Coming off an outstanding show the night before in Portland, I was excited to see what a hometown show might bring. It had been three years since I’d seen a show in the Seattle area, and I was used to travelling and meeting new people in the interim. So it was kind of a novelty to go to a show joined by a bunch of friends and co-workers–I even convinced my wife to join me for this one, which is a pretty rare thing.
Portland’s setlist was romantic and eclectic, and I suspected that Seattle might turn out to be a very different show. I was right: Seattle was no less surprising, and still filled with rarities (including five songs I’d never heard live before), but the mood was more serious–this was Bruce in cinematic mode, with liberal dips into Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad-style storytelling.
Bruce had been on a streak, opening shows with a tour debut–heck, sometimes even a world debut–each night, but he broke pattern in Seattle, opening with a song he’d played before (“Living Proof“) but in a very different arrangement–on pump organ instead of guitar. Either way, it was a first for me, and I savored the moment, knowing that another night of unpredictable, personal firsts was in store.
The next two songs were predictable–Bruce always followed the wild card opener with a haunting bullet mic arrangement of “Reason to Believe” and his new album’s title track, “Devils & Dust.”
…but what followed next was a genuine surprise: a Tom Joad throwback and a personal first: “Highway 29,” one of my favorite songs from that album. Four songs in, and my night was already made. If the rest of the set was a standard one, I’d still walk out happy.
More surprises were in store, though. Following the reliable nightly outing of “Long Time Comin’” (and a cameo by an embarrassed Evan) Bruce reassured us that he hadn’t forgotten about his nightly tour premiere promise. Seattle’s gift was “Be True,” a bit ragged, but another personal first and my runner-up highlight for the night.
“Frankie” was up next. I’d heard it for the first time the night before, but it’s one of my favorite songs from Tracks and I was delighted to hear it again.
The next few songs were a return to standard territory: an always welcome outing for “The River,” and the nightly pairing of “Part Man, Part Monkey” and “Ain’t Got You.”
…but in between “Ain’t Got You” and the reliable setlist staple “Reno” came my number one highlight for the night: my first “Highway Patrolman,” another one of my favorite never-heard-live entries removed from my chase list.
Yet another personal premiere followed–an ultra-rare “Two for the Road,” played for only the second time ever. Gorgeous renditions of “Nothing Man” and “Racing in the Street” followed, before the show headed into its standard closing pack (with “This Hard Land” subbing for “Two Hearts” as the only wild card).
Sometime between my Oakland show in May and the Portland show in August, a silent stage rush developed during the lights-out period between the end of “Matamoras Banks” and the beginning of the encores. I watched it bemusingly in Portland and decided to go for it in Seattle.
My wife and I made it right up to the front of the stage, where I was able to shake hands with Bruce for the second day in a row (the previous day was during the afternoon when Bruce took a parking lot stroll after the soundcheck). I must not have given her ample warning though, because to this day she still talks about the out-of-body experience of being dragged through a dark arena and suddenly being just inches in front of Bruce.
From that vantage point we were treated to a double-shot from Bruce’s first album: “Growin’ Up” and the one and only acoustic guitar performance of “For You” on that tour.
The standard encores of “The Promised Land” and “Dream Baby Dream” closed a terrific show, leaving me two days to wonder what my final tour show in Vancouver would bring. I hoped for at least a few songs I hadn’t yet heard on this stand. I never dreamed I’d get ten.
