Skip to content

Decades later, As historians and epidemiologists look back on the Covid era, they struggle to pinpoint the exact moment when the epidemic ended in America and normal life resumed. Some may have Others point to August 2021 as the date vaccination rates reach 70 percent, others point to April 2022 as the date airlines drop their mask mandate, or even Joe Biden’s date. 60 minutes A few months later, despite the protests of members of his own administration, he openly declared the epidemic. Still others may say that time is yet to come.

On another note, however, there is a strong case for the fact that on February 1st at 8:01 pm EST, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band walked on stage at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida and began their world tour. A thunderous rendition of “Nothing Surrenders” in front of 20,000 screaming maskless fans.

The moment follows six agonizingly long years of inactivity for the E Street Band – including several tour delays due to Covid concerns – and has fueled outrage over Springsteen’s decision to dramatically increase ticket prices this season. “I know it’s not popular with some fans,” Springsteen said. A rolling stone late last year, in his only comment to date on the controversy. But if there are complaints on the way out, you can get your money back.

Bruce Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt will share the microphone on February 1, 2023.

Phil DeSimone for Rolling Stone

Since 2020’s “Give Nothing Away” has branched out into “Ghosts,” no one seems to be headed for a refund line in Tampa. A letter to you. At this point, the fear that the E Street Band might need a few shows to shake off six years of rust disappeared. They were locked in tight, cheering, and feeding off the frenzy in the crowd.

It was also a slightly different incarnation of the band, which now featured four backup singers (Curtis King, Michelle Moore, Lisa Lowell, Ada Dyer), a five-piece horn section (Curt Ramm, Barry Danielian, Eddie Manion, Ozzie Melendez, Jake). Clemons), and substitute Anthony Almonte in addition to the usual crew of Sozie Tyrrell, Charlie Giordano, Steve Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, Gary Tallent, Roy Bitan, Patty Schalfa and Max Weinberg.

An 18-piece band may seem like overkill considering the original E Street Band was best kept with five musicians, but this show covers a lot of musical ground, including selections from Springsteen’s 2022 Soul Covers LP. Only the strong survive, and no one felt overwhelmed. This was especially true on “Kitty’s Back,” when Springsteen gave almost everyone in the band a moment to shine. Two songs later, he invited background singers in front of them to lock horns with him during one of the night’s surprising highlights during a 1985 Commodores classic.

The long cuts kept even E street classics like “Promised Land,” “Out in the Streets” and “Check All Night” fresh and relevant, while Dark Nebraska Deep cut “Johnny 99” turned into an arena anthem. But the most emotional moment came midway through the night, when the entire band left the stage, leaving Springsteen alone on acoustic guitar.

Addressing the crowd for the first time in the evening, he told the story of forming his first band, Castilles, with childhood friend George Thess. “Cut forward 50 years,” he said. “Another summer’s day, I found myself standing by George’s deathbed…His passing leaves me as the last living member of my original band. It’s like you’re standing on the tracks when an oncoming train crashes right into you. It brings clarity of thought and purpose that you may not have thought about before.

He continued the story: “I went home and about a week later George passed away. Shortly after that I wrote this song. It’s about the jobs we choose, the friends we choose, the passions we follow as children. At 15, everything is tomorrow. At 73, many yesterday. Many greetings. That’s why you should use the best one now.

When he sang “Last Man Standing,” the stage went completely silent. A letter to you For the first time to a live audience. The song focuses on theses memories and the realization that it is now the last of Castiles. “Flock of angels, lift me up somehow,” he sang. “Somewhere high and heavy and loud/Somewhere in the hearts of the people/I’m the last man standing now.”

Springsteen and Jake Clemons.

Phil DeSimone for Rolling Stone

Few artists outside of Springsteen can create such an intimate and moving moment in a basketball arena named after an oil company. Followed by another mild one. A letter to you A riff for “Backstreets” before the “House of a Thousand Guitars” song brought everyone back to their feet. The main set ended with “Because It’s the Night”, “She’s the One”, “Wrecking Ball”, “The Rising” and “Badlands”. The band has celebrated many 70th birthdays since they last played together, but somehow they still play those songs with the same level of fire and passion they did decades ago.

After taking a quick bow, the band didn’t even bother to break into an off-stage performance before the encore. The live premiere of “Burnin’ Train” kicked off with the live premiere of “Born to Run” and “Rosalita (Go Out Tonight)” before the house lights went down. They then returned to popularity in 1984 with “Glory Days” and “Dancing in the Dark,” although the latter was a slightly cut-down version that didn’t feature any wannabe Courteney Coxes on the dance floor. (This may be due to covid concerns, which may also explain why it doesn’t collect at any time during the night.)

The E Street Band, finally back together.

Phil DeSimone for Rolling Stone

The night kicked off with “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” — complete with video tributes to the late Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici — and the acoustic solo “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” which brought the stage back to silence.

It’s another song that reminds you of saying goodbye to someone you love and the note, “Death is not the end.” As Springsteen sang, it was hard not to think about Jeff Beck, David Crosby, Tom Verlaine, Barrett Strong, and other icons we’ve lost in recent weeks, or about the artists of Springsteen’s generation using his own. Words have more yesterdays than tomorrows. But whatever happens next, Springsteen and the E Street Band are finally back on the road and will be for at least another year. Let’s enjoy every second while we still can.

trending

Here is the full list:

1. “Can’t Surrender.”
2. “Spirits”
3. “Check All Night”
4. “A Letter to You”
5. “The Promised Land”
6. “Off the Streets”
7. “The Candy Room”
8. “Kitty’s Back”
9. “Delightful Hideout”
10. “Nightshift” (Commodores Cover)
11. “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)” (Ben E. King cover)
12. “E Street Driver.”
13. “Johnny 99”
14. “Last Man Standing”
15. “House of a Thousand Guitars”
16. “Back Streets”
17. “Because of the night.”
18. “She Is”
19. “Wrecking Ball”
20. “Rising”
21. “The Badlands.”
(asmar)
22. “The Bernini Train”
23. “Born to Run.”
24. “Rosalita (Go Out Tonight)”
25. “Glory Days”
26. “Dancing in the Dark”
27. “Tenth Street Freeze-Out.”
28. “I See In My Dreams”



[ad_2]

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *