Thursday 31 May 2012

Berlin 30th May 2012 - show 28


So it's Berlin - the capital of Germany.



Picture from brucespringsteen.net


What better way to start than with this piece from brucespringsteen.net



Last night was Bruce and E Street’s second biggest show ever in Germany with 55,000 fans in attendance.  The biggest, however, was in 1988 and is described in today’s Reuters article by Erik Kirschbaum:

“Berlin, largely a working class city, has been a special place for Springsteen since his July 1988 concert behind the old Iron Curtain in East Berlin.

Watched by 160,000 people, or about 1 percent of then Communist East Germany’s population, it was the biggest rock show in East German history, and The Boss boldly spoke out against the ‘barriers’ keeping East Germans in their portion of the city.

Some historians have said the concert fed into a movement gaining moment at the time that contributed to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall 16 months later in November 1989.

‘Once in a while you play a place, a show that ends up staying inside of you, living with you for the rest of your life,’ he told the crowd on Wednesday after being handed a poster from a fan thanking him for the 1988 concert. ‘East Berlin in 1988 was certainly one of them.‘”

Hence, the emotional reasons for last night’s special premiere performance of the song “When I Leave Berlin” by British folk musician Wizz Jones from his 1973 album of the same name.

Except for that unforgettable 1988 show, which was the band’s largest concert ever, this has been Bruce and E Street’s best and most inspiring tour of Germany.  Bruce ended last night by thanking the great audiences in Frankfurt, Cologne, and Berlin and telling them, “We love you, and we’ll be seeing you.”

Who knew that Bruce was influential in bringing down the Berlin Wall?  Well not the Conservative Crusader anyway! The political views of the writers are, I assume, the absolute opposite of Bruce's. The article is a few years old but the anti-Springsteen stance is quite funny.

This concert seems to have excited more interest than any other European gig so far.  The Telegraph has also mentioned the significance of the 1988 gig :-

Springsteen has been a significant figure in the city since his 1988 concert in East Berlin, when he spoke out against the Berlin Wall in front of 160,000 people. 

Anyway to the set list and another cover I don't know. Great to see Save My Love though.

Back to a three hour set after the trimmed show for the festival. I wonder whether the Hyde Park gig will be shortened?



Pink Pop 28/05/12
Time 8.42 to 11.00
Berlin 30/05/12
Time 7.51 to 10.53
1
We Take Care Of Out Own (27)
When I Leave Berlin (1)
2
Wrecking Ball (27)
We Take Care Of Our Own (28)
3
Badlands (21)
Wrecking Ball (28)
4
Death To My Hometown (27)
Badlands (22)
5
My City Of Ruins (27)
Death To My Hometown (28)
6
Spirit In The Night (5)
My City Of Ruins (28)
7
Because The Night (9)
Spirit In The Night (6)
8
Radio Nowhere (3)
Hungry Heart (4)
9
I’m On Fire (1)
Trapped (9)
10
Shackled And Drawn (15)
Jack Of All Trades (28)
11
Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (27)
Youngstown (6)
12
The Promised Land (24)
Johnny 99 (7)
13
The River (5)
Working On The Highway (5)
14
The Rising (27)
Shackled And Drawn (16)
15
We Are Alive (27)
Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (28)
16
Thunder Road(17)
Save My Love (1)
17
96 Tears (1)
The River (5)
18
Born In The USA (6)
The Rising (28)
19
Born To Run (27)
Lonesome Day (14)
20
Hungry Heart (3)
We Are Alive (28)
21
Dancing In The Dark (27)
Thunder Road (18)
22
American Land (3)
Rocky Ground (25)
23
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (27)
Born In The USA (7)
24

Born To Run (28)
25

Glory Days (3)
26

Seven Nights To Rock (2)
27

Dancing In The Dark (28)
28

Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (28)
29


30








Tuesday 29 May 2012

Pinkpop Landgraaf 28th May 2012 - show 27





Pinkpop a three day festival.  If you are interested there is more info from Wikipedia here 


From brucespringsteen.net


A truncated post tonight - no time folks.

One thing did strike me. With the premier of I'm On Fire there are only two tracks left to play from 'Born In The USA' - Cover Me and My Home Town.

Here's the set list




Cologne 27/05/12
Time 7.52 to 11.06
Pink Pop 28/05/12
Time 8.42 to 11.00
1
No Surrender (5)
We Take Care Of Out Own (27)
2
Two Hearts (3)
Wrecking Ball (27)
3
We Take Care Of Our Own (26)
Badlands (21)
4
Wrecking Ball (26)
Death To My Home Town (27)
5
The Ties That Bind (7)
My City Of Ruins (27)
6
Death To My Hometown (26)
Spirit In The Night (5)
7
My City Of Ruins (26)
Because The Night (9)
8
Spirit In The Night (4)
Radio Nowhere (3)
9
The E Street Shuffle (8)
I’m On Fire (1)
10
Jack Of All Trades (26)
Shackled And Drawn (15)
11
Atlantic City (3)
Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (27)
12
Darlington County (3)
The Promised Land (24)
13
She’s The One (10)
The River (5)
14
Working On The Highway (4)
The Rising (27)
15
Shackled And Drawn (14)
We Are Alive (27)
16
Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (26)
Thunder Road(17)
17
634-5789 (22)
96 Tears (1)
18
The Way You Do The Things You Do (22)
Born In The USA (6)
19
The River (4)
Born To Run (27)
20
The Rising (26)
Hungry Heart (3)
21
Radio Nowhere (2)
Dancing In The Dark (27)
22
We Are Alive (26)
American Land (3)
23
Land Of Hope And Dreams (18)
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (27)
24
Born In The USA (5)

25
Born To Run (26)

26
Hungry Heart (2)

27
Seven Nights To Rock (1)

28
Dancing In The Dark (26)

29
American Land (2)

30
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (26)




Monday 28 May 2012

Cologne 27th May 2012 - show 26



So Cologne last night.  Germany's fourth largest city which, apparently, has a famous cathedral.


taken from brucespringsteen.net


I have to say that, after the glowing reviews the tour got in America, the European leg isn't attracting any media comment good or bad. Even the German fan club doesn't seem to offer any more than the set list.  Mind you, I don't speak German so there may be something hidden somewhere.  

For me this set was a little disappointing but Bruce couldn't go on getting better and better and sometimes you just have to be there. Three sign requests It seems.  Seven Nights To Rock isn't one of my favourites and I'd prefer the signs to be something a bit 'off piste' from Bruce's own catalogue.  The Ties That Bind is a good'un though. This was picked up during the main set but I quite like the idea of taking signs during the encore only. 

American Land was an encore sign. Although this hasn't been played since the first show of the tour I  think it still needs a bit more of a rest.

Atlantic City wasn't a sign but made a welcome reappearance. It too hasn't been played since very early on.  Now, he could bring that out every night for me.

A final observation - since debuting Born In The USA in Las Palmas it's been played every night.

Here's the full list.



Frankfurt 25/05/12
Time 20.06 to 23.27
Cologne 27/05/12
Time 7.52 to 11.06
1
Badlands (20)                                
No Surrender (5)
2
We Take Care Of Our Own (25)
Two Hearts (3)
3
Wrecking Ball (25)
We Take Care Of Our Own (26)
4
Out In The Street (13)
Wrecking Ball (26)
5
Death To My Hometown (25)
The Ties That Bind (7)
6
My City Of Ruins (25)
Death To My Hometown (26)
7
Spirit In The Night (3)
My City Of Ruins (26)
8
E Street Shuffle (7)
Spirit In The Night (4)
9
Jack Of All Trades (25)
The E Street Shuffle (8)
10
Youngstown (5)
Jack Of All Trades (26)
11
Darkness On The Edge Of Town (4)
Atlantic City (3)
12
Johnny 99 (6)
Darlington County (3)
13
Working On The Highway (3)
She’s The One (10)
14
Shackled And Drawn (13)
Working On The Highway (4)
15
Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (25)
Shackled And Drawn (14)
16
Summertime Blues (1)
Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (26)
17
The Promised Land (23)
634-5789 (22)
18
The River (3)
The Way You Do The Things You Do (22)
19
The Rising (23)
The River (4)
20
Lonesome Day (13)
The Rising (26)
21
We Are Alive (25)
Radio Nowhere (2)
22
Thunder Road (16)
We Are Alive (26)
23
Rocky Ground (24)
Land Of Hope And Dreams (18)
24
Born In The USA (4)
Born In The USA (5)
25
Born To Run (25)
Born To Run (26)
26
Cadillac Ranch (1)
Hungry Heart (2)
27
Sherry Darling (1) 
Seven Nights To Rock (1)
28
Glory Days (2)
Dancing In The Dark (26)
29
Dancing In The Dark (25)
American Land (2)
30
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (25)
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (26)

Seems to be a pretty big crowd