The Boss: No Doubt He Was In Detroit
DETROIT (97.1 The Ticket) Bruce Springsteen still does at age 62 what I wish I could have done in my 40's. Springsteen ran around the stage at the Palace of Auburn Hills Thursday night for just over three hours as his revamped E Street Band put on a classic performance.
The 11th show of the current "Wrecking Ball" tour was both a celebration of the past and a look at the future, while not forgetting the present. The band is different without the longtime presence of saxophonist and comrade Clarence Clemons who passed away, but Springsteen paid tribute to him both literally and figuratively, including a video montage during the middle of Tenth Avenue Freeze Outright after he sang the line "when the big man joined the band".
Clemons can't be replaced, but his presence was taken over by a horn section that includes Clarence's nephew Jake, who is turning into a musician his uncle would be proud of.
Bruce made fun of his 2009 trip to Michigan when he temporarily thought he was in Ohio, by constantly reminding the crowd that this was Detroit and pointing out a sign with a map of the state. The set list consisted of 7 songs from his new Wrecking Ball album that focuses on the bad economic times and struggles many Americans have. The highlights of the show for me Incident on 57th Street and E Street Shuffle which were from 1973 album The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle. The 6 song encore included such favorites as Thunder Road, Out In The Street, Born To Run and Dancing In The Dark.
The thing that makes Springsteen the greatest performer alive in my opinion is his stage presence. He participates with the crowd, goes into the crowd and crowd surfs. This 62-year-old lunatic is what rock and roll is all about.
Here is the set list from last night's show...
We Take Care of Our Own
Wrecking Ball
Badlands
Death to My Hometown
My City of Ruins
E Street Shuffle
Candy's Room
Jack of All Trades
Trapped
Youngstown
She's the One
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Apollo Medley
Incident on 57th Street
American Skin (41 Shots)
Because the Night
The Rising
We Are Alive
Land of Hope and Dreams
* * *
Thunder Road
Rocky Ground (with Michelle Moore)
Out in the Street
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
