Jim Abbott
Orlando Sentinel Pop Music Critic
April 24, 2008
A time to dance, a time to mourn.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band covered a lot of territory in a rousing, rowdy, emotionally charged rock 'n' roll marathon Wednesday night at Amway Arena.
Yeah, the Boss and the band handle a rock show with unconscious skill on a typical evening, but the energy level on this night was higher. This group is family -- and in the wake of the unexpected death last week of keyboardist Danny Federici -- that bond was more apparent than ever.
The show opened with a montage of Federici photos on the big video screens as "Blood Brothers" played beneath it in the darkness: "Here's a little something in remembrance of Danny," Springsteen said in the shadows.
That kind of stuff could become maudlin, but the Boss is seasoned enough to know that the best tribute to his longtime band mate was merely to do what the E Street Band does best. Although Federici wasn't there, his spirit was honored in the most noble and appropriate way: In song.
And what an amazing array of them.
For a solid 2 hours and 40 minutes, Springsteen and the band unleashed an illuminating and inspired cross-section of its historic repertoire. Watching these guys ought to be a lesson for countless current rock stars, who do a passable 75 minutes and head for the bus. Instead, on this night, the music virtually never stopped.
Early on, the emphasis seemed to be on vintage early material, such as "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?," "Spirit in the Night," and "Lost in the Flood." All the songs have worn well, whether it's the slinky R&B groove of "82nd Street" or the wistful combination of Springsteen's harmonica and Clarence Clemons' tenor sax on "The River."
Although the sound mix was harsh in the early going, the balance soon stabilized to showcase the talents of a band that still is a dynamo, even in the AARP demographic.
That power was in evidence in a stirring segue that bounded from "Candy's Room" to "Prove It All Night" to "She's the One," the latter a perennial showstopper powered by Max Weinberg's pounding Bo Diddley rhythm. Not to be outdone, guitarist Nils Lofgren unleashed arpeggios like a crazy man in "Prove It All Night."
It's also interesting to realize how well Springsteen's new songs compare with the classics. On Wednesday, the transition from Magic's "Livin' In the Future" to "Promised Land" was seamless enough to think that the songs had been back-to-back album tracks.
But the sheer joy of this night was the feeling that anything might happen:
Like when a fan handed Bruce the placard about waiting 30 years to hear "Jungleland" live -- and then watching the band launch into it, as if on cue. Or watching the Byrds' Roger McGuinn step into the spotlight to duet on "Turn, Turn, Turn" and then hang around for "Mr. Tambourine Man," for good measure.
Such magic moments turn music into memories that, like the songs, ought to be eternal.
Jim Abbott can be reached at jabbott@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6213.
Setlist:
Blood Brothers (Alt. Version)
Night
Radio Nowhere
Out in the Street
Spirit in the Night
The River
Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?
Candy's Room
Prove It All Night
She's the One
Livin' in the Future
The Promised Land
Fire
Lost in the Flood
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
* * *
Turn! Turn! Turn! (with Roger McGuinn)
Mr. Tambourine Man (with Roger McGuinn)
Jungleland
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
American Land
No comments:
Post a Comment