It was a textbook tutorial on how Bruce Springsteen ENERGIZED Gillette, Saturday night. In fact, the energy is still in me, and the thousands of Bruce fans that flocked to Foxborough, Massachusetts. Did I mention that this was the FOURTH Springsteen show this year? That didn’t stop him from a rockin’ two hour and twenty nine minute set of non-stop energy. And, I mean NON-STOP. He didn’t stop. My wife even asked, did he even stop for a drink of water?
Don’t Be Scared, Live In The Now
For lifelong Springsteen fans, whether you go for the hits, (I’ll address that later) or you’re a lifer, complete with your Stone Pony T-shirt, you ask yourself this question. Forgive me for addressing the elephant in the room. The question on at least my mind: is this last time we’ll see him LIVE? Hey, it’s a fair question! Bob Barker passed away this past weekend. Now, Bob was older than Bruce, so we can tap the breaks a bit. Bruce, on September 24, turns 74.
The Sermon on Mount Gillette
Bruce, in a very heartfelt, but convincing way, faced his, and our certain future, talking about our reality as humans. We all will die. It was almost a sermon on mount Gillette and we were his disciples. Springsteen took off his fun and frolicky Boss hat and plopped on his Dad, teacher, mentor hat, to share an intimate story of how a member of his very first 1960’s band died of cancer. You could see his heart burst through on the giant screen. We could hear a pin drop, as he ended the story saying, he was the final remaining living member of that original, first band. Our collective heart was moved, as we all can relate to this time in our life, where, longtime, close family members, friends, and co-workers have reached the end of this life, and moved on to the next part of the journey.
Don’t Be Scared, Live In The Now
Bruce ended his sermon with a beautiful, acoustic performance of Last Man Standing. You didn’t have to know the song to feel it’s power. The take away, that was encouraged by Bruce himself, was to live in the moment. Rejoice that we’re alive IN THE NOW. That’s all we have and really, what matters.
The Set List
One thing is clear: this tour is for core fans. They got what they came for. If you’re a fan of ONLY Springsteen’s familiar radio hits, you had to take a back seat. He didn’t perform many of his familiar radio hits, like Hungry Heart, I’m On Fire, Born In The USA or My Hometown. But, hearing Born To Run, Dancing In The Dark and Glory Days, LIVE, made it worth the two hour wait, as those songs, were the encore! Take a look:
Lonesome Day
(Tour debut, first time since 2017)
No Surrender
Ghosts
Prove It All Night
Letter to You
The Promised Land
Out in the Street
Candy’s Room
Kitty’s Back
Nightshift
(Commodores cover)
Atlantic City
Johnny 99
Mary’s Place
Last Man Standing
(Acoustic with Barry Danielian on trumpet)
Backstreets
Because the Night
(Patti Smith Group cover)
She’s the One
Wrecking Ball
The Rising
Badlands
Thunder Road
Encore
Born to Run`
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Seven Nights to Rock
(Moon Mullican cover) (Tour debut, first time with… more )
Glory Days
Dancing in the Dark
(Followed by Band Intros)
Encore 2:
I’ll See You in My Dreams
(solo, acoustic)
So, let’s take the advice, and see how Bruce Springsteen ENERGIZED Gillette!