E Street Shufflin': Nine great moments from Bruce Springsteen's second night in Pittsburgh

Playing a second show in the same city is usually a guarantee of special moments from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

And that was certainly the case Sunday night, as the New Jersey rock icon and his heart-stopping, rocking, booty — you know the drill — band played the second night of his final North American tour at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

Following his performance on Thursday (August 15), Springsteen and his 18-piece band played with his usual seismic fervor, delivering 29 songs over the course of three hours and 10 minutes, making some major changes to the set, dropping a warm memorial to a fallen colleague and welcoming a guest in the process.

The band was well rested after taking a break of almost three weeks following their spring/summer European trek, but they were still buzzing and hot from being on the road since February 2023 – with, of course, a notable break.

The Pittsburgh shows began a makeover of sorts for the E Streeters, returning for shows postponed in the spring and fall of 2023 due to illnesses, including a peptic ulcer that Springsteen described as a “motherf***” in the opening act.

On Sunday, before closing with a solo set of 'I'll See You in My Dreams', he told the PPG crowd: 'I hope we haven't bothered you too much with our postponements. It's just great to be back here. You are just a great audience for us. Thank you very much.”

The Pittsburgh stand was a rare two-night stand in North American arenas for Springsteen on this tour, though he will do the same in Philadelphia on August 21st and 23rd and Toronto on November 3rd and 6th.

That leg wraps up on November 22nd in Vancouver, while some European makeup dates are planned for next May, June and July – with enough space in between to fuel anticipation for more shows to be added.

And E Streeter Steven Van Zandt only fueled those hopes when he said so Pittsburgh Post-Gazette before the shows that, “Just between you and me… I don't see any ending. We're better than ever. You'll see what I mean this week. These five-year farewell tours people do are really hilarious. We won't start our first farewell tour for another 10 years.”

And if Springsteen and crew can keep delivering magical moments like this, who would want to see them stop anytime soon…

Shakin' It Up
After some fans criticized the first leg of the tour for its unusually similar set lists, Springsteen has relaxed things – particularly during the European dates.

That spirit was reflected during the second night in Pittsburgh, which featured nine different selections, including seven of the first nine songs of the night. The night opened with a pair of Darkness on the Edge of Town songs. – “Candy's Room” and “Adam Raised a Cain”, and later the title track.

Particularly welcome, meanwhile, were a tumultuous, revved-up “Spirit in the Night,” with Springsteen and saxophonist Jake Clemons stealing the front of the stage, and “If I Was a Priest,” just the sixth show of the tour . . “Death to My Hometown,” meanwhile, was a clever nod to the history and rebirth of the Steel City's Rust Belt. “I'm on Fire” was another surprise inclusion at the end of the show, but it seemingly came at the expense of “Rosalita,” which was an encore staple.

Speaking of which…
Springsteen and the band didn't leave after “Thunder Road,” opting instead to go straight into the usual encore lineup of “Born to Run,” “Glory Days” (note that the high school baseball boyfriend is now rather throwing a “spitball ” from a “speedball”), “Dancing in the Dark” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” before…

A special guest
Pittsburgh rocker and longtime Springsteen friend Joe Grushecky was at home Sunday with his family and then onstage with the E Street Band during a performance of the Isley Brothers' “Twist & Shout,” playing acoustic guitar and singing backing vocals. the same microphone as Van Zandt and bassist Garry Tallent.

During part of the song's schtick Springsteen told the crowd that he looked “a little squished” and ready to go home.

He asked Grushecky, “Is this what a Pittsburgh crowd looks like when they're getting fired up or when they're ready to shake their asses all night long?” to which the Iron City host replied, “I don't. they think they are ready to go home yet. I think they're ready to rock!”

Among their many collaborations, Springsteen produced Grushecky and his band's 1995 album Houserocker American Babylon and made a guest appearance on Grushecky's 2006 solo album, A Good Life.

A touching tribute
After posting a message on social media about the death of journalist and author Charles Cross – co-founder of Backstreets fan magazine, Springsteen dedicated this song to him, telling the crowd that, “This is for a friend of ours, Charles Cross, its founder Backstreets The magazine and its great writing, influence and help in communication between our band and our fans will be sorely missed. This is for Charles.'

Springsteen held his guitar high above his head, toward the heavens, in salute.

Party favors
Springsteen was in a generous mood, materially as well as musically, on Sunday. He played the closing harmonica solo during “The Promised Land” directly to a young fan sitting on her father's shoulders near the front of the stage, then handed her the harp.

He delivered two more harmonicas to fans after 'She's the One' and 'Thunder Road' and dished out a selection of guitar picks towards the end of 'Darlington County'.

E Street Guitar Army
Springsteen, as usual, handled most of the guitar solos during the show, but he also dropped the ball to the skilled axmen who flanked him on stage. Van Zandt scorched some earth at the end of “If I Was the Priest,” while Nils Lofgren tore it up with epic six-string excursions during “Youngstown” and “Because the Night.”

Out in the seats
Springsteen made a sojourn to the crowd Sunday, walking to a platform near the middle of the house during the “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” where he pressed flesh and accepted a drink while performing the song.

It also served as a tribute to departed E Street members Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici, with footage of both appearing on the video screens.

But we are Mortals
Springsteen has been doing it since the start of the tour, but his speech before 'Last Man Standing' – about the death of his longtime friend and '60s bandmate George Theiss and being literally the last surviving member still living from Castile – was still touching and inspiring, even tearful: “As you get older, death brings with it a certain kind of clarity. His lasting gift to us is an expanded vision to live this life, every day… And the grief, the grief we feel when our loved ones leave us, is just the price we pay for loving well. “

With the numbers
For those counting, the Born in Run and Darkness at Edge of Town Albums were the most with five songs each, followed by Born in the USA. and Letter to You with four each.

On all the albums Springsteen played songs from 11 of his 21 albums, including a cover of the Commodores' “Nightshift” from the most recent, 2022 Only the strong survive.