BRUCE - the very best for last!

[Ken Gargett]

forgive the brevity but i am just back from bruce in brizzy and knackered. i’m sure i’ll have more to follow. rob, i knew you’d want me to share!

it went just a few minutes short of four hours. WOW!

may i just say that all concerts ever held by anyone anywhere, in the history of the world, are currently hanging their collective heads in shame, unworthy to be mentioned in the same breath as tonight’s (even other bruce concerts are embarrassed). this was at levels i could never have imagined.

if the grim reaper had tapped me on the shoulder at the end of the show and said ‘time’, i would have happily linked arms and gone with him, singing and dancing into the light.

it will simply be all downhill from here.

a 200 lb. tarpon on fly? reds beating nsw to win the super xv final and a skins superbowl in the same year? a case of 45 romanee-conti? all of these? keep them. i’ll take tonight's show every time.

after almost four hours, when you think he must be near death, sticks his head in a bucket of water and has eddie veeder (whom i now know is of pearl jam – thanks stu) come on and they do a sensational ‘highway to hell’.

at the moment, i feel like i could fly.

[hounser]

Sounds amazing Ken! And Eddie Vedder just came along for the fun of it I guess.

Very cool.

[Ken Gargett]

Sounds amazing Ken! And Eddie Vedder just came along for the fun of it I guess.

Very cool.

he played with bruce in melb as well. i had no idea who he was but lots got excited.

to be honest, not really sure why he was there.

[gigabyte056]

And for the people who weren't there:

[Ken Gargett]

we’d been trying to work out what he’d start with. saints? being brizzy?

opens with one spottie on him, playing a few cords. no one has a clue what. another spot hits a trumpet player wailing away. then the back parts of the stage light up and 8 stunning women in black evening gowns playing violins. then the whole stage and so the band is now about 27 people. and off he goes. staying alive. bee gees or saints? bee gees. don’t think anyone expected that. but it was so different to disco.

he did those four songs from ‘greetings from astbury park’ (and i could happily have gone home then) – the last one, ‘growin up’, he did the big monologue first. most of it about what superhero he wanted to be given he couldn’t get a date when young. had to be a non-technical hero like the hulk. couldn’t be batman because ‘i never would have been able to drive the f***ing batmobile’. for the last part, he was mid crowd. threw himself into them and was carried back. got up and started high hopes. stops. pulls something out of his back pocket and starts to laugh. ‘only in australia’. ‘someone is missing their phone.’ someone had snuck it into his pocket. never felt a thing. looks at it. ‘press unlock button. what is an unlock button?’ by now, stevie and tom morello are all trying to help.

later, he stops and starts talking to us. “things are not going to plan. i need to play one song for stevie (much more interaction between those two this concert, even three stooges routines) as it is his favourite and i have to play it every tour. then we’ll work this out”. so does a brilliant ‘fade away’.

then, “this is our last concert. we really wanted to do something special. we had all these plans for you but they are not working out. we are just playing signs and whatever feels right. we can keep doing that if you want (stevie comes over and whispers and bruce says stevie says to keep doing this because it is such a great concert) but we had planned to do ‘wild, innocent...’ (massive cheer from about a third of the crowd). we can do that or just keep going. is anyone here even familiar with ‘wild, innocent...’? (massive cheer from a third of the crowd). actually, it might be a bit late to do the full thing. we could just do side two (calls of ‘bruce’ turn into ‘noooooo’. nice that he still thinks in terms of sides of records). so what will it be? signs and stuff (big cheer)? ‘wild, innocent...’? (massive cheer from about a third of the crowd). ‘wild, innocent...’ it is. and away we went. and they did the lot!

i thought ‘sandy’ might be the best thing i’d ever heard but ‘kitty’s back’ was not just his best version of that song, not just the best version of any of his songs but the best version of any song ever played, in history. he had all the key guys do their own solos within the song. it was actually something that reminded me a lot of jazz, except it wasn’t crap.

i want to do it all again tonight!!

[Ken Gargett]

the set list...

• 
  
  • 
    Stayin' Alive
    (Bee Gees cover) (Live premiere)
    
  • 
    It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City
    (Tour premiere)
    
  • 
    Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?
    (Tour premiere)
    
  • 
    Growin' Up
    
  • 
    Spirit in the Night
    
  • 
    High Hopes
    (The Havalinas cover)
    
  • 
    Just Like Fire Would
    (The Saints cover)
    
  • 
    You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
    (Tour premiere, Sign request)
    
  • 
    Sherry Darling
    (Sign request)
    
  • 
    Save My Love
    (Sign request)
    
  • 
    Fade Away
    (Tour premiere, Sign request)
    
  • The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
    
  • 
    The E Street Shuffle
    
  • 
    4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
    
  • 
    Kitty's Back
    
  • 
    Wild Billy's Circus Story
    (Tour premiere)
    
  • 
    Incident on 57th Street
    (Tour premiere)
    
  • 
    Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
    
  • 
    New York City Serenade
    (Tour premiere, w/ additional strings)
    
  • 
    Darlington County
    
  • 
    Waitin' on a Sunny Day
    
  • 
    The Rising
    
  • 
    The Ghost of Tom Joad
    (w/ Tom Morello on shared vocals)
    
  • 
    Badlands
    
  • Encore:
    
  • 
    Glory Days
    
  • 
    Born to Run
    
  • 
    Bobby Jean
    
  • 
    Dancing in the Dark
    
  • 
    Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
    
  • 
    Highway to Hell
    (AC/DC cover) (w/ Eddie Vedder)
    
  • Encore 2:
    
  • 
    Thunder Road
    (Solo acoustic)
    

• 
  

[OZCUBAN]

I am so f$&king jealous mate can't believe it

Oh and kitty's back can't agree more absolutely awesome version real jazzy I will be downloading the brissy gig for sure cheers ken

[Ken Gargett]

I am so f$&king jealous mate can't believe it

Oh and kitty's back can't agree more absolutely awesome version real jazzy I will be downloading the brissy gig for sure cheers ken

let me know what you think.

i am still bouncing around the house singing. actually was (i swear this is true) woken up this morning because my foot was taping away to darlington.

and i know this will be misunderstood but last night was the closest i have come to understanding religion and faith.

[Bahnofstrasse]

Love to read your enthusiasm for Bruce Ken...No Darkness on the Edge of Town?

[OZCUBAN]

let me know what you think.

i am still bouncing around the house singing. actually was (i swear this is true) woken up this morning because my foot was taping away to darlington.

and i know this will be misunderstood but last night was the closest i have come to understanding religion and faith.

Not misunderstood ken before I went to the Perth concert I had NO Springsteen albums now I have virtually the whole back catalogue plus videos my wife thinks I have lost my mind

I say I have seen the light and been blinded by it I hope he comes back soonish

Cheers Steve

[OZCUBAN]

I have had songs in my head since early feb lol lol

[Ken Gargett]

Love to read your enthusiasm for Bruce Ken...No Darkness on the Edge of Town?

only badlands. and darkness is my fave album!

[Ken Gargett]

I hope he comes back soonish

Cheers Steve

he finished by saying he'd be back. kept his word last time so hopefully...

talked several times about how much he loves australia and how welcome they have been made here. and that it was good not to be eaten by a shark.

went down to northern nsw and loved.

implored us all to tell no one how good australia is so we don't get swamped.

said that last year, 'they felt the bottom of the earth move' for them. couldn't wait to get back.

fingers crossed.

[El Presidente]

...so he has now left?

[Ken Gargett]

...so he has now left?

he will always be with us.

[Bahnofstrasse]

only badlands. and darkness is my fave album!

Grew up outside Philly and spent my Summers at Ocean City down on the Jersey Shore. Bruce cut his teeth in the NY/NJ/Philly market so his Concerts there are exceptional to this day.

Saw this Albums Concert Tour 2 times at the old Philadelphia Spectrum back in 1978.

My favorite Bruce album as well as it brings back great memories from my youth. Being that it was the Album that followed Born to Run, you can imagine the Set List from those Shows!

Great song! http://youtu.be/mCpzgcH0QBE

[Ken Gargett]

Grew up outside Philly and spent my Summers at Ocean City down on the Jersey Shore. Bruce cut his teeth in the NY/NJ/Philly market so his Concerts there are exceptional to this day.

Saw this Albums Concert Tour 2 times at the old Philadelphia Spectrum back in 1978.

My favorite Bruce album as well as it brings back great memories from my youth. Being that it was the Album that followed Born to Run, you can imagine the Set List from those Shows!

he did candy's room last year in melb. long been one of my faves.

[Smooth]

Rob... Next time you are at Ken's place and hear faint noises from his car boot, let Bruce out.

[OZCUBAN]

Next video review I expect the music to be cranked up

[Ken Gargett]

Next video review I expect the music to be cranked up

from your pen to the prez's ears???

[Ken Gargett]

just in case you thought i was ever so slightly biased. notes from a review.

The house lights are almost up and Bruce Springsteen is alone, on stage, singing “Thunder Road“. He’s taken the verse melody on a subtle change of route and now the capacity house are singing the chorus in unison. The final wave of applause hits the performer and he passes his harmonica brace to a fan in the first rows. It marks the end of an extraordinary night and an extraordinary Australian tour. Tonight, in Brisbane, Springsteen shows, again, that he’s not prepared to allow anything about his set list to become rote.

Let’s go back to the beginning. The show starts with the stage in darkness and Bruce is singing the opening lines of the Bee Gee’s disco hit “Stayin’ Alive“. For a moment you wonder if he’s going to deliver it as a bare bones slice of blue eyed soul, but then the band kick in, the lights are up and the party has started. Putting heart and soul into the lyric, Bruce sounds terrific, while Curtis, Cindy and Michelle are the physical manifestation of soul heaven. While the horn section – well, tonight they’ve got more a little swagger, and they play it out multiple times during the course of the evening. But… that’s not all. Adding a sweet topping are an eight-piece string section. The results are sublime.

So where too from here…? Bruce goes way back and the band tear into “It’s Hard To Be a Saint In The City“. The song is given a little extra muscle, with some stinging guitar lines traded between Bruce and Little Steven. Then there’s “Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street“. The horns are out front and the show is downright funky. The Entertainment Centre now feels like a very large bar circa 1973. Next Bruce offers a meditation on the life of a teenager sitting in a bedroom and dreaming of being a super hero. Sex is impossible and all you can rely on is a date with ’Mister Trusty’. He says ‘staying alive isn’t that easy to do … how do we stay alive?’ and then launches into “Growin’ Up“. “Spirit In The Night” is next and Bruce gets a wild surf back to centre stage … somewhere along the way someone slips a cell phone is his pocket. Another first!

“High Hopes” and “Just Like Fire Would” remain staples and drag the audience back into the now. The show is starting to feel edgy and Bruce is prepared to tear up the set list. Looking for signs he grabs one for “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)” (with features lots of mugging from Steve), his frat rock classic “Sherry Darling” and “Save My Love“. He admits the latter didn’t make Darkness ‘because it’s too ******* happy’. He admits he had plans for the set list and ‘none of them are happening’. Finally he sees a sign for “Fade Away”. It’s Steve’s favourite and Bruce admits he plays it once a tour to keep him happy.

The set is now at a crossroads and Springsteen reveals he was considering playing The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle. But now it might be too late in the night. Maybe he should just take sign requests? Maybe he should just only play the second half of the album? Finally he decides to put it to an audience vote. He weighs up the applause and decides to play the album, in full, for only the second time in the history of the band. Hard core fans are in heaven. Time to buckle up.

The music, littered with killer lyrics and clever instrumentation held the room largely spell bound. It’s hard to pick highlights: because everything had highs. E Street Shuffle, with its Major Lance style riff, is off the chart. 4th Of July Asbury Park (Sandy) is gorgeous. Kitty’s Back features lots of that stinging guitar mentioned earlier.

“Before we had horn players Gary Tallent played the tuba,” Bruce informs us as Gary does just that on Wild Billy’s Circus Story. Next comes one of the greatest finales of all time. You flip the album over and Bruce hits us with Incident On 57th Street, which rolls into a barnstorming Rosalita (complete with Italian flag underwear worn by Bruce as a hat and lots of Three Stooges style moves for the camera) and the return of the strings for New York City Serenade.

At the album’s close Bruce shifts into a new gear and hits the stalls to shake a few hands, plant a kiss on the woman in the balcony and delight us with Darlington County. Waiting On A Sunny Day keeps the mood upbeat. The Rising is one of the nights many standouts and The Ghost Of Tom Joad is played with a zeal that clearly impresses as the audience bellow the hook line louder than any other audience in the county. Badlands is next and if you were in the pit and you thought an audience member was banging an extra tambourine, you were right. Eddie Vedder was right there shaking his tambo as hard as he could. Glory Days (with a ‘let’s twerk’ adlib was next).

Born To Run, Bobby Jean and Dancing In The Dark were joyful and showed the dexterity of Bruce’s work when compared to the main body of the set. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out illustrated again what a terrific soul singer Bruce is.Bruce thanked the audience for their warmth over two summers and advised us to keep Australia a secret for as long as we could. Eddie Vedder came on for a scorching Highway To Hell and Bruce closed the set with Thunder Road. 118 songs were played over 11 nights. Four albums were played in their entirety and Australian covers were learned and performed in rapid-fire time. Bruce, you came, you saw and you totally rocked. A sign from the Hunter Valley sums up all of our feelings. It read: ‘Thank You Brother’.

actually, i thought the best sign of the tour as in adelaide, some bloke held it up and clearly embarrassed bruce -

"F*** YOU'RE GOOD!"