St Paul 11th November 2012 - show 76

The most livable city in America according to the city's motto

Gotta laugh at this photo - not everyone seems very excited to find Bruce so close to them !!

Well we've had a few days break from the tour and to be honest it was quite a relief. I'm getting a bit jaded. Don't know how Bruce keeps up the enthusiasm. I wish I was so happy in my work! 

Anyway on to the show. Savin' Up was a rarity played tonight. Stan Goldstien gives us some facts about this track:-

... a song he wrote in 1981 and was later recorded by Clarence Clemons (with lead vocals by J.T. Bowen) on Clemons' 1983 album "Rescue."

Bruce also did a duet on "Savin' Up" with the late, great Jersey Shore musician John Luraschi on Luraschi's 2009 album "The End of the Road."

It was the first time Bruce ever performed "Savin' Up" live with the E Street Band. He had played it live three others times, all at bar performances in Asbury Park (the old Deck House, Wonder Bar and Stone Pony).

There's a very long review of the show here.  It seems the writer was at his first show

As a Springsteen first-timer, it's impossible to know where a show like Sunday's fits into the spectrum. For me, there are few live acts that can mesh a career's worth of material, a band of virtuosos, and stadium-sized heart so convincingly. He's only eight years younger than Bob Dylan, but what a difference in the level of energy. Also, you can see how everyone from Bono to Craig Finn (especially on "It's Hard to be a Saint in the City") gleans from Bruce's infectious live persona. In two cities filled with aspiring Springsteens everywhere, this is a masterclass on how to get an audience (and band) on your side by leading with unbridled spirit.

He also gives a mention to Savin' Up

"We've been pretty good so far," Bruce said with a laugh. "So we can afford to fuck one up." The next minute or so was spent deciding which key to play the song, and some vamping and clowning by the band. But then -- then! -- this was a moment to behold. The firing of the five-piece horn section, the muscle of Nils Lofgren and Little Steven on guitars, and the rhythmic surge of drummer Max Weinberg and bassist Gary Tallent all felt as vital as at any moment all night.

Here's the full set list. Only the second Long Walk Home of the tour.  When I saw If I Should Fall Behind in the list I thought Patti might have put in an appearance but she wasn't on stage. 

From the above review:- 

While the rest of the band left for Bruce's spare and heartfelt solo showing of  "If I Should Fall Behind," dedicated to a married couple who had the song played as their first dance.

	Louisville  3/11/12 Time not known	St Paul 11/11/12 Time 8.16 to 11.18
1	Shackled And Drawn (59)	We Take Care Of Our Own (76)
2	Lonesome Day (24)	Wrecking Ball (76)
3	Hungry Heart (32)	Out In The Street (39)
4	We Take Care Of Our Own (75)	Death To My Hometown (76)
5	Wrecking Ball (75)	My City Of Ruins (76)
6	Death To My Hometown (75)	Spirit In The Night (46)
7	My City Of Ruins (75)	It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City (7)
8	Spirit In The Night (45)	Hungry Heart (33)
9	E Street Shuffle (19)	Jack Of All Trades (58)
10	Streets Of Philadelphia (2)	Atlantic City (14)
11	Atlantic City (13)	Savin’ Up (1)
12	Because The Night (32)	Open All Night (4)
13	She’s The One (26)	Darlington County (25)
14	Growin’ Up (4)	Two Hearts (10)
15	Open All Night (3)	Shackled And Drawn (60)
16	Darlington County (24)	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (76)
17	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (75)	Long Walk Home (2)
18	The River (29)	Badlands (68)
19	The Rising (62)	Thunder Road (43)
20	Badlands (67)	If I Should Fall Behind (3)
21	Land Of Hope And Dreams (51)	Rocky Ground (37)
22	Rocky Ground (36)	Born To Run (76)
23	Born To Run (75)	Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (19)
24	Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (18)	Dancing In The Dark (76)
25	Dancing In The Dark (75)	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (75)
26	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (74)
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28
29
30
31
32
33

Louisville 3rd November 2012 - show 75

The Cheeseburger originated at Kaelin's Restaurant on Newburg Road. In 1934, Margaret Kaelin's husband asked her to put a slice of American cheese on his hamburger and the legend was born.

Photo by Jo Lopez

Those of you who have followed me through the tour will know I am a fan of a review with a rousing final paragraph. 


There's a pretty good end to this blog.  

it was all there – rock nostalgia, performance vitality, social... urgency, musical might, an epic song catalogue, a killer band and a frontman that made it all seem ageless and effortless.

It was all in a night’s work for Jersey’s man of steel.

From another great  review :-

... sometimes it was the powerful aftermath of real faith — in an artist, in his songs and in rock ’n’ roll — a community of fans coming together over the simple desire to have Rosalita jump a little lighter.


The final few words:-

... as Springsteen later sang in “Badlands,” that “it ain’t no sin to be glad your alive.” That’s a pretty good message ... to push because, as far as we know, we’ve only got the one life, and we may as well spend it at a Bruce Springsteen show.

I think I'll make that last bit my mantra.

Here's the set list.

	Penn State 1/11/12 Time 8.23 to 11.39	Louisville  3/11/12 Time not known
1	Lion’s Den (2)	Shackled And Drawn (59)
2	We Take Care Of Our Own (74)	Lonesome Day (24)
3	Wrecking Ball (74)	Hungry Heart (32)
4	Out In The Street (38)	We Take Care Of Our Own (75)
5	Death To My Hometown (74)	Wrecking Ball (75)
6	My City Of Ruins (74)	Death To My Hometown (75)
7	Spirit In The Night (44)	My City Of Ruins (75)
8	Seaside Bar Song (5)	Spirit In The Night (45)
9	It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City (6)	E Street Shuffle (19)
10	4th July Asbury Park (Sandy) (2)	Streets Of Philadelphia (2)
11	Darlington County (23)	Atlantic City (13)
12	Working On The Highway (37)	Because The Night (32)
13	Cover Me (5)	She’s The One (26)
14	Because The Night (31)	Growin’ Up (4)
15	Shackled And Drawn (58)	Open All Night (3)
16	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (74)	Darlington County (24)
17	Raise Your Hand (7)	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (75)
18	Backstreets (11)	The River (29)
19	Badlands (66)	The Rising (62)
20	Land Of Hope And Dreams (50)	Badlands (67)
21	Jersey Girl (3)	Land Of Hope And Dreams (51)
22	Born To Run (74)	Rocky Ground (36)
23	Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (17)	Born To Run (75)
24	Dancing In The Dark (74)	Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (18)
25	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (73)	Dancing In The Dark (75)
26	Shout (1)	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (74)
27
28
29
30
31
32
33

Penn State 1st November 2012 - show 74

The 16,000 seat Jordan Center hosts circuses, sports exhibitions, family shows, commencements, lectures, and Big Ten Basketball, as well as some of the top-name performers in the music entertainment industry

All the reviews of tonight's show emphasise Bruce's references to hurricane Sandy Rolling Stone
says :-


Bruce Springsteen dedicated a wrenching version of "My City of Ruins" to Asbury Park, New Jersey, during a performance last night in Pennsylvania... 

I particularly like this mention from the same article:-
  

..holding up a sign handed to him by someone in the crowd that read, "Never forget, 4th of July, Asbury Park."

"There you go," Springsteen said. "We can't let a hurricane get rid of that one."

There are a couple of references in the Backstreets review worth a mention.

The first has cropped up before but I still makes me laugh:-

Bruce made his traditional acknowledgement of seeing old faces and new faces in the crowd, and took it a step further by asking how many people in the crowd had never seen the E Street Band before. After the loud cheer in response, Bruce said, "We're gonna fuck you up! That makes me happy." 

The second is something I don't remember from any other review:-

Security had confiscated most signs from the GA crowd... obviously the 'Sandy' sign mentioned earlier got through.

There are some people who might think that is no bad thing especially if they have had the experience of standing behind someone blocking their view with a sign... and we all know that the songs picked out aren't really random.

Anyway here's the full set list.

	Rochester  31/10/12 Time 8.15 to 11.15	Penn State 1/11/12 Time 8.23 to 11.39
1	A Night With The Jersey Devil (1)	Lion’s Den (2)
2	We Take Care Of Our Own (73)	We Take Care Of Our Own (74)
3	Wrecking Ball (73)	Wrecking Ball (74)
4	Out In The Street (37)	Out In The Street (38)
5	Death To My Hometown (73)	Death To My Hometown (74)
6	My City Of Ruins (73)	My City Of Ruins (74)
7	Spirit In The Night (43)	Spirit In The Night (44)
8	Monster Mash (1)	Seaside Bar Song (5)
9	Something In The Night (6)	It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City (6)
10	Atlantic City (12)	4th July Asbury Park (Sandy) (2)
11	Jackson Cage (6)	Darlington County (23)
12	She’s The One (25)	Working On The Highway (37)
13	Cover Me (4)	Cover Me (5)
14	Downbound Train (9)	Because The Night (31)
15	Shackled And Drawn (57)	Shackled And Drawn (58)
16	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (73)	Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (74)
17	Drive All Night (4)	Raise Your Hand (7)
18	Radio Nowhere (10)	Backstreets (11)
19	Badlands (65)	Badlands (66)
20	Land Of Hope And Dreams (49)	Land Of Hope And Dreams (50)
21	Jersey Girl (2)	Jersey Girl (3)
22	Thunder Road (42)	Born To Run (74)
23	Born To Run (73)	Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (17)
24	Detroit Medley (4)	Dancing In The Dark (74)
25	Dancing In The Dark (73)	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (73)
26	Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (72)	Shout (1)
27
28
29
30
31
32
33