From: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org (LuckyTown Digest) To: luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Subject: LuckyTown Digest V9 #61 Reply-To: luckytown@luckytown.org Sender: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Errors-To: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Precedence: bulk LuckyTown Digest Thursday, August 8 2002 Volume 09 : Number 061 NOTE: Sale/trade posts should be emailed to luckytown-ads, *NOT* to luckytown. That includes tix wanted/tix grovels, post them to luckytown-ads, please. Contents: A Few Thoughts on CAA show [Sdwssw@aol.com] Opening night at last ["bossfan" ] 8/7/02 opinion/CDR request.... [promano@monmouth.com] This tour's Setlist [Lawrence Matasar ] My heart and soul in Jersey ["Douglas W. Corkhill"] Opening night [billellenconlon@webtv.net (William Conlon)] Does a 6 pack of beer cost the same now as '75? ["O'Hearn, Chris" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 08 Aug 2002 11:06:47 -0400 From: Sdwssw@aol.com Subject: A Few Thoughts on CAA show I was there on the floor with a GA ticket. It really wasn't that bad. There was a line formed when I got the arena at 3:45 and we decided not to get in it. What they did was allow the first few hundred into a front area that was "walled off" those persons each received 2 wristbands to allow them back into the "pen." Everyone else had a wristband. I was about 50 feet in front of the stage and we entered the building a little after 7. No problems what so ever. With regard to the show itself. I kind of expected the show to be what it was and to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't much change in the set list on this "barnstorm" portion of the tour. He has said he wants to get this new music out and he certainly is doing so playing almost 1/2 of the show with the new material. I didn't find a bad song in the entire bunch. Certainly everyone there has several songs they would love to hear but it is Bruce's decision as to what he wants to present to us. I would imagine that next year the show will get much looser in regard to setlist and length. Was I disappointed in the length, yes and no. A 2:25 minute show is long for most acts but with Bruce it is somewhat disappointing. But remember at the beginning of the Reunion Tour. There were shows at the Meadowlands which were the same length and they grew as the tour progressed. BRING ON DC! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 14:21:43 -0400 From: "bossfan" Subject: Opening night at last Opening night for a Springsteen tour is like a World Series opener for me, all that tension, energy, anxiety bottled up. You can just taste it. But unlike the Series, where your team might not come out on top, you'll never leave a Springsteen concert disappointed- or do you? I think we fans (or fanatics, whichever is more apt), tend to be so critical that there is inevitably going to be some disappointments on any tour date, especially the first. But overall, how can you not leave a Springsteen show exhausted, vocally and emotionally drained, and just glad you're alive when this guy and this band are playing at home again? Opening night had its share of goofs. Steve, Clarence and Nils all had equipment problems to which Bruce was very kind. The transitions aren't always smooth: the mix of old and new songs sometimes comes across as jarring. That could simply be that we're hearing them for the first time or it could be that the order needs adjusting. Certainly this will be worked out as the tour goes on. Highlights for me: "Waitin' on a Sunny Day." Bashed by some Luckytown subscribers, this was the first big rouser of the evening. Bruce and the entire band had looks of amazement of their faces as the audience sang along, not just to the chorus, but to most of the lyrics. I'm sure the band didn't expect everyone to be on top of it and into it as they were; the combination of "Empty Sky," beautifully performed with Patti (and sounding very Beatle-ish) and "You're Missing," with that heartbreaking violin; ; "Worlds Apart," a dizzying blend of guitar, violin, and chanting that was extended beyond the album's version. I think this will stay in the set, perhaps in another location; the first encore with house lights fully up for "Born to Run," and mostly up for "Glory Days." These are the rewards for the faithful, and just to watch 20,000 pairs of arms waving in unison, as we have for two decades, never ceases to be remarkable.; "Born in the USA." great to have the full band version back. Bruce was getting hoarse here and left the shouting on the chorus to the fans. Disappointments: "Countin' on a Miracle" (why not put "Further on Up the Road" here as a prelude to "American Skin"?); "Thunder Road," Bruce's masterpiece does seem tired. Maybe it's time to bring back the acoustic version. For me, the biggest problem with performing 11 new songs on a 21-song setlist (more than HALF!), is there is no room for the surprise: the opportunity to see Bruce sit down at the piano and do "For You" or "The Promise" instead of "My City of Ruins," the chance to hear a "Lost in the Flood" or a "Jackson Cage" somewhere in the set. No surprises in this setlist, folks. Hopefully, some of the new songs will be replaced with those "nuggets" as the tour unfolds. Couple of final thoughts: Bruce didn't get around the stage much. The large area behind the stage that seemed ideal for a full band visit (during "Mary's Place?") was unused. And what was the story with the four rows of seats behind the stage that were unfilled? Security? Bruce needn't have worried. The General Admission was divided into a smaller front area and the huge remaining section. Fans seemed orderly; sitting in section 112 tucked just off to the left side and slightly behind the stage the sound was OK but nothing to write home about; I couldn't make out what Bruce was saying during the intros about who Max Weinberg was the illegitimate son of (Keith Moon, Buddy Rich and who?). But are GA seats a plus? I think not. Sure it packs more people into the show. Adding excitement to the event? C'mon, people are standing the whole show anyway. Maybe it would have been nice for folks who did want to get off their feet for a couple of songs to sit down (as they did everywhere except the floor), for example during "Empty Sky," "You're Missing," "American Skin" and "My City of Ruins." So GA? Nah for me. And who designs those Teeshirts? Bruce, you know we all want a souvenir of the show. Give us something better for our $35! (Yeah, of course I bought one, the rusty brown one). Hope everyone gets tickets this weekend. We'll all be watching to see how the tour evolves during the months to come. You know you'll have a blast! Hopefully, I'll get the opportunity when Bruce comes to Albany. Eric Eisenstein Albany, NY [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 10:31:40 EST From: promano@monmouth.com Subject: 8/7/02 opinion/CDR request.... Hi all, Was lucky enough to attend the opening night of the tour, and wanted to share my feelings on what I saw, heard, and felt. Will love to see the followup comments. Lastly, am looking for a CDR of the show (think I saw one taper being snagged by CAA security, felt bad for him). The show: Band was in great form, as tight as ever. My seat was three rows behind the stage, so had a good view of all the performers. I tell you, I don't know how Max lasts night after night. He really pounds those drums, getting such sound out of a little kit! Broke three drumsticks during Badlands, and just kept playing without missing a beat! Really liked the addition of Soozie Tyrell, her violin really adds something to the sounds of the band. Kept hoping that Bruce would play Jungleland, so we would finally get to hear the album version, complete with violin, live. Loved the opening sequence (The Rising/Lonesome Day/Prove It All Night), but then Bruce put us back in our seats for The Fuse. That's how I felt the rest of the night went, just as we were starting to rev up, Bruce calmed us down again. A bit confusing as to where he wanted to take us musically. I was disappointed in the sound (a bit muddy, especially during the speaking, what was he trying to say?), hope they straighten that out. Lots of technical problems (both Steven & Nils had amp problems, they were working on Max's drum kit all evening) which I'm sure they will work out. Was a bit surprised to be outside the CAA at 10:45 (show started 8:17), am I just being a spoiled Bruce fan? Also, the song selection of his old stuff could have been better, IMHO. While I love Prove/Darkness/Promised Land/Two Hearts, Bruce has so much other stuff he could substitute. Why not Candy's Room, Somewhere In The Night, Adam Raised A Cain from Darkness, why not Sherry Darling/Ramrod/Jackson Cage from the River for Two Hearts (which seems a bit tired)? Why not She's The One/Night for Thunder Road? Nothing from Greetings/Wild/Tunnel/Human/Better? Especially the last three, which are very underrated, IMHO. I've done the arm pumping to Badlands enough! I'd rather her Max do the intro to Candy's Room this time around! Loved the return of the full Born In The USA and Glory Days, stuff we didn't hear on the last tour. Lastly, 22 songs, the shortest full length concert I've attended. Am I spoiled? Expect too much from Bruce? Probably, but I think that is what has made his concerts such a special occasion, something you want to attend again and again and again. After last night, don't know if I feel the same way (though I'll try and get tickets to Philly, will probably go see him somewhere else than in the NJ area, old habits are hard to break!! :-) ). Lastly, so who has the CDR, and wants to trade? Have lots to trade with, so let me know..... Thanks, Paul promano@monmouth.com This message was sent using MI-Webmail provided by Monmouth Internet ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 09:49:35 -0700 From: Lawrence Matasar Subject: This tour's Setlist Even though I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm often one of those fans who John Moye described in LT#60 as, "Bruce fans, who cross their finger at every song break hoping the band will kick into 'Rosalita,'" I'm still glad that the guy who ran into Bruce just after September 11, rolled down his window and yelled, "We need you," instead of yelling, "We need you to play Rosalita." Larry Matasar ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 08 Aug 2002 13:14:35 -0400 From: "Douglas W. Corkhill" Subject: My heart and soul in Jersey For the first time in my life I left a Bruce Springsteen concert disconcerted. I enjoyed the live presentation of most of The Rising songs, particularly Empty Sky and World's Apart, and Sunny Day was everything I had hoped it would be and then some. It was the other, older songs, the warhorses if you will, that left me in an emotional vacuum. One thing is clear about this tour; Bruce is out to promote the new record. Eleven new songs were performed, ten in the main 16 song set. The Rising, Lonesome Day, The Fuse and Counting On A Miracle were performed pretty much as they sound on the disc, with the set ending rather limply with Into The Fire. The others were brought to life, and glowed from the attention they were given. Empty Sky was the highlight of the show. It began with only Bruce and Patti on stage, in almost total darkness. Bruce played an acoustic guitar and sang with Patti joining him on the harmonies. I got chills it was so gorgeous. Steve and Max appeared in the darkness at some point, and the full band returned for You're Missing, another beautiful, quiet presentation. Bruce did not play an instrument on this song, making me wonder if I've ~ever~ seen him perform a song before without playing something. I think Soozie played a viola, giving the sound a fuller, deeper richness, although in the liner notes she's only given credit for violin. I like the addition of Soozie to the band. She came up front at the start of Waiting on a Sunny Day and had a nice duet with Clarence on baritone sax during one of the breaks. Sunny Day was indeed turned into a sing-a-long, and was fabulous, the crowd singing loudly. This song got the loudest cheers of all the new material. Bruce dedicated it to Brendan O'Brien, "wherever he may be." World's Apart is an unusual song for Bruce, and as it began the exits were flooded with folks going out. The pacing was slower than the album, the song haunting. Nils played a banjo, Danny the accordion and Clarence finger cymbals. Max and Soozie again contributed nicely to the uniqueness of the sound. Bruce played a blistering solo that turned into a duet with Steve. While I thought the presentation of World's Apart was terrific, reminding me a bit of U-2's Bullet The Blue Sky, I'm not sure how well it will go over with others. Mary's place was fun, complete with the band introductions and a story to start it off which explained the "furniture's out on the front porch" line. By now I suppose Roy is used to being introduced as the illegitimate son of Jerry Lee Lewis and Liberace! The kiss is long gone; Clarence and Bruce saluted each other. The song turned into a doo-wop number briefly before building to a (waiting for a shot from the crowd) rousing (turn it up!) climax. The sound was murky early on, with Gary mixed in much too high for my liking. Max's drums shook my chest cavity during The Rising; a good thing. By Empty Sky, the sixth song in, the sound seemed to be worked out, although it was certainly cranked up for the encores. The older material didn't take me places that it used to, perhaps because the songs Bruce chose to include don't integrate well with the music of The Rising. I liked the new phrasing of Darkness On The Edge of Town, the almost spoken lines like "They carry it with them every step that they take" that gave the song a new listen. But Promised Land, Prove It and Badlands were delivered almost perfunctorily, and Two Hearts seemed rushed. I think many of the Tunnel songs would mesh well with The Rising material, and some others; Point Blank, Backstreets or Lost In The Flood come to mind. And so I stood and sang during the encores, the words slipping effortlessly across my lips, my mind hearing them, my heart and soul not emoting. It was an odd sensation, especially as the building shook during Born to Run. I may have been disappointed by the shortness of the show; the main set was an hour and forty minutes, the encores adding another 45 minutes. Perhaps I expected too much; with Soozie in the band it certainly seems that Jungleland will appear somewhere, and I would have gladly traded Promised Land or Badlands for Candy's Room. I wonder, too, what effect the effort to promote the new album has on the band. They didn't seem to have the same infectious joy as during the last tour. Although there were some nice moments with most of the band lined up tight across the front lip of the stage, they never went to the rear riser, and Bruce only ventured back there twice. And Clarence doesn't seem to have a lot to do on many numbers but tap the tambourine or shake the maracas. I'm looking forward to the show in DC Saturday night. I can't wait to listen harder to the nuances of the new material, to see if Empty Sky causes my arm hairs to stand up again and to absorb World's Apart. I'm curious to see how he tweaks the show, to see what gets added or dropped. And, hopefully, I can find myself dancing and singing along with 18,000 others to Glory Days with the reckless abandonment of the rest of the crowd. Doug ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 14:42:00 -0400 From: "Thomas Murphy" Subject: CAA Review (remove my e-mail address please) I was lucky enough to score 4 tickets for opening night from ticketmaster. I took my two oldest daughters and my spouse to what I hoped would be a fantastic show. We arrived at 4:30pm and joined the other Bruce fans in a meadowlands tailgate party. We entered the building early in hopes of being MIB'ed (we had nosebleed seats, section 230). I didn't see anyone MIB'ed. The show starts around 8pm. Now the fun begins. The drunks behind us start screaming in the most annoying voice I've ever heard. Now comes the beer that's dropped on my spouse's head followed by her drunken boyfriend falling over his seat on to me, on to my children. I picked him up and threw him (I'm a big guy) back to his seat after which they were both very quite for the rest of the show. As far as the show goes, it was fine, but it never got going. The band was great, so was Bruce but the show felt flat. The new songs which are mostly sad, reflective music confused the 20,000 fans at the show not knowing what to do during them. Should I clap? Should I sit? Not the typical Bruce fan reaction. The show clocked in at around 2 hours and 15 minutes, again not the typical Bruce Show. Am I the only one who's feels strange when Bruce yells at the fans to be "quite" during songs? Its really a bit much... One other thing that comes to mind, the older songs were mostly played and performed verbatim from the "live in new york city" DVD, right down to stage moves. Come on guys, how about something a little new? The evening cost me over $600 for tickets, food, drink, tee shirts, hot dogs and the opportunity to deal with complete drunken fools. Speaking to our parking lot mates in lot 24, everyone seemed to have they're own story of dealing with drunken idiot fans at CAA. For the first time since I've been going to see Bruce and the boys back in the day I'm wondering if its really worth the money. CAA needs to some how address the intoxicated fan issue. Maybe I'm getting to old to deal with the drunks. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 17:39:26 -0400 (EDT) From: billellenconlon@webtv.net (William Conlon) Subject: Opening night I could hardly disagree more with John Moye's comments regarding the New Jersey show. I won't go on and on, but just a few things: Of course it's a matter of opinion, but Moye seems to be most upset over Bruce not peppering the setlist with the same old songs. He longs for 10th Ave, Rosie, Out in the Street, etc. He lists the Born to Run- Thunder Road- Glory Days encore as a high-point. I would have liked to hear, just for instance, Jackson Cage or, indeed, anything from the River other than the usual suspects. I would have loved to hear the other 4 songs from The Rising. As for Bruce asking the crowd for quiet during a couple songs: I think he asked that on behalf of those of us who get frustrated trying to hear the ballads over the conversations and whistles of the yahoos who comprise a distressingly large minority of his concert audience. Those 2 songs were a highlight for me, and I hope Bruce continues to remind people to watch their manners. I do agree that Into the Fire (great song), is an inappropriate way to end the main body of the show. And there is a problem with the pacing. But I don't think the problem is in the song selection itself, just the order in which they're played. A 6 out of 10 because Bruce has raised the bar? No, I'd give the show a 10 out of 10, keeping in mind that a Springsteen show usually rates a 12 or 13 out of 10. Can't wait to see another show. Bill ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2002 00:40:35 +0100 From: "O'Hearn, Chris" Subject: Does a 6 pack of beer cost the same now as '75? John Moye wrote in LTD V9 #60 about Bruce not performing a 3.5 to 4 hour marathon concert - "If it were any other artist, it would have been a 10. Since it was Bruce, it gets a 6.5. In a sense, he dug his own grave by setting the standards of his own fans (like me) so high" Are you serious ???? Dude - this is not 1975 at the Bottom Line and Bruce is not 24, 34 or even 44 anymore and i would suggest that you and the other 'half-assed' people on your bus pull your heads in. Do you expect a 6 pack of beer to be the same price now as it was in 1975 ???? - well based on your theory that everything is, and should remain the same, I'd say yes. I've read some pretty silly statement's in LTD but congrats - you have just taken the #1 prize. It constantly amazes me that some people are just not grateful that they have a chance of seeing Bruce allot more then some others. I know people here in Australia that would kill just to have Bruce walk on the stage. And for the record that "new as-yet-unreleased tune "Land of Hope and Dreams," as you called it has been around since 1999 and is available on the Live Album & DVD "Live In NYC" and on the B-side of 'The Rising" (which was one of the new songs that you didn't want to hear. Personally I think it's a cracker) I understand that people are entitled to their opinions but when some one starts whining about why an artist, at 53, is not staying on stage the same amount of time he did when he was 23, you have to wonder has common sense flown out the window. Sadly in once case I can confirm that the answer is a big yes. Chris ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 11:51:05 EDT From: AlanLyon@aol.com Subject: Mary's Place found in Dallas, Texas?! Time for me to weigh in on "Mary's Place." It seems I remember a few years ago, just before the reunion tour began, that Bruce was quoted as saying that one of the contemporary groups he was listening to, and enjoying, was a Texas band called Old 97's. Now down here in Dallas, that was pretty exciting for Bruce fans that also were big fans of our local boys. Having Bruce discover and enjoy a band that we liked to call our own somehow brought a little bit o' Bruce to Big D. I remember the first show of the reunion tour that I saw, flying up to Boston for the first time in my life for the Fleet Center show, walking into the arena and punching my companion in the arm, 'cause there over the PA in the pre-show music, the very second we walked into the arena, was a song from Old 97's "Fight Songs" CD! Cut to two weeks ago. I got an advance copy of "The Rising" and, though I'd already heard it on AOL, I gave "Mary's Place" a serious listen. Now, I may be putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5, but if there are any other Old 97's fans on this list, perhaps you can confirm and support this; The entire structure of the verses on "Mary," all the way through the "let it rain" or "turn it up" business, sounds like, both musically and lyrically, it could have been written by 97's frontman Rhett Miller. Specifically, the song "Bird in a Cage," off of their "Satellite Rides" CD. Not a direct "My Sweet Lord / He's So Fine" lift, but written by someone who had listened to a whole bunch of Old 97's and liked what they heard! Of course, then the chorus busts in and I thought of Southside, with a big Miami Steve horn-and-chorus arrangement. So, to make a long question longer, are there any other folks out there that are familiar enough with both artists to make this comparison hold water, or am I just relieving my bladder vertically onto a braided cord of hemp? Alan in Dallas PS: For those of you wanting to listen to a great pop band with smart lyrics, I highly recommend Old 97's and their frontman Rhett Miller, who's first solo CD comes out in September. Their last CD, "Satellite Rides," from a little over a year ago, even contains a loose homage to the Springsteen lexicon called "Buick City Complex." Sample lyric... "They're tearing the Buick City complex down. I think we're the only people left in town. Where you gonna move? Where you gonna move? Do you wanna mess around?" Sort of the "all the jobs are gone since they closed the plant so let's just hook up" angle. 'K, I'm done now!!! [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 11:01:12 -0700 From: "Beck, Brian" Subject: Is Further On Electronically Slowed? I've been listening to the The Rising almost non-stop for the past week and generally I have warmed up to it to the point that it now sounds (like all the other albums) like a set of tunes I've always known. One question for the list though... I've seen some criticism of Further On (Up the Road) as being weak, but it really sounds to me like they cut the track at a much faster tempo and then electronically slowed it down (with pitch adjustment, of course). It's obviously slower than the other performances of it, but listen to the enunciation on the track, especially the S's: "My lucky graveyard booootttsss..." This one is the most noticeable because not many singers ride their S's. Maybe they wanted the song to sound more deliberate? Can't help thinking its been altered every time I hear it though, on top of just prefering it faster. Am I crazy? - -Brian Beck BTW, IMHO Waitin' on a Sunny Day is one of the better cuts on the record, much better than Worlds Apart. The little twang in Waitin' is absolutely infectious!!! ------------------------------ End of LuckyTown Digest V9 #61 ****************************** ********************************************************************* ** LuckyTown WWW URL ** The LuckyTown FAQ, back issues, web-based subscription/unsubscription, and many other things can be found on the LuckyTown WWW Page: http://www.luckytown.org ** LuckyTown mailing list addresses ** You can send email to go into the next LuckyTown Digest to: luckytown@luckytown.org You can send email to go into the next LuckyTown-Ads Digest to: luckytown-ads@luckytown.org Any questions for the list admin should be emailed to: owner-luckytown@luckytown.org To unsubscribe, send email to majordomo@luckytown.org with message body: unsubscribe luckytown-digest To get further information on how to subscribe/unsubscribe/change your subscription address, as well as the other available commands, send email to majordomo@luckytown.org with message body: help ********************************************************************* The contents of this digest are not necessarily approved by the list admin.