The First Church of Bruce

Bruce Springsteen played three nights in Sydney in March 2012. This was a series for newcomers, and the faithful — the acolytes of the cult of Bruce Springsteen. It is 10 years since his last concert in Sydney, in late March 2003. That was a different, more sombre time. The confected Gulf War 2 had commenced the day before. In Sydney, and around the world, we had marched in protest, to no avail. Wars come and go; hard times, and good times, come and go. Bruce Springsteen, seemingly, goes on forever. And now, with all of us 10 years older, he was back. The 2003 show was the infamous “power failure” concert, where power completely cut out, mid-song, four times during the gig. It was time for Sydney to redeem itself.

E Street Band concerts typically start in darkness, with Bruce counting the band in. “Hello. Sydney! One, two, one two three four” and we’re off. Coming the day after St Patrick’s Day, Monday night was different. With a single spotlight, Sooze Tyrell’s Irish jig fiddle kicked off the set, and the Sydney season, with American Land. What came next was three nights of incredible showmanship. Bruce is getting on — he’s 63. He doesn’t let up for the whole 3 hours + of these shows — bellowing, cajoling, dancing, running. Sweating. Touching; shaking hands with what seems like a large proportion of the audience. Hauling himself off the stage floor with the microphone stand. Amongst some set pieces, crowd surfing comes early each night, as he makes his way along catwalks to the back of the pit, then is conveyed by the upheld hands of the faithful, back to the stage, singing the while.

The atmosphere is quasi-religious. This IS the First Church of Bruce; we are his true believers. Miss Annie, my companion at the first two shows, attending her first ever Bruce concert, commented that she felt she was in a small minority — not being a Brucehead. By the end of the 2^nd night, she was, I suspect, on her way to conversion. Her conversion was aided by a miraculous intervention. Passing through the turnstile on Wednesday night, the mechanism caught and tore her dress. In front of the arena manager. Who promptly upgraded our tickets to some of the best in the house — certainly the best tix I have EVER had at a Bruce show. I’m sticking with her in future. Halleluiah!

As the faithful, we know just when to cheer; when to throw our fists in the air, shouting “Tramps Like US”; when to call out “Bruuuuuuuuce”, in a sustained bellow that sounds like booing to the uninitiated. When to tell Bruce about the “shark infested waters” that surround Australia. All the familiar elements are there — the crowd placards requesting favourite songs; the sponging of his fevered brow, which becomes more frequent as the night wears on. On Wednesday, Nils Lofgren took it one step further, anointing a kneeling Bruce, his guitar, wireless connection, the lot, in a spontaneous baptism.

Bruce, and the band, whip up the fervour in non-stop sets that are finely tuned, with enough light and shade to build, sustain, lower the mood multiple times before the finale and the seemingly endless encores of standards. Amongst the sets are many stand-out moments. The chill and goose bumps that arise during the early verses of The Ghost of Tom Joad. This is a song that has undergone a metamorphosis over time. I originally heard it as a solo, acoustic number on the Tom Joad tour in 1996. It was gently haunting. Now, it starts quietly, but builds to a roaring, angry finale, with Tom Morello’s guitar frenzy. Just as the standard Born in the USA was turned on its head, getting a reflective, acoustic treatment of the original electric number, the reverse process in this case has also bought new meaning and expression to this song.

Waiting on a Sunny Day had originally struck me as a bit naff, when I first heard it performed live on, the Magic tour. Bruce concerts have always had a bunch of feel-good, jaunty roadhouse numbers; familiarity and a bit of rejigging has made this one of the big sing along songs in the repertoire. Shackled and drawn is another rollicking sing along.

My City of Ruins has also morphed, into a slow Curtis Mayfield blues-style, gospel-inspired moment of reflection about who has come and gone — “from our ghosts to yours”. It was simple and magnificent. Old ghost re-appear in the set piece show closer, Tenth Avenue Freezeout — when the line “And the Big Man joined the band” triggers a video featuring frozen moments of Clarence Clemons and, briefly, Danny Federici. And you could hear a pin drop in the room.

But all the set list writing skills in the world can go for nought when audience sign requests shoulder their way into the mix. On Wednesday, he took four in a row, saying as he scanned the offerings “Man, you’re tempting me!”. These always amaze, with the band — and the instrument techs — kept on their toes. Choosing The Promised Land required a blues harp, in the right key, to be delivered onstage in an instant. It was. The transitions from song to song are seamless.

These shows were a chance to assess the new band arrangements. Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici died after the Magic tour; also missing for this tour were Miss Patti Scialfa, and Steve van Zandt, making a film in Norway. Clarence has been replaced by his nephew Jake Clemens, who fill the Big Man’s shoes admirably. Standing four square, astride the stage, he is commanding in his frequent sax solos. Charles Giordano ably replaces Danny Federici on keyboards and gets some piano accordion solos in the Seeger Sessions end of the repertoire. The original E Street Band is now augmented by a large brass section, additional percussion, and backing vocals. Sooze Tyrrell was doubling on acoustic rhythm guitar in Patti Scialfa’s absence. The new band format lies somewhere between the E Street Band of old and the Seeger Sessions Band, and works well. The additional horns get some exciting moments. Nils Lofgren continues to supply searing guitar lines. He has always been the guitar master in a band of very competent guitarists. At times he plays second fiddle to Steve van Zandt’s replacement guitarist Tom Morello and his flamboyant solos, but comes back with a vengeance. And whirls like a dervish.

By Friday, the mood was up even more. That day was the 10^th anniversary — to the day — of the power failure concert. Bruce was in a party mood. Sydney was out to show him a good time. The set list was shouldered out of the way by a string of audience sign requests, and Bruce was ready to roadhouse. He has a body of songs — Darlington County, Dancing in the Dark, Working on the Highway — that will always sound best, heard in a crowded bar, your best girl sitting on your shoulders, beer held aloft. We got the roadhouse special on Friday. Up-tempo song followed up-tempo song, and we were on our feet. What a blast! About half way through the set, the end seemed inevitable — Rosie herself was going to come out tonight. And so it came to pass. As the set-piece finale of Tenth Avenue Freezeout came to a cataclysmic, banging finish, one look said that Bruce was not yet done. He prowled the catwalk, found the inevitable audience sign: Rosalita. So, 10 years after he broke the self-imposed, decade-long Rosalita drought at the power failure show, Rosie came out last Friday night. And the house erupted. It was a great end to a signal set of shows, that swept the repertoire and played on all our emotions, using his extraordinary powers as a performer, musician, band leader.

When the Sydney concerts were announced, it took me — oh, about 4 seconds, I guess — to know that I’d be going to as many shows as I could. When I got tickets to all three shows, I was astounded, excited. Reactions varied. Friends know my passion; the ex — who is a bigger tragic than I am — showed no surprise. After all, she had tix for all three as well. Other people had more varied reactions. Some were doubtful; some thought I was mad. After going to all three, I am SO grateful I splashed out. These are once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Never to be repeated. Maybe it’s a bit like train spotting to the outsider, but the minutiae of the changes from show to show fascinate, provide endless grounds for speculation. I LOVED being at all three. Tragic — that’s me. I’ll be feeling good for a few weeks, thanks for asking.

These shows were a Jamboree for the faithful — a communion of the First Church of Bruce. They were a rock and roll party; a rock and roll exorcism; a rock and roll bar mitzvah. They were wonderful; may they continue. The Chosen One looked out over his congregation, and saw that it was Good. Long may Bruce preside over his flock. Halleluiah. Amen.

Set lists

Monday 18 March 2012 — Tom Joad’s Goosebumps

American Land

Prove It All Night

Adam Raised a Cain (Sign Request)

Wrecking Ball

Death to My Hometown

Hungry Heart (Crowd Surf)

My City of Ruins

Spirit in the Night

High Hopes (The Havalinas cover)

Youngstown

Candy's Room

She's the One

Pay Me My Money Down

Shackled and Drawn

Waitin' on a Sunny Day

The Rising

The Ghost of Tom Joad

Badlands

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Thunder Road

Born to Run

Seven Nights to Rock (Moon Mullican cover)

Dancing in the Dark

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

 

Wednesday 20 March 2012 — Wardrobe Malfunction

Devils & Dust (Solo Acoustic)

Last to Die (Tour Premiere)

The Ties That Bind

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Wrecking Ball

Death to My Hometown

Out in the Street (Crowd Surf)

Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?

The Promised Land (Sign Request)

Cover Me (Sign Request)

No Surrender (Sign Request)

I'm on Fire (Sign Request)

My City of Ruins

High Hopes (The Havalinas cover)

Because the Night

Open All Night

Shackled and Drawn

Waitin' on a Sunny Day

Lonesome Day

The Ghost of Tom Joad

Badlands

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Jungleland

Born to Run

Bobby Jean

Dancing in the Dark

Detroit Medley

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

 

Friday 22 March 2012 — To the Roadhouse

We Take Care of Our Own

Wrecking Ball

Night

Death to My Hometown

Hungry Heart (Crowd Surf)

My City of Ruins

Growin' Up (Sign request)

The E Street Shuffle

Prove It All Night (Sign request)

Trapped (Jimmy Cliff cover)(Sign request)

The River (Sign request)

Pay Me My Money Down

Working on the Highway

Darlington County

Shackled and Drawn

Waitin' on a Sunny Day

Backstreets

The Ghost of Tom Joad

Badlands

Thunder Road

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Born in the U.S.A. (E Street Band version)

Born to Run

Dancing in the Dark

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)