evan@petfe.UUCP (Evan Marcus) (08/19/85)
Y'know, I never see anything about Bruce Springsteen in net.music. Maybe
he's too pop or something. I don't know. Maybe a mini-review of his
concert will help relieve some of the KB/JSB traffic!?! Maybe not.
I got there about 3 to tailgate in the lot. It was some party! It seems
that everybody had the same idea!
Anyway, the ticket said 7pm, but he didn't go on until 5 past 8! He played
his first set until about 9:35. (Closed with Thunder Road) Took a 45 minute
break(!), and came back about 10:10. Played another 55 minutes, before saying
g'night the first time, with I'm a Rocker. Left for about 2 minutes and
came back and played until about 11:45.
He played 2 songs from before Darkness. He played Born To Run and Thunder Road.
He did not play Rosalita, Jungle Land, Growin' Up, Spirits in the Night, or
any other oldies. In fact, he only played 2 from Darkness! (Badlands, and
Promised Land.) On the other hand, he played Born in the USA to death.
Also The River and Nebraska. He didn't play anything he didn't record until
the 2nd encore, when he played This Land is Your Land(!), and then Twist
and Shout, and La Bamba (!) [must have been for Richie Rosenberg :-) ].
He was very funny. He talked a lot before several songs, especially Glory
Days and Pink Cadillac. Some of those stories were a riot!
My seats were on the floor, about 1/2 way back, and all the way to the
right (section 10, if anyone knows the layout). The acoustics were simply
amazing for a place that size! You could hear him talking, even whispering,
and you could every word of every song (until the last few when the crowd
got a little too loud). Also, for those of us who couldn't see (I am pretty
short!), there were 2 large projection screens on the sides of the stage.
This was NOT Diamond Vision, which is a crock, anyway. This looked like a
movie, and was occasionally produced like 1. I used the screen a lot when
he was doing some of the rowdier songs and everyone (especially the 6' 6"
ape in front of me) was standing on their chairs!
My biggest complaint about the show is that it has lost its intimacy. Maybe
it was me, but, while he is certainly able to energize a hall that big
(50000+), having to watch him on that big screen or thru binoculars takes
a lot of it away for me. I've seen him twice before, once in the Meadowlands
Arena, last summer, and once at the Spectrum about 4 years ago. There's a
big difference between 20000 and 50 or 60000, in a football stadium.
Of course, the other major complaint was that he played almost no oldies!
Oh, in case anybody is curious, I got my tickets by dialing into Teletron.
I got through at 8:10am. I was still about 50 yards bac!
He is still the Hardest Working White Man in Show Business. But I wish
he'd go back to the smaller arenas. (The Stone Pony comes to mind.)
Thanks for listening. I'd be interested in other impressions.
--Evan Marcus
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You know what I hate more than anything? Indian givers. No, I take that back.lkk@teddy.UUCP (08/21/85)
Evan Marcus' description of the energy and atmosphere at the SPringsteen concert reminded me a lot of a description of a Dead show. Even though the two bands play very different music, and have very different types of audiences there seem to be many parallels: 1. Emotional rapport with the audience. 2. Concern for fans and vice versa. 3. Hard working (4 hour concerts) 4. Fan Comraderie. Maybe in 20 years there'll be Springsteen-heads following him around the country, and they will pay their way by selling home made denim jackets and bandanas? Of course there are *so* many important differences. only time will tell I suppose. -- Sport Death, Larry Kolodney (USENET) ...decvax!genrad!teddy!lkk (INTERNET) lkk@mit-mc.arpa
dw@rocksvax.UUCP (Don Wegeng) (08/30/85)
I caught Bruce's show at the Exhibition Stadium in Toronto this past
Tuesday. It was well worth the four hour trip from Rochester. Much
of Marcus' description of the concert he attended goes for the Toronto
show, except that I think that the large TV screens added to the
atmosphere (but I've never seen him before, so what do I know?).
Anyway, one interesting note is that Bruce is apparently adding some
variety to his shows by playing a slightly different set at each one.
On Tuesday he played Twist and Shout, but I spoke with someone who
attended the Monday show who said that he didn't play it then. Interesting...
Anyway, if you get the chance go see him - it's a blast!
/Don
--
"Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill."
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