Video Spotlight: Ain’t Good Enough for You (Live in Gijon – 6/26/13)

Well, it’s Annual “Ain’t Good Enough for You” Day over here at Legends of Springsteen (see 2012 and 2013). Diverting from the past two years, we’re highlighting a rare live performance today.

Ever since hearing it on The Promise, I’ve hoped for an opportunity to see "Ain't Good Enough for You" performed live. One time at the Izod Center, he started to play “So Young and in Love” and I momentarily thought it was the beginning of “Ain’t Good Enough for You.” Alas, I’m still holding out hope. But I am pleased that he’s played it in a few of his European shows and that video exists.

The opening of this video shot in Gijon, Spain conveys exactly what I imagined it would be like to see it live. The crowd cheering in unison, the hands flying, Bruce strutting around like a goofball. It’s all there.

OB's Top 5 Songs of the Wrecking Ball Tour

Unfortunately the Wrecking Ball Tour is winding down, and there won't be anymore concerts that I am going to in 2012.  At least I don't think so, but I am considering possibly going to the Rochester or State College shows next month. But I have nothing to complain about.  This was a fantastic tour, that I was lucky enough to be at 5 of the shows.  Each show was stellar, different from the others, and I walked away a happy customer each time.  So without any further ado, below were the top 5 songs I saw performed live this past year.  None of the videos were filmed by me or anyone to do with Legends of Springsteen.

5.  "Lion's Den" (Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY.  April 06, 2012)

I am always happy to hear a song live for first time.  This song is rarely played live, and I believe this is the only time this was played on this tour.  I've always enjoyed this song from Tracks and was definitely rocking in the aisles of MSG when Bruce was playing this.  It's far from Bruce's best song, but it's definitely a fun quick song and was a very welcome addition to the setlist.

4. "41 Shots" (Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ.  April 03, 2012)

When the murder of Trayvon Martin was making headlines, Bruce brought this song out for a number of shows.  What I liked most about Bruce playing this song was the subtlety.  At no point did Bruce mention Trayvon Martin, gun laws, or anything else.  He just played the song to create awareness that a young, unarmed man was murdered.  And despite what many NYPD members and supporters may say, that's what this song is about.  It's not condemning, judging, or partisan.  It's about awareness of a tragic event.  I'm glad Bruce played it for those few shows, but retired it before it became a regular in the setlist.  It keeps the songs more relevant and important when it's played so sparingly.  

3.  "Out In The Streets" (Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ.  June 22, 2012)

After being delayed 2 hours due to severe weather, Bruce opened the show with this great track from The River.  The crowd was amped, Bruce and the band was amped, and the result was something magical.   When the chorus hit and the crowd sang along with the "woah oh oh oh oh" not a single person cared about weather delays, what time they'd get home, or anything else.  Bruce Springsteen was in town, and that was all that mattered.  We had waited all night to see him, and Bruce showed his appreciation for our patience by giving us his all, and we gave ours right back to him.  This is the symbiotic relationship Bruce has with his audience and I never felt it more than I did during that opening song, that night.

2.  "Atlantic City" featuring Eddie Veder (Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL.  September 07, 2012)

First of all, as huge baseball fan it was absolutely indescribable to be at the legendary Wrigley Field for the first time in my life.  Secondly, as a fan of Pearl Jam it was fantastic to be able to see Eddie Veder live for the first time in my life.  So factor those two items in with one of my all time favorite songs, and oh yeah, Mr. Bruce f'n Springsteen too, and you got one kick ass performance.  The Wrigley show was amazing, and as much as it kills me to say this as a native of New Jersey, Bruce showed the most energy I'd ever seen from him at this show.

1.  "The Weight"  (Prudential Center, Newark, NJ.  May 02, 2012)

Outside of the McCartney incident, I believe this performance got the most buzz.  And rightly so.  This amazing cover of the classic song by The Band was a very fitting tribute for the recently deceased Levon Helm.  I cannot put it into words, and fortunately I don't have to with this video.  However, as powerful as this video is, it's nothing compared to being there live.  And I believe I have 18,000 other people who were there that night who would agree.

So, there you have it.  Agree?  Disagree?  What were some of the highlights of the shows you attended?

Concert Review - Madison Square Garden, NYC April 6

There’s an old joke that goes: “Sex is like pizza. When it’s good it’s great, but when it’s bad…it’s still pretty good.” The same goes for Bruce Springsteen concerts. After listening to the concert at the Apollo Theatre on Sirius XM, I was left feeling slightly under whelmed. Don’t get me wrong, Bruce sounded good, and I’m sure if I was there I would have had a blast. But I remember saying “that’s it?“ when the show ended. I just chalked it up to the fact that listening to Bruce on the radio isn’t the same as being there live. It was my own fault for setting my standards too high.

But prior to that my last Bruce concert was the final concert of Working On A Dream Tour on November 22nd, 2009 at The HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY. That night Bruce played for 3 ½ hours. It was a stellar show, and quite frankly if that was the last Springsteen concert (as many had speculated it might be), it would have been a great end to his phenomenal career. The Apollo Theatre show couldn’t compare to that. But it was still a lot of fun to listen to.

Then on last Tuesday night I saw Bruce at the Izod Center. I think Steve's review was pretty accurate.  Again, it’s not that the show was bad, far from it. But I just left that show desiring something more. I was envious of some of the friends I was with, who were seeing Bruce for the first time. They raved about the setlist, Bruce’s incredible energy and just the overall performance. I remembered feeling that way, I had felt that way about almost every other Bruce concert I had been to.

But finally, last Friday I had, as U2 once so wonderfully put it, “found what I was looking for.” Seeing Bruce Springsteen, at New York’s famous Madison Square Garden, was incredible. Right from the beginning I knew this show would be different. Bruce opened the show with “Badlands” as opposed to every other show where he opened with “We Take Care of Our Own”. The first 3 songs he played at the Izod show and MSG show were exactly the same but just the little difference of changing the order he played them in made all the difference. And that’s when I realized what made Bruce the best live performer I’ve ever seen. He constantly is changing things up, evolving mid-tour(sometimes even mid-show) to make sure his concerts never gets stale. No 2 audiences are exactly alike, so no 2 audiences should get the exact same show. Bruce pulled out all the stops, with rare songs that I hadn’t heard live before, like "Lion's Den", and other rarities like "Murder, Inc." and "Lonesome Day".  And the night kept rocking with an incredible 20+ minute jamming version of “Kitty’s Back” that nearly blew the roof off of MSG.  Normally I'm not a huge fan of this song but Bruce was definitely feeling it that night and so was everyone else in "The World's Most Famous Arena."

I even contemplated going to see Bruce last night for his 2nd show at MSG but couldn't justify spending the prices that StubHub was charging.  But when I saw the setlist of that show I was kicking myself.  $300 for nosebleed seats is a lot, but not when he's busting out "Thundercrack" and "Rosalita" in the same show!  I'm kicking myself for missing that one.

I am anxiously awaiting May 2nd, to see Bruce at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. And if the rumors are true that Bruce will be doing a stadium tour towards the end of this summer and into the fall, you better believe I’ll be snatching up tickets to that. I suggest you do the same.

Concert Review – Izod Center, NJ April 3 & 4

After two and half years, Bruce Springsteen and his legendary E Street Band returned home to New Jersey for back-to-back nights at the Izod center. I was lucky enough to make both shows. Admittedly, the first night left me slightly unfulfilled - my major complaint was it felt too contained for a Bruce Springsteen concert. I missed the spontaneity of the Magic and Working on a Dream tours. All such qualms were instantly eradicated on the second night when he unleashed the heart-stopping, pants-dropping spectacle he’s led us to demand.

I don’t mean to sound too harsh on the April 3 show. He's still the most electrifying entertainer I've ever seen and by all means it was yet another great performance. But I felt justified to see that Backstreets' reviews of the nights expressed similar concerns. Also, the first night's show was hampered by two external factors for me. The first was my quixotic hopes that he would play songs from The Promise. My desires were fueled by his debut of “The Promise” on Sunday night in DC and his intro speech and opening chords to "So Young and in Love" sounded like personal favorite "Ain't Good Enough For You" (I should note, "So Young and in Love" was fantastic in it's own right. Second was my anxiety about actually getting into the concert. Ticketmaster has always been pure evil but their paperless tickets are the work of the devil.

On the second night though, by all accounts Bruce came out swinging with “The Ties That Bind” third on the setlist. I've always loved that song and dreamed of seeing it live for the 2:56 moment when Bruce screeches the titular lyrics (a moment that the Legends of Springsteen editors refer to as the sound of Bruce crying).

Overall, the second night had more high-five moments (“Candy's Room”! “Johnny 99”!! “Ramrod”!!!) and the tour staples were performed at full tilt, too. Bruce also unveiled a video tribute to Clarence during “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” that made the night all the more poignant.

That being said, the first night had it's share of notable moments not featured in the second night including the opportunity to hear “American Skin (41 Shots)” in-person and the new arrangement of “Land of Hope and Dreams.”

From the Wrecking Ball tracks, the band plays them all most impressively, my favorites being the subtle power of “Jack of All Trades” and the bombastic “Death to My Hometown” in which Bruce does an awesome march/dance that tops the borderline ridiculous histrionics of his guitar strumming during the Jimmy Fallon appearance.

My takeway from both nights - something I’ve always recognized but never so acutely before – was Bruce's conviction. Every word he says, every line he sings, every expression he pulls, every gesture he makes, and every bead he sweats is done with conviction. He truly believes in the power of rock n roll and he wants his audience to feel the same way.

I don't think in alone when I say that his emotion is infectious. In fact, I know I’m not from watching 20,000 people singing, cheering, and clapping in unison. I also suspect I’m not the only one who’ll admit that on several occasions, I found myself on the verge of tears from the overwhelming swell of emotion that Bruce Springsteen can elicit.

For videos from Tuesday night, head over to Blogness on the Edge of Town and check out the New York Times and Bergen Record for other reviews.

Springsteen Lyrics of the week- "Bishop Danced"

“Bishop danced with a thumbscrew woman
Did a double-quick back flip and slid across the floor
The Catholic traffic flowed freely 'cross the river
And fiddlestick fiddled quick out the front door
Oh baby dumpling, mama's in the back tree
If the bow breaks mama might fall
Little sad and only, baby don't be lonely
Mama knows 'rithmatic, knows how to take a fall”
- “Bishop Danced“, Tracks

As I once told Steve, my fellow blogger on here, “This song has the most nonsensical lyrics. Even by Bruce Standards!” Yes, while it’s true that Bruce is an incredible songwriter, whose lyrics have endeared to him to millions, they aren’t always the most coherent. I mean really, does anyone know what a “10th Avenue Freeze Out” is?

Don’t get me wrong, at times Bruce might be the best songwriter in the game. I am writing this entry after having just seen Bruce play a stellar concert at the Izod Center in my home state of New Jersey. In particular, an incredible version of “American Skin (41 Shots)” showed off his amazing song writing skills. But “Bishop Danced” is at the other end of the songwriting spectrum. The lyrics are almost so bad they’re good. It’s not just that verse, it’s the whole bloody song! I’ve read them a dozen times and looked for some sort of symbolism or deeper meaning, like Bob Dylan has done so well in his song writing, and Bruce has done in other songs. But I got nothing, this song is pure gibberish. But hey, it’s kinda catchy so kudos to Bruce for that one.