Springsteen enters new territory yet reaffirms his roots at Fox
By Vahe Gregorian
Of the Post-Dispatch Monday, Aug. 08 2005
More than 30 years since the release of his debut album, "Greetings From Asbury Park," Bruce Springsteen continues to reinvent his work, replenish his vast inventory and reassert his command of an audience. His latest incarnation was on crackling display Saturday night at the Fox Theatre, where Springsteen's solo acoustic performance was at once animated but intimate, vigorous but restrained, and ventured into new terrain while reaffirming his essential roots.
If the show was notable for eight songs from Springsteen's newest album, "Devils and Dust," it also was distinguished by 16 other songs spanning much of Springsteen's career. That included a piercing version of "Backstreets," believed to be the first time on this tour Springsteen has dipped into the landmark "Born to Run" album, which still is a highlight of his tours with the E Street Band.
Adding to the luster of "Back- streets" and, in fact, the entire night, was Springsteen's banter with the audience, which for the most part was remarkably silent in accordance with his wishes.
"I'm going to take a swing at this thing," he said as he sat down at the piano without naming the song and noted, "I've never played this before by myself ... and I'll never play it again." Then he said, "All right, all right, let me prepare," then briefly went "ommmm," laughed and struck the notes that immediately resonated with longtime fans.
The sense of unscripted storytelling and spontaneity with the crowd was part of the marrow of Springsteen's early career that made him a mesmerizing force. Some of that sheer whimsical component had given way to rehearsed exchanges during Springsteen and the E Street Band's reunion and "The Rising" tours - perhaps understandably enough given the sophistication and scale of those rousing productions. The ornate and warm Fox, which Springsteen noted that St. Louis is lucky to have, provided an apt setting for him to resume his traditional stance with the crowd.
He has been revisiting that since this tour began in April - and doing so with more vibrancy than he did on the 1996 solo acoustic tour underscored by his grim release, "The Ghost of Tom Joad." His renewed accessibility created the perception of shared experience that enhanced the night - even when Springsteen botched the lyrics as during "County Fair." Staring at the music sheet and chortling to himself as the crowd laughed along, Springsteen said he may just have to "skip over that line" and simply moved on.
Some of Springsteen's ease was slightly jarring. He used expletives a half-dozen times or more, and from the new album he played the sexually explicit song "Reno" with no forewarning for those with children in the audience, as he had given in Chicago in May. Part of the enduring magic of Springsteen is the mystery, the way the show changes from night to night. The performance at the Fox featured nine song changes from his last show Wednesday in Grand Rapids, Mich., which came after his two shows in Ohio featured 38 different songs.
Other highlights of the night included an unsettling but riveting version of "Reason to Believe," marked by his rhythmic stomp and use of a harmonica with a distorting microphone. "The River" seemed to evoke nearly as much response as "Back- streets." Also particularly well-received were "Highway Patrolman" and "The Rising." The encore featured "Cynthia," "Wild Billy's Circus Story" and a scaled-down but stirring "Promised Land." He ended the night as he has many shows on the tour with "Dream Baby Dream," a repetitive, previously obscure tune that left some grumbling and others feeling it was an uptempo message to absorb and take to heart.
Post-Dispatch reporter Vahe Gregorian has a longtime fascination with Bruce Springsteen; this was approximately his 38th Springsteen concert.
Reporter Vahe Gregorian E-mail: vgregorian@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8199
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