Bruce is back.
If there was any doubt that Bruce Springsteen hadn't fully recovered from the peptic ulcer that caused him to postpone 29 dates on his world tour with the E Street Band last fall, he dispelled that notion within minutes of taking the stage Tuesday (March 19) at Phoenix's Footprint Center for the first time in six months.
The Boss was in top form from show one “Lonesome Day” and had his legs back by the third song, “No Surrender,” when he first yelled his trademark, “C'mon, Steve!” inviting his brother of over half a century, Steven Van Zandt, to join him on the mic.
For more than 50 years, Springsteen's live performances have been about two things above and beyond great musical performance: Feeling alive and trusting the fellowship between the Boss and his fans.
For longtime fans like myself (I've seen over 50 concerts over 30 years), a Springsteen concert is one of the places where we feel most alive. There is the unbridled joy of listening to the music that has given meaning and voice to our life experiences in the company of like-minded souls. For many of us, Springsteen was the best traveling companion imaginable. Part of that also comes from the trusting camaraderie at any show: there's the tacit understanding that Springsteen will take care of us and entertain us during this concert the best way he can—pouring everything he's got into the show—and, come back , we will send that energy back to the stage by being as present as we can.
That's why when he postponed nearly 30 shows after his September 3 dates at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ due to his illness, fans feared this could be the end. Although he's long prided himself on being in superhuman shape (and proved he's still in Phoenix by opening his shirt to reveal his toned chest), at 74, it's clear the road will eventually end for Springsteen. But as he showed Tuesday night, he's back at the top of his game, and the end looks very much in the future if he wants it to (though for longtime fans, it hasn't gone unnoticed that on this tour Springsteen isn't ending shows with his trademark of, “We'll see you.”)
When that world tour kicked off in February 2023, Springsteen was working on a theme around “Last Man Standing,” an emotional song from his underrated 2020 album, Letter to You. As at previous shows on the tour, Springsteen addressed the Phoenix crowd (in this case, for the first time all night for more than an hour), giving a beautiful speech about playing in his first band, The Castiles, when he was 15 in the mid-'60s, and more than 50 years later, he stood by the bedside of his friend and bandmate George Theiss as he lay dying, leaving Springsteen the last member of the band alive. It is a reflection on mortality, but also on resilience and joy. Although he has never spoken about death and the gift it brings to the living from the stage before, so eloquently, it is understood by fans. For example, after my mother died, I consoled myself by going to as many shows as I could in a row Magic and Work in a dream tours because standing in the pit of a Springsteen show was where I felt most alive.
Unlike setlists from previous shows that felt slightly more reflective and wide-ranging, Tuesday's show was a high-octane freight train of a rock show. The message is that life is to be enjoyed and, more than anything else, celebrated and encountered at high speed. Springsteen and the band belted out 29 songs, most of them full-on rockers, in 2 hours and 45 minutes. The show felt nothing if not effective. There was no fat. The only break between songs was the few seconds it took Springsteen to switch guitars and, barring a few, he only addressed the audience for the speech before “Last Man Standing” and after “Backstreets.” He never mentioned his illness until right before the closing song, when he apologized to anyone upset by the Phoenix date change from November 30 to March 19, adding: “I had a mother** with a tummy ache.”
Below are five of the highlights from the Phoenix show, which was attended by former NJ Gov. Chris Christie and rocker Alice Cooper, full of highlights..
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One-Two Punch of “Last Man Standing” and “Backstreets”
As mentioned above, the emotional highlight of the evening was when Springsteen spoke about George Theiss and the revelation that he was now the last person from the band still alive and thus the keeper of the flame. “[Death] it brings with it a certain clarity of thought. Death's final and lasting gift to us living is that we have an expanded vision of the life we can live ourselves,” he said, introducing “Last Man Standing.” He performed the song under a solo spotlight, otherwise bathed in darkness — even the lights covering the edge of the stage were off. From there the band segued perfectly into a haunting, majestic version of “Backstreets,” which looks back at Springsteen and his friend Terry vowing to live forever. It was the perfect duo—the silliness and eternal optimism of youth combined with the reality of death. Most touchingly, at the end of the twofer, Springsteen listed the items he had kept from Thiess, including his 45-year-old box, his books and an old guitar, before saying “the rest, I'll carry here.” he swore, slapping his hand over his heart.
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Springsteen's Wall of Sound
Accompanied by 17 musicians, Springsteen is essentially the mayor of a small town on stage. As always, the production is minimal, but that's partly because there's no stage space for anything but the musicians and their instruments. When they all play, like on songs like “Wrecking Ball” or “Glory Days,” between the boldness of the horn section and the beauty of the backing singers and the skill of the E Street Band, it was like a wall of sound. was falling from the stage over the audience. It's a powerful sound, unmatched by any other outfit on the road. In addition, there are so many that after the main set, they gathered for bows, but instead of leaving the stage and coming back for their encore, they all went back to their stage because ain't nobody got time for that much. people to leave and come back again.
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The Power of “Ghosts”
Springsteen's final album of original material, Letter to You, was lost to the pandemic and the postponed tour of the band that would have supported it, if not for the shutdown. It's full of songs about facing your past and saluting those who have moved on, while finding ways to move forward through the sadness, fear, and grind of aging. “Ghosts,” a heartwarming song about loving being alive while honoring those who are gone and feel criminally neglected. It's a powerful rocker that Springsteen and his band brought home with a power (especially from Mighty Max Weinberg on drums) and a Phoenix grace that easily evoked the spirits of not only Theiss, but Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici.
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Springsteen's Falsetto
After a few swings in the first two songs, Springsteen's voice closed in and sounded loud and boisterous throughout the concert, but the first time he broke into his falsetto on “Two Hearts,” the crowd went wild. He used it sparingly, but every time he brought it out, including “Spirit in the Night” and “Mary's Place,” audiences couldn't get enough.
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The Outro yes “She's the one”
“She's the one”
Honestly, does Springsteen (or anyone else) have a happier piece of music than the last 90 seconds or so of “She's The One?” Soaring, but live, it causes the roof to be raised. In Phoenix, Max Weinberg pounded out a Bo Diddley beat while Springsteen wailed on harmonica and felt like a rocket ship launched into space.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/bruce-springsteen-5-best-moments-from-phoenix-concert/
