It’s a rule that Night Two of a two-night stand is always better than Night One. Bruce tends to play it safe on the opening night and let loose on the last night.
But in Philly, all nights are special, and at these first two of six shows on the Working on a Dream Tour (the other four were six months away), it’s a toss-up as to which was the stronger of the two.
I’ll set “The Fever” aside, because nothing would top the exhilaration I felt hearing that for the first time. The only thing that would come close is hearing “Kitty’s Back,” which moved to the number one spot on my wishlist when I retired “The Fever” 24 hours prior.
What did Bruce deal Philly in the wild card pack on this night? First up, the E Street Band premiere of The Clash’s “London Calling,” played by Bruce only once prior, at the Grammy Awards six years earlier; next, a rollicking arrangement of “Red Headed Woman” to welcome Patti back to the stage (she’d missed a few shows due to an injury), and finally the best performance of “Thundercrack” I’ve had the privilege to see (somehow, I’ve managed to catch this rarity five times).
You can watch all three wildcards below.
Next up: “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day” gets a night off, with “Hungry Heart” a welcome substitute. Bruce’s mom even contributed some guest vocals:
“The Wrestler” also took a break–Bruce swapped it for “Streets of Philadelphia” instead–another song on my wish list.
Then came the encores, and once again, Bruce pitched Philly a bonus: “Thunder Road,” dedicated to the late Harry Kalas, whose customer voiceover for Bruce sent the crowd roaring.
…but Bruce still wasn’t done. After “American Land,” I waited to see which final number Bruce would send us home with. It had been “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” the night before, so it was almost certain to be “Glory Days” tonight. (He’d been alternating between them for most of the tour.) Or maybe it would be “Dancing in the Dark“–that chestnut had made a few appearances in that slot, too.
But it wasn’t any of them. On this night, Bruce pulled out a tour debut–and unbelievably, I got my #1 most-chased song only 24 hours after getting my previous one: Bruce sent us off into the night dancing to the strains of an epic 13-minute “Kitty’s Back.” It didn’t seem like Bruce ever wanted to stop–there was even a reprise–and those last three minutes were among the most joyous I’ve ever experienced at a Springsteen show.
Relive the entire show with me here:
This was an amazing show. First time hearing Thundercrack and I think I’ve heard it 4 or 5 times live since!