OT: Bruce in Philly
- Thread starter 32Mine
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Can't tell if that's sarcasm or ignorance. Half of the crowd is from NJ.
They did boo the Giants references in Wrecking Ball, but that was it. It was a real enthusiastic crowd.
Philly was probably a bigger Bruce town than NYC in the early days.
Bruce shows are more special when they are at home, in Jersey.
And not in enemy territory like Philly or NYC.
And not in enemy territory like Philly or NYC.
After getting shut out for the area shows I did score tickets for the Penn State show and it will keep my streak alive of having seen every Bruce tour with a band since 1975 ( I missed his couple of solo tours and also the Amnesty International Tour he did in the 80's).
I have to admit, hearing the River in its entirety does not thrill me. A good double album that would have been a great 3 sided record. Friends who saw him recently said the last segment, which has mostly ballads at the end, was somewhat painful and gave ample opportunity to hit the restroom and concession stands. And for last night's show, with the exception of Jungleland being added, not a great set list. Most nights it seems like he follows the river with a more upbeat song than last night's "Atlantic City". "Badlands" is a much better choice for that 22nd song slot.
In the end it's still a Bruce concert and the Penn State show is right after my April 15th tax deadline and gives the wife and I a chance to see our son.
I have to admit, hearing the River in its entirety does not thrill me. A good double album that would have been a great 3 sided record. Friends who saw him recently said the last segment, which has mostly ballads at the end, was somewhat painful and gave ample opportunity to hit the restroom and concession stands. And for last night's show, with the exception of Jungleland being added, not a great set list. Most nights it seems like he follows the river with a more upbeat song than last night's "Atlantic City". "Badlands" is a much better choice for that 22nd song slot.
In the end it's still a Bruce concert and the Penn State show is right after my April 15th tax deadline and gives the wife and I a chance to see our son.
To each their own, but it is a real shame folks don't just shut up and listen to the show. Bruce and the band are in their mid to late 60's. People knew when they bought tickets that The River would be played in sequence at every show. Yet people still complain. I suppose it is this sequence of songs that get folks antsy:
16. Fade Away
17. Stolen Car
18. Ramrod
19. The Price You Pay
20. Drive All Night
21. Wreck on the Highway
Personally, I am 100% pumped to be able to see this sequence of beautiful songs IN SEQUENCE live, many of which I will see for the first time. Ramrod is the only one that does not fit in this bunch. With 20 songs from The River, something had to give, and yes, that means less of the hits from Born To Run, Darkness and Born in the USA (which, I could care less if he plays a single song from that album).
Giants references? The song was written about Giants Stadium and performed for the first time on the last show ever in that building. What would they have preferred, NY Cosmos references?
You sound a bit hypocritical - first you say people who don't like The River as much as you do should shut up (though its a point well taken when you say they knew what was coming when they bought the ticket) but then you end with saying you personally dislike BITUSA. I guess you'll skip the 35th anniversary tour for that album.
My friends who said that the show dragged through that song sequence are huge fans who have a right to their opinion. The fact is that even Bruce has said that some of the transitions from song to song on this album were clumsy. These transitions probably work less well in concert than on record. Bruce also admitted that looking back he questions some of the songs he selected for this album over those he left off (such as the tour's opening # and "Roulette").
I have been listening to the River lately and a couple things strike me - one is how in the days of 2 sided records, an artist could use the song sequence to reinforce the themes of the album. Bruce was a master at that though this double record is far from his best sequencing job. The other is after having listened to the album, in sequence, side 1 to 4 about a million times back in college, that even now, as one song ends, I know what song is coming next.
Bruce's set lists have always had their spots where he tones things down a bit. Usually the shows have been fairly predictable regarding where those spots would be. The sequencing of The River changes that. I give him credit - his 2014 tour would go about 27 songs. This tour he has been doing about 33. No one can complain about the effort. But in a typical Bruce show from previous tours, of the 27 songs he would play you probably had about 9 classics that get played every tour, 9 songs consistent from show to show from that tour, and 9 slots that might be interchanged from night to night. This tour - you know going in 22 songs from the River, 4 or 5 every tour songs and 4 or 5 which might differ from night to night. So its definitely a different experience. If there was ever a tour where the real diehards might not want to go to multiple shows, this is it. But based on how tough it is to get tickets, they are still doing multiple shows.
For the record, from your list above, I am a big fan of #'s 16,19,20 and 21. But I will probably use that sequence to take care of business as well. Expect the rest room lies to get long when Stolen Car starts.
Ehh, not so hypocritical. I just prefer NOT to hear songs from BITUSA, but when he plays them, I am on board, because to me, every Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band show is a magical experience, and considered a huge GIFT at this point considering that Garry Tallent is the sole original member left touring with the band. It's funny though, because the very first shows I saw where the BITUSA tour (I was at the epic closing show at the Byrne arena), but it was after that leg of the tour, getting tickets for a Springsteen show became extremely difficult. I remember my older brother talking about The River show at MSG in 1980 or 1981.
Concert-goers have gotten more rude and self-centered at shows. It drives me nuts to have to listen to people yammering away during slow songs. If you don't want to hear the songs--take a break like your friends and go to the bathroom or concessions. I have tickets for both of the Brooklyn shows, but I will likely unload the tickets for the first show because I don't have the need to see essentially the same show twice.
Let me know if you want to sell tickets to Brooklyn- I need a pair so I can take my daughter to see him.
Here's the deal with Brooklyn. For night 1 (Saturday night), I have seats in section 221,they are the same seat, but 5 rows apart from each other. I think I definitely want to go to the tour closer, and for that show, I have singles again, but my one single is right at the side of the stage.
I got beat by a fake ticket seller for MSG, and I am out of pocket a lot of money. I am not looking to make a killing on my tix, but I would like to make a little bit back. I am still pissed at myself for getting taken on the MSG tickets. I am usually smarter than that, but I was in the middle of getting some testing done at Sloan Kettering, and I guess my head was not on straight--everything was OK with the tests, but I will never buy from Craigslist again.
Outlaw Pete is still my favorite Bruce bathroom/concession break song. 8 minutes of pure stink to do what u need to. Problem was I think Bruce knew this and always put the song 2nd or 3rd in the set list long before a break was needed.
@BigLou--let me know if you want the pair of tickets to the Saturday show in Brooklyn. They are in Section 221, seat 1, rows 9 and 15--yes, they are not next to each other, but 6 rows apart on the aisle.
I've listened to a good amount of Bruce live shows and I feel like booing at "where giants played the game" is kind of part of the crowd's routine at this point if he's in a non-Giants city? They booed in Pittsburgh recently at that point, for example.
