Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band @ Sommet Center
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, December 15, 2009
- Roy Bittan performs with Bruce Springsteen at the Sommet Center in Nashville 11/18/2009. Photo by Pennman.
I just had one of the best rock concert experiences I’ve had in a long time, and that’s quite a statement because, as you know if you’re a regular reader of this column, I see a lot of shows. It’s also significant because almost all of the recent shows I’ve seen have been pretty good. I’ve actually been getting a bit concerned lately that my reviews are getting boring because I haven’t really been able to slam very many performances. It seems these days that comeback tours, or just plain old legacy acts that have been active all along, are not getting out there unless they can deliver the goods. Tonight, everyone at the Sommet Center found out the boss not only delivers, he blows you away.
I’ve seen bands take over arenas before, and on rare occasions, stadiums. The E Street Band is one of them. But there was another distinct aspect to this show. I haven’t seen any one individual take control of an arena as if it were a coffee house like Springsteen. How he can seem to be so close up while being quite far away (I was in the cheap seats for this one) is simply a testament to his charisma. There was a feeling of intimacy I’ve never felt in an arena before. I think it all boils down to Springsteen’s soul; he clearly loves what he’s doing, gives it 200%, and his joy just permeates every nook and cranny of the venue. I’ve seen Springsteen and the band at least four or five times, but I can’t recall seeing them in finer form. Maybe it was just a case of absence making the heart grow fonder, since it’s probably been ten years since I last saw them, but I really don’t think so. It was just an on night for Bruce.
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After an hour wait (the 7:30 start time stretched out to 8:30) the lights went down and “Big Boss Man” poured out of the P.A. system as the band took the stage in the dark. I thought the show started weakly with “Wrecking Ball”, a new song about the upcoming demise of Giants Stadium in NJ, one of Springsteen’s favorite haunts. That continued with “Seeds”, so I was getting a little nervous, but things picked up nicely with the third tune, “Trapped”. “Hungry Heart” was a standout, even though the audience sang a lot of it. It was the first of many moments of greatness; prime examples of Springsteen’s rockers that flow with charisma and joy. Others in this category included “Darlington County”, “Bobbie Jean”, “Rosalita”, and the finale, a rollicking cover of Jackie Wilson’s “Higher and Higher”. It also didn’t hurt that “Hungry Heart” included some crowd surfing by the boss that looked like just a blast for him. There were many other segments of the show that included audience participation, like the women in pink cowboy hats dancing across the stage during “Darlington County” and several band members, led by the boss, parading through the crowd for “Higher and Higher”. It felt more like a party than a concert.
Of course, hearing the entire “Born to Run” album in sequence was a special treat. Standouts for me were “Meeting Across the River” (my personal favorite – it’s a NY/NJ thing), “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (for pure energy), “Thunder Road”, and for all the Clarence fans, “Jungleland” (with its’ lengthy sax solo). The show was done in three segments: six opening songs, “Born To Run”, and an amazing fourteen songs after that. That’s real bang for the buck! We also got one of those famous “Nashville Moments” that I often refer to. Bruce treated Nashville to a never before (and probably never again) performance of Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire”. That was truly special and came off very well, due in large part to the trumpet playing of Curt Ramm (Ramm was also key on the aforementioned “Meeting Across the River”).
The band was as impressive as ever. Sax man Clarence Clemmons was right on, playing his solos very true to the original recordings. The other standouts were Roy Bittan (playing a very beautiful, elegant, and prominent piano throughout), and Steven Van Zandt (great interaction between Steve and the boss). Soozie Tyrell had great stage presence on acoustic guitar, violin, and backing vocals. On the flip side, other than a moment of glory when a female fan asked for and was granted a dance with Nils Lofgren, he seemed a bit lost in the crowd, lurking mostly under the radar. Patti Scialfa was not performing tonight, but Max Weinberg was on leave from the Tonight Show to do the drumming. He was great and especially relevant during “Born To Run” since he was one of the originals who made the record. The late Danny Federici was recognized by the boss at the end of that set. Backup singer Cindy Mizelle excelled in singing the lead on “Higher and Higher”; a very pleasant surprise.
I think I’ve stayed away from Springsteen shows for so long because they weren’t always a slam dunk as far as consistency goes. I recall a few shows with too many serious/slow songs for my liking, and I’ve read a few reviews from this current tour indicating that still happens occasionally. But with hints of this maybe being the last hurrah for the E Street Band (although I don’t really believe that) and the price being right tonight, I took the plunge. I’m really glad I did because this was one of the good ones, one of the triumphant ones, and there’s nothing like a Springsteen show where all systems are go. When you see a show like this it all comes back to you; they don’t call him the boss for nothing.
Pennman bought his first 45 at age nine and has been hooked on rock ever since. He has spent much of his disposable income on music, especially live performances. He writes reviews of the shows he sees and keeps a keen lookout for upcoming shows in or near Bowling Green. He has a BA in Communications, specializing in journalism, and has dabbled in music himself, both as a player and instructor. Find more of Pennman’s work at www.associatedcontent.com/user/165511/pennman.html or visit him at www.myspace.com/pennman_bg or www.facebook.com/pennman