I just listened to this show again the other day, and I can still feel the adrenaline rush.
The pit was ridiculously small, and almost no one showed up for the lottery. We knew the odds of us making the pit were high–but not only did we make the pit, we were only seven behind the lottery winner! The venue was small, and the stage was smaller than usual. There wasn’t a lot of room for Bruce to roam, and we were elbows-on-the-stage, at the center stage outcropping, closer than I’ve ever been before or since.
Here’s a couple of clips that capture how close I was; it was the first time I had to zoom out to capture him in frame.
But the highlights started even before the show did: while we were waiting to be let into the amphitheater, we could hear–with crystal clarity–Bruce performing “Hunter of Invisible Game,” which he has yet to play in the U.S. We also had an early tip-off that Joe Ely would be making an appearance, and even though they didn’t play any of his material during the show, we got to hear them play “All Just to Get to You” during the soundcheck as well, along with “This Is Your Sword” and “Human Touch.” It was almost a bonus concert–none of the soundchecked songs made it to the main set.
Then there’s the show itself:
Bruce entered the stage intending to open with “This Is Your Sword” (per the setlist, which we could clearly read), but we saw Tom Morello tap Bruce on the shoulder as they were walking on. Tom whispered something in Bruce’s ear, and Bruce nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Bruce went to each of the band members and mouthed “Seeds!” — calling an audible before the show even started.
When the band started playing and the audience realized what song it was, the crowd erupted–and you can see Bruce’s and Tom’s satisfied reactions and congratulations below.
From “Seeds” into “High Hopes” into “Badlands” into “Adam Raised a Cain” — it was clear that we were going to have an intense performance that night. “Something in the Night” was next up on the setlist, but Bruce abandoned it, playing “She’s the One” instead. Given the energy level of the crowd, that was a good choice, although it pained me to miss my favorite Darkness track.
Next came the first sign request of the evening–and it was a beauty. Patti saw it first and made sure that Bruce did, too–a request for “One Step Up,” last played by the full band almost 26 years prior. The sign itself was an enlargement of Bruce and Patti singing the song in 1988 at a shared microphone, and clearly both the photo and the song brought up some strong memories for the two of them. The performance that followed was tender and sublime–one of the highlights not only of the show but of the tour. You’d never know they hadn’t performed it in a quarter of a century. You can’t tell from the video below, but from where we were, it was easy to see the tears in Patti’s eyes at the end of the song.
From there, Bruce launched into a mini-Jazz Fest set, performing “Jesse James” and “How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live” back to back. I absolutely adore the Seeger material, so I was thrilled by both selections–another highlight for a show that was still in its first third.
Next, a return to the Wrecking Ball album for a couple of songs, and then Bruce threw out the setlist again, ditching “The Promised Land” for “Night” and “O Mary Don’t You Weep” for a request of “No Surrender.”
Let’s talk about that “No Surrender” request: hardcore fans might groan at “wasting” a request on a song that’s played pretty often, but for those of us there, this was another of the evening’s top highlights. Two brothers wanted nothing more than to sing the song on-stage with Bruce, and they got their wish. They made the most of their moment, and the result was one of the most joyous moments I’ve ever witnessed at a Bruce concert. (And not for nothin’, when Bruce steps out onto the stage outcropping at the end of the song, you can clearly see me rocking out at about the 4:39 mark!)
More audibles followed, including my first “Downbound Train” (completing the Born in the U.S.A. album for me) and a beautiful “I’m on Fire,” followed by the evening’s “holy cow” moment: an ultra-rare performance of “All or Nothin’ at All.”
As the main set came to an end, the surprises still weren’t over: Bruce swapped out a set-closing “Land of Hope and Dreams” for “Light of Day,” continuing high-energy, urgent vibe of the setlist.
The only real puzzling moment of the show for came in the encore. I already knew Joe Ely would be coming out, but instead of playing their usual cover of one of his songs (which I would have loved), they instead launched into a cover mash-up of “Great Balls of Fire” and “Lucille.” Clearly, this was an audible, and it not only took the place of a Joe song, it also displaced “The Wall” and “Born in the U.S.A.” Again, though, this was probably Bruce reading the crowd and opting not to slow the show down again.
Both classic covers were ragged and unrehearsed–you could see Bruce and Joe trying to figure out what to do with them as they went along:
Bruce kept the party atmosphere going throughout the encore, tossing in an audibled bonus “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” after “Born to Run” (during which I got to momentarily strum Bruce’s guitar around the 3:50 mark below!).
Finally, Bruce sent us off into the night with an acoustic “Thunder Road.”
What a wild, unpredictable show that was–one of my all-time favorites for so many reasons. I’m so grateful to the folks who filmed so much of this show so I can keep reliving it!
I was at this show and loved it. I am sad that some of the audibles cost me songs I would have loved to hear. This is our sword is one of my favorites and to get Seeds instead of it is a minor disappointment. I will always want Land of Hope and Dreams when I can get it so sad that wasn’t played. But at the time, I didn’t know what I missed and loved, loved, loved the show. A great show filled with many highlights. I give it 9 out of 10 sign requests!
Great show! I was in the small pit also. If I recall correctly, I had ticket #19 before the lottery and the ticket drawn to be the first in the pit was #2. I was on the wall in front of Tom Morello. Small stage also. Although I would liked to have seen “This is Your Sword” open the show, we did get a chance to hear it at the sound check along with “Hunter of Invisible Game”. This show was just a couple weeks before the final show with the “E Street Orchestra” in Connecticut on May 18. I really enjoyed the band line-up for the Wrecking Ball/High Hopes Tour of 2012 to 2014 – horns, backup singers, Everett Bradley’s percussion. I am so grateful I traveled to Houston to see Bruce with his “orchestra” one more time!
Wow, Jon, you must have been right by us, we were numbers 8, 9, and 10! Glad you were able to catch this show, too!
Still one of my favorite shows and now that I know that both Ken and Jon were at the show, I wish we could have all gone some where afterwards for a drink and a show recap. I’m still bitter that I didn’t get This is your Sword but I’m sure any year now, I’ll get over it.
Hey Jesse – Yes! That would have been great to connect with you and Ken after the show. Actually, on 5-6-2014, I didn’t know who Jesse Jackson and Ken Rosen were. Now, both of you are “household names” and huge contributors to the Bruce and E Street community. I am so grateful I’ve been able to connect with you both virtually over the past 8 years. Rob Carmack from Bruce Springsteen Sings The Alphabet was at this show also.