From: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org (LuckyTown Digest) To: luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Subject: LuckyTown Digest V9 #76 Reply-To: luckytown@luckytown.org Sender: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Errors-To: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Precedence: bulk LuckyTown Digest Saturday, August 24 2002 Volume 09 : Number 076 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: Portland & Tacoma Set Lists [Frank Wong ] Personal Observations From Portland [John Cathey ] Portland [cindy yale ] Reports from Tacoma are NOT exaggerated... Outstanding Show!!! [John Cath] Tacoma Show 8/21 ["Joe Moss" ] American Skin [Radiogrl1@aol.com] Sunny Day - Are reviewers missing the poignancy? [timothy biblarz ] Impressions of a first-time concert goer ["mike miller" ] Rolling Stone poll ["Holly Hoe" ] rumble doll ["Clarence Yu" ] Patti-Bashing ["Ace ; )" ] I'll say it, if no one else will: this sucks [Steve Leftridge Subject: Portland & Tacoma Set Lists Someone asked for the Portland and Tacoma Set lists : August 20 / Portland, OR / Rose Garden The Rising/Lonesome Day/Prove It All Night/The Fuse/Atlantic City/Empty Sky/You're Missing/Waitin' on a Sunny Day/The Promised Land/Worlds Apart/Badlands/Bobby Jean/Mary's Place/Countin' on a Miracle/Backstreets/Into the Fire First Encore: Thunder Road/Glory Days/Born to Run Second Encore: My City of Ruins/Born in the U.S.A./Land of Hope and Dreams - ----- August 21 / Tacoma, WA / Tacoma Dome The Rising/Lonesome Day/Prove It All Night/The Fuse/Darkness on the Edge of Town/Empty Sky/You're Missing/Waitin' on a Sunny Day/The Promised Land/Worlds Apart/Badlands/Bobby Jean/Mary's Place/Countin' on a Miracle/Thunder Road/Into the Fire First Encore: Dancing in the Dark/Ramrod/Born to Run Second Encore: My City of Ruins/Born in the U.S.A./Land of Hope and Dreams Later, Frank Wong __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes http://finance.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 11:32:14 -0700 From: John Cathey Subject: Personal Observations From Portland Portland, Oregon -- What a tremendous Bruce concert! You have to categorize live shows as "Bruce Shows" and "All Others" ;-) I cannot remember a more focused Springsteen show in all my pilgrimages years past. The song sequence, the tone of the music, everything surrounding the presentation -- it all was as good a "theme" concert as I could imagine... Amazing how Bruce can do better with song selections what other bands attempt to do with props (floating pigs, building brick walls, multiple costume changes) And the songs from "The Rising" and the songs from "Darkness..." seem so closely intertwined, they could have existed on the same album, y'know? Sort of akin to characters in "East of Eden" could just have easily appeared in "The Grapes Of Wrath" or "Cannery Row". And these songs LIVE had such added depth and texture, it's almost like going from Mono to Stereo. Could "Empty Sky" be any better than it was last night?! Honestly, Bruce should make Patti put down the guitar and just stand there singing harmony. Probably afraid of having her coming across as the little kid sister in "The Partridge Family", I s'pose. It was incredible to watch Bruce drape himself on the mic stand, nearly in a fetal position, repeating the "... missing you, I've been missing you..." as he transitioned the house-band, party-time focus of "Mary's Place" into a lamentation of loss. Gawd! It never ceases to amaze me how he takes such sad lyrics and can sing them with such powerful exuberance, to the point the 'message' can almost be lost (perfect examples last night: "Countin' On A Miracle", "Backstreets", "Born In The USA") A couple of personal highlights of my night: having my 24 year old son see and hear Bruce's guitar solo on "Prove It All Night" and then getting a huge grin, a look of disbelief at the prowess of his skill, and then a big High-Five as he had the chance to understand what the "big-deal" was all about; looking over and seeing my wife (who ALWAYS asks me to "turn it down!") singing along to "Badlands", fists pumping and feet dancing. Worth the price of admission ten-fold. And just thinking to myself throughout the night, "I recall the first time I heard that live", and knowing that my kid had finally gotten to touch the experience, too. We got 2 tour premieres last night -- "Atlantic City" (I believe he's played "Darkness..." in that spot) and "Backstreets" (instead of "American Skin") , which was a last second call-out to the band (We did a self-upgrade and ended up in 103 next to Clarence, 4 rows from the front... incredible seats!!! ... fun to watch the band with an unobstructed view of all the interaction amongst the crew, guitar techs, etc.) ----- it's still early on the tour, but it gave me hope that he's getting more comfortable with the new songs and is willing to stretch it out a bit. Who knows - we might get a one-off of some other stuff as the tour progresses? [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 11:01:19 -0700 (PDT) From: cindy yale Subject: Portland Just got back to CT from Portland and was very lucky to have been there! I was shut out for tickets everywhere here on the east coast but was planning to see a friend in Portland and Bruce was the icing on the cake. The show was awesome, my friend Jen went with me and it was her first show, needless to say I had to leave a few CD's in Portland for a new Bruce fan....and was happy to do so. Just wanted to say thanks and hello to Andrew and Joe and their gang from Vancouver that we met before the show. It showed Jen what I had been telling her about Springsteen fans and how great they are. Still hoping for a single to Philly but I'll take my chances with the drop line if I have to. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes http://finance.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 12:13:04 -0700 From: John Cathey Subject: Reports from Tacoma are NOT exaggerated... Outstanding Show!!! Tacoma, Washington -- How could he improve on the Portland show? Well, premiering "Dancing In The Dark" and "Ramrod" as the one-two punch for the first encore set makes a pretty good case for it! And having had a peek at the setlist sheet, "Dancing..." was performed as scheduled -- "Ramrod" on the other hand, was not. "Glory Days" was on the sheet, but Bruce must've felt the need to blow away the few remaining souls NOT already blasted from hearing his (as he introduced the song) "... my greatest hit..." And the arrangement for DITD was tremendous -- guitar-laden, de-emphasizing the synth, sung in a lower register and just enough raucous house band to make it a perfect fit with the theme of these shows. I was in the pit last night, standing next to a couple of 21 year-old girls who were at their first Bruce gig. I asked them what their fav' cd was (almost said album, but didn't want to puzzle them) "Greatest Hits" was the choice, followed by "The Rising". The most enthusiastic young lady amongst these newbies looked to me for a prediction on the songs ahead and I rattled off the setlist from the previous 7 shows. She seemed devastated that there'd be no "Luckytown" or, her all-time favorite, "Dancing In The Dark". I said the chances of DITD being played were zero -- in fact, I pontificated extensively about how Bruce was promoting a new disc, that the band was just starting to hit their marks on the performance of The Rising songs, that "Rosalita" was played here in '84 and then after he got sick and postponed the next Tacoma gig, he dropped "Rosie" from the closer for the first time in 10 years, that Bruce blah blah blah... two hours later, all I can say is THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU BRUCE FOR MAKING ME SWALLOW MY WORDS. I can tell you I've seldom seen happier faces than I witnessed on those newly converted fans. And I was delighted to eat the crow... the song rocked! He should add this to every performance, IMHO, as it fits the context well. Sound was tremendous -- didn't seem to go through the challenge of working out the 'sonic bugs" in the first couple of songs that occurred in Portland; the audio was ripe and ready from the opening chords. The G/A line was well run (thanks again Bill), but proved all for naught when we huddled at the second set of gatekeepers and some boneheads tried to get through without a lovely magenta wristband. Delayed our line for 2 minutes (seemed like 45!) while the security folks explained to these fellas why they couldn't enter through these doors. Behavior in the pit was fine, unless you were intent on touching the hem of his garment, and were pushing your way through the sweltering mass of stinky bodies. My buddy & I were happily entrenched about 6 deep from the stage which we guesstimated was about 2nd Row in a normal seating setup. Off to Phoenix and hoping for an MIB! Cheers! John Cathey johncathey@attbi.com [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 10:38:54 -0700 From: "Joe Moss" Subject: Tacoma Show 8/21 Great show at the Tacoma Dome last night - much of the praise I would give it has been mentioned here before: great energy, passion, and the band sounding tighter than ever. A couple of surprises in the set list. Instead of 41 Shots, the band played Thunder Road before the first encore, and then began the first encore with Dancing in the Dark (!). I don't think I've heard this played live in eons. And it was fantastic - a revved up, faster-than-usual version that had the whole place dancing. The band looked like they were having a great time, and Bruce was as relaxed as I've seen him in years. Here's a review of the show in the Seattle Timies: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/134519168_bruce2 2.html See you further on up the road! Joe Moss [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Aug 2002 17:41:29 EDT From: Radiogrl1@aol.com Subject: American Skin In a message dated 8/24/02 1:40:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time, John Greer writes: > given its essentially anti-cop > message. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. When will people actually READ the lyrics and listen with their brains fully engaged? Same goes for BIUSA. Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh. [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 15:18:05 -0700 From: timothy biblarz Subject: Sunny Day - Are reviewers missing the poignancy? I'm in disagreement with the interpretation many reviewers are offering of Sunny Day (e.g., most recently, WA Post) - that it's a sunny song, a weak link on the album, a throwaway tune. This song moves me a lot - I've found myself choking back a sob listening to it. Springsteen somehow manages to combine elements of 50s rock, 60s rock, rural/roots rock, and so on to evoke in the (or at least this) listener this fond, deep feeling of a simpler yesteryear (the kind with ice cream trucks) (doesn't matter if that yesteryear ever really existed). He hits the pathos button and taps his knowledge of pop/rock/folk sounds to put us in this place, or nest, and then he hits us with loss. Those days, that love. Nothing's the same. Part of the power of the song is that in saying everything'll be okay, and I'm gonna chase the clouds away, it's as much suggesting the opposite. Yeah there's maybe a bit of hopefulness in his voice, but also a lot of poignancy, melancholy, and sadness. A great tune. Tim ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 20:55:18 -0700 From: Bert Epstein Subject: After attending Portland & Tacoma... Hi-- Just got back from these two shows. It's interesting to see what happens when you get away from the Internet for a day or two. We had no idea that set list changes were in store-- and the surprises were fantastic. Atlantic City was a brilliant substitution. Both the lyrics and music fit very well, and the band played it well. Backstreets was really enjoyable. Overall, this seemed like the "silly" show. My sense was a band having a great time. Bruce's comments before Empty Sky about being married here before were hilarious and seem to go on and on, as if he were cracking himself up. He kept adding more lines to his joke. This was the closest in years now to a "story," albeit it a very short one. In any case, I think this set the tone for the rest of the show. Glory Days was particularly silly as well. It is amazing that there can be this kind of zaniness in a show filled with so many intense and serious songs. The crowd at the Rose Garden was perhaps a tad too polite. I wouldn't call it sparse; yet, the pattern of tickets sold was bizarre. In my section (up to the side of the stage), every other row was empty. Weird. The lack of people packed together created a lessening of energy. At this first show I thought The Fuse really deflated the energy, as others have suggested (although I enjoyed it more the next night in Tacoma when I was ready for it.) Thunder Road also seemed particularly good-- Bruce really into it (better than the next night.) I should note that the Rose Garden is a great venue-- a really classy arena, with lots of hotels nearby, public transportation, food choices, etc... In contrast to... The Tacoma Dome. Maybe this should be renamed-- The Tacome Barn. Yeesh! The seats are set to be moved in so many configurations that they sway a bit when everyone's dancing. It's odd. Also-- bozos who designed the seating put 32 seats across-- not great for bathroom breaks. The sound, though, was very good-- particularly the treble. The bass got a little lost. The Tacoma show... Major, major sections of the dome are curtained off-- perhaps half the arena/stadium. (Football can be played here.) Maybe most importantly, there are no seats sold behind the stage; yet, seats are sold way up high. Those selling tickets don't get how good it is to see the band from the rear, although a video camera positioned there was frequently used for the front-facing video screens. At the beginning of the show I thought Bruce came out very intense-- almost angry-like. When he played Thunder Road during the main set I knew something big was up. What an exciting time. Then, at the beginning of the first encore-- to hear: "Now, a debut..." Are these not the best words you can hear at a Springsteen show? This was far and away the best version of Dancing I've ever heard or seen. It was almost a "punk" version. There were even some "windmill" guitar moves by Bruce. It was a pounding, pounding version-- again, almost angry-like, but in a great way. I haven't read anyone commenting about Ramrod, which followed. It was amazing. What's more-- the expression on Bruce's face during this song, after following Dancing, was priceless. It was hot in the Dome, and he had ripped open half his shirt. Several folks commented that Bruce looked like the Bruce of 1978. What's more his eyes had that glazed over, I'm out of control, bugged-out look. I'd say I've seen it most in the outtakes of Quarter to Three from No Nukes. This ranks as one of the top moments I've experienced in 20-some Springsteen shows I've seen. I think Bruce knew it as well. When he sat down for Ruin next his first words were "Whew" and then something about "going a little crazy tonight." So, overall, great crowd, great sound, sucky venue, great show, incredible moments. Those of you who haven't seen it yet... You are in for an incredible experience. Bert ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 11:13:24 -0500 From: "Green, Denise" Subject: VMA awards show from where? Any one have info on where Bruce and E St. will be performing from for the VMA Awards show August 29? Backstreets.com says a remote location. Could it be in St. Louis where he will perform August 30? From the flatland of hope and dreams in central Illinois, Denise D. Green ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 19:48:04 -0700 From: "mike miller" Subject: Impressions of a first-time concert goer As a long-time Bruce fan I finally got to see my first concert at the Tacoma Dome. Friends have long convinced me that his was the show to see. Well, after seeing Wednesday's show in the Tacoma Dome, I'm convinced they're right. I'll leave commenting on the set list to those who know far more than I. What I can say is that I'm truly impressed on Bruce's showmanship and communication with his fans. In the 35+ years I've attended concerts I've never seen a superstar like Bruce personally interact w/his audience. Watching him perform convinced me that he enjoys the fans (almost) as much as we do him. I know that the phrase "man of the people" is overused, but it certainly applies to Bruce. What I also learned that night is the dedication Bruce's fans have to the great performer. On the advice of a friend and Luckytown subscriber, Mike, he and I waited to get passes to the pit. I wasn't sure if the wait was worth it, but I realized any doubts I had were foolish as soon as the band kicked into "The Rising". Yes, things got a bit hectic when the doors to the Dome opened, but the fans' patient attitude, along with the reassuring organization of Bill (Thanks to you, guy! You'da Man!) made a daunting task doable. Dedicated fans? I've never seen such fans, not even for former Beatles or other big names, as I saw in Tacoma. Each fan had a personal story to tell about what Bruce's music means to him/her or what his/her favorite Bruce moment is. I guess that's another testimony to how well Bruce communicates/connects with his audience. On Wednesday night I felt that same connection. I guess I now feel a connection to all of you who read this list. On my 300-mile drive back to my home I listened to Bruce's Greatest Hits and Live in New York CD's (unfortunately time and mileage didn't permit me to put on "The Rising"-again) and relived my moments in the Tacoma Dome. When I said to a friend of Mike's, as we were waiting for our "pink bracelets" for the pit, that this was my first Bruce concert, I asked him what could I expect. "Energy" was his comment. He was absolutely right. Bruce and the E Street Band gave their all Wednesday night and I suspect every night on tour. I suppose that's why you (and I) are Bruce fans. As Mike and I left the Dome after buying our T-shirts and souvenirs I said to him, "Hey, let's go to L.A. (to see Bruce). We don't have tickets, but we'll find some." He turned to me with a smile and said "You understand, now." Yes, Mike. I do understand now. " Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 18:17:36 -0400 From: Rick Woodruff Subject: Columbus ticket mystery My friend and I both bought tickets for Bruce's Nov. 9 show in Columbus. I went to a Ticketmaster outlet in a Kroger (grocery) store in a nearby city and was third in line. My friend went to the box office at the Schottenstein Center, site of the show, and ended up about 60th in line. Her seats are in section 205, just past midcourt on the side and about halfway up. Nice seats. I ended up with section 329, which is higher up and way in the back of the arena. Nosebleed seats. I was operating under the assumption that tickets were sold on a "best available" basis. Apparently, I was wrong. Does anyone have an explanation for this? - -- Rick Woodruff ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 13:42:08 -0400 From: "Holly Hoe" Subject: Rolling Stone poll Hey, everyone, go to www.rollingstone.com/top100/ and vote for your 10 favorite albums of all time. Voting/polling/whatever ends Sept 3; they'll publish a final list of 100 albums, and your comments about a particular album could make the list. Obviously it's not a Bruce-only poll, but I'm sure enough of us voting could secure a couple of top 10 spots for him... :) So many to choose from, I know, but I finally decided on Darkness on the Edge of Town as my #1 album. It's pretty much relevant to anybody's life, no matter who you are. (Call me crazy, I *almost* chose Tunnel of Love.) _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 11:32:28 +0800 From: "Clarence Yu" Subject: rumble doll About the comments about Rumble Doll, I share your sentiments about the album. I bought my copy used in the US in 1997, and wasn't really looking forward to listening to it... Was i surprised! The opening track had me listening...and listening.... Overall, I love that album and regard it as my "sad album"----i listen to it whenever a romance goes awry...but i always let my girlfriends listen to "lucky girl"...to remind them how lucky they are to have me...:) Cheers Clarence ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 19:03:20 -0400 From: "Ace ; )" Subject: Patti-Bashing Patti is a very talented singer/songwriter. I would encourage everyone to check-out Rumble Doll (and yes, Patti, we're still waiting on that follow-up!). Ya know, I found myself doing something at my last show that I NEVER thought would happen (and I've been going to Bruce shows since 1980): I watched someone else almost as much as I watched Bruce: Patti! There's something very sexy about her. To all you Patti-bashers, let me remind you that Patti was drafted into the band before her relationship with Bruce. All this criticism just smacks of jealousy. Rumble Boy, Al _________________________________________________________________ Join the world's largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 09:01:42 -0500 From: Steve Leftridge Subject: I'll say it, if no one else will: this sucks Being a Bruce fan does not have to be a matter of blind faith, which Bruce famously derided in his pre-"War" speeches in the '80s. Bruce, like all mortals is capable of missteps. That said, The Rising is the weakest tour ever taken with the E Street Band. Here's why: 1. The marketing, crafting, and presentation of the album as centered around 9/11 translates into a genuine downer of a live show. Obviously, Bruce has always crafted an only-slightly varying show that builds from somber reflection to joyful release. With the current show, fans are seriously shortchanged on the latter. There is only the "token" fun song thrown in ("Glory Days" or now "Dancing in the Dark") beyond the ubiquitous trio that Bruce always plays. Even the last three songs of the evening are the soaring, emotional variety of Bruce anthems. When did this happen? Bruce surely knows what makes fans go ballistic -- look at the setlists from The River, Born in the USA, etc. Look at the ends of those shows! He told Matt Lauer, "Our job is to make you dance." If fans want to dance on this tour, they're better off staying home and listening to their old boots. 2. When did it become Bruce's job to save our souls? Just because some guy yelled, "We need you!," we must all fall in line and be swept up in Springsteen's calming balm? For 15 new songs and a whole tour? And given the tone of the new material, must he also play "41 Shots" and "Land of Hope and Dreams"? I know these songs represent his "new rock voice," but why must the show be trimmed to 23 songs with a vast majority of them in the same funereal vein? He closed the show last time with "LoHaD" anyway. This is the new "Rosalita"? Bummer. If I "need Springsteen now," I need him to come out and tear through "You Can Look...," "Take 'Em as They Come," "Thundercrack," "E Street Shuffle," etc. As Rolling Stone recently reported from opening night: "It all sounded very important but wasn't much fun." I'll gladly listen reflectively during the slower, more somber, meaningful numbers. But, I want the catchy-ass rave ups and so does everyone else. Is he only pretending to have so much fun during "Glory Days"? 3. The show is, obviously, mired in worn-out songs and predictability. The new album is good (not great -- Kurt Loder is a veteran of ass-kissing spinelessness. The 5 star review cannot be taken seriously -- Rob Sheffield, who wrote the dead-on album-by-album piece, said he would have given it only 3), and I'm glad to hear those new songs live. But, that leaves room for 15 or so other songs. So, can anyone is the world explain why everyone has to expect friggin' "Prove it All Night" at their show?? Any Bruce fan worth their salt already heard that last time out and would gladly trade it for any album cut in existence. On the other hand, those that didn't see the last show won't know the song that well and certainly won't be disappointed if it isn't played. So, who in the hell is he playing that song for?? Is it just because he likes playing the guitar solo? Bruce has 200 songs to choose from -- is the band forbidden to tell him the obvious -- that the show is stagnant is those old spots? Maybe he is turning into Elvis... 4. Bruce is wasting the E Street Band. He might as well be touring without them. Sure, Clarence is given his requisite solos during the tired, played-out standards. But, those solos have been hammered down into cliches of Bruce's music, and the rest of the time he stands over there with finger cymbals, et al. Remember when the band sounded like none other? When the piano and keys were banging and chiming and the guitars were flying and the sax was cutting like a chainsaw? That timeless, glorious sound, apparently, is not what you'll be hearing this time out. We are afforded only brief moments of that seaside sound these days. Everything is muddled together in a thick wash that sounds like every other humdrum outfit with a rhythm section. Bruce said, "This is what the band sounds like right now." And so does everyone else. What's that, Mellencamp's fiddle-heavy, banal Lonesome Jubilee sound? Songs like "Lonesome Day," "The Rising," "Counting of a Miracle," are formulaic meditations on faith, hope, love, kisses, blah blah; but Bruce fittingly doesn't mention SOUL because that's what the music lacks. The signature Jersey sound is sadly nowhere to be found. Getting Brendan O'Brien was a big mistake. I'm happy the record went to #1 -- I hope it wins 10 Grammies, but it's his most overrated album of all time and history will judge it accurately. Only Human Touch is weaker. 5. At 75 bucks, ticket prices are higher than ever. At 2.5 hours and 22 songs, the show is shorter and more anemic than ever. So much for proving it all night -- is Bruce trying to prove he's over the hill? Bruce: "Do you think this is a free ride? If you want to play, you got to pay!" Okay. Let me have it. Steve Leftridge St. Louis, MO ------------------------------ End of LuckyTown Digest V9 #76 ****************************** ********************************************************************* ** 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.