Bruce's New Tour...

[martha]

*crosses fingers again for phanan*

[IWasBored]

Originally posted by phanan
So there was an ever so small drop for Philly today. Supposedly didn't last very long. I'm praying I can time it right on Friday for Boston.

good luck

[DiGi]

Originally posted by UnforgettableLemon
anybody going to be in Fairfax tonight? I'll be the guy with the goatee and Clash t-shirt.

how was it? Man I was so pissed on the campus of where I go to school and I had nice 20 chapter physics exam the next morning at 7:30.

[phanan]

Hey, do you hear that dripping sound?

It's the sound of the actual Boston drop so far. One ticket here, two tickets there, from what others at Bruce forums are saying.

Must have faith...

[Hewson]

Scuttlebut on BTX is that they gave out wristbands @10:30 @ Orpheum box office for a 4:00 box office ticket drop, and they've passed out all the wristbands.
Sounds like the smattering of Orch row Q seats yesterday afternoon was all that popped online.

[phanan]

Apparently so.

I might head down anyway and see what's going on, just for the hell of it.

[phanan]

I got in!



I missed the first part of the show, but I eventually made it. And how I got in is a most interesting story, but I am so tired right now. I'm going to have one long journal entry tomorrow! It was an amazing evening.

[starsgoblue]

You forgot me


Hope you had fun!

[MrsSpringsteen]

Originally posted by phanan
I got in!

Awesome! Thanks to Tim (Hewson) selling me his second ticket (tks so much Tim!), I got to go to when I'm sure I wouldn't have otherwise. Since I never saw Tom Joad, it was a new experience for me. It's one of those things when you wake up the next day you realize how amazing it was. John Kerry was there, in the same section (orchestra) we were only the opposite side. He got a standing ovation w/ a smattering of boos.

We waited before the show to try to see Bruce. We were too late, the security claimed he got there at 5. We did see Bruce's Mom and Jon Landau. We've both met him already but what the heck

He didn't say the chain saw cell phone thing, but he did say he tends to get homicidal over them. I heard one go off and I was thinking, uhoh

My prayers were answered and he did I'm On Fire w/ banjo

And ladies, he looked great- jeans and jacket at first, then when he got all sweaty just shirt w/ rolled up sleeves

Here's the setlist-

My Beautiful Reward
Reason to Believe (sort of odd, w/ him banging his foot on the floor for a beat the whole song, but how many 55 year olds could do that)
Devils & Dust (incredible live, so much emotion)
Lonesome Day
Long Time Coming
Black Cowboys
The River
Real World
Part Man Part Monkey (another Bush schpiel )
All The Way Home
Cautious Man
Reno
Paradise
The Rising
Further On Up The Road
Jesus Was An Only Son (that one just gets to me, so beautiful)
Leah (w/ very funny Bush/Iraq windsurfing story-if you remember Kerry windsurfing during the election)
The Hitter
Matamoras Banks (absolutely spellbinding live)
Ramrod (very cool)
I'm On Fire
LOHAD
Promised Land
Dream Baby Dream

Springsteen unplugged, but not mellow
By Sarah Rodman
Saturday, May 21, 2005 - Updated: 12:15 AM EST

Bruce Springsteen wasn't the only person who earned an ovation last night at the Orpheum Theatre.

Shortly before the show began Sen. John Kerry [related, bio] took his seat to a big round of applause from the sold-out crowd. (If there were boos, they were hard to distinguish from the Bruuuuuces).

While this splendid evening of music was not about politics, the presence of the former presidential hopeful - for whom the rocker campaigned - lent a palpable heft to Springsteen's later editorializing on the policies of President George W. Bush.

Not that Springsteen needed help in the gravitas department.

For almost 2 hours, the bard of New Jersey fashioned a gripping and entertaining show, deftly balancing solemnity, humor and good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll with nothing more than his wits, a strong voice and a few instruments.

Emerging on his artfully draped stage Springsteen greeted the crowd and asked for cellphones to be turned off and ``as much quiet as I can get.''

The rapt crowd behaved unimpeachably, keeping the hoots and hollers to a minimum and only one ringtone was heard late into the set.

While this technically was Springsteen unplugged, it was not particularly funereal or mellow as he took great care to ensure a dynamic flow to the proceedings.

The stark organ and harmonica groan of ``My Beautiful Reward'' led to a Tom Waits-like distortion-drenched workout of ``Reason to Believe'' that found Springsteen accompanying himself with only his fuzzed-out blues harmonica and his own stomping foot.

That fed into the ambling acoustic grooves of the searching ``Devils and Dust,'' the title track of his new album and the wistful ``Lonesome Day.''

And so it went with the 55-year-old cherry picking and reworking hits and deep cuts from his extensive catalog and regaling the crowd with his customary storytelling.

Some of his more piquant comments included admonitions for the president regarding his immigration policies prior to ``Matamoros Banks,'' the aching tale of one who didn't make it across the border, and musings on the president's agnosticism on the matter of evolution.

``In New Jersey, we believe in evolution. It's our only hope,'' Springsteen quipped, before launching into the galloping ``Part Man, Part Monkey.''

Two crystalline video screens brought the softly lit singer's visage, tapping toes and playing hands into wider view.

Most of the imagistic tales from Devils and Dust including the weary pugilist tale ``The Hitter,'' the heartbreaking inner city expose ``Black Cowboys'' and the pulsating ``Long Time Coming.''

Among the older tunes, a furious acoustic take of ``Further on Up the Road'' with big, chunky chord strumming and a contemplative piano version of ``The River,'' closed with a ghostly falsetto, drew ovations and the crowd happily leapt to its feet for the boppy first encore of ``Ramrod.''

While the struggle between parents and children were a topic he returned to several times, last night Springsteen made everyone in the Orpheum a happy family.

[Aardvark747]

Cool review, looks like a great set!

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

I'm so mad now that I skipped this.

[martha]

So, no shows to b&p yet?

[joyfulgirl]

Thanks for reminding me. I was checking regularly and then I stopped. But I just found the Denver torrent. I'll download it this weekend and check it out. If it sounds good I'll burn it for you. If not I'll check out some of the others (don't see the LA shows, though).

[MrsSpringsteen]

I never get any shows or I'd be happy to offer-Bruce fans don't seem to do b&p and the message boards sort of scare/intimidate me

They're always on that torrent which I can't and don't want to deal with

Btw I think the show was longer than two hours-and I enjoyed how he was all out of breath after Reason To Believe,if you know what I mean ladies

I got a disposable in but didn't even try to take pictures, some people were taking them w/ camera phones

[joyfulgirl]

Originally posted by MrsSpringsteen
I never get any shows or I'd be happy to offer-Bruce fans don't seem to do b&p and the message boards sort of scare/intimidate me

They're always on that torrent which I can't and don't want to deal with

I'd be happy to send you a copy, too, if it's any good.

[MrsSpringsteen]

Originally posted by joyfulgirl

I'd be happy to send you a copy, too, if it's any good.

Thanks, that's very nice of you Boston would be the one I'd like, of course

[Murray]

I would love a copy too, seeing as I am the one who started this thread!

THANKS!

[joyfulgirl]

Sure. The only ones I see listed are Denver, Phoenix, Oakland, Cleveland and Dallas. But that's just on jungleland.com. If there's another site I haven't found it except for the Stone Pony message board but they just have trading vines and it takes forever so this is the only site I've found where I can download directly. I'm starting with Denver cos it was my show but if the quality sucks I'll try another one. There aren't any ratings or comments to help gauge which ones are the best quality.

So I'll let you know when/if I've downloaded successfully and then you can email or PM your addresses.

[joyfulgirl]

Wow, it is downloading so fast!

[martha]

Joyful, start thinking of where you want me to take you to dinner if/when I arrive in your town this summer.