RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
Was determined to make it on time last night, get there about half an hour early, but a missed bus here and missed express train there meant I got thru the entry gates at about 7-23 and my seat about 7-27 in a mad panic that he would start at 7-30. On the train met an Irish guy and his girl fiend. He said he bought Pit tickets for $150 on ebay that day!! She wasn't a huge fan, wanted to hear Human Touch. Said I doubt we will get it tonight.
So if you want to upgrade or go to an extra show dig around!!! They announced after the show there are tickets on sale for Friday night in Sydney.
Got to my seat and I reckon only 60% of the venue was full. I thought a lot of people would miss the start. If I wasn’t late the other night and missed the start and just on time tonight I was going to try to sneak into the Pit. So as the next 15 minutes pass ( and later in the night) I observe the Pit security. I was high up on the left of stage, Charlie and Horn sections side, about in line middle of the floor.
I reckon if I had a tray of beers and just flashed a ticket I would have got in. They were slack. If I had taken my GA ticket from Brisbane or tomorrow night that would have probably been enough. In Brisbane the security took your GA ticket. When my brother in-law took his nephew to the loo the security guy handed them GA tickets from their pile, and when they came back to the Pit they handed the GA tickets back to security. A lot of us collected generic GA tickets back from security after the show, as our memento.
Lights go down just before 7-45 and Bruce comes on by himself says the usual hello’s and you can tell its going to be a solo, but surely it would be something about the Iraq war. First few bars and I pick that it will be Devils and Dust. It’s probably the best song on that album. Not too many pick it. Then after that, an even greater shock to the crowd is that the band joins in and he debuts Last to Die on this tour. I’m thinking to myself this is either going to be a grim night or he is going to play lots of different songs. I think that a lot of people there were lost and didn’t know what he had just played. It takes an artist that is very sure of himself and his fans to start a show like that.
Then out of nowhere he changes tact and the band launches into The Ties That Bind. When I first bought The River all those years ago that was one of my favourite songs on it. But as the years passed and he changed other songs and played them more often, Ties slipped down my list of favourites. But as the song’s main punch line goes, now you can’t break the ties that bind, we probably experienced that with his first two songs challenging us with something that most of the crowd didn’t know. I say out loud, he’s pulling them out of the vault tonight! Little did I know what was to come.
The lights go out, then you hear the standard 1, 2, 3, 4, and then you hear the professor’s piano and Max hitting the cymbals and the roar from the pit as he gets into Darkness. The faithful are revving up and some longer term fans in front of me are starting to get into it. I’ve got it all on video and have been playing it as I write this.
Wrecking Ball comes on and new fans are now getting into something they know. This song has quickly climbed up the ladder of my favourites because its one of those gritty Springsteen songs with a gritty beat.
On the the train back, I kept singing in my head in that growling Bruce voice if you’ve got the guts mister / Yeah, if you got the balls/ If you think it’s your time / Then step to the line/ And bring on your wrecking ball. Those lines along with Hold tight to your anger/And don’t fall to your fears, and repeating Hard times come and hard times go, and the way he belts them out and the music cranking up as he sings them, just sucks everyone into the song.
Death to my Hometown is one of those songs that every band member finds a space to play their instrument and fit in perfectly. The SMH got it right on Monday night’s show review when they said they even throw the kitchen sink in there.
In the previous 2 shows I went to the 6th song Hungry Heart was the crowd surfing song. Not to matter that it was song 7, Out in the Street this time. Question is do I still make my sign Friday on My Mind gets me Out in the Street. There were 2 young French couples to my right – mid to late 20’s. They couldn’t believe the crowd surfing and that they didn’t drop him. They had joy, shock and horror on their face all at once.
Then he pulls out Does this Bus stop on 82nd Street. I don’t know if I was in shock but I had a mental blank and just couldn't remember more than a couple of lines. Until I started reading this thread and Cruyffy gave me that CD of bootlegs I hadn’t listen to this song for about 18-20 years. I thought I had learnt the words again but nope, forgot them. Just such a different version to that of the 1970’s with the full band doing it. I have about half the song on video.
Then the song requests starts. Promised Land was the usual forceful version - the harmonica, the rattlesnake speedway, the dogs on Main Street, Mister I ain’t a boy, no I’m a man and I believe in the promised land. Jake’s sax!!!
Cover Me, to me is a song with a driving beat and screaming guitars. That’s just what we got last night with Tom’s screaming a little louder at times.
No Surrender, does any other song written have better opening lines than We busted out of class had to get away from those fools/ We learned more from a three-minute record than we ever learned in school. Over the years this has become my favourite BITUSA song. I checked my watch and its 8-46 and I know there is 2 more hours to go, but already I have been blown away by the set.
I’m on Fire – the fan had a shitty little sign nothing fancy and Bruce pulls it out the crowd. This gentle song drops the atmosphere in the venue after having this massive build up of the Tsunami of sound.
I’m not sure if its after I’m on Fire or a little later but one of the signs Bruce grabbed was actually one of those A3 sized sketch books. I’m not sure what the song request was, but Bruce starts flipping thru the book, he makes a comment that he’s not sure if he should read it out and show it. He reads from a couple of pages – can’t remember what they said, then one page says No one blows like Jake. All the band laugh. Keeps flipping there is a Max’s signature. He then says that he is going to pick the lady out to get on stage and dance with him. She is an older lady in her 50’s and hides her face when the camera focused in on her.
But the tempo is to cranked up again with High Hopes. I’m not sure if Bruce based his original Blood Brothers version based on the Havalina’s 1990 version or the 1987 original, but with the E Street band, it’s like you are in a Cuban club in Miami, or Cuba, or Puerto Rico or in Latin America. When the horns kick in I got visions of Gloria Estefan’s Latin big band.
Because the Night, is fast becoming all about Nils. He has a near on 2 minute solo in the middle and Tom gets into it as well. Patti Smith might have finished it off and put clarity into it, but the Boss and band give it the real punch.
After that Bruce has another ass story he tells the crowd like Monday night. This time rather than telling us about talking asses, he says how one of his Australian friends told him the other n he has to ask the audience to get off their asses. Bruce says something like but that’s not the image we have of Australians being too scared and being told what to do, they are big and strong and independent. Went on a bit then said that in 90 seconds you are going to get up off your ass. He said not yet! wait wait, from now, start counting.
He starts up with the new rocky version of Open All Night. I stood up for the second time of the evening and along with the 4 Frenchies and most of my row, we were never to return to our seats for the next 100 minutes. Until recently watching the set lists, I would have never picked that the whiny version on Nebraska could become such a great rocking, house jumping version. People didn't know the song but they got into it.
Shackled and drawn brought the crowd down a bit and per usual Cindy comes down front with Bruce and she helps turn it into a gospel song.
My City in Ruin was pushed back to a lot later in this show. It was very similar to the other 2 shows I’d been to. But despite Bruce calling for quiet we had idiots shouting out, wanting to be noticed and spoiling the whole point of acknowledging that Danny and Clarence were missing when the spotlight shone on the empty part of the left hand side of the stage. With these hand, with these hands, they should have strangled the idiots. This is the song that Bruce becomes the minister of his flock. He has the congregation in the palm of his hands, and asks us to think of others, the ones that have left us.
Waitin’ On a Sunday Day next and the usual fun crowd interaction. He picked out a boy about 12 who to me looked like Luke from Modern Family. He struggled to remember how many times to do the chorus, stopped a couple of times too early. Bruce took him to the back of the stage sponged up his knees and he got to do the slide with Bruce. But he stuffed it up not sliding at the right time. The kid will have memories.
Surprised we got Lonesome Day but I guess he will mix that up with The Rising.
On any other night The Ghost of Tom Joad would be one of the highlights of the show but this was pushed down the peaking order last night. Tom has made this his part of the show.
Badlands was its usual high standard and everyone all around the arena were on their feet. Got the crowd around me to get into the woah ohohohoh during the song, and the arena kept it going as they went off the stage.
When they came back for the encore Bruce did his bit promoting Foodbank NSW and how they are biggest provider of food for the poor in Sydney. How many artists do something like that before they do their encore???????
For me the encore was about Jake as much as Bruce and the band. After the speech for Foodbank the piano and violin kick in and I say bloody hell I’m going to hear it!! I was surprised that I started getting all emotional, thought of Clarence, thought this will test Jake and thought of Cruyffy and how would he be reacting. Jake performed Clarence’s solo beautifully. He did the Clemons family proud. The Boss gives him a hug and a pat on the back centre stage at the end of the song.
Then the familiar opening cords of BTR get played the house lights come on, the crowd roars and they all stand up. Once again Jake fills his uncle’s space beautifully. The anthem is complete.
I wasn't expecting Bobby Jean but I’m glad I got to hear it. Bobby Jean has a big Sax component and Jake pulled it off again. The last line just nicely sums up how I’ve felt about a relationship - But just to say I miss you baby, good luck goodbye, Bobby Jean
The Boss keeps his promise from earlier in the night and gets the older lady who had the sketch book up on stage to dance with him in Dancing in the Dark. Because of her age and she is a little larger she is escorted around the side of the stage and up the steps and dances with him and buries her head into his shoulders as she cries a little. At the end of her dance she goes and picks up her sketch book that had Max’s and others signature. I suspect she is first person to have done what she did rather than use a sign.
I’m thinking he has to do one more song before Tenth Avenue Freeze Out, maybe Seven Nights to Rock again, but bugger me from the back pocket comes the Detroit Medley which somehow raises the fun and rocking and rolling bar higher.
At the end of that he looks totally buggered the sponge is emptied on his head like previous nights. But rather than go and do it himself, Nils does it for him at the front.
Tenth Avenue Freeze out was standard as the previous shows I’ve been to, starting off with Bruce standing on the professor’s piano. But this time the idiots didn’t get to spoil the acknowledgement to the big Man and Danni. Although I wish they had a bit more Danni in the video used.
And then as he’s saying his goodbye I can’t help but join in and yell out you’ve been watching THE HARD ROCKING, PANTS DROPPING, HEART STOPPING, BOOTY SHAKING, VIAGRA TAKING, LOVE MAKING, LEGENDARY EEEEE STREET BAND. ( He forgot earth-quaking). I had a few people turn around and stare at me as I was shouting that out and they laughed and one said you’re a big fan aren’t you. I just nodded my head at her.
Last night was magical because not only was the set list a fantastic mix of old and rare treats, and the hard rocking as well as the deeper stuff, but it was Bruce and band just having a good time and the way they interacted with all of us was special.
I have a sneaky suspicion that Bruce pulled something big out after the power failure of 2003 and the fact he wasn’t at his best on Monday. I think he was genuine when he said it had been a great show.
I don’t know where he goes on Friday night. I don’t think even Sergei Bubka set the bar this high. I doubt I have fully captured how good last night was and expressed how well the interaction between band and band leader with the audience was. I suspect even what people captured on video and the official footage didn’t quiet fully reveal it to those who will get to watch it again.
On video I have Devils and Dust and Last to Die in full as one video. I have last minute or so of Ties and all of Darkness. I have the last couple of minutes of Out in the Street. Got the last half of Does this bus stop and almost all of Promised land. Most of Cover me and most of No Surrender. When I get home between my computer techie mate and my mate wo makes short films I’m going to put all my stuff up on You Tube.
I will see if I can buy some extra batteries and film the whole show on Friday.
I just hope my expectations haven’t become too great.
So if you want to upgrade or go to an extra show dig around!!! They announced after the show there are tickets on sale for Friday night in Sydney.
Got to my seat and I reckon only 60% of the venue was full. I thought a lot of people would miss the start. If I wasn’t late the other night and missed the start and just on time tonight I was going to try to sneak into the Pit. So as the next 15 minutes pass ( and later in the night) I observe the Pit security. I was high up on the left of stage, Charlie and Horn sections side, about in line middle of the floor.
I reckon if I had a tray of beers and just flashed a ticket I would have got in. They were slack. If I had taken my GA ticket from Brisbane or tomorrow night that would have probably been enough. In Brisbane the security took your GA ticket. When my brother in-law took his nephew to the loo the security guy handed them GA tickets from their pile, and when they came back to the Pit they handed the GA tickets back to security. A lot of us collected generic GA tickets back from security after the show, as our memento.
Lights go down just before 7-45 and Bruce comes on by himself says the usual hello’s and you can tell its going to be a solo, but surely it would be something about the Iraq war. First few bars and I pick that it will be Devils and Dust. It’s probably the best song on that album. Not too many pick it. Then after that, an even greater shock to the crowd is that the band joins in and he debuts Last to Die on this tour. I’m thinking to myself this is either going to be a grim night or he is going to play lots of different songs. I think that a lot of people there were lost and didn’t know what he had just played. It takes an artist that is very sure of himself and his fans to start a show like that.
Then out of nowhere he changes tact and the band launches into The Ties That Bind. When I first bought The River all those years ago that was one of my favourite songs on it. But as the years passed and he changed other songs and played them more often, Ties slipped down my list of favourites. But as the song’s main punch line goes, now you can’t break the ties that bind, we probably experienced that with his first two songs challenging us with something that most of the crowd didn’t know. I say out loud, he’s pulling them out of the vault tonight! Little did I know what was to come.
The lights go out, then you hear the standard 1, 2, 3, 4, and then you hear the professor’s piano and Max hitting the cymbals and the roar from the pit as he gets into Darkness. The faithful are revving up and some longer term fans in front of me are starting to get into it. I’ve got it all on video and have been playing it as I write this.
Wrecking Ball comes on and new fans are now getting into something they know. This song has quickly climbed up the ladder of my favourites because its one of those gritty Springsteen songs with a gritty beat.
On the the train back, I kept singing in my head in that growling Bruce voice if you’ve got the guts mister / Yeah, if you got the balls/ If you think it’s your time / Then step to the line/ And bring on your wrecking ball. Those lines along with Hold tight to your anger/And don’t fall to your fears, and repeating Hard times come and hard times go, and the way he belts them out and the music cranking up as he sings them, just sucks everyone into the song.
Death to my Hometown is one of those songs that every band member finds a space to play their instrument and fit in perfectly. The SMH got it right on Monday night’s show review when they said they even throw the kitchen sink in there.
In the previous 2 shows I went to the 6th song Hungry Heart was the crowd surfing song. Not to matter that it was song 7, Out in the Street this time. Question is do I still make my sign Friday on My Mind gets me Out in the Street. There were 2 young French couples to my right – mid to late 20’s. They couldn’t believe the crowd surfing and that they didn’t drop him. They had joy, shock and horror on their face all at once.
Then he pulls out Does this Bus stop on 82nd Street. I don’t know if I was in shock but I had a mental blank and just couldn't remember more than a couple of lines. Until I started reading this thread and Cruyffy gave me that CD of bootlegs I hadn’t listen to this song for about 18-20 years. I thought I had learnt the words again but nope, forgot them. Just such a different version to that of the 1970’s with the full band doing it. I have about half the song on video.
Then the song requests starts. Promised Land was the usual forceful version - the harmonica, the rattlesnake speedway, the dogs on Main Street, Mister I ain’t a boy, no I’m a man and I believe in the promised land. Jake’s sax!!!
Cover Me, to me is a song with a driving beat and screaming guitars. That’s just what we got last night with Tom’s screaming a little louder at times.
No Surrender, does any other song written have better opening lines than We busted out of class had to get away from those fools/ We learned more from a three-minute record than we ever learned in school. Over the years this has become my favourite BITUSA song. I checked my watch and its 8-46 and I know there is 2 more hours to go, but already I have been blown away by the set.
I’m on Fire – the fan had a shitty little sign nothing fancy and Bruce pulls it out the crowd. This gentle song drops the atmosphere in the venue after having this massive build up of the Tsunami of sound.
I’m not sure if its after I’m on Fire or a little later but one of the signs Bruce grabbed was actually one of those A3 sized sketch books. I’m not sure what the song request was, but Bruce starts flipping thru the book, he makes a comment that he’s not sure if he should read it out and show it. He reads from a couple of pages – can’t remember what they said, then one page says No one blows like Jake. All the band laugh. Keeps flipping there is a Max’s signature. He then says that he is going to pick the lady out to get on stage and dance with him. She is an older lady in her 50’s and hides her face when the camera focused in on her.
But the tempo is to cranked up again with High Hopes. I’m not sure if Bruce based his original Blood Brothers version based on the Havalina’s 1990 version or the 1987 original, but with the E Street band, it’s like you are in a Cuban club in Miami, or Cuba, or Puerto Rico or in Latin America. When the horns kick in I got visions of Gloria Estefan’s Latin big band.
Because the Night, is fast becoming all about Nils. He has a near on 2 minute solo in the middle and Tom gets into it as well. Patti Smith might have finished it off and put clarity into it, but the Boss and band give it the real punch.
After that Bruce has another ass story he tells the crowd like Monday night. This time rather than telling us about talking asses, he says how one of his Australian friends told him the other n he has to ask the audience to get off their asses. Bruce says something like but that’s not the image we have of Australians being too scared and being told what to do, they are big and strong and independent. Went on a bit then said that in 90 seconds you are going to get up off your ass. He said not yet! wait wait, from now, start counting.
He starts up with the new rocky version of Open All Night. I stood up for the second time of the evening and along with the 4 Frenchies and most of my row, we were never to return to our seats for the next 100 minutes. Until recently watching the set lists, I would have never picked that the whiny version on Nebraska could become such a great rocking, house jumping version. People didn't know the song but they got into it.
Shackled and drawn brought the crowd down a bit and per usual Cindy comes down front with Bruce and she helps turn it into a gospel song.
My City in Ruin was pushed back to a lot later in this show. It was very similar to the other 2 shows I’d been to. But despite Bruce calling for quiet we had idiots shouting out, wanting to be noticed and spoiling the whole point of acknowledging that Danny and Clarence were missing when the spotlight shone on the empty part of the left hand side of the stage. With these hand, with these hands, they should have strangled the idiots. This is the song that Bruce becomes the minister of his flock. He has the congregation in the palm of his hands, and asks us to think of others, the ones that have left us.
Waitin’ On a Sunday Day next and the usual fun crowd interaction. He picked out a boy about 12 who to me looked like Luke from Modern Family. He struggled to remember how many times to do the chorus, stopped a couple of times too early. Bruce took him to the back of the stage sponged up his knees and he got to do the slide with Bruce. But he stuffed it up not sliding at the right time. The kid will have memories.
Surprised we got Lonesome Day but I guess he will mix that up with The Rising.
On any other night The Ghost of Tom Joad would be one of the highlights of the show but this was pushed down the peaking order last night. Tom has made this his part of the show.
Badlands was its usual high standard and everyone all around the arena were on their feet. Got the crowd around me to get into the woah ohohohoh during the song, and the arena kept it going as they went off the stage.
When they came back for the encore Bruce did his bit promoting Foodbank NSW and how they are biggest provider of food for the poor in Sydney. How many artists do something like that before they do their encore???????
For me the encore was about Jake as much as Bruce and the band. After the speech for Foodbank the piano and violin kick in and I say bloody hell I’m going to hear it!! I was surprised that I started getting all emotional, thought of Clarence, thought this will test Jake and thought of Cruyffy and how would he be reacting. Jake performed Clarence’s solo beautifully. He did the Clemons family proud. The Boss gives him a hug and a pat on the back centre stage at the end of the song.
Then the familiar opening cords of BTR get played the house lights come on, the crowd roars and they all stand up. Once again Jake fills his uncle’s space beautifully. The anthem is complete.
I wasn't expecting Bobby Jean but I’m glad I got to hear it. Bobby Jean has a big Sax component and Jake pulled it off again. The last line just nicely sums up how I’ve felt about a relationship - But just to say I miss you baby, good luck goodbye, Bobby Jean
The Boss keeps his promise from earlier in the night and gets the older lady who had the sketch book up on stage to dance with him in Dancing in the Dark. Because of her age and she is a little larger she is escorted around the side of the stage and up the steps and dances with him and buries her head into his shoulders as she cries a little. At the end of her dance she goes and picks up her sketch book that had Max’s and others signature. I suspect she is first person to have done what she did rather than use a sign.
I’m thinking he has to do one more song before Tenth Avenue Freeze Out, maybe Seven Nights to Rock again, but bugger me from the back pocket comes the Detroit Medley which somehow raises the fun and rocking and rolling bar higher.
At the end of that he looks totally buggered the sponge is emptied on his head like previous nights. But rather than go and do it himself, Nils does it for him at the front.
Tenth Avenue Freeze out was standard as the previous shows I’ve been to, starting off with Bruce standing on the professor’s piano. But this time the idiots didn’t get to spoil the acknowledgement to the big Man and Danni. Although I wish they had a bit more Danni in the video used.
And then as he’s saying his goodbye I can’t help but join in and yell out you’ve been watching THE HARD ROCKING, PANTS DROPPING, HEART STOPPING, BOOTY SHAKING, VIAGRA TAKING, LOVE MAKING, LEGENDARY EEEEE STREET BAND. ( He forgot earth-quaking). I had a few people turn around and stare at me as I was shouting that out and they laughed and one said you’re a big fan aren’t you. I just nodded my head at her.
Last night was magical because not only was the set list a fantastic mix of old and rare treats, and the hard rocking as well as the deeper stuff, but it was Bruce and band just having a good time and the way they interacted with all of us was special.
I have a sneaky suspicion that Bruce pulled something big out after the power failure of 2003 and the fact he wasn’t at his best on Monday. I think he was genuine when he said it had been a great show.
I don’t know where he goes on Friday night. I don’t think even Sergei Bubka set the bar this high. I doubt I have fully captured how good last night was and expressed how well the interaction between band and band leader with the audience was. I suspect even what people captured on video and the official footage didn’t quiet fully reveal it to those who will get to watch it again.
On video I have Devils and Dust and Last to Die in full as one video. I have last minute or so of Ties and all of Darkness. I have the last couple of minutes of Out in the Street. Got the last half of Does this bus stop and almost all of Promised land. Most of Cover me and most of No Surrender. When I get home between my computer techie mate and my mate wo makes short films I’m going to put all my stuff up on You Tube.
I will see if I can buy some extra batteries and film the whole show on Friday.
I just hope my expectations haven’t become too great.
