Springsteen in Syracuse (For the First Time in Decades)
Bruce came to town tonight. Here's my immediate response.
I got to see Bruce Springsteen tonight. Well, technically last night, because Bruce is Bruce, so the concert ran for about three hours and ended at almost 11 p.m.
I’m a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen, so my review of the music itself wouldn’t be of much value to most of you. I love his work, and I had a great time at his show. This is — I think? — my sixth Bruce show, which is not much compared to a lot of the hardcore fans who follow him around the world…but for somebody like me, who doesn’t have a ton of disposable income and only gets to see a concert once a year or so, it’s not insignificant.
Tonight’s show was my wife’s first time seeing Bruce, and she seemed to have a great time. I was really glad about that. I liked that she wanted to come with me, but she isn’t as big a fan as me, and so I knew a 3-hour show was a lot.
The show was great. Not just because I’m a Springsteen fan, but because the audience was great, which is something that existed in tandem with high energy from the band. And the setlist was exactly what it should have been — although I’m sure some hardcore fans would disagree.
Tonight’s setlist reminded me a lot of the “Greatest Hits Tour” that Springsteen did around the time Tracks and Bruce Springsteen’s Greatest Hits came out. I was in college back then, and it was a huge deal that he was touring actively with the E Street Band again for the first time since Born in the USA.
I know some of the people who have the means and determination to follow the band around, don’t like hits-heavy setlists, and would prefer to see more oddities and rarities. But since Bruce and the band hadn’t been in Syracuse since the 1980s, I’d argue it’s exactly the right setlist for Syracuse. And, yes, the reactions of the audience bore that out.
I love that I got to see “Thunder Road” and “Growin’ Up,” two big hits I haven’t ever seen live before tonight. And I know a lot of hardcore fans would have been thrilled to see “Detroit Medley,” which isn’t necessarily my favorite and which I saw back in 2003 at Shea Stadium. But by and large, only a very small number of songs they played tonight — “Darlington County,” “Spirit in the Night,” and one or two of the newer songs — weren’t staples of the setlist and staples of the Springsteen catalogue. It was exactly the setlist you want to play for a venue where you haven’t appeared in 40 years.
Anyway. It was a ton of fun. I had fun. My wife had fun. The band was obviously having fun. If you have a chance to see Bruce and E Street live, I recommend it highly.
Here’s the setlist:
Lonesome Day
Night
No Surrender
Two Hearts
Darlington County
Growin' Up
Ghosts
The Promised Land
Spirit in the Night
Hungry Heart
Atlantic City
My City of Ruins
Nightshift
Last Man Standing
Backstreets
Because the Night
She's the One
Wrecking Ball
The Rising
Badlands
Thunder Road
Born to Run
Glory Days
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Twist and Shout
Detroit Medley
I'll See You in My Dreams