Sunday, December 20, 2009

The Boss in the Queen City

I had the opportunity to see Bruce Springsteen in Charlotte last month, the second time on the 2009 tour, and my fourth Boss show in all.  If you've never seen Bruuuuuuce in concert, do yourself a favor and make it happen.  It's the highest energy, purest rock & roll show you'll see, and at 60 years old, the Boss surely won't be keeping it up much longer.  Inevitably, you won't hear every song you're hoping for, but you will never leave thinking the E Street Band didn't give 110%.  The band was tight, and the acoustics in Time Warner Cable Arena are great - the best I've heard in an arena venue.  On a side note, take advantage and support live music at the TWC Arena if you ever get an opportunity, because I don't know how much longer the Charlotte Bobcats will be able to keep the doors open.

As usual, the concert itself was stellar.  On this second leg of the North American tour, the "gimmick" each night has been for Bruce & the band to perform one of their historic albums in it's entirety and in sequence.  The only minor issue that I have with this is that it makes 8 to 10 songs on the setlist predictable and, even though you know you're going to hear the better parts of any particular album anyway, the unpredictability of an E Street Band show is a big part of their appeal for me.  In Charlotte, Bruce played the Born to Run album.  There were no disappointments, though by the time he played his final song (3+ hours after taking the stage), my wife was ready to call it a night.  The highlights of the evening:

Darlington County: This or Cadillac Ranch is a staple at any Carolina show.  It was the second song of the night and set an up-tempo mood.

Hungry Heart: This was only 3 songs into the show, and Bruce walked through the floor-level crowd, belting out this classic and then crowd surfed back to the stage!

Backstreets:  One of my favorites -- I hadn't heard it in concert before.

Jungleland:  I always felt that the album version of this one dragged on a little too long, but seeing the musicianship come together on stage converted me. It was awesome.

I Fought The Law: This is one of my favorite early rock songs.  It was an audience request that Bruce and the band absolutely nailed.

Hard Times:  I'd heard this one in Greensboro back in May.  It was written in 1854, and is as timely now as ever.  This was my wife's favorite song of the show.

Rosalita:  This was another live first for me.  It's a bit long too, so it was around this time that my wife began to yawn (it was also 3 hours into the show).  The complete setlist is below:

November 3, 2009 / Time Warner Cable Arena / Charlotte, NC
Seeds
Darlington County
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Night
Backstreets
Born to Run
She's the One
Meeting Across the River
Jungleland
Waitin' On A Sunny Day
I Fought The Law
Sherry Darling
So Young and In Love
Brown Eyed Girl
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Badlands
Hard Times
Bobby Jean
American Land
Dancing in the Dark
Rosalita
Higher and Higher

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