the front. Apparently not, as he almost got dropped.
The new songs off of Wrecking Ball, held up pretty good. Though the title track wasn't "new." He opened with it when I saw him in the 2009 in St. Louis and Land of Hope and Dreams dates back to the reunion tour. Death to My Hometown with his Irish brogue singing sounded better live than on record.
Before My City of Ruins, he asked, "....Kansas City, Missouri right? The Show-me State?....We've traveled all this way, we're gonna fucking show you something tonight!" He also saw a jawbreaker on stage, "We don't have Twinkies, but we still have Jawbreakers. I had to turn my
three-year-old upside down once to stop him from choking on one of
these." Then someone threw up a large blue bra with a song request on it, which he replied, "Now, that's a jawbreaker and a surefire way to get your request played. We'll get to it later." I could make out the word "me" and got a chuckle when I figured it out.
A few songs later the sign gathering started, and after going through some, Bruce said, "Little Steven pointed this one out," which on a bright orange sign was Fire, which pleased the crowd. The next request played was Incident on 57th Street, which seemed to go against the mood and flow of the show. Before it started, Bruce hollered at Nils, "Are you ready Nils?" before telling us, "Last time we played it Nils fucked it up badly." It was a good performance, but just seemed sort of out of place being one of his more epic story songs. But that lead into another of my and a crowd whipping frenzy of Because the Night.
Then the bright blue bra made its return which read, Cover Me. Heh-heh. That lead straight into two more Born in the USA songs, Downbound Train and I'm On Fire. Bruce had to cancel KC in 2009 after his cousin and crew member was found dead in the hotel, but he was originally planning to play the entire album of Born in the USA that night.
Waitin' on a Sunny Day in concert features Bruce pulling out a young kid form the audience to sing along with the chorus. This night he pulled a young girl probably around four or five, and her parents said she could pull it off. But once up on the walk with Bruce, she froze up, just mustering a few whispers, even with encouragement from the audience. Bruce laughed it off, "She'll be scarred for life." Like I said, not everything in concerts is planned or panned out right.
During Raise Your Hand he made his way back to the middle platform and picked up Santa Clause hat on his way back, foreshadowing a song later on. Then it was on to the rock and roll fire of favorites The Rising and Badlands to start closing down the main set, with Land of Hope and Dreams and Light of Day.
The encore started off with a shout out of to the local charity helping out homeless for the KC area and am mention of the canceling the last time and a dedication to his cousin, with My Beautiful Reward. A slower song that didn't seem as out of place in this spot. Then it was house lights on with classics the rest of the night Born to Run and Dancing in the Dark. During the "dancing" part, signs requested to dance with Jake Clemons and Nils Lofgren were granted. And Bruce got one for a mother and daughter to dance with, which lead to a comical struggle to get the mother pulled up with help from Steven. As well as the Bruce and Steven having to herd the women off stage.
Speaking of Jake, having big shoes to fill in for his uncle, the Big Man, he did a marvelous job on playing. He might not be a stage presence like him, but playing wise gets the job done. And speaking of excellent playing, Max is still a firebrand of a drummer. Anything the video screen was on him, you could just see the focus on Bruce and where the song was going. And as my dad said, he has to be on it, when Bruce calls to start a new song with no break in between. And he was pounding away as Mad Max every time I looked at him on stage.
After that the Santa Hat returned, which led into Santa Claus is Coming to Town, which fit the mood of the show and was another treat. Then it was my personal favorite Springsteen song, as well as my dads and the finale of Tenth Avenue Freeze Out. Before the song Bruce, yanked his shirt off, down to his undershirt. It was a struggle for the roadie to get his shirt off (even though I knew he was going to be wearing a tie, there's just something un-rock and roll about it. Even though it was common pre1970's rock. That and I don't trust people in or who wear ties.), with Bruce almost falling down. He started the song atop the piano and made his way to the middle platform again, and after the important part of, "...when the change was made uptown the Big Man joined the band," the band stopped and the video screens showed pictures of Clarance, which led to applause and cheers for a couple of minutes, before the band picked it back up, then Bruce brought it home.
Another awesome show, at a hair over three hours. I don't know if it's the best one I've seen out of the three, but as I've become a bigger fan, I probably enjoyed it a lot more. Even if he is a Obama supporting liberal, you'd still have fun at his show. Probably helps more if you are though, but thankfully he saved any liberal clap trap talk from us.
Now I'm just ready for a St. Louis date in the Spring...
Backstreets review and KC Star Review
Set List
Kansas City
Prove It All Night
Candy's Room
She's the One (with Not Fade Away intro)
Hungry Heart
We Take Care of Our Own
Wrecking Ball
Death to My Hometown
My City of Ruins
The E Street Shuffle
Fire
Incident on 57th Street
Because the Night
Cover Me
Downbound Train
I'm on Fire
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
Raise Your Hand
The Rising
Badlands
Land of Hope and Dreams
Light of Day
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My Beautiful Reward
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
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