Sunday, 31 Aug 2008
Set: Gypsy Biker/Out In The Street /Radio Nowhere/The Promised Land/Spirit In The Night/Wooly Bully (Sam The Sham cover)/Darlington County/You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)/Darkness On The Edge Of Town /Youngstown/Murder Incorporated/She’s The One /Livin’ In The Future /Mary’s Place/Working On The Highway/Racing In The Street/The Rising/Last To Die/Long Walk Home/Badlands
Encore: Seven Nights To Rock/4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)/Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out/Glory Days/Born To Run/Rosalita/Bobby Jean/American Land/Thunder Road/Dancing In The Dark/Born To Be Wild (Steppenwolf cover)
There are few touring acts that inject more of themselves into a performance than Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. Last night the group performed for thousands of Springsteen die hards at the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse along Milwaukee’s Lakefront in celebration of the motorcycle giant’s 105th anniversary.
It’s hard to imagine a more perfect match than The Boss for such an evening. The crowd was a mixture of bikers and everyday curiosity seekers, hoping to put a big exclamation point on both the festivities and the summer season. After 31 songs and just over three and a half hours of music, the only gas left was found in the chrome tanks atop two wheelers taking people home.
Springsteen seized the occasion to curate his set list with road focused numbers, starting out the evening with a most appropriate version of “Gypsy Biker” from his most recent record, Magic, before launching into “Out In The Street.” Using previous Springsteen concerts as past precedent, I’d never see The Boss so animated and in high spirits. The combination of a few days rest, the last day of the tour and a rabid audience lent to a night that I certainly won’t forget anytime soon. Pacing the stage like a caged tiger, Springsteen on many occasions found himself in the first few rows of the crowd, giving fans an up-close experience, he collected signs from the audience and used as a driving force for the set list. One such request was the amusing and blast from the past cover of “Wooly Bully.”
I can honestly say that I can’t remember a better live trio of songs than last night’s “Glory Days,” “Born To Run,” and “Rosalita.” “Born To Run” is a standard and expected, but going into the night the other two were high on my wish list before the show began. With each passing song as the evening neared the three hour mark everyone began to assume the evening was sadly coming to a close. Instead, the band played on. I was certain that “Thunder Road” would send the riders off into the night only to be treated by a gorgeous version of “Dancing In The Dark” and a very welcomed surprise cover of “Born To Be Wild.” A perfect selection to conclude and unforgettable evening.
As we walked along Lakeshore Drive we listened as the thousands of bikers started up their bikes and roared by us one-by-one. It was something to be seen, and it was one of the loudest things I’ve ever heard. The tour is now over, but let last night be a reminder that Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are not to be missed if your city is graced with their presence.
Video: Bruce Springsteen – “Born To Be Wild” (Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary)
Myspace: Bruce Springsteen
August 31st, 2008 at 8:36 am
wow,
sounds like it was an amazing night of music from the boss & band!
much like the night in july 84 at alpine,
still the best gig i have seen!
August 31st, 2008 at 10:30 am
All I can say is that it was one of, if not the best concert I have ever been to. Springsteen is certainly a great performer. Harley lived up to their promise to make it up to us after the 100th anniversary joke of a surprise act. It was a great weekend!
Thanks Harley and Bruce
August 31st, 2008 at 10:47 am
it does indeed sound like a magical night. here’s one of the things i love about bruce. the guy has nothing left to prove, actually he stopped having anything to prove probably back in the mid 80’s, but he plays every show as if it could be his last. 3 hours just about every night is crazy. he truly puts just about every artist/band performing today to shame especially considering he’s 58.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Um…. yeah. Despite the fact that the crowd around me was lame, and the organ was insanely loud, Bruce is still the best, not even close.
I can only hope that the we’ll be seein ya, and the we’re just gettin started at the end, was for real…
August 31st, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Wow sounds like is was an awesome night, I wish I could of been there, and so fitting to hold it in Milwaukee
September 1st, 2008 at 3:08 am
Best night of my life, And for everyone that was at the show, that
thunder road sign was mine,and he dedicated the song to me. Unbelievable.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:04 am
Dude – how did you get that photo? I had a level 1 photo pass with sweet access, and I couldn’t even dream of getting the vantage point you have on top!!
Amazing show . . . even without “Hungry Heart” . . . but hearing nearly half of the Born to Run album throughout the night made up for it. I checked the facts, and last night was one of the only nights on the tour that he played that many songs from that album.
My hand is still sore from slapping five with people around me.
September 1st, 2008 at 10:06 am
AWESOME! My wife is not a big fan but was a heavy concert goer a few years back and she was blown away by Bruce. Unfortunately we only heard 5 songs since the previous 3 days were tough on us. If it had been anybody else there was no way I was even thinking of walking over to the venue. Did anybody get a chance to check out Kid Rock? I saw him once and he was amazing too. Would have been cool to hear him on the lake. BTW Joan Jett was pretty damn good until the other concert about 50 yards away (yes, 50 yards away!) started. It was a great Anniversary and I was appreciative that the Boss spent it with everybody.
I would like to through a shout out to all my brothers we passed on the ride back to Cleveland (even the P*$$!@$ who trailered) – hope everybody got home safe without incident.
September 1st, 2008 at 10:29 am
I’ve now gotten the entire Born to Run album live. I’ve missed lots of Greetings, and the best songs on The Wild, The Innocent… being Incident on 57th Street, Kitty’s Back and NYC Serenade…
But the man always delivers and then some…
September 1st, 2008 at 3:17 pm
The Boss is unbelievable…still.
September 1st, 2008 at 7:48 pm
I could be more jealous of you for this.