Boss sings about love, loss, dust
BY DAVE SINGER For
the Sunday Gazette
ALBANY —
Bruce Springsteen knows that his audience still wants to hear him sing about
the Jersey boardwalk, promised lands, back streets, fortune tellers, Candy,
Eddie, Rosalita and Sandy.
To stand alone in front of 7,000 people Saturday night at the Pepsi Arena with only a guitar and harmonica, singing none of the above, requires confidence and a steeled nerve.
To stand alone in front of 7,000 people Saturday night at the Pepsi Arena with only a guitar and harmonica, singing none of the above, requires confidence and a steeled nerve.
Despite the rules, for the next three hours he held the crowd in a spell with songs and lyrics that, while simple, created a fierce intensity that weighted down the hall like a gravity force.
But Springsteen, the clear boss of the night, knew how and when to lift their spirits as well, though not too high. There was no knee slides across the stage. This was more a night of introspection and the sharing of Springsteen’s vision of America.
After opening with "Into the Fire" on clavichord, he followed with a preachy "Reason to Believe" with harmonica only. His stomping and tone must have made a few uneasy about what to expect for the night.
CONNECTION MADE
But when he picked up his guitar and strummed "Devils and Dust," the title track from his latest release, he connected with his audience for the first time, easing the tension. It wasn’t the Bruce of "Born to Run" or "The River," but at least it was "Nebraska" Bruce.
He stayed mostly distant from the crowd through much of the show, eventually settling in for conversation during the second half — there was no set break — offering, for example, his signature stories about mom and dad.
When he sang "Long Time Comin’," which he dedicated to his oldest son, Evan, who was in the audience, Springsteen opened his eyes and scanned the crowd through the song, his first real eye contact.
His subtle technique of drawing out words with accents on the wrong syllable — whether calculated or natural — added strength to the sparse package and captivated a silent arena without effort.
And when Bruce sang "It’s alright, it’s alright yeah," in "Lonesome Day," he seemed to mean it and the room felt it.
He played most of his new release. Notable songs of the night included "Tougher than the Rest," "Jesus was an Only Son," "The Rising," "Silver Palomino" and "Leah."
A common theme through his songbook is about bringing dignity to one’s job. Saturday night this message was louder through his own modeling than through his lyrics.
But when he picked up his guitar and strummed "Devils and Dust," the title track from his latest release, he connected with his audience for the first time, easing the tension. It wasn’t the Bruce of "Born to Run" or "The River," but at least it was "Nebraska" Bruce.
He stayed mostly distant from the crowd through much of the show, eventually settling in for conversation during the second half — there was no set break — offering, for example, his signature stories about mom and dad.
When he sang "Long Time Comin’," which he dedicated to his oldest son, Evan, who was in the audience, Springsteen opened his eyes and scanned the crowd through the song, his first real eye contact.
His subtle technique of drawing out words with accents on the wrong syllable — whether calculated or natural — added strength to the sparse package and captivated a silent arena without effort.
And when Bruce sang "It’s alright, it’s alright yeah," in "Lonesome Day," he seemed to mean it and the room felt it.
He played most of his new release. Notable songs of the night included "Tougher than the Rest," "Jesus was an Only Son," "The Rising," "Silver Palomino" and "Leah."
A common theme through his songbook is about bringing dignity to one’s job. Saturday night this message was louder through his own modeling than through his lyrics.
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