Sitting on those ancient stone steps under a full moon on a gorgeous October night, I had to marvel: how in the world did I end up here?
By luck and circumstance, as it turned out. I had business in Milan the day of the show, and there was just enough time that afternoon to catch a train across the northern Italian countryside to storied Verona.
I had never been, and I was charmed immediately. Sure, the Romeo and Juliet “historical sites” might have been a bit over the top, but oh, that arena…
It was stunning from the outside. From the inside, it was magical. But it would be a few hours before I’d get to go inside, so in the meantime I sat outside in the piazza, had a pizza and a glass of wine, and listened to the soundcheck, which carried out in to the square with crystal clarity.
It seemed we would be in for an eventful night… perhaps. Bruce is known to soundcheck songs that get performed a few nights later (or perhaps never) rather than that night. But “Bobby Jean” sounded spot on, too perfect not to play. And there was a song I didn’t recognize at all but that made reference to Samson and Delilah, and I knew that one had to be a Verona special.
When the gates opened, I found a seat. If I recall correctly, the entire arena was GA by section, and I was seated at the far end of the arena on the stone steps. That was fine by me–I was glad just to be there. But by the time the show started (very late in the evening by American standards), I’d realized the downside of an ancient stone arena: I was sitting on ancient stone. No chairs, just rock, and my butt and my back were not happy after my long journey.
Luckily, I’d be on my feet much of the night, because this was a tour filled with joyous musical celebrations, lifted high by a raucous Italian crowd.
And yes: it was very surreal to hear a crowd of Italian Springsteen fans sing note for note a collection of classic American folk songs that most Americans would be hard pressed to recognize, let alone sing along to.
But it was also wonderful. This was my second and final show on the Seeger Sessions Tour, and it felt like my previous show in Glendale was a lot further back than a mere four months. The show had grown in length and power and spontaneity since then, and Bruce was having the time of his life.
The show started with a trio of We Shall Overcome tracks, but then Bruce wasted no time introducing his first tour premiere (we would have four that night): “Samson and Delilah,” the song I’d heard during the soundcheck. It was completely foreign to me then, but I learned afterward that it’s a traditional gospel song with a popular rendition by The Grateful Dead. (I’ve never been a fan of that band, so I’m unfamiliar with most of their catalog.) Bruce’s arrangement was powerful, though, and the song was instantly one of the highlights of the evening.
Marc Anthony Thompson joined Bruce for their nightly “Eyes on the Prize” duet, followed by “Jesse James,” and then “Atlantic City” became the first Springsteen original of the night.
“If I Should Fall Behind” — that seemingly infinitely malleable and enduring ballad — was the second Bruce original, presented here in a waltz arrangement, while the crowd sang every note of the melody–even when there were no lyrics.
Then came a double-shot highlight, the first of which was a jaw-dropping surprise: Bruce announced to the crowd (in Italian, but I could understand enough of it to get the gist) that Patti was leaving the tour and heading home to take care of the kids. This would be her last show, and so Bruce wanted to play one of her songs. They chose “Valerie,” one of my favorite tracks from Rumble Doll.
Even as they began to play it, I couldn’t believe it was happening. I don’t think Bruce had ever inserted one of Patti’s songs into his own set list like that, other than a few bars during the band intros on the Reunion Tour.
“Valerie” was perfect for the evening, and the memory of that performance in that venue on that night will last with me for a long time. I loved everything about that tour, but this may have been my single favorite moment.
Bruce followed that surprise with another one: the tour premiere of “Bobby Jean.” I knew this was coming from the soundcheck, but I was thrilled he chose to play it.
The rest of the main set matched my memory of my earlier Glendale show, but there was one notable exception: the addition of “The River,” which had become a set list standard on the European leg, recast in an Irish-tinged arrangement. I’ve always argued that Bruce’s greatest talent–perhaps even more than songwriting–is his amazing gift for endlessly re-arranging and re-inventing. “The River” sounded fresh and vital. Take a listen below.
The only notable omission so far was “American Land.” Because I’d been travelling in Europe all week, I hadn’t kept tabs on the setlists (this was only the fourth show of the European leg), but I assumed that with the re-issuing of the album in an “American Land” edition, that we would have heard the sub-titled track open the show as it did at the tail end of the American leg–but the song never showed, at least not in the main set.
When the band returned for the encores, I thought for sure Bruce would open with it–but he thew one last curve ball, tour premiering “Fire” — the first time I’d ever heard Bruce play it. The arrangement was pretty close to the original, so why did he choose to play it? Heck if I know. I’m just glad he did.
A couple of standard encores (“Rag Mama Rag” and “When the Saints Go Marching In“) later, it seemed the show was just about over (“Saints” is how Bruce ended the shows during the American leg).
But Bruce had one more song to send us off with — a celebratory arrangement of the gospel classic “This Little Light of Mine” — and only at the very end of it, when I was absolutely sure he was done, did Bruce finally play my first “American Land.” It immediately became on of my favorites and remains so to this day.
Looking back, what I remember most about this show are the feelings more than the performances, the crowd more than the band, and that gorgeous venue under the starriest sky on a perfect night, half a world away from my home and my life.
It remains my all-time favorite show, even if my memories of it are inconsistently vivid. If you ever have a chance to see a show there–any show, by any artist–take it.
