Pittsburgh 29th October 2012 - show 72

The designer of the Ferris Wheel - Mr George Ferris - was from Pittsburgh

So where would you love to go to see Bruce? New Jersey? New York? Scandinavia?  Well, as a Joe Grushecky fan, high up on Mike's wish list must be Pittsburg.  The review from Timesonline.com tells us

 ... As always in Pittsburgh, Springsteen called onto the stage his pal, local rocker Joe Grushecky, who along with guitar-slinging son Johnny Grushecky, pitched in on a couple of encore tunes, including “Glory Days.” 

Apparently Garry had his moment during Glory Days. He ... danced with a female fan who had been holding a sign in his honor.  It was his birthday after all.

“This is very unusual,” Springsteen said, quipping, “I’ve never actually seen Garry move.”

Backstreets review remarks that the night was heavy on the Darkness songs - no bad thing of course but in complete contrast to Hartford which featured a lot of River era songs.

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette seemed suitably impressed with the show.  Early on it's article says:-

he ... raised the roof at Consol in what may have been the most joyful and rousing show of the many he's done here.
Springsteen, at 63, is going through some sort of superhuman phase of his career, where he's taken what was already the Greatest Show on Earth (sorry Ringling) and ratcheted it up several notches. (That wasn't gushing now, was it?)

and the final paragraph:-

If you didn't know any better, you'd think Bruce was running for president. Good thing he's not because he's a lot more valuable moving people on a much deeper level. Let's hope he keeps rolling for a long time to come.

So to the full set list

	Hartford 25/10/12 Time 8.08 to 11.21	Pittsburgh 27/10/12 Time 8.18 to 11.28
1	Held Up Without A Gun (1)	Don’t Look Back (2)
2	Radio Nowhere (9)	Candy’s Room (12)
3	Jackson Cage (5)	The Ties That Bind (18)
4	Hungry Heart (30)	Streets Of Fire (3)
5	We Take Care Of Our Own (71)	Hungry Heart (31)
6	Wrecking Ball (71)	We Take Care Of Our Own (72)
7	Death To My Hometown (71)	Wrecking Ball (72)
8	My City Of Ruins (71)	Death To My Hometown (72)
9	Spirit In The Night (41)	My City Of Ruins (72)
10	Pink Cadillac (1)	Spirit In The Night (42)
11	Incident On 57th Street (5)	Pretty Flamingo (1)
12	Point Blank (4)	Talk To Me (6)
13	Because The Night (29)	Adam Raised A Cain (5)
14	You Can Look ( But You Better Not Touch) (2)	Because The Night (30)
15	Out In The Street (35)	She’s The One (24)
16	Shackled And Drawn (55)	Working On The Highway (36)
17	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (71)	Shackled And Drawn (56)
18	For You (3)	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (72)
19	The Rising (60)	The Rising (61)
20	Badlands (63)	Badlands (64)
21	Land Of Hope And Dreams (47)	Land Of Hope And Dreams (48)
22	Kitty’s Back (3)	Racing In The Street (36)
23	Born To Run (71)	Born To Run (72)
24	Bobby Jean (15)	Glory Days (20)
25	Dancing In The Dark (71)	Light Of Day (3)
26	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (70)	Dancing In The Dark (72)
27		Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (71)
28
29
30
31
32
33

Hartford 25th October 2012 - show 71

In Hartford, you may not, under any circumstances, cross the street walking on your hands!

Stan Goldstein has this to say:- 

Thursday night, at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., was one of those magical Springsteen shows where I felt as though it was 1980 again and I was listening to "The River" for the first time...

It's nights like this when Bruce Springsteen makes you feel you're 21 again.

His  full review is a good read.  

The Sunny Day incident must have been a great moment, although I'm not sure whether Bruce enjoyed it too much.

Bruce saw a sign ("Can We Sing with You") off to the side of the stage in the seating area and told them he was going to come up over to them. He tried to climb up into the stands, it was a good way up, but some other rambunctious fans who were trying to get pictures were blocking his way despite his best efforts and efforts of his security team. He then gave up. "Sex crazed old ladies" he yelled out. He then find a child to sing along with him

When he got back to the center stage he said "I had a Tom Jones' moment there!"

Obviously the 'old ladies' didn't take any notice when Bruce warned You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch) a little earlier in the set list!!

This review ends on a high note:- 

While so much more could be said about this performance, even a stenographic record of each moment could not adequately capture the sheer energy and power that blew into the XL Center during this latest, and hopefully far from last, appearance by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street band.

Here's the set list.

	Charlottesville 23/10/12 Time 8.17 to 11.19	Hartford 25/10/12 Time 8.08 to 11.21
1	Shackled And Drawn (54)	Held Up Without A Gun (1)
2	Lonesome Day (23)	Radio Nowhere (9)
3	We Take Care Of Our Own (70)	Jackson Cage (5)
4	Hungry Heart (29)	Hungry Heart (30)
5	Wrecking Ball (70)	We Take Care Of Our Own (71)
6	Death To My Hometown (70)	Wrecking Ball (71)
7	My City Of Ruins (70)	Death To My Hometown (71)
8	Spirit In The Night (40)	My City Of Ruins (71)
9	Seaside Bar Song (4)	Spirit In The Night (41)
10	Give The Girl A Kiss (1)	Pink Cadillac (1)
11	Lost In The Flood (5)	Incident On 57th Street (5)
12	This Depression (5)	Point Blank (4)
13	Murder Inc (12)	Because The Night (29)
14	Johnny 99 (21)	You Can Look ( But You Better Not Touch) (2)
15	Working On The Highway (35)	Out In The Street (35)
16	Darlington County (22)	Shackled And Drawn (55)
17	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (70)	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (71)
18	Backstreets (10)	For You (3)
19	Badlands (62)	The Rising (60)
20	Land Of Hope And Dreams (46)	Badlands (63)
21	Jungleland (6)	Land Of Hope And Dreams (47)
22	Born To Run (70)	Kitty’s Back (3)
23	Seven Nights To Rock (18)	Born To Run (71)
24	Dancing In The Dark (70)	Bobby Jean (15)
25	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (69)	Dancing In The Dark (71)
26		Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (70)
27
28
29
30
31
32
33

Charlottesville 23rd October 2012 - show 70

Charlottesville is named after Princess Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburd-Strelitz, the wife of King George III of England.

So after the short excursion over the border we are back in the USA. I've found a couple of reviews but as the tour goes on there seems to be fewer of them.  Well, there is only so much you can say, even if you are reviewing a Springsteen show.

Like many reviews The Richmond Times gives us nice opening and closing paragraphs either side of the nuts and bolts description of the show.

Bruce Springsteen sang of "Glory Days" back during his 1980s commercial peak, and while nearly three decades have since passed, The Boss hasn't lost an inch of stature. That said, there's no denying that having Jersey's favourite son joined onstage with his old pals the E Street Band guarantees an evening to be stamped with event status.

After a show of hands from those seeing the E Street Band for the first time, an enthused Springsteen struck a boxer's stance with fists raised. "Makes me feel like I've got something to prove. I'm an old man, but I don't want to go home." Those who have seen him perform over the years knew that, on the stage with this band, he was already home.

In the middle of this article is an observation about Bruce's dancing:-

Springsteen is no Gene Kelly, but he has always been an enthusiastic dancer onstage, and last night's moves even included a quick, giddy bit of gangman style.  Everyone's a critic... but let's be fair I don't expect Bruce will be appearing on 'Dancing With The Stars' any time soon!

One of our Greasy Lake friends was at the show and has shared some thoughts with us.  I see he says that the opening was more exciting than it appears on paper. Sometimes you just have to be there.

Actually I think Shackled and Drawn makes a good opener and the dance critic I mentioned above says it was a thunderous version. 

So here is the setlist.  Quite a short show again but Bruce had been busy already earlier in the day at the Obama rally. 

	Hamilton  21/10/12 Time unknown	Charlottesville 23/10/12 8.17 to 11.19
1	My Love Will Not Let You Down (9)	Shackled And Drawn (54)
2	Out In The Street (34)	Lonesome Day (23)
3	Hungry Heart (28)	We Take Care Of Our Own (70)
4	We Take Care Of Our Own (69)	Hungry Heart (29)
5	Wrecking Ball (69)	Wrecking Ball (70)
6	Death To My Hometown (69)	Death To My Hometown (70)
7	My City Of Ruins (69)	My City Of Ruins (70)
8	Spirit In The Night (39)	Spirit In The Night (40)
9	Does This Bus Stop On 82nd Street (11)	Seaside Bar Song (4)
10	Jack Of All Trades (57)	Give The Girl A Kiss (1)
11	Trapped (14)	Lost In The Flood (5)
12	I’m Goin’ Down (5)	This Depression (5)
13	She’s The One (23)	Murder Inc (12)
14	Because The Night (28)	Johnny 99 (21)
15	Working On The Highway (34)	Working On The Highway (35)
16	Shackled And Drawn (53)	Darlington County (22)
17	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (69)	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (70)
18	Terry’s Song (1)	Backstreets (10)
19	The Rising (59)	Badlands (62)
20	Badlands (61)	Land Of Hope And Dreams (46)
21	Land Of Hope And Dreams (45)	Jungleland (6)
22	I’m A Rocker (3)	Born To Run (70)
23	Born To Run (69)	Seven Nights To Rock (18)
24	Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (16)	Dancing In The Dark (70)
25	Dancing In The Dark (69)	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (69)
26	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (68)
27
28
29
30
31
32
33