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LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
(Columbia/Sony)
The first time we heard Bruce Springsteen live, there was one thing we couldn't figure out: Why did the crowd boo at the end of every song?
Then it hit us: They weren't booing. They were just calling The Boss by name: "Brooooooooce!"
Wonder what Bruce thought the first time it happened. We presume he's become used to it over the years. By the time you get through all 145 minutes of Live in New York City -- his superlative new album taped at two Madison Square Garden shows last summer -- you'll be used to it too. Because you'll be hearing a lot of "Brooooooooce!" on these two CDs. That is, when you aren't hearing the crowd of Springsteen fanatics cheering their heads off or singing along with every word in a chorus so loud it sometimes drowns out the band.
Little wonder these folks were excited. Bruce's 1999-2000 tour with the E Street Band was the hottest ticket around -- the reunion of arguably the most exciting blue-collar American rock outfit on the planet. Not to mention that these shows were the final dates on the tour. So you can't blame them for being a tad enthusiastic.
If you're any kind of a Springsteen fan, you'll be just as excited. Within minutes of putting Live in New York City into your CD changer and hitting Play, you'll realize what a joy it is to hear the E Street Band again. We forgot just how good they were -- Max Weinberg's precise, firecracker drumming; Dan Federici and Roy Bittan's ringing keyboards; Clarence Clemons' squawking sax; Steve Van Zandt's ragged, Keith Richards harmonies. Amazingly, they've still got it. For a band that sat out much of the '90s, their playing hasn't dropped a stitch. And for a bunch of 50-year-olds, they rock as hard as they ever did.
Maybe harder. Live in New York puts the pedal to the metal right off the line, with the band barreling through three heavy hitters -- My Love Will Not Let You Down, Two Hearts and, fittingly, Prove it All Night -- as if they do indeed have something to prove. And as they work through a well-paced set that resurrects seldom-heard old tracks (1973's Lost in the Flood), ignores many classics (although there's a hidden track of one essential song) and unveils retooled versions of hits (Born in the U.S.A. is now a haunting Delta blues moan), the E Streeters make it clear this reunion isn't just some nostalgic romp or half-assed cash-grab. They mean business. Even when the set gears down with brooding takes on Nebraska's Atlantic City and Mansion on the Hill, followed by an epic, meandering version of The River, the band's intensity and focus never waver.
The most potent moments come on two new tracks. The yearning and inspirational Land of Hope and Dreams affixes a jabbing guitar and soulful backbeat to a melody that reverberates with echoes of the gospel standard This Train. The elegiac American Skin (41 Shots) examines racism and the death of Amadou Diallo, an African immigrant gunned down by New York's finest while reaching for his wallet. (Easily Springsteen's most moving song since Streets of Philadelphia, American Skin bodes well for new material the band is reportedly recording.)
The guys do lighten up eventually. The second CD is a looser affair that kicks off with a raucous romp through Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, complete with one of Bruce's trademark tall tales and his carny-barker band introductions ("The foundation of the E Street nation, the Tennessee Terror, Mr. Garry W. Tallent!"). There's also a propulsive version of Ramrod, a faithful 11-minute singalong of Jungleland, and the poignant closer If I Should Fall Behind, an ode to commitment on which several band members split the lead vocal.
Sure, we could gripe they altered the running order and left off a ton of songs the band played (including Thunder Road and Growin' Up). But really, the only thing you're missing with Live in New York City is the accompanying video -- unless you know someone with an illegal satellite dish who can tape the accompanying special for you on HBO this month. (More on Bruce Springsteen)
Track Listing
Disc 1:
1. My Love Will Not Let You Down
2. Prove It All Night
3. Two Hearts
4. Atlantic City
5. Mansion on the Hill
6. The River
7. Youngstown
8. Murder Incorporated
9. Badlands
10. Out in the Street
11. Born to Run
Disc 2:
1. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out
2. Land of Hope and Dreams
3. American Skin
4. Lost in the Flood
5. Born in the U.S.A.
6. Don't Look Back
7. Jungleland
8. Ramrod
9. If I Should Fall Behind