As we’ll be operating under a tight time frame after work, I set to work on a range of what are effectively last minute actions – locate my tickets, gather my digital camera, check and double check its batteries are fully charged, find my ear plugs, etc. In the car to work “M” and I discuss our strategy for dinner, travel to the gig and parking without resolving anything. I drop her off at work and continue to mine thinking about the coming show. Specifically, I wonder whether Bruce has any memories about his previous gigs in Melbourne…
Tonight will be my fifth Springsteen gig all of which have
been in Melbourne during the current and 3 previous tours. So far the most memorable were the two of the
three shows at the intimate Palais Theatre in February 1997 on the Ghost Of Tom
Joad tour. These were solo acoustic
shows, each magnificent demonstrations of Bruce’s songwriting and his rapport
with the audience. The audience at both,
comprising the hard core Bruce fans, were awestruck.
That tour marked the only time I’d had any form of contact
with The Boss. Having received a tip, I
stuck around in the stalls after the final show. After most of the audience had departed,
Bruce peaked out from behind the curtain returned to the lip of the stage and
greeted us. I had my vinyl copy of the
Born To Run cover and a biro hoping for an autograph. Bruce reached out to me first and stuck out
his hand and I shook it, marking the only few seconds we have met
on the road. He then reached to the guy
next to me, who held a marker pen and the Darkness cover, and signed THAT. (Memo to self and you out there: if you want
an album cover signed, ensure that it is of Darkness. And take that marker pen.)
Yet, however memorable the acoustic gigs were, Melbourne and
Bruce and the E Street Band have had, what I would term, an interesting
relationship. Initially it was notable for how long it took for that
relationship with the both city and the nation to be consummated.
Bruce’s first tour of Australia was in 1985
meaning Australian audiences had missed out on previous tours, especially
the epic ones in support of Born To Run and Darkness. As a result, rabid fans like me and the-Bruce-fan-formally-known-as-MJ
(he now wants to go under the name of Mulder) missed out on all of the thrills
with which he made his reputation as a live performer. For all our devotion we had not witnessed
the piano only versions of Thunder Road, or the 20 minute plus versions of
Kitty’s Back, or the Detroit Medley or the version of Prove It All Night with
the lengthy intro as played on the Darkness tour. Rosalita never came out. All we were left with were bootlegs, the live
footage from the No Nukes film and that single filmed performance of Rosalita
which we’d all watched incessantly once the VCR was invented.
My thinking was then interrupted by my arrival at work. Fortunately I had a few meetings during the day
including a lengthy one off site to keep my mind occupied. But these initial thoughts influenced the
selection of the one album I played in total during the day:
(242) Bruce
Springsteen & The E Street Band – Hammersmith Odeon, 75
The origins of this album go back to a film of Bruce’s
first show on his debut European tour which finally surfaced as a DVD on the 30th
Anniversary release of Born To Run. This
CD version was released a few months afterwards. It is a marvellous document of the band
during that era containing, yes, the piano Thunder Road, a lengthy Kitty’s
Back, Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) and the Detroit Medley. Other mainstays of the era including his
cover of Gary U.S Bonds’ Quarter To Three, Jungleland and Backstreets are also
included. The DVD version in the box set
though is the way to experience this performance.
Yet, despite the magnificence of the live performances I’ve
heard or seen from around the world over nearly 40 years, unfortunately, the
two gigs I’ve seen with the band raise mixed emotions. There are a number of factors
that account for this, only some of which were out of Bruce’s control. Put another way, I’d always felt that
something was missing.
The first band show I attended was the second (and last)
Melbourne date on the Born In The U.S.A. tour on 4 April 1985. (In an amazing
coincidence to this year, it occurred just a month or so after the epic debut
Neil Young/International Harvesters/Crazy Horse gigs. Another coincidence with this year: the 1985 shows also occurred in the week
leading into Easter.) This tour occurred
at the absolute zenith of Bruce’s fame here and the demand for tickets was intense.
Despite being just about the first act to charge more than $20AUS for a gig,
the first night – 50,000 tickets – sold out in less than 2 hours before I got
even close to the counter at the ticket office.
Therein lay a couple of issues; first there was then no concert venue
in Melbourne capable of holding such a crowd given the unavailability of the
100,000 seater Melbourne Cricket Ground
and the 75,000 seater (now demolished) VFL Park owing to the start of the
Australian Rules football season.
Instead the shows were held at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds in the
middle of residential Flemington and to which strict curfews and noise limits
applied. In Springsteen history, the two
Melbourne shows were, I think, only the third and fourth occasions the band had
played a headlining gig outdoors and the first gig was probably the biggest
crowd they’d played before up to that point. And to make things harder for the Melbourne
audience to bear, the Sydney based promoter scheduled additional shows there at the indoor
Sydney Entertainment Centre.
The Melbourne crowd was filled with people who become fans
solely on the strength of the Born In The U.S.A album and knew little of the rest
of his catalogue apart from the Born To Run, Hungry Heart and The River singles. This meant the set list was compromised in their
favour with even Born In The U.S.A. B-sides played in preference to earlier
material. It is arguable whether this won
them over in any case. I remember, for
example, some new fans dressed up as though they were going to a disco chatting
to themselves at interval and comparing the show unfavourably to Spandau Ballet
who were in town that week. In terms of
epic tracks, the last thing I expected, or as it turned out wanted, was a 10
minute version of Cover Me. A total of only
two tracks (Born To Run and Thunder Road) was played from the first three
albums including nothing from the first two.
Bruce’s decision to drop Rosalita as a permanent fixture from his set started with that Australian tour. Surely he could have waited? Covers of Trapped, Can’t Help Falling In
Love, Twist And Shout and Rockin’ All Over The World were nice but they
essentially couldn’t disguise this was a band coming to grips with a larger,
outdoor stage and a less than fanatical audience whilst still in the process of
integrating Patti Scialfa and Nils Lofgren. It was a great show by many standards but only
a good one by Bruce standards.
But the 1985 gig was nothing compared to the relative disaster
that was the 20 March 2003 show on The Rising Tour at the Telstra Dome (now
known as Eithad Stadium). Melbourne's only gig that tour occurred in a
54,000 seater stadium with a retractable roof and the tour was booked by the
same Sydney based promoter as before who, this time, scheduled smaller, multiple
indoor shows in Brisbane as well as Sydney. A massive A Reserve was erected on the arena
surface and priced out of the range for the average fan. The
remainder of the arena and the grandstands, all a considerable distance from
the stage, were priced more modestly but the venue ended up being, at best,
only two thirds full.
This time I was better prepared and was able to get tickets
for myself and Mulder 30 seconds after they went on sale. We were in row AA which we assumed was front
row, only to turn up on the night and discover we were in the last row of the A
Reserve. As I watched the reserve fill
up, I started to get an uneasy feeling.
There were an awful number of people arriving wearing suits; I saw a
couple arrive dressed as though they were going to the opera complete with
binoculars. A fan next to me alleged
that the promoter had placed the A Reserve tickets on sale for his company’s shareholders
before the general public. I’ve never
been able to have this claim proven (in other words, I am not saying the
promoter did this) but, if true, it would explain the curious lack of passion
or energy from the audience in front of me that night. Meanwhile I could hear the roars from the B
Reserve behind me throughout the night (actually I could hear them twice due to the
echo caused by the largely vacant upper level) who were having a great time
despite being so far away from the stage.
If all that wasn’t enough, about 5 hours before the show
started, American troops invaded Iraq. This clearly played a role. Audience members were understandably wary
about what this meant and going to a gig that night as a war began to which Australian
troops were going to be committed and killed didn’t seem like a good idea. (I’m pretty sure it killed off last minute
ticket sales as I don’t remember queues at the stadium for them.) It did result in a memorable opening to the
show with an acoustic Born In The U.S.A giving way to a mighty version of Edwin
Starr’s War (“War what is it good for/Absolutely nothing”). But the setlist problems continued. Although I’m probably wrong here, the set felt as though it was the 1985 show
revisited, this time with tracks from The Rising replacing those from Born In The
U.S.A. Once again, the first two albums
(Rosie included) were ignored and although we had the pleasure of hearing Backstreets and seeing
Miami Steve, you could sense that Bruce was distracted by Iraq. After this single gig, the band continued to
Sydney including the infamous outdoor gig where the power cut out 4 times in
the one show. My smug sense of satisfaction turned to abject depression when I read that the crowd got a performance of Rosalita as compensation.
Thus as you can see, in my mind I had not yet experienced
the full Bruce live experience. But my
hopes had been raised immeasurably for this tour. This tour is under the control of a Melbourne
based promoter which accounts for the 3 shows at Rod Laver Arena and the two on
the edge of town at Hanging Rock. To
mind this is the sort of set up you’d expect for Melbourne. After all, it is the city that traditionally
embraces the type of music that Bruce has always leaned towards, more so than Sydney,
a city notorious for taking aboard and discarding the dominant musical trend or act of
the moment. Moreover, the arrangement is
fairer to Bruce’s fans in South Australia and Tasmania, where he’s never
played and who can get to Melbourne far more easily. I’d imagine that quite a few South
Australians will be making the 700km road trip from Adelaide to Melbourne for an
Easter holiday gig at Hanging Rock.
But, from the moment the shows were announced, I only had
eyes for the three shows at Rod Laver Arena aka Centre Court of the Australian Tennis Open.
To me the E Street Band is one of the very few which could take on and
defeat this 15,000 seater, Australia’s largest, premier and regularly used
indoor concert venue. (It is also a
venue that would be regular member of the world’s top 10 concert venues by
attendance and takings if not for the 5 weeks it’s out of commission every
summer owing to the tennis tournament – and even then it sometime gets
in.) A gig at Rod Laver, is effectively
the closest anyone in Melbourne is ever likely to see this band in something
approaching intimate mode.
Finally, there is an even more significant personal reason
for wanting the true experience. This is
the first time Bruce has been to Melbourne since “M” and I got together and
I’ve always promised to take her. To
date the shows we’ve attended together are those she’s wanted to see. This is the only act I’ve wanted her to
see. If I was still a bachelor there is not the slightest doubt that I would
have gone to all three nights. Instead I’ve
taken the risk of buying two tickets for the same night, one for “M”, and hoping I got the right
night. (Or should I say, hoping Mulder
got the right night as he bought them this time.)
Actually, I had a choice of only the first night or tonight because I’m
off tomorrow to see the only Melbourne date of the only other act on the planet
who could conceivably keep me away from Bruce. After seeing the set list for
opening night, I’m reasonably confident that I’ll get the better of the two
nights.
And so, after picking up “M” from work, we dash back home
and, in tribute to Springsteen’s Italian roots, whip up an batch of gnocchi for
dinner. We wolf it down, I collect
everything assembled in the morning and we head out. I’d devised a clever driving route where I go
against the Melbourne peak hour traffic to arrive at my favoured parking spot
alongside the Yarra River. When I arrive
there, all the spots are taken; the one thing I’d forgotten was that Chris
Isaak is playing the Myer Music Bowl on the other side of the river to Rod
Laver. Fortunately, some joggers having
completed their run around The Tan, return to their car and so, holding up
traffic, I wait for them to leave and take their spot. It’s now 6.20 pm. “M” and I walk along the river, taking in the
smell of all the barbeques taking place, cross the Swan Street Bridge and head
into Rod Laver.
Our tickets are pretty good; five rows from the bottom of
the lower level of seats, more or less, where coaches and family sit during
the Australian Open. The venue
is set to just about maximum capacity; seats behind the stage have been sold,
general admission applies on the first half of the tennis court with the back
half comprising a raised seated area. Mulder joins us with his partner who I
shall call Scully. It is her first Bruce gig too. Mulder and I talk about the
opening night; he is convinced we’ve got the better night. We note that Spirit In The Night was played
marking the end of the ban of tracks from the first two albums.
It is now 7.50 pm and E Street Band members start to enter
the stage. I fumble for my camera and
wonder whether I’ll finally experience the true Springsteen live show;
Gig # 700 – Bruce
Springsteen And The E Street Band, Rod Laver Arena, National Tennis Centre,
Melbourne
Bruce Springsteen is last to step on the stage. The packed house rises to their feet and does
its best to blow the retractable roof off.
Already it’s clear that front of stage, indeed the whole arena, is full
of the true believers (and partners), no fair weather fans, corporate shareholding
theatre going types or Spandau Ballet apologists among them.
In complete contrast
to the infamous 2003 gig, Bruce stifles a laugh whilst yelling, “Melbourne… Bums off
seats”. A count off and the band roars
into a full bodied Badlands, the perfect opener with house lights up as per
standard operating procedure. It segues beautifully into We Take Care Of Our
Own, played with appropriate intensity.
After that, the band starts to idle, and some musical cues
suggest Adam Raised A Cain will be next.
Bruce holds up the band, heads to the audience, plucks a song suggestion
and reveals it to the crowd as Cadillac Ranch turning the audience into a state
of absolute frenzy. This turns out to be
an astute choice as next up is the title track of Wrecking Ball, delivered
flawlessly. Bruce then returns to the
crowd and selects another request. This
time it’s Downbound Train, practically the only track from Born In The U.S.A.
he didn’t play in 1985. (Has he finally
checked the set lists for his previous Melbourne shows?) The ensemble playing
on the song’s outro is impressive and I wonder why he doesn’t play this more
often. Death To My Hometown comes next
and I’m starting to notice the impact of Tom Morello (aka The Nightwatchman,
aka the guitarist from Rage Against The Machine), Miami Steve’s temporary
replacement for the tour whilst filming in Norway.
Hungry Heart follows with “M” singing along. Bruce takes to the audience, moving along one
side and then across a narrow catwalk between the general admission and court
seated fans. From there he stage dives
into the audience who carry him back to the stage whilst he finishes the
tune. On the way, a fan gives him a
beret, exactly like the one he wore in the early years. “I’ve got the cap. I may as well play the song that goes along
with it”, he declares and the band launches into Spirit In The Night. Mulder and I high five and are practically in tears as a
lifetime ambition is realised. Bruce
then attempts to put everyone in tears with a mournful yet beautiful rendering
of My City Of Ruins during which he implored those present to think of their own lost
souls. Undoubtedly some in the audience
think this is a reference to Danny Federici and Clarence Clemons but their
names are not invoked.
A funky Morello riff whips me out of wistful mood and into ecstasy
as I realise the next track is The E Street Shuffle. It is a mighty version, with the arrangement
making full use of the talents of the 5 man horn section, three backing sessions and
percussionist. The instrumental coda at
the end is nothing short of astonishing.
But something even more astonishing is to come as Bruce plucks two
requests from the audience. He shows
them to the band and asks if they could possibly play it and then informs the
audience he had noticed this request during every date of the Australian tour to
date. It is for Red Headed Woman from
Human Touch, close to my least favourite song in his entire repertoire. He
starts it as a solo number in, if my memory holds, “The key of C, the people’s
key”. A borderline delta blues interpretation,
the arrival of Soozie Tyrell’s fiddle heralds its mutation into a country style
hoedown with everyone joining in. It’s
an unexpected triumph from a most unexpected source.
The audience (“M” included) then erupt when the familiar
cords of Because The Night follow on its heels, the arrangement sticking fairly
close to Patti Smith’s original interpretation.
A tremendous version of She’s The One is next followed by the night’s
sole number from Nebraska. This is Open
All Night but played in the wonderful arrangement pioneered by Springsteen’s
Sessions Band on the Live In Dublin album.
The party atmosphere unleashed by this is then sustained by the neighbouring
Born In The U.S.A tracks, Working On The Highway and Darlington County. Shackled And Drawn from Wrecking Ball
follows, giving the extended band another chance to shine. Hot on its heels is Waitin’ On A Sunny Day,
another chance for a singalong. During
this number, Bruce plucks a young fan from the audience to sing along, a cheesy
moment for sure, but one which has the audience roaring its approval. Just before returning the boy to the
audience, Bruce hoists him atop his shoulders.
The reason for his selection becomes apparent as it reveals not only was
he dressed in a white T-shirt and blue jeans, the boy also had a red baseball
cap dangling from his rear pocket. Sound
familiar?
Then comes the highlight of the night as Bruce starts The
Ghost Of Tom Joad. With Nils Lofgren sitting in on lap steel guitar, initially
it sounds like its going to be a straight band version. After the first couple
of verses, Tom Morello joins in on vocals turning it into a duet. (We should have seen this coming. After all, Rage Against The Machine covered
the tune on their covers album.) From
there the tune gains in intensity until exploding into a guitar orgy with
Morello incorporating his trademark Rage Against The Machine scratchings. The audience roar at its end was testament to
the magnificence of the version.
Very few songs could possibly hope to follow this. Something special was needed and duly delivered
in the form of Thunder Road with the audience singing at full throttle for the
entire track. It was here that Clarence
Clemons’ nephew Jake shone, delivering the sax solo with a power and tone
almost identical to his uncle. It’s so
strong, I wonder whether he is using Clarence’s saxophone.
At this point, the band took their bows and the encores
began without anyone leaving the stage. We Are Alive was up first in the "encore", being the final of
the modest total of 5 Wrecking Ball tracks delivered on the night. Another lesson learnt from previous Melbourne
shows perhaps? Unquestionably the best
version of Born To Run I’ve heard live – the song that probably means more to me than any other
- is next with Jake
again starring. This leads into Dancing
In The Dark utilising the version seen on the Live In Barcelona DVD. Jake comes down again for the sax solo and
the night’s ritual selection of the audience member to dance with The Boss but
a curious thing happens. Bruce plucks
out a request from the audience, turns to Morello and calls out something. Eventually,
Morello nods in agreement and Bruce plucks out a girl. As he does so, Morello takes off his guitar
and the girl runs to him. They do 50s style
dancing, shimmys and bum dancing. Bruce,
not to be outdone, selects his own dance partner.
The song ends and the girls are returned to the mosh
pit. Bruce motions to the band that he
wants to select another request. He
plucks the card he wants and with a triumphant cry of “One time for Melbourne”
reveals it to be Rosalita (Come Out Tonight). I unleash a primal roar I didn’t
know existed within me as all those years of yearning for this one moment comes
true. Mulder, even more uncharacteristically,
starts singing along and in tune to boot.
We HAD got the right night! It’s a fairly straight forward rendition of
the standard but we don’t care.
By songs end, Bruce was just about gone and hams it up. He lays on the stage, leaving Nils to collect
a giant sponge and soaks him with it.
The band then launch into a superb version of Tenth Avenue Freezeout
with the horn section really making its presence felt. Then came the emotional moment; at the line
where “the Big Man joins the band”, everyone on stage stops and looks toward
the video screen. Footage of Clarence Clemons
is shown and the audience roars and applauds in tribute. Someone in the Bruce organisation had also
done their homework and remembered Danny Federici had also died since the last
Melbourne show and ensured he too is cut into the tribute. The audience greets his appearance with
similar favour. After another expedition
into the audience (his third), the tune and gig is wrapped up and the house
lights come up. The audience is still on
its feet applauding.
Despite the general euphoria, the last number was a sobering
one. It was a reminder that the end of
the road is looming for band members, many in the audience and Bruce himself. His songs are beginning to address this issue but that’s a thought for another day.
At this exact moment, everyone is stunned but happy.
I’m very happy. I
finally had my reservations about the previous Melbourne gigs vindicated and
seen Melbourne’s reputation of Australia’s Bruce capital finally put in its proper
place. I’ve finally experienced what it’s
like to be a real Springsteen gig and in the right venue. I award the, dare I say it inevitable, perfect
10 I’ve always wanted to a Springsteen show placing Bruce in the top rank of
all the acts I’ve seen. But most importantly of all, I shared it with “M”
and converted her to the cause as well.
Thanks Boss. We’ll see
ya down the road.
No comments:
Post a Comment