Springsteen Lyrics of the Week - No Surrender

This week's lyrics of the week is written by James Layman, who originally made his mark on the blog with this excellent piece.  Take it away, James!

"Well, now young faces grow sad and old

And hearts of fire grow cold

We swore blood brothers against the wind

Now I'm ready to grow young again"

-No Surrender, Born in the U.S.A.

There is a particular ebb and flow to Bruce's work, especially present on Born in the U.S.A.  Youthful arrogance collides with cold gray reality, giving way to a type of stoic cynicism.  In turn, the cynicism collapses into desperation, and the hope to find a way back to a time when the affairs of American life were stronger and simpler.  Back to when we were mindless kids with fast cars and too much time to kill.

Whether we've grown up in New Jersey or Russia, we've all felt that way.  At heart, it's an inevitability.  We come of age shielded by naivety.  We are foolish and arrogant, but physically stronger and sharper than we've ever been.  So we charge forward with a sense of reckless abandon, blissfully oblivious to the fact that the world can hurt us.  And then it does.  Illusions of invincibility make for fragile structures.  There's a time when every river runs dry.  When the youthful electricity of a thousand first kisses fades to dust, and the hopes we took for granted clash with a more stark reality, lurking just beyond the horizon.  And everything that was so simple at seventeen is a thousand fragments of shattered glass.  We can look back at high school, and laugh at those delusions, breathing easy in the satisfaction that we "know better" now.  But there's part of us that will always want to go back to feeling that way.  To when we were stupid.  To when we could bound ceaselessly into the limitless beyond, with the false knowledge that nothing would stand in our way.  "No Surrender" is a song about reaching back down into that long abandoned part of oneself, and finding the fuel for one more mile.

So do it.  The road is open again, and the wind is at your back.

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.

Springsteen Video of the Week: Chug-a-lug

No need to reiterate this point, but nobody knows what Bruce will do on stage.  And this simple aside during "Raise Your Hand" is classic Bruce.  He is handed what looks like a lukewarm stadium beer, half filled with backwash.  Of course, Bruce says "to hell with it" and chugs the rest.  After much investigation, the Legends of Springsteen editors can neither confirm nor deny the rumors that he went out and participated in a flip cup tournament after the show.

Top Ten Springsteen Road Trip Songs

Legends of Springsteen is excited to present a guest post from Mark Dowling, Springsteen fanatic and New York City-based improv performer and sketch writer.

Here’s a list of songs that are essential to any road trip playlist. They are broken up into two categories: Day Time and Night Time. The Day Time songs are the ones that you’re more likely to sing along with and get stares while stopped at a red light. The Night Time songs are the ones you kind of hum while your girlfriend sleeps in the passenger’s seat. It’s hard to pick just ten songs, which is why I cheat a little bit and double up.

Here’s the list!

Day Time

These are the songs that make you want to drive on a long stretch of highway on a sunny day with the windows rolled down and your sunglasses on.

1.Rosalita (The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle)
2.Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (Born to Run)
3.The Promised Land (Darkness On the Edge of Town)
4.Pink Cadillac (Tracks)
5.Waitin’ On a Sunny Day / Lonesome Day (The Rising)

Also worth mentioning: “Darlington County” and "The E Street Shuffle."

Night Time

These are the songs you listen to on the long drive back. You’re on a dark empty road and all you have to guide you are your headlights.
1.Thunder Road / Backstreets (Born to Run)
2.I’m On Fire (Born in the U.S.A.)
3.The River (The River)
4.Streets of Philadelphia (Philadelphia Soundtrack)
5.Racing In the Street (Darkness On the Edge of Town)

“Jungleland” is a great song (am I going against the grain?) but it’s an obvious choice. I almost included “Secret Garden” but couldn’t find a place for it.

To make sure all of these where accurate choices, I tested each one of them out behind the wheel of my 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

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.

What's Missing from the Wrecking Ball Setlists?

We’re technically a month into the Wrecking Ball tour and Bruce has been sticking very closely to the Wrecking Ball album track list. Only two songs have yet to make an appearance on the tour: “This Depression” and “You’ve Got It.”

I don’t think anyone would argue that either is a standout track that is sorely missed from the concerts, but both have their fans. Personally, I find “This Depression” to be a sweet song, if a minor one in the context of the entire album. And I’ve grown appreciation for “You’ve Got It” after reading a few reviews that accentuate the strength of its straightforward love song qualities.

It will be interesting to see if either song appears during the tour or if Bruce has immediately discarded them from his live catalogue. Are there any fans out there clamoring for either one to be played live?

Here at the blog, we’re all very excited for our first Wrecking Ball show tonight and Bruce’s New Jersey homecoming at the Izod center. For those who haven’t been able to make it to a concert yet, Blogness on the Edge of Town offers an amazing collection of videos from the tour.

Springsteen Video of the Week: American Skin (41 Shots)

I can’t say it’s a good thing that Bruce performed “American Skin (41 Shots)” last week in Tampa given the tragedy that first inspired the song and the recent tragedy of Trayvon Martin that compelled him to reprise the song. However, it’s a stunningly powerful song. “American Skin (41 Shots)” is at once an explicit eulogy for Amadou Diallo and also unfortunately, as proven last week, a timeless meditation on American society.

Live in New York City Version: