Springsteen at the Palace

Breathtaking show at the Palace of Auburn Hills last night. The Boss put on nothing less then a Rock N Roll Clinic and this patient came out cured (at least for a little while) of whatever was ailing him. This was my fourth time seeing Springsteen. If there is any decrease in the energy and effort Bruce puts into his show, well, I was unable to detect it. Jon Landau famously said, the first time he saw a Springsteen show "I have seen Rock n Roll future and it's name is Bruce Springsteen" or words to that effect. I don't know that Rock N Roll even has a future, but I do know that the celebration of the power of music, rock'n'roll, soul, community, caring for one's neighbor.....that has never been more in evidence than last night.

I laughed, danced, sang along, fist-pumped and had a lump in my throat during the expected Clarence Clemons tribute which came in the show's final song "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" and revolved around the lyric about the Big Man joining the band. I won't spoil it if you are catching the show in Cleveland or later in the tour, but if I were capable of real human emotion and empathy (I am, after all,  a lawyer) well, I would have displayed it there! By the way, if you are wondering how they "replaced" the Big Man (if that were possible), the E Street Band was augmented by a 5 piece horn section which included Clarence's nephew Jake. A coterie of backup singers provided the perfect backing touch, especially on his version of the Temptations "The Way You Do The Things You Do!"

Spoiler Alert if you don't want to know what songs he played and you are going to an upcoming show as I will be posting them later in this blog. The highlight for me, perhaps surprisingly, was Bruce's "American Skin(41 Shots)" which had a chilling resonance, considering the events which continue to unfold in Florida. Here is Bruce's video for this tune, if you haven't heard it. Bruce, like he did on much of his current "Wrecking Ball" makes you feel that he is the spiritual heir to Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger!

Shout out to my man Dave Guest who provided good company, literate conversation and even bought me a beer! Also took my 14 year old Luke who wriggled up to the front and got inches from Bruce. I think Luke had the Rock N Roll equivalent of a "Saul on the Road to Tarsus" moment. Bruce has gained a fanatical fan for life, I'm thinking.

Cowboy Junkies at the Ark in Ann Arbor are up next and International Pop Overthrow tomorrow at Hamtramck's Paycheck's Lounge as the RnR (not "rest and recreation") weekend continues.

Here is the setlist:


We Take Care Of Our Own
Wrecking Ball
Badlands
Death to My Hometown
My City of Ruins
The E Street Shuffle
Candy's Room
Jack of All Trades
Trapped (Jimmy Cliff cover)
Youngstown (Tour Premiere)
She's the One
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Apollo Medley: The Way You Do The Things You Do/634-5789 (Soulsville USA)
Incident on 57th Street (Tour Premiere)
American Skin (41 Shots)
Because the Night
The Rising
We Are Alive
Land of Hope and Dreams
Encore:
Thunder Road
Rocky Ground
Out In the Street
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out