Bruce Springsteen: The Rolling Stone Interview The E Street Band chief talks about making his most romantic record since "Born to Run"
Joe LevyPosted Oct 17, 2007 6:09 AM
This afternoon, Bruce Springsteen has a lot on his mind. There is the matter of band rehearsals and the thirty-seven-date world tour that he will soon start. There is the new album he has made, Magic, his third release in the past eighteen months. There is also the subject matter of that album, weighty stuff like the direction of our democracy and party stuff that recalls the days when sparks first flew on E Street more than three decades ago. And there is something else as well: His oldest son's soccer game starts at 4:30.
Springsteen's life at fifty-eight revolves around family and music. It was not always this way. For a long time, there was only the music. And then, for a while, only the family. The balance he's achieved — and the creative roll he's been on, four albums in the past five years — is relatively recent. "I spent about ten years where I had no destination, exactly," he says, referring to the time during which he moved to Los Angeles, settled into his second marriage and began a family. He and wife Patti Scialfa have three children, Evan, 17, Jessica, 16, and Sam, 13.
The ten years Springsteen mentions roughly line up with the period during which the E Street Band was idle, from 1988 to 1999. During that time, Springsteen redefined his career and his music more radically than any major artist save Bob Dylan, the eternal trickster. Having reached the level of mass success that his music and ambition always demanded, Springsteen pulled back. His subject matter went first inward and then outward. The most personal albums he ever made — Lucky Town and Human Touch — were, as he's pointed out, his happiest and least successful. In 1995, The Ghost of Tom Joad, a literary album with a political bent — Raymond Carver meets Woody Guthrie — followed the birth of his youngest child. He had gone, in seven years, from stadiums to arenas to theaters, a man alone with an acoustic guitar.
In 1999, a few months shy of his fiftieth birthday, Springsteen went on tour with the E Street Band for the first time in more than a decade. As it always had, the band put flesh and muscle behind the words, reconnecting Springsteen to the rock and soul that had first been the wellspring of his music. This is clear when I watch the band rehearse for its current tour at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey — an arena band gathering in a room the size of a high school gymnasium to stretch out before a long run. In that familiar voice full of gravel, Springsteen traces Sam Cooke-style melodic runs in the air.
Magic returns to the spirit of Asbury Park with a big sound Springsteen hasn't pursued since Born to Run. "Lately, I've had a little romance with my oldest stuff," he says. "There was a lot of freeness in it. When you start and when you finish — that's when the pressure is off. In the beginning, you're too unknown, you're not really competing with people. And at this point, I'm not competing with 50 Cent or trying to get on MTV. I'm playing for myself and my band and my audience." As he explains when we sit down to talk backstage at Convention Hall, Magic uses the boardwalk sounds of the past to put across the feeling of the present: "the uneasiness of these very uneasy times." Often when he speaks, Springsteen laughs midsentence, as if he's embarrassed to be taking himself this seriously. But not when he talks about the course the country has taken under George W. Bush or the war in Iraq. Then the laughter stops.
The record starts with "Radio Nowhere," a song about a guy out on the road looking for a connection.
It's an end-of-the-world scenario — he's seeing the apocalypse. All communications are down: "Trying to find my way home/All I heard was a drone bouncing off a satellite/Crushing the last lone American night." That's my business, that's what it's all about — trying to connect to you. It comes down to trying to make people happy, feel less lonely, but also being a conduit for a dialogue about the events of the day, the issues that impact people's lives, personal and social and political and religious. That's how I always saw the job of our band. That was my service. At this point, I'm in the middle of a very long conversation with my audience.
And what are you hearing from their side of the conversation? A lot of different things. "I like the old Bruce better. . . ." [Laughs] It's an ongoing dialogue about what living means. It's not like a one-on-one dialogue. It's more what you feel back from them. You create a space together. You are involved in an act of the imagination together, imagining the life you want to live, the kind of country you want to live in, the kind of place you want to leave to your children. What are the things that bring you ecstasy and bliss, what are the things that bring on the darkness, and what can we do together to combat those things? That's the dialogue I have in my imagination when I'm writing. I have it in front of me when I'm performing.
It's an organic, living thing. There's something subtly different being said on a nightly basis. But you're attempting to define and have impact upon the world and the life you're living. I can't do it by myself. I need my audience. It'll be a lifelong journey by the time that I'm done.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Notes: A solid, fun show for night one at the Garden. Springsteen wasn't in man-on-a-mission mode, he just seemed to be enjoying himself thoroughly. Not to suggest there wasn't plenty of power on that stage: "Backstreets" kicked ass, and the "Reason"/"Adam"/"She's the One" trifecta is hard to deny. But there was just more of the relaxed feel that comes with this kind of "friends and family" show. Spotted in the crowd: James Gandolfini, The Killers, and Bono (who was rumored for a guest spot, but didn't leave his seat all night).
At the end of "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" Bruce dropped a Beach Boys reference (besides the song itself), saying, "I wish they all could be New York City girls...." And he cast his mind back to his early days in the city for "Thundercrack": "This was our show closer when we first played Max's Kansas City. It was us and the Wailers -- that was a good bill." I'll say. During "Dancing in the Dark," Bruce hollered, "C'mon, Stevie -- let's dance!" And Steve didn't disappoint, going right into the Monkey. It was that kind of night.
-Photographs by A.M. Saddler
Setlist:
Radio Nowhere
The Ties That Bind
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Magic
Reason to Believe
Adam Raised a Cain
She's the One
Livin' in the Future
The Promised Land
Brilliant Disguise
Backstreets
Darlington County
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
* * *
Girls in Their Summer Clothes
Thundercrack
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
American Land
Highlights :
The Ties That Bind-
didnt expect this one, enjoyed it very much . Lots of audience participation the entire show - this one hasd lots of " La-La-La-La-La-La's " .
Adam Raised A Cain
Man is this one song I so wanted to hear- and wow how powerful this song is . I so want to hear a full pearl jam cover this song someday , the guitarwork could easily be handled by Stone , Mike, & even Ed. Nils was nto it, as was Bruce, and of course the remainder of the E Streeters. The placement in the set was genius, between the new and revived Reason To Believe ( it is so obvious that Bruce is enjoying this foot stomper nightly- im glad he decided to only usde the bulletmic for the final verse, as opposed to the old way where he used the bulletminc the entire song . ) & then Shes The One . Niiiiiiice ! W O W ! !
Backstreets
what to say, what to say .
Perhaps the best song ever recorded and written by Bruce & ESB . Irregardless of whos on the ivory , ( I have seen this played with Bruce at the piano , and also with The Professor at the piano ) -- Either way , its an undisputed masterpiece. Bruces vocals were on the money , as was the entire ESB for this bring-down-the-house and slay the crowd piece. !
Songs I wouldnt miss if removed from the setlist- and stowed away somewhere of Bruces choosing- so long as we dont hear them again till the next tour : ( another words- enough of these already - they take the wind out of the sails of the crowd and kills the momentum )
do we really need both Lonesome Day and The Rising ?
dont get me wrong- i love both of them- but fresh off the most recent tour before Magic- isnt it time to break out some others- or at least choose between 1 or the other at this point ? Call me selfish ,...
Brilliant Disguise--
catchy little tune- but c'mon Bruce- its about a bad relationship and its not exactly cheery, i say dump it .
Darlington County- eh
Dancing In The Dark--
wheres Courtney Cox ?
Or if you're going to make us deal with this again and again, at least pick a fine looking lady from the crowd each night and do the dance thing onstage- give us something of variation in this song at least -
its nothing more then a sign that the band needs a rest and the end of the show is approaching.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Dancing In The Dark--
wheres Courtney Cox ?
Or if you're going to make us deal with this again and again, at least pick a fine looking lady from the crowd each night and do the dance thing onstage- give us something of variation in this song at least -
its nothing more then a sign that the band needs a rest and the end of the show is approaching.
I think it, like Born to Run will be played at most shows as they were his biggest radio hits (though Glory Days was pretty big too) - those songs are kind of like the counterpart of Jeremy for Pearl Jam, or Head Like a Hole for NIN. You have probably found as I did that there are plenty of people at Bruce shows that 1) have never seen ESB before, and 2) don't know much of his music besides the abovementioned songs. You saw how the crowd erupts during it.
I am very jealous you heard Brilliant Disguise! It is one of my favorites. I loved the Tunnel of Love record, though I'd have wanted to hear Tunnel of Love even more.
Aaaah I wish I was going to be at MSG tonight!
R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
Setlist:
Radio Nowhere
The Ties That Bind
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Magic
Reason to Believe
Adam Raised a Cain
She's the One
Livin' in the Future
The Promised Land
Brilliant Disguise
Backstreets
Darlington County
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
* * *
Girls in Their Summer Clothes
Thundercrack
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
American Land
Highlights :
The Ties That Bind-
didnt expect this one, enjoyed it very much . Lots of audience participation the entire show - this one hasd lots of " La-La-La-La-La-La's " .
Adam Raised A Cain
Man is this one song I so wanted to hear- and wow how powerful this song is . I so want to hear a full pearl jam cover this song someday , the guitarwork could easily be handled by Stone , Mike, & even Ed. Nils was nto it, as was Bruce, and of course the remainder of the E Streeters. The placement in the set was genius, between the new and revived Reason To Believe ( it is so obvious that Bruce is enjoying this foot stomper nightly- im glad he decided to only usde the bulletmic for the final verse, as opposed to the old way where he used the bulletminc the entire song . ) & then Shes The One . Niiiiiiice ! W O W ! !
Backstreets
what to say, what to say .
Perhaps the best song ever recorded and written by Bruce & ESB . Irregardless of whos on the ivory , ( I have seen this played with Bruce at the piano , and also with The Professor at the piano ) -- Either way , its an undisputed masterpiece. Bruces vocals were on the money , as was the entire ESB for this bring-down-the-house and slay the crowd piece. !
Songs I wouldnt miss if removed from the setlist- and stowed away somewhere of Bruces choosing- so long as we dont hear them again till the next tour : ( another words- enough of these already - they take the wind out of the sails of the crowd and kills the momentum )
do we really need both Lonesome Day and The Rising ?
dont get me wrong- i love both of them- but fresh off the most recent tour before Magic- isnt it time to break out some others- or at least choose between 1 or the other at this point ? Call me selfish ,...
Brilliant Disguise--
catchy little tune- but c'mon Bruce- its about a bad relationship and its not exactly cheery, i say dump it .
Darlington County- eh
Dancing In The Dark--
wheres Courtney Cox ?
Or if you're going to make us deal with this again and again, at least pick a fine looking lady from the crowd each night and do the dance thing onstage- give us something of variation in this song at least -
its nothing more then a sign that the band needs a rest and the end of the show is approaching.
That's funny... DArlington County, Dancing, and Brilliant Disguise, together with The Rising were highlights for me
I loved this show. It's been 19 years since my first...
I can go years without listening to him and all the lyrics I grew up with and learned English on just come back to me.
I still remember almost twenty years ago, an Italian highschooler on a study exchange in British South Africa... "yeah, she's nice, but she talks like a dock worker from New Jersey "
... and the will to show I will always be better than before.
its pretty safe to assume that Bruce will be " Man-On-A-Mission" mode tonight ( 2nd night ) at the Garden.
Unfortunately tickets are extremely hard to come by, scalpers outside MSG were asking anywhere from 300- 650 bucks ( for GAs ) .
Ridiculous
guess thats the price we pay .
B r o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o c e !
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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The Boss performs at Madison Square Garden. October 18, 2007 -- WHILE the Bruce Springsteen tour featuring his recent CD "Magic" has been anything but, the Boss and his E Street sidekicks found their mojo last night at Madison Square Garden.
Compared to the spotty concert last week on home turf at the Meadowlands, peppered with technical bugs and derailed by a lackluster audience, the Garden gig was a total triumph for E Street - together with the Boss for their first full-scale tour in five years.
At the Garden, the band was all confidence; the concert flow was powerful and steady; and everyone from Bruce on down was determined to make a great show.
They did.
As he has at most of the stops on the tour, Springsteen checked the Garden's vital signs at the start of the show with the screamed-out question: "Is there anybody alive out there? Is there anybody alive?"
On cue, the sold-out house roared. and the band launched into "Radio Nowhere" the power rocker off of "Magic."
That opening number was a near-perfect introduction to what followed during the 21/2-hour performance. All the elements of a classic Springsteen were in place, from the muscular musical interaction between band and man, to the Boss' gut-busting vocals, during which he clamped his eyes shut and contorted his mug.
As "Radio" raged, drummer Max Weinberg was a machine who tracked Springsteen's moves so precisely that each of the Boss' steps landed on a beat. Guitar ace Steven Van Zandt showed he's more than just a pretty TV mobster, with some very flashy six-string fretwork.
He also sang well, even as he suffered the spray when he and Bruce shared a lone microphone center stage.
Then there was the Big Man - Clarence Clemons - who did a Gabriel-sax solo that brought the house down.
And that was just the first song.
The rest of the set was as good or better, from "The Ties That Bind" to "Adam Raised a Cain" to one of the best versions of "Promised Land" that's ever battered the Garden.
The set also mixed in a load of new "Magic" material, some of it familiar enough to conjure a sense of déjà vu. That happened when the band played the very political "Livin' in the Future," which, in concert, sounded remarkably close to the Bruce classic "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out."
When Bruce and company are hitting on all cylinders, as they did last night, few acts in music can come close to matching their ability to rock an arena. It was as if 58-year-old Springsteen was trying to prove all night that he and his pals can still stay tightly wound for an entire concert - just like when they were kids.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Oh boy, one of the only regrets about the Philly shows was that I didn't get to hear either Darkness or Backstreets. But oh well, they were still amazing nights.
They opened me up to a few songs that I haven't listened to much before also.... songs like Reason to Believe, Thundercrack, and Darlington County are all songs that I now LOVE but didn't know about before.
It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win
Magic,” by the way, would seem the obvious choice for Album of the Year at the next Grammys. Songs from “Magic” like the title track, "Devil’s Arcade," "Last to Die" and "Living in the Future" fit very well into the live Springsteen show. The audience actually sang along to a new song, “The Girls in Their Summer Clothes.” Later, Bono was overheard telling Springsteen manager Jon Landau that that was the album’s hit.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Shame on you Barthgate! You missed the most important sentence of that article:
"Springsteen finishes his Garden gig Thursday night, but don’t worry. I’m told a whole new leg of the tour is about to be announced, with many more dates coming next year in New York and everywhere. Of course, that would make sense once “Magic” is crowned Album of the Year."
Magic,” by the way, would seem the obvious choice for Album of the Year at the next Grammys. Songs from “Magic” like the title track, "Devil’s Arcade," "Last to Die" and "Living in the Future" fit very well into the live Springsteen show. The audience actually sang along to a new song, “The Girls in Their Summer Clothes.” Later, Bono was overheard telling Springsteen manager Jon Landau that that was the album’s hit.
I tried to see if they'd drop tickets today, I would have loved to bring my boy :(
MSG is dropping tickets, just not thru the TM site. ( only for this venue ) MSG
this involves standing in a line, out in the lobby by MSG ( like inside the entranceway where the stairs are and cosbys shop )
i would say be in that line no later then 3 or 4 pm .
there were some horror stories on the backstreets boards, and the live nation threads,
about security letting friends and families into the very front of the line. and when the #1 line person would voice their concerns , they were told " be quiet ---or you'll be out of here " ( or something to that extent ) .
Unfortunately this is all too prevalent at MSG , in all scopes of things. I can attest personally to the fiasco that was the Pearl Jam Poster of 2003 ( the dick chenney mad scientist ) and how the whole shady experioence went down at that Garden.
I love and practically live at this building when i have to-
but unfortunately all the " cronie- ism " at this place is just pathetic and ridiculous , its outta control. Its a place to just be seen at, half these twits actually sit down during the concert. :rolleyes:
back on topic:
you can land a ticket if you wait in this line @ MSG .
it does mean standing in line, not moving , for as much as 3 4 , 5 hours( with no guarantees )
this is from btx :
Its 11:10 now, I wasn't in when it started, but it ended around 9:45. I only live 9 blocks directly south of MSG - so that's why I'm home so early. To satisfy anyone’s' curiosity about the MSG Drop Line. I got in line 5:20- 5:30 pm. little long - but was narrow. Drop line works this way at MSG. There's a line of course (although it happens anyway - get to know those around you - to keep line jumpers out). At the front of the drop line they move you into a holding pen with about 30 - 40 people - keeping you in order. Then there is smaller pen - where they move smaller groups & escort you to a special window.
So we were 40 people away from the 1st pen (full) & around 8:30 or so, they yelled "NO MORE TICKETS. Dismantled the pen etc. some left, others of us went up to the ticket widows - there were 2 windows saying TONITE'S SALES... People starting lining up there, only 1 was slightly open. The ushers didn't start throwing us out so - we thought that a good sign. They opened the window & sold a few, then lowered it. Finally it opened up again around 8:45 & they started selling Tickets. 1st few were sect 119. Then it was all Sect 209. I was about 20th in line & got sect 208 row C - which are pretty good seats. It was around 9:10 when I got to the seating area. So I missed about 40 min – but hey got in, good seats, paid regular price (no service chrg either!). Most of the friends from the line were sitting around me. Don't know if everyone got in, there were at least 20 behind me.
Show was incredible, the Garden is always so special to see the Boss, everyone up to last row is always up & the whole place is going crazy.
Someone else can do the song list thing. I gotta rest – another drop line tomorrow!
Shame on you Barthgate! You missed the most important sentence of that article:
"Springsteen finishes his Garden gig Thursday night, but don’t worry. I’m told a whole new leg of the tour is about to be announced, with many more dates coming next year in New York and everywhere. Of course, that would make sense once “Magic” is crowned Album of the Year."
" Fragilebake " :
barthgate ?
no shame here pal , i didnt sit down for 1 moment during any time at all , during the show last night.
this was simply me telling about bonos choice of " song of the album " .
the best thing i heard today was on the Mike & The Maddog show as it opened today ( they went backstage and were hubb-knubbing with all the celebrities like tony soprano )
russo : bruce, you screamed " Is Anyone Alive Out There " twice tonight ,.... why ?
bruce : " Once on the road , ..twice in New York "
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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you people here seem like you would know the answer to this...
after checking out the setlists....
why is Bruce not playing THE RIVER????
one of the true classics.
sadly, with a catalogue of over 250 pieces,
and a steady consistent rotation of the same 7-9 songs supporting the new album MAGIC ...
it becomes increasingly hard to fittem all in !
perhaps one of the upcoming shows it might get played, thats all the joy of going to a show and not knowing what little precious gems he may break out for you and only you so far,...
i assume youll be going to chitown shows- bruce & ESB will be even more finely tuned at that point.
enjoy
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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nice set from NYC last night. but.. does anyone who's seen Bruce this tour think that "American Land" is a poor song to close with? Land of Hope and Dreams, BTR, Dancing, ... any of those would be good.
Bathgate, you want to hear PJ do "Adam", i want to hear them do "Jackson Cage". but i'll take what i can get!
nice set from NYC last night. but.. does anyone who's seen Bruce this tour think that "American Land" is a poor song to close with? Land of Hope and Dreams, BTR, Dancing, ... any of those would be good.
Bathgate, you want to hear PJ do "Adam", i want to hear them do "Jackson Cage". but i'll take what i can get!
my city if ruins was the closer for a while also.
i know how some feel about " American Land " and I felt the same when reading about it since the start,
but seeing and hearing it live now twice,
its clear that this isnt deviating ( at least for now ) as Bruce is absolutely loving playing this with the full power of the earth- quaking , love making , booty shaking , viagra taking E Street Band . This song is also utilizing the newest E St Band member ( no, not Brendan O ' Brien ) but Soozie Tyrell ., who then gets into a solo- off with The Big Mans Horns.
Bruce is absolutely losing his mind stomping , jumping , even twirling his guitar around his neck , grinding the guitar strings , during the evolution of this seeger sessions original . I dont think this will be changing anytime soon- especially with them heading off into Europe. Its no secret this is influenced by Irish Gaelic Music.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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no shame here pal , i didnt sit down for 1 moment during any time at all , during the show last night.
this was simply me telling about bonos choice of " song of the album " .
[/i]
Yeah, I'm not sure where that "r" came from. I was just ribbing you, remember there are those of us that are stuck in areas with no Bosstime in 2007 and lack the cash to fly somewhere. Now I know why people on here hate me for being 2.5 hours south of Seattle!
Yeah, I'm not sure where that "r" came from. I was just ribbing you, remember there are those of us that are stuck in areas with no Bosstime in 2007 and lack the cash to fly somewhere. Now I know why people on here hate me for being 2.5 hours south of Seattle!
no hate here, buddy. ( only jealousy )
i know you are one of the top 5 springsteen nuts on here at the pit .
cheers !
im betting the MSG crowd gets Jungleland tonight, i will be very jealous if they get Bono in a duet with The Boss.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Heres to 2008: The year fragileblake will see a show in Jersey with Bathgate and Bathgate will see a PJ show in Seattle with fragileblake
fucking brilliant
of course the caviat has to be that the NJ show can be at MSG.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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I loved American Land. It's such a fun song. The fact that I didn't know it didn't really lessen my enjoyment of it because there were a few other songs I wasn't familiar with as well.
It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win
of course the caviat has to be that the NJ show can be at MSG.
Hahaha - just like PJ played NYC at E. Rutherford eh?
I am *seriously* thinking of going to Albany if I can get people to cover my classes - I want another chance at the close pit (the one in front of the main GA) - I know I can get there early enough this time.
Its a shame we don't have anyone texting the setlist.
R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
^^^^ I can't get on either - given that its 10:31, and the show is probably majorly kicking ass at this very minute, there are probably too many people on the site right now.
R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
seems " The Man On A Mission " did indeed reer his head tonight at MSG.
so far at 10 : 30 PM:
1. Radio Nowhere
2. Night
3. Lonesome Day
4. Gypsy Biker
5. Magic
6. Reason to Believe
7. Candy's Room
8. She's The One
9. Livin' In The Future
10. Promised Land
11. Meeting across the River
12. JUNGLELAND
13. You Can Look But you Better Not Touch
14. Devil's Arcade
15. Rising
16. Last to Die
17. Long Walk Home
18. Badlands
Incredible-
these lucky bastards got Jungleland,
GREAT for all you lucky people who got into this show.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Comments
Bruce Springsteen: The Rolling Stone Interview
The E Street Band chief talks about making his most romantic record since "Born to Run"
Joe LevyPosted Oct 17, 2007 6:09 AM
This afternoon, Bruce Springsteen has a lot on his mind. There is the matter of band rehearsals and the thirty-seven-date world tour that he will soon start. There is the new album he has made, Magic, his third release in the past eighteen months. There is also the subject matter of that album, weighty stuff like the direction of our democracy and party stuff that recalls the days when sparks first flew on E Street more than three decades ago. And there is something else as well: His oldest son's soccer game starts at 4:30.
Springsteen's life at fifty-eight revolves around family and music. It was not always this way. For a long time, there was only the music. And then, for a while, only the family. The balance he's achieved — and the creative roll he's been on, four albums in the past five years — is relatively recent. "I spent about ten years where I had no destination, exactly," he says, referring to the time during which he moved to Los Angeles, settled into his second marriage and began a family. He and wife Patti Scialfa have three children, Evan, 17, Jessica, 16, and Sam, 13.
The ten years Springsteen mentions roughly line up with the period during which the E Street Band was idle, from 1988 to 1999. During that time, Springsteen redefined his career and his music more radically than any major artist save Bob Dylan, the eternal trickster. Having reached the level of mass success that his music and ambition always demanded, Springsteen pulled back. His subject matter went first inward and then outward. The most personal albums he ever made — Lucky Town and Human Touch — were, as he's pointed out, his happiest and least successful. In 1995, The Ghost of Tom Joad, a literary album with a political bent — Raymond Carver meets Woody Guthrie — followed the birth of his youngest child. He had gone, in seven years, from stadiums to arenas to theaters, a man alone with an acoustic guitar.
In 1999, a few months shy of his fiftieth birthday, Springsteen went on tour with the E Street Band for the first time in more than a decade. As it always had, the band put flesh and muscle behind the words, reconnecting Springsteen to the rock and soul that had first been the wellspring of his music. This is clear when I watch the band rehearse for its current tour at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey — an arena band gathering in a room the size of a high school gymnasium to stretch out before a long run. In that familiar voice full of gravel, Springsteen traces Sam Cooke-style melodic runs in the air.
Magic returns to the spirit of Asbury Park with a big sound Springsteen hasn't pursued since Born to Run. "Lately, I've had a little romance with my oldest stuff," he says. "There was a lot of freeness in it. When you start and when you finish — that's when the pressure is off. In the beginning, you're too unknown, you're not really competing with people. And at this point, I'm not competing with 50 Cent or trying to get on MTV. I'm playing for myself and my band and my audience." As he explains when we sit down to talk backstage at Convention Hall, Magic uses the boardwalk sounds of the past to put across the feeling of the present: "the uneasiness of these very uneasy times." Often when he speaks, Springsteen laughs midsentence, as if he's embarrassed to be taking himself this seriously. But not when he talks about the course the country has taken under George W. Bush or the war in Iraq. Then the laughter stops.
The record starts with "Radio Nowhere," a song about a guy out on the road looking for a connection.
It's an end-of-the-world scenario — he's seeing the apocalypse. All communications are down: "Trying to find my way home/All I heard was a drone bouncing off a satellite/Crushing the last lone American night." That's my business, that's what it's all about — trying to connect to you. It comes down to trying to make people happy, feel less lonely, but also being a conduit for a dialogue about the events of the day, the issues that impact people's lives, personal and social and political and religious. That's how I always saw the job of our band. That was my service. At this point, I'm in the middle of a very long conversation with my audience.
And what are you hearing from their side of the conversation? A lot of different things. "I like the old Bruce better. . . ." [Laughs] It's an ongoing dialogue about what living means. It's not like a one-on-one dialogue. It's more what you feel back from them. You create a space together. You are involved in an act of the imagination together, imagining the life you want to live, the kind of country you want to live in, the kind of place you want to leave to your children. What are the things that bring you ecstasy and bliss, what are the things that bring on the darkness, and what can we do together to combat those things? That's the dialogue I have in my imagination when I'm writing. I have it in front of me when I'm performing.
It's an organic, living thing. There's something subtly different being said on a nightly basis. But you're attempting to define and have impact upon the world and the life you're living. I can't do it by myself. I need my audience. It'll be a lifelong journey by the time that I'm done.
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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October 17 / New York, NY / Madison Square Garden
-Photographs by A.M. Saddler
Setlist:
Radio Nowhere
The Ties That Bind
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Magic
Reason to Believe
Adam Raised a Cain
She's the One
Livin' in the Future
The Promised Land
Brilliant Disguise
Backstreets
Darlington County
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
* * *
Girls in Their Summer Clothes
Thundercrack
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
American Land
Highlights :
The Ties That Bind-
didnt expect this one, enjoyed it very much . Lots of audience participation the entire show - this one hasd lots of " La-La-La-La-La-La's " .
Adam Raised A Cain
Man is this one song I so wanted to hear- and wow how powerful this song is . I so want to hear a full pearl jam cover this song someday , the guitarwork could easily be handled by Stone , Mike, & even Ed. Nils was nto it, as was Bruce, and of course the remainder of the E Streeters. The placement in the set was genius, between the new and revived Reason To Believe ( it is so obvious that Bruce is enjoying this foot stomper nightly- im glad he decided to only usde the bulletmic for the final verse, as opposed to the old way where he used the bulletminc the entire song . ) & then Shes The One . Niiiiiiice !
W O W ! !
Backstreets
what to say, what to say .
Perhaps the best song ever recorded and written by Bruce & ESB . Irregardless of whos on the ivory , ( I have seen this played with Bruce at the piano , and also with The Professor at the piano ) -- Either way , its an undisputed masterpiece. Bruces vocals were on the money , as was the entire ESB for this bring-down-the-house and slay the crowd piece. !
Songs I wouldnt miss if removed from the setlist- and stowed away somewhere of Bruces choosing- so long as we dont hear them again till the next tour : ( another words- enough of these already - they take the wind out of the sails of the crowd and kills the momentum )
do we really need both Lonesome Day and The Rising ?
dont get me wrong- i love both of them- but fresh off the most recent tour before Magic- isnt it time to break out some others- or at least choose between 1 or the other at this point ? Call me selfish ,...
Brilliant Disguise--
catchy little tune- but c'mon Bruce- its about a bad relationship and its not exactly cheery, i say dump it .
Darlington County- eh
Dancing In The Dark--
wheres Courtney Cox ?
Or if you're going to make us deal with this again and again, at least pick a fine looking lady from the crowd each night and do the dance thing onstage- give us something of variation in this song at least -
its nothing more then a sign that the band needs a rest and the end of the show is approaching.
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I think it, like Born to Run will be played at most shows as they were his biggest radio hits (though Glory Days was pretty big too) - those songs are kind of like the counterpart of Jeremy for Pearl Jam, or Head Like a Hole for NIN. You have probably found as I did that there are plenty of people at Bruce shows that 1) have never seen ESB before, and 2) don't know much of his music besides the abovementioned songs. You saw how the crowd erupts during it.
I am very jealous you heard Brilliant Disguise! It is one of my favorites. I loved the Tunnel of Love record, though I'd have wanted to hear Tunnel of Love even more.
Aaaah I wish I was going to be at MSG tonight!
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
The church isn't happening, this time around, like it was on the Rising tour
Don't get me wrong...it's still a good tour, but...
For Those About To Rock !
Art changes people. People change the world.
That's funny... DArlington County, Dancing, and Brilliant Disguise, together with The Rising were highlights for me
I loved this show. It's been 19 years since my first...
I can go years without listening to him and all the lyrics I grew up with and learned English on just come back to me.
I still remember almost twenty years ago, an Italian highschooler on a study exchange in British South Africa... "yeah, she's nice, but she talks like a dock worker from New Jersey
Unfortunately tickets are extremely hard to come by, scalpers outside MSG were asking anywhere from 300- 650 bucks ( for GAs ) .
Ridiculous
guess thats the price we pay .
B r o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o c e !
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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BRUCE REGAINS 'MAGIC' TOUCH AT GARDEN
The Boss performs at Madison Square Garden. October 18, 2007 -- WHILE the Bruce Springsteen tour featuring his recent CD "Magic" has been anything but, the Boss and his E Street sidekicks found their mojo last night at Madison Square Garden.
Click Here For a Photo Gallery Of The Boss
Compared to the spotty concert last week on home turf at the Meadowlands, peppered with technical bugs and derailed by a lackluster audience, the Garden gig was a total triumph for E Street - together with the Boss for their first full-scale tour in five years.
At the Garden, the band was all confidence; the concert flow was powerful and steady; and everyone from Bruce on down was determined to make a great show.
They did.
As he has at most of the stops on the tour, Springsteen checked the Garden's vital signs at the start of the show with the screamed-out question: "Is there anybody alive out there? Is there anybody alive?"
On cue, the sold-out house roared. and the band launched into "Radio Nowhere" the power rocker off of "Magic."
That opening number was a near-perfect introduction to what followed during the 21/2-hour performance. All the elements of a classic Springsteen were in place, from the muscular musical interaction between band and man, to the Boss' gut-busting vocals, during which he clamped his eyes shut and contorted his mug.
As "Radio" raged, drummer Max Weinberg was a machine who tracked Springsteen's moves so precisely that each of the Boss' steps landed on a beat. Guitar ace Steven Van Zandt showed he's more than just a pretty TV mobster, with some very flashy six-string fretwork.
He also sang well, even as he suffered the spray when he and Bruce shared a lone microphone center stage.
Then there was the Big Man - Clarence Clemons - who did a Gabriel-sax solo that brought the house down.
And that was just the first song.
The rest of the set was as good or better, from "The Ties That Bind" to "Adam Raised a Cain" to one of the best versions of "Promised Land" that's ever battered the Garden.
The set also mixed in a load of new "Magic" material, some of it familiar enough to conjure a sense of déjà vu. That happened when the band played the very political "Livin' in the Future," which, in concert, sounded remarkably close to the Bruce classic "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out."
When Bruce and company are hitting on all cylinders, as they did last night, few acts in music can come close to matching their ability to rock an arena. It was as if 58-year-old Springsteen was trying to prove all night that he and his pals can still stay tightly wound for an entire concert - just like when they were kids.
dan.aquilante@nypost.com
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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They opened me up to a few songs that I haven't listened to much before also.... songs like Reason to Believe, Thundercrack, and Darlington County are all songs that I now LOVE but didn't know about before.
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I tried to see if they'd drop tickets today, I would have loved to bring my boy :(
"Springsteen finishes his Garden gig Thursday night, but don’t worry. I’m told a whole new leg of the tour is about to be announced, with many more dates coming next year in New York and everywhere. Of course, that would make sense once “Magic” is crowned Album of the Year."
MSG is dropping tickets, just not thru the TM site. ( only for this venue ) MSG
this involves standing in a line, out in the lobby by MSG ( like inside the entranceway where the stairs are and cosbys shop )
i would say be in that line no later then 3 or 4 pm .
there were some horror stories on the backstreets boards, and the live nation threads,
about security letting friends and families into the very front of the line. and when the #1 line person would voice their concerns , they were told " be quiet ---or you'll be out of here " ( or something to that extent ) .
Unfortunately this is all too prevalent at MSG , in all scopes of things. I can attest personally to the fiasco that was the Pearl Jam Poster of 2003 ( the dick chenney mad scientist ) and how the whole shady experioence went down at that Garden.
I love and practically live at this building when i have to-
but unfortunately all the " cronie- ism " at this place is just pathetic and ridiculous , its outta control. Its a place to just be seen at, half these twits actually sit down during the concert. :rolleyes:
back on topic:
you can land a ticket if you wait in this line @ MSG .
it does mean standing in line, not moving , for as much as 3 4 , 5 hours( with no guarantees )
this is from btx :
Here is the thread- its at 3 + pages.
" Fragilebake " :
barthgate ?
no shame here pal , i didnt sit down for 1 moment during any time at all , during the show last night.
this was simply me telling about bonos choice of " song of the album " .
the best thing i heard today was on the Mike & The Maddog show as it opened today ( they went backstage and were hubb-knubbing with all the celebrities like tony soprano )
russo : bruce, you screamed " Is Anyone Alive Out There " twice tonight ,.... why ?
bruce : " Once on the road , ..twice in New York "
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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you people here seem like you would know the answer to this...
after checking out the setlists....
why is Bruce not playing THE RIVER????
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
one of the true classics.
sadly, with a catalogue of over 250 pieces,
and a steady consistent rotation of the same 7-9 songs supporting the new album MAGIC ...
it becomes increasingly hard to fittem all in !
perhaps one of the upcoming shows it might get played, thats all the joy of going to a show and not knowing what little precious gems he may break out for you and only you so far,...
i assume youll be going to chitown shows- bruce & ESB will be even more finely tuned at that point.
enjoy
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Bathgate, you want to hear PJ do "Adam", i want to hear them do "Jackson Cage". but i'll take what i can get!
Speedy, are you going to any Bruce shows in Chicago?
http://www.reverbnation.com/brianzilm
my city if ruins was the closer for a while also.
i know how some feel about " American Land " and I felt the same when reading about it since the start,
but seeing and hearing it live now twice,
its clear that this isnt deviating ( at least for now ) as Bruce is absolutely loving playing this with the full power of the earth- quaking , love making , booty shaking , viagra taking E Street Band . This song is also utilizing the newest E St Band member ( no, not Brendan O ' Brien ) but Soozie Tyrell ., who then gets into a solo- off with The Big Mans Horns.
Bruce is absolutely losing his mind stomping , jumping , even twirling his guitar around his neck , grinding the guitar strings , during the evolution of this seeger sessions original . I dont think this will be changing anytime soon- especially with them heading off into Europe. Its no secret this is influenced by Irish Gaelic Music.
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Yeah, I'm not sure where that "r" came from. I was just ribbing you, remember there are those of us that are stuck in areas with no Bosstime in 2007 and lack the cash to fly somewhere. Now I know why people on here hate me for being 2.5 hours south of Seattle!
no hate here, buddy. ( only jealousy )
i know you are one of the top 5 springsteen nuts on here at the pit .
cheers !
im betting the MSG crowd gets Jungleland tonight, i will be very jealous if they get Bono in a duet with The Boss.
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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"My City Of Ruin" is an amazing song, never heard that as a closer.
not too fond of "Darlington" or "Working on the Highway" or "Lonesome Day" either. "Lonesome" is okay but it just seems too midtempo for that #3 slot.
fucking brilliant
of course the caviat has to be that the NJ show can be at MSG.
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Hahaha - just like PJ played NYC at E. Rutherford eh?
I am *seriously* thinking of going to Albany if I can get people to cover my classes - I want another chance at the close pit (the one in front of the main GA) - I know I can get there early enough this time.
Its a shame we don't have anyone texting the setlist.
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
so far at 10 : 30 PM:
Incredible-
these lucky bastards got Jungleland,
GREAT for all you lucky people who got into this show.
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
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R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008