San Jose Mercury News
http://www.mercurynews.com/
Posted: 04/02/2009 03:13:38 AM PDT
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performs at HP Pavilion in San Jose(Nhat V. Meyer)
Being first isn't always an advantage.
Wednesday night, San Jose got the first glimpse at Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's world tour to support their latest album, "Working on a Dream." And though the band labored admirably for two hours and 40 minutes, it's clear that this show needs a little work before the dream is achieved.
For long stretches, the near-capacity crowd at HP Pavilion was glued to its seats, and even the can't-miss anthems at the end failed to truly achieve liftoff. Throughout, Springsteen struggled to fuse the lush pop romanticism of the new album with bleak songs from his catalog that speak to the current economic state of the union.
It's been a mere seven months since Springsteen and the E Street Band finished the tour for "Magic," a mostly dark album informed by war and political deception. As he finished the songwriting for that album, a new batch of songs began to emerge. Before the "Magic" tour was over, Springsteen had rushed into the studio to record these tunes, filled to overflowing with love and passion and vocal overdubs. But before the record could come out, the economy collapsed and Springsteen, always attuned to the national zeitgeist, had to readjust.
As Don Rumsfeld might say, you don't go on tour with the album you wish you had, you go on tour with the album you've got. So Springsteen faces the tough task of hyping a new romantic pop record while simultaneously offering hope and support to a wounded nation — not an easy task.
Perhaps he was still tinkering with the formula at the last minute, as the band came out an hour late, around 8:30 p.m., to kick off the night and the tour with the classic "Badlands."
Two additions to the troupe — backup singers Curtis King and Cindy Mizelle, increasing the ensemble to an even dozen — emerged next for "Outlaw Pete," the overwrought eight-minute slab of whimsical Americana that kicks off "Working on a Dream" in bizarre fashion.
It was a tough night for the new material. The early appearance of the title track, despite some vigorous ensemble whistling, brought the previously enthusiastic audience to its seats, and Springsteen's attempts to rouse a singalong were met with apathy. "Good Eye," a postmodern roadhouse blues built around repeated rhythmic loops and one of the standout tracks on the album, proved to be a difficult fit for the E Street Band live.
Those two songs bookended a trio of recession-minded numbers: "Seeds" (rarely performed over the past two decades), "Johnny 99" and "The Ghost of Tom Joad." "Johnny 99," a grim tale of a unrepentant killer from the solo acoustic "Nebraska" album, was turned into a rip-roaring rock 'n' roll number, with pounding boogie-woogie piano from Roy Bittan. It was fun, if a bit incongruous.
The rock 'n' roll spirit emerged again when Springsteen, for no apparent reason, pulled out the classic oldie "Good Rockin' Tonight" mid-set. Finally, "Darlington County" got the crowd back to its feet, and a fan request for "Growin' Up" kept them there.
The best showcase for new material was the back-to-back pairing of "The Wrestler," the gritty theme to the Mickey Rourke film that appears as a bonus track on "Working," and "Kingdom of Days." The latter is a unabashedly romantic celebration of marriage that lies at the heart of the new album. Springsteen sang it standing side by side with backup singer Patti Scialfa, his wife of 17 years (their teenage daughter, Jessica Rae, was spotted on the floor during the early part of the show dancing along to the music).
Springsteen's signature song, "Born to Run," closed a two-hour main set that never quite caught fire.
Yet the Boss kicked off the encores with a perfectly chosen '50s classic that showed the potential of this 12-piece band at this juncture in American history. A '50s tune is nothing new for Springsteen, you might think, except that this one was from the 1850s: Stephen Foster's "Hard Times."
Springsteen and his compadres formed a virtual E Street Chorus as they began one of the most beautiful songs in the American canon, and one sadly applicable today. As the tour develops, Springsteen would be wise to make better use of the additional vocal firepower on hand by adding lush "Working" songs like "This Life" to the show.
A poster for an old Robert Mitchum movie, a gift from a fan, prompted a performance of "Thunder Road," always a pleasure to hear. "Dancing in the Dark," however, has just about run out of juice, and "10th Avenue Freeze-Out" seemed to be a TiVo of the Super Bowl performance, sans the horns.
"Land of Hope and Dreams," which followed, would have made a perfect finale, but instead Springsteen once more trotted out "American Land," the jig that has been closing the band's shows in recent years.
For anyone else, the show would have been fine. For Springsteen and the E Street Band, it was decidedly subpar. But based on their track record, you've got to like their chances for getting a hold of this before long. Guys, please come back once you're warmed up.
Contact Shay Quillen at squillen@mercurynews.com or 408-920-2741. Find more of his stories and a link to his blog at www.mercurynews.com/shayquillen.
Setlist:Badlands
Outlaw Pete
My Lucky Day
Night
Out in the Street
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Working on the Highway
Downbound Train
Because the Night
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
The Wrestler
Kingdom of Days
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
* * *
Hard Times
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Rosalita
Land of Hope and Dreams
American Land
Dancing in the Dark
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