What’s better than a Springsteen concert? A Springsteen concert with REM as the opening act and an extended John Fogerty guest appearance!
All wrapped up in an unabashed, completely partisan concert cum political rally for John Kerry and John Edwards. Sure, it was all for naught, but boy was it cathartic at the time. Plus, Michael Stipe shook my hand and sang “The One I Love” directly to me, kneeling right in front of me and winking.
Bruce kicked off the evening by welcoming us, but it was just a tease–and a warning: there would be no BRUUUUUCE-ing that night (at least not for the other performers) or he would slap us silly. He smiled, but he looked like he meant it.
Bright Eyes opened the event, but honestly I can’t remember anything at all about Connor’s performance. I remember not being impressed, so that may be a good thing.
R.E.M., though–they had long been on my bucket list of acts to see live, and they were fantastic. I was almost surprised when Bruce came out to join them during their set–I’d momentarily forgotten he was there, too!
Bruce joined R.E.M. for two songs, “Bad Day,” and what proved to be one of the goofy highlights of the evening, “Man on the Moon,” with Bruce doing his best Elvis impersonation, and Michael messing up the lyrics and recovering not-so-gracefully.
When Bruce and the E Street Band finally took the stage, Bruce stood alone in the spotlight with his twelve-string guitar, and we were several bars into “The Star-Spangled Banner” before I recognized it. Once I did, I was thrilled… and honestly, a little bit weepy. Bruce had wordlessly reclaimed our national anthem from those who would define patriotism for us, and it felt good. It felt right. I could feel every thrum of every string playing each note, and it was a like a re-dedication to the “country we carry in our hearts.”
As he brought the anthem to a close, I knew… just knew what was coming next: a fierce and furious “Born in the U.S.A.” Watch those opening moments with me:
The opening pack that followed–“Badlands‘ into “No Surrender” into “Lonesome Day” into “The River“–was about as powerful an pointed an opening as I’ve ever experienced, followed shortly thereafter by the expected “Youngstown.” Only “Johnny 99” seemed out of place in that opening salvo–Bruce played it in a brand-new full-band arrangement that felt (to me) too raucous and fun for the subject matter. I’ve since grown used to that arrangement, but I can’t say I’ve ever grown partial to it.
John Fogerty’s mini-set was great–although I couldn’t help but wonder why he just didn’t have his own slot in the line-up instead of, say, Bright Eyes.
And another highlight was Michael and Bruce’s tribute to Patti Smith–they performed “Because the Night” together, but her version instead of his.
“Mary’s Place” dragged a bit–I was surprised at that, because I was a pretty receptive audience for the tour’s political message, but the slapstick bit in the middle (watch it) was just a bit over the top for me).
The encore though–from a “Born to Run” team up with R.E.M. to a reprise from Fogerty to a celebratory “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” and “People Have the Power” was jubilant and satisfying–at least for the night.
There’d be another show the next day.
