If you’re one of those fans who goes to concerts for the classics and makes a beer run during the new songs, don’t go to the first night of a tour.
Me, I try to always make opening night, because I love hearing new material–and since Wrecking Ball is right up there near the very top of my favorite albums list, I was thrilled to be at the kick-off for the tour.
Sure, the show was short by Springsteen standards (the shows always grow as the tour progresses); there weren’t any audibles (early shows tend to hew pretty closely to the setlist). But it was a real treat to hear so much of the album live, since new material typically gets swapped out for old once the album drops off the charts.
I’d managed to ignore the Apollo preview show so I wouldn’t have any spoilers, and I’m glad I did–the show was an emotional journey from start to finish. This was the first public E Street Band concert without Clarence Clemons, and no one know–least of all Bruce–how the crowd would react to his absence, and to the torch being gently passed onward.
Bruce gave himself a third-person introduction (that would be one of the first things to drop) before launching into “We Take Care of Our Own,” which became an instant favorite concert anthem. “Wrecking Ball” had more resonance now than it did when I first heard at the tail end of the Working on a Dream tour–Clarence’s absence loomed large. And even larger during “My City of Ruins,” where the audience had a chance to momentarily grieve before Bruce firmly re-established the Big Man’s spiritual presence.
One of the short-lived gems from this show: the premiere of “Easy Money” a foot-stomping companion piece to “Atlantic City.” Another was the Apollo Medley–a delightful surprise holdover from the preview show. I loved the new material, particularly “Shackled and Drawn,” “Rocky Ground,” and “We Are Alive.” By the end of the tour, “Shackled and Drawn” would lodge itself firmly near the top of my favorite songs to see Bruce perform live.
And Jake… Jake was a sensation from the start. Tentative at first (who wouldn’t be in his shoes), nestled in the comfort of a full horn section, it didn’t take long for Bruce to bring Jake out front, and Jake made the most of it, winning over the crowd thunderously.
It was a heck of an opener–and the show would only grow in size and power from here. The super-sized E Street Band was back–and even the loss of Clarence couldn’t diminish their magic.
I was at the show and still remember a spotlight shining on an empty stool with a sax in a stand. Very moving… When it came time for a solo, Bruce brought Jake out like a big brother would.