If you’re a frequent concertgoer, there’s a rule that you should know and follow: if an artist plays two or more shows in a given city, and you can only attend one, make sure you go to the last one. The first show is almost always the “standard set,” the one the band is most comfortable with and varies only in minor ways from town to town. The last show is almost always a free-for-all, a loose and unpredictable barnburner where the artist and band gets a chance to cut loose and improvise. I’ve found this rule to hold true almost without fail–and most certainly when Bruce is involved.
I knew that rule going in when I bought tickets for both of Bruce’s 2012 Boston shows at Fenway Park, but I figured that since these would be Bruce’s first shows in the U.S.A. in months, in the height of summer, at a special venue–well, maybe, just maybe we’d get a pair of shows to remember. Bruce had just played the longest show of his career two weeks prior when he wrapped up the European leg of the tour, so maybe we’d get a show of comparable length. Bruce Inc. was certainly promoting both shows as a special event:
But despite a beautiful evening, an amped-up crowd, and my first “real” time at Fenway (I’d been there for a private concert a few years prior, but it wasn’t the same without the massive crowd), about halfway through the show I realized the night was not going to live up to my expectations. Bruce was playing it safe, with no tour premieres or surprises. The setlist was a throwback to the beginning of the Wrecking Ball tour, a grim, almost angry setlist that would have been fine in an arena but didn’t fit the mood of a beautiful summer evening in Boston.
That was my bad–listening with fresh ears (in preparation to write this), Bruce turned in a typically outstanding performance, and as a document of a typical Wrecking Ball show, it’s a pretty great one. But five months into the tour, I was hoping for more than a typical show.
Even at the time, though, there were some outstanding highlights. The show certainly opened strong, starting in broad daylight (the show started around 7pm due to the city’s curfew) with a one-two punch of “The Promised Land” and “Out in the Street” promising a festive mood for the evening.
From my vantage point in the pit, the crowd was electrified, and the show was off to a great start. The standard tour three-pack of “We Take Care of Our Own,” “Wrecking Ball” and “Death to My Hometown” followed. I’d have have been genuinely surprised if any of those had been omitted, as they established the identity of the tour at the start of every show. The performances were intense, and the band was tight. Bruce seemed like he was on a mission.
I knew another tour standard was coming up next–“My City of Ruins”–and Bruce used the introduction to acknowledge the apt symbolism of playing in that ballpark, where so many people “gave their blood and hear and soul…it’s all in the dirt.” He also paid tribute to Johnny Pesky, a Red Sox great who had just passed away the day prior. The additional context added resonance to an already emotional tour setpiece.
“Spirit in the Night” followed, bringing the first real crowd interaction of the night.
We’d now reached the point of the show where it would normally open up, with wild cards, song requests, and other surprises. But first out of the gate was a return to an earlier tour standard: “The E Street Shuffle.” Always fun, especially with the horns powering it, but also a safe choice.
But after that came a double-header that sapped the crowd’s energy for a bit: “Jack of All Trades,” (a beautiful song, but a reflective one that’s not well-suited for a festive stadium crowd) and “Atlantic City” (one of my favorites, but coming off the heels of “Jack of All Trades” it kept the mood subuded).
The energy picked back up with “Because the Night,” especially when Nils took his always-great solo…
…but what followed was a three-pack of uptempo but safe crowd-pleasers–“Johnny 99,” “Darlington County,” and “Working on the Highway.” This was the point were I realized that 1) we were getting Intense Bruce tonight, not Loose Bruce, and 2) the rest of the show wasn’t likely to offer up any real surprises.
Next, a reliable set list staple: “Shackled and Drawn.” I’m glad this one was in every show–it’s my favorite track on the Wrecking Ball album and it grew in length and power throughout the tour.
“Waitin’ on a Sunny Day” was next up, always a fun audience participation moment, but also the signal that the last main set wildcard slot was approaching. The last two shows had brought “Where the Bands Are” and “Back in Your Arms,” both of which were still on my chase list, so I was hoping for something similar. What we got, by sign request: the tour premiere of “Boom Boom,” a Tunnel of Love tour staple that I actually love… but for a rarity (it’s only been played ten times in the past decade) I seem to catch it pretty frequently at shows I attend.
Now, this entire time–well over two hours into the show–there were a couple of young women next to me with a big “Drive All Night” sign. Considering how far back we were in the pit (if I can’t be up front, I like to hang out at the back) and how small the sign was, I was pretty sure Bruce would never see it. The ladies seemed to be concerned as well, but it didn’t stop them from waving their sign and shouting “Drive All Night!” throughout the show. I didn’t think for a moment that Bruce would play it.
So of course:
That was the genuine highlight of the show for me. It was only the second time I’d ever heard Bruce play it (I was lucky enough to catch it in St. Louis four years prior), but this was the first time with Jake, and his solo was magnificent. I remember thinking that it was worth being at the show for that song alone.
“The Rising,” “Badlands” and “Thunder Road” closed out the main set, horns soaring and lifting the crowd during the final coda.
I remember predicting to myself the likely encores: given the serious nature of the setlist, I expected “We Are Alive” as the opener, and I was right. And then given the “A Set” nature of the evening, I suspected a string of familiar crowd-pleasers, and that’s exactly what we got: “Born to Run” into “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” into “Glory Days,” “Dancing in the Dark,” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” I was just fine with that–expectations met, I let myself enjoy the raucous crowd and familiar songs.
But then came one final wild card–and finally, right at the end, a personal premiere: my first “Dirty Water.” I suspected we’d get it (Bruce often breaks it out in Boston), and to hear it with the horns (it was the first time Bruce played it with that band configuration) was a delight. “Dirty Water” saved me from ending a remarkably long streak of shows with at least one song I hadn’t heard live before.
Bruce wasn’t quite done yet, though–he gave us a final “Twist and Shout” before wrapping Night One.
I remember walking out of the park with mixed feelings about the night. I was exhausted from travelling across the country on a red-eye the night before, and I seriously considered trading in my Night Two pit ticket for a set in the stands instead, thinking that maybe Night Two wouldn’t turn out to be that exciting either.
Oh, me of little faith.
