“Robert De Niro said once that what he likes about acting is that he gets to step into other people’s shoes without the real-life consequences. Art does allow you to do that, to go right up to the abyss and look in, hopefully without falling in. On any given day. I feel like that’s what Arcade Fire was built to hold off, that falling in. There’s a furious aspect to the performance, and that’s why people come out — you’re recognizing the realities of people’s emotional lives and their difficulties, you’re presenting these problems, and you’re bringing a survival kit. The bands that do that forge intense, intense relationships with their audience, and to me, that was always the core of the best rock’n’roll.” –Bruce Springsteen to Steve Kandell, Spin, December 2007
Bruce lavished that praise on Arcade Fire in the presence of the band’s lead vocalists, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, just hours before Bruce’s Magic show at the Meadowlands in early October 2007.
Just days later, Win and Régine would join Bruce and the E Street Band on stage in Ottawa for two songs. First they played “State Trooper,” an obvious choice, given that Arcade Fire had covered it in concert several times by that point.
But as we can tell from the pull quote at the top of the article, Bruce is too much of an Arcade Fire fan not to play one of their songs, too–and that one turned to be an obvious choice also.
“Keep the Car Running” (a Springsteenian title if ever there was one) was the second single off of the band’s second album, Neon Bible. It peaked at #32 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, and Rolling Stone ranked it as the 22nd best song of 2007.
Featuring an automobile theme, a driving backing track, and Nebraska-esque lyrics, “Keep the Car Running” invited countless comparisons of the two bands, which didn’t seem to faze either of them. Bruce and Win both considered the other as an influence, and both were eager to gush about it when given the chance.
And yet, that early Magic Tour appearance in Ottawa was the first time the two men played together, so it was an open question how well the Arcade Fire sound would translate to the E Street stage.
As it turned out, it translated pretty darn well. See for yourself: the clip below isn’t the best quality, but it’s more than watchable, and it’s easy to feel the energy of the combined band and avid fans feeding off each other.
Bruce would perform with Win and Régine once more, five years down the road, but that 2007 night in Ottawa remains the only time to date Bruce has played “Keep the Car Running.”
Keep the Car Running
First performed: October 14, 2007 (Ottawa, ON)
Last performed: October 14, 2007 (Ottawa, ON)
