There was absolutely no reason for me to be at this show. It was half a world away from home, and Gijon isn’t exactly an international hub. If I was going to choose one show to attend for all of 2013, I would have chosen one in Italy or Sweden, where Bruce is pretty much guaranteed to put on an amazing show.
But as it turned out, my company had its annual European conference scheduled in Madrid the exact week that Bruce would be playing in Gijon, and once I figured out that the two cities were a very long but very driveable-in-a-day distance apart, I knew I had to be there. With Bruce touring abroad for all of 2013, this would be my only chance to see him that year.
So when my booth duty shift ended, three of my colleagues and I piled into our rental car and drove pell-mell across the Spanish countryside to the northern coast. Fortunately, concerts start late in Spain–much later than in the USA–giving us just enough time to make the drive.
When we reached Gijon, I was surprised at how small it was, how economically depressed it was, and what a lovely seaside setting it enjoyed. It reminded me of Asbury Park, minus the boardwalk.
We settled in for the show, not expecting anything special, just hoping for a fun evening for what I considered to be a “bonus” Wrecking Ball show for me. (Since I never expected to be there, I didn’t care what transpired–I was just grateful to catch a show, and a standard setlist would be just fine.)
“Standard” went out the door by the third song, never to be heard from that evening again.
Any time Bruce opens with “My Love Will Not Let You Down,” you know you’re in for a fun, high-energy night–and that’s exactly what happened. The crowd energy was insane from the opening notes–in fact, it rivaled the Italian shows I’d seen in intensity.
Bruce followed up “My Love” with “Out in the Street,” a great opening double-header. (A sharp-eyed fan caught Bruce’s mom and sister in attendance during that song.)
But from there, the setlist went out the window: it was sign-request time, and the Spanish fans did not let me down. First up, my first “Better Days,” one of my favorite songs from the HT/LT era.
Three songs in, and my night was already made. I didn’t expect Bruce to top that moment, but he did so immediately–because the next sign he picked was my favorite song off of The Promise: “Ain’t Good Enough for You.” And if I was shocked by the song selection, I was floored by the crowd’s reaction–everyone knew the song and sang along to every note!
Four songs in, and I’d already checked off two of my most-chased songs. After one more sign request (the tour premiere of “Travelin’ Band”), we returned to Wrecking Ball territory for a few songs before enjoying beautiful renditions of “The River” and “Atlantic City.”
When the pace picked up, the treats continued, starting with a rare outing of “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)”
…and a gorgeous “Because the Night” — one of the best renditions I’ve ever seen.
But for me, the late set highlight was the 2013 premiere of “Drive All Night.”
Bruce closed the main set with an audibled “Light of Day” (always a sign that Bruce is having fun on stage and feeling the crowd energy), and he opened the encore with a welcome “Radio Nowhere,” played by request. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed that song until he started playing it.
The rest of the encore was relatively standard but joyous as always. Bruce had one more surprise in store, however–after the band left the stage, he came back with an acoustic guitar and harmonica. Bruce took a few moments to acknowledge his special relationship with the town, explaining that his daughter had competed there, and that the mayor had invited him to come back and play–so here he was. Bruce also noted the hard times that had befallen the town–and Bruce has an affinity for towns fallen on hard times. So he sent us home with one final treat: an acoustic “Thunder Road.”
We relived the show on the long drive home, amazed at what we had just seen. For two of my friends, it was their first Springsteen show. For the other two of us–well, we couldn’t do the math in our heads. But all around, we knew we had just seen a very special show.
I still look back on this show and marvel at the fact that I was there. And every time I listen to the show, I’m glad I was.
