New Orleans Jazz Fest 29th April 2012 - show 19

Well it's about 1895 miles from Los Angeles to New Orleans.  Quite a trek then making the total mileage so far 9235.  Perhaps a flight is the best option here - about three and a half hours.

A short quote from Nola.com -

Short of levitating, he could have done no more. It might not have been quite the religious experience that 2006 was. But rock 'n' roll rarely gets any better than the Boss was on Sunday.

I wondered whether Bruce would change it around a bit for Jazz Fest. I was particularly hoping for How Can a Poor Man so I am happy.  No Apollo Medley which obviously was dropped in favour of a few more Seeger Session songs. Well, they went down well in 2006 so who can blame him.

I wonder if this is the start of a change?  If I was a betting woman I would say the premiers might also be one offs this tour. Although I like the Seeger stuff I would rather it was left out. I think it would change the mood of the tour and I like it as it is. Wouldn't say no to a couple of different covers in place of 634-5789 and The Way You Do though.

	Atlanta 18/03/12 Time 8.10 to 10.44	New Orleans Jazz Fest 29/04/12 Time 4.43 to 7.16
1	We Take Care Of Our Own	Badlands (14)
2	Wrecking Ball	We Take Care Of Our Own (19)
3	Badlands	Wrecking Ball (19)
4	Death To My Hometown	Out In The Streets (9)
5	My City Of Ruins	Death To my Home Town (19)
6	The E Street Shuffle	My City Of Ruins (19)
7	Jack Of All Trades	How Can A Poor Man (1)
8	Seeds	Jack Of All Trades (19)
9	Easy Money	Something You’ve Got (1)
10	Waitin' On A Sunny Day	Oh Mary Don’t You Weep (1)
11	The Promised Land	Prove It All Night (6)
12	The Way You Do The Things You Do	Johnny 99 (4)
13	634 -5789	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (19)
14	Shackled And Drawn	The Promised Land (17)
15	Lonesome Day	The Rising (19)
16	The Rising	Lonesome Day (9)
17	We Are Alive	We Are Alive (19)
18	Thunder Road	Land Of Hope And Dreams (14)
19	Rocky Ground	Pay Me My Money Down (1)
20	Land Of Hope And Dreams	Born To Run (19)
21	Born To Run	Dancing In The Dark (19)
22	Dancing In The Dark	Rocky Ground (19)
23	American Land	When The Saints (1)
24	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (19)
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The Springsteen Experience

This week Mike and I had a bit of a chat about going to another show in Europe.  Bruce does that to you - no matter how many shows you have organised you always feel you need just one (or maybe two) more. I'm already feeling sad about the tour being over and we haven't even started our shows yet! That's just it though, isn't it? We don't want it to be over - not ever.

Anyway after checking what seats were available, the cost of flights and rooms at nearby hotels we persuaded ourselves we shouldn't add to our itinerary.  It was just a pipe dream anyway but I suspect this won't be the last conversation we have on the subject!

Regular readers will know that, during the tour, I have often included a review of the gig in my posts. I've read a lot of stuff and there have been one or two slightly negative opinions (which I have ignored of course!) but for the most part, everyone seems to be overwhelmed by the whole Springsteen show experience.  So - just because I like to read great things about our man I am repeating some of the best quotes here:-


The E Street Band come into your town, give it their all while having the audacity to make each city feel special and unique, and ship out.
It's what they do. And as long as Springsteen can find the strength to strap on the Fender, there's little reason to expect the carnival to slow down anytime soon.

One of the things that makes Springsteen the greatest musical performer of our time is the deep love with which he ministers to his flock. The arena was filled with a rare vibe, a feeling of brotherly and sisterly love. 

What had happened to the approximately 15,000 fans was three hours of purely intoxicating rock 'n' roll, which likely did leave some people feeling a bit hung over the next morning -- but in a very good way.

Thursday night's concert at the packed Palace of Auburn Hills was the kind of marathon spectacle that Springsteen alone provides.

Three hours–three freakin’ hours – that’s how long Bruce Springsteen‘s show at Madison Square Garden was on Monday night. He gives a show that’s a once in a lifetime experience.

The thing about a Springsteen show is the joy it brings, not just to the audience but to Bruce and the band.  

The audience at a Bruce show ... is a unique one: because of the bonding between Springsteen and his fans, and maybe even more because of the bonding of fans with each other. 

This was perhaps the most inspirational show I’ve witnessed in 30 years of attending thousands of concerts, including at least a dozen by Springsteen. There was maybe one better: When he played Jazz Fest in New Orleans after Katrina and turned the city of ruins into a city reborn. 


And so to Jazz fest again today and I see Bonnie Raitt is also appearing.  A perfect excuse to include this - Bruce with Bonnie and Jackson Browne.





...and what better reason to include a clip from 'Roy Orbison and Friends'

Los Angeles 27th April 2012 - show 18

Staying put today.

The show started really late tonight but as most of us will have already heard and Newjersey.com confirms...

...  Bruce gave the early arrivals a treat when at 7:35 p.m. (Pacific Time), he  came out to the stage with many of his relatives (some who he introduced) and  did a solo acoustic "For You."

This from the OC Weekly gives us a bit more of a clue about the late start and another positive perspective on Bruce's popularity.

Bruce Springsteen is the most believable rock 'n' roll megastar alive. He makes you feel like a working-class hero even if you parked your BWM for $40.  He exudes that kind of authenticity. It's so magnetic that suddenly you're him, singing about shuttered factory towns, probably in Ohio, which is the gist of his most recent (17th) album, Wrecking Ball, songs from which he played early on in the set...

...And that's the best part about seeing Springsteen. You can tell The Boss isn't an asshole boss. He loves the people on stage, loves the people in the seats. The people in the seats love fist-pumping and they love Bruce, and he loves that. Sure, the house sound wasn't that good, that the show started late because people couldn't get through the gates fast enough, and that the cheap seats cost $100.

All that didn't matter because Bruce was on.

	Atlanta 18/03/12 Time 8.10 to 10.44	Los Angeles 26/04/12 Time 8.22 to 11.08	Los Angeles 27/04/12 Time 8.43 to 11.43
1	We Take Care Of Our Own	Badlands (12)	No Surrender (1)
2	Wrecking Ball	We Take Care Of Our Own (17)	We Take Care Of Our Own (18)
3	Badlands	Wrecking Ball (17)	Wrecking Ball (18)
4	Death To My Hometown	The Ties That Bind (4)	Badlands (13)
5	My City Of Ruins	Death To my Home Town (17)	Death To my Home Town (18)
6	The E Street Shuffle	My City Of Ruins (17)	My City Of Ruins (18)
7	Jack Of All Trades	The E Street Shuffle (5)	Does This Bus Stop (4)
8	Seeds	Jack Of All Trades (17)	Jack Of All Trades (18)
9	Easy Money	Something In The Night (1)	Youngstown (3)
10	Waitin' On A Sunny Day	Candy’s Room (3)	Prove It All Night (5)
11	The Promised Land	She’s The One (6)	Darkness On The Edge Of Town (3)
12	The Way You Do The Things You Do	Easy Money (12)	Easy Money (13)
13	634 -5789	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (17)	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (18)
14	Shackled And Drawn	The Promised Land (16)	The Way You Do The Things You Do (18)
15	Lonesome Day	The Way You Do The Things You Do (17)	634 - 5789 (18)
16	The Rising	634 -5789 (17)	Racing In The Streets (3)
17	We Are Alive	The Ghost Of Tom Joad (1)	The Rising (18)
18	Thunder Road	The Rising (17)	Lonesome Day (8)
19	Rocky Ground	Lonesome Day (7)	We Are Alive (18)
20	Land Of Hope And Dreams	We Are Alive (17)	The Ghost Of Tom Joad (2)
21	Born To Run	Land Of Hope And Dreams (12)	Land Of Hope And Dreams (13)
22	Dancing In The Dark	Rocky Ground (17)	Rocky Ground (18)
23	American Land	California Sun (1)	Bobby Jean (1)
24	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out	Born To Run (17)	Born To Run (18)
25		Dancing In The Dark (17)	Dancing In The Dark (18)
26		Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (17)	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (18)
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