Concert Review: Springsteen in Charlotte

Posted on Mon, Jul. 25, 2005

Boss shows he can sizzle solo
Springsteen delivers intimate show without old hits, E Street Band
COURTNEY DEVORES
Special to the Charlotte Observer

Fans came from as far as Philadelphia to catch Bruce Springsteen's rare solo acoustic appearance at Charlotte Coliseum Sunday.

Joe Thomas, a musician from Montgomery, Ala., had already seen Springsteen twice on the current tour.

"I love the band shows," said Thomas, 40, of Springsteen's fabled concerts with the E Street Band. "But if you're a real fan, this is like a dream come true."

Springsteen performed a set of close to 30 songs, moving from acoustic guitar to pump organ to baby grand piano throughout the evening. He set the tone early on, letting fans know the night's performance wouldn't be a typical hit-filled affair. Springsteen alternated between harmonica and distorted vocals, adding percussion by stomping his boot on the stage during the second song.

The bulk of his set list was pulled from his latest, critically acclaimed albums, "Devils & Dust" and "The Rising." He played both title tracks, as well as the energetic "All I'm Thinkin' About," "Further On (Up the Road)," "Empty Sky," "Nothing Man," "The Hitter," and an emotional "Matamoros Banks."

The set list also included "Dust's" sexually explicit "Reno," the raciest piece he's ever written.
One of the biggest treats for longtime fans was seeing Springsteen at the piano, where he performed songs such as "The River," "Jesus Was an Only Son," and "When You're Alone," which he said he had played only once before in concert.

"On the last tour, he did a few songs solo on the piano," Thomas said. "The piano versions of full band songs are one of the best things about the night."

The other important aspect of the show was the intimate nature of his performance -- even in the enormous coliseum. Beneath draped curtains and chandeliers, he appeared to be the star of an episode of "VH1 Storytellers." Cameras that projected the show on screens above the stage focused on his busy hands and feet.

Occasionally joking as he introduced songs, Springsteen chuckled as he referenced North Carolina in "Long Time Coming." He introduced the song by mentioning that his cousin Frankie, who taught him his first guitar chords, raised his family in Charlotte before returning to New Jersey.

Although the show was devoid of big hits, the fans who turned out were rapt by the intimacy and musicianship of the Boss's performance. But for once he wasn't the Boss of his famous big band productions.

Instead, the focus was his songwriting, singing and ability to transfix a crowd on his own.