Bruce Springsteen Sunderland Stadium of Light 21 June 2012

Bruce Springsteen Sunderland Stadium of Light 21 June 2012
Laura, David, Luke, Phil and I all went to see Bruce last night. Great gig, and a pretty marathon set, coming in at over 3 hours, which seems to be pretty standard for Bruce these days. The afternoon had started with the heavens opening, soaking Sunderland with a deluge of rain, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of anyone there. Bruce was advertised to come on stage at 7pm, with no support act. David, Luke and Phil went over around 6pm, but Laura and I couldn’t get away until a little later. We drove over and managed to get parked in a side street quite close to the stadium, and got in to the gig around 7.30pm, thus missing the first few songs. Its quite strange entering a massive gig after the show starts; and seeing the band and crowd in full swing. Its like entering a party late, where everyone is already drunk and well into the spirit of the thing. The set was a mixture of old and new, and although there were quite a few songs that neither Laura or I knew, it didn’t drag at all. The favourites were kept until the end; Laura was delighted he did Thunder Road, and of course Born to Run, she had been hoping for Because the Night, but hey you can’t get everything. The E Street Band was as tight as any band can be, and Bruce’s energy and stamina was just amazing. The show was somewhat understated, no gimmicks or technology, just good honest music. And that for me is what makes Bruce world class, the boss, the future of rock and roll, whatever you choose to call him. You get the feeling that this guy really means what he says and sings; that he really feels it, and yet he does so almost effortlessly. There is a level of honesty, passion and authenticity about Bruce that few others have. He comes over as a working class guy with a voice that transcends political, cultural and geographic boundaries and barriers, and he connects with the audience in a unique way. The connection between performer is so natural, simple, through the songs, the way he holds and plays the guitar, and yet in a way no other performer can quite match. Last night in Sunderland everyone of the 50,000 people in that stadium felt a connection with that guy on the stage, and we all went away feeling a little happier, stronger and all the better for it. I went to work today, and everyone I met was talking about the gig, whether they were there or not. This was the seventh time I’ve seen Bruce, the first being at his first UK gig in Hammersmith Odeon in 1975. What I observe over the years is the way in which the guys music and confidence has grown, from a young guy wearing a wooly hat singing his songs about American life to a small(ish) theatre almost 40 years ago, to a guy who is perhaps at his peak now, leading a stadium full of people of all ages through a series of anthems that mean so much to so many. Just amazing. Setlist: Badlands; We Take Care Of Our Own; Wrecking Ball; Death to My Hometown; My City of Ruins; Spirit in the Night; Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?; Jack of All Trades; Youngstown; Murder Incorporated; Johnny 99; Working on the Highway; Shackled and Drawn; Waitin’ on a Sunny Day; The Promised Land; Point Blank; The River; The Rising; Out in the Street; Land of Hope and Dreams. Encore: We Are Alive; Thunder Road; Born to Run; Hungry Heart; Seven Nights to Rock; Glory Days; Dancing in the Dark; Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.