2006-05-12 DatchForum, Milan, Italy

Claudio Nicolai

Well… what can I say, the man just did it again! To all those who feared the entire Seeger Sessions thing was going to backfire: sleep peacefully!! I have at least a dozen Bruce concerts under my belt now and I can assure you that last night's show was memorable, surely among the best I have seen. A sold out and fully packed Forum infact had a wild party as people danced, laughed, jumped and most of all sang along for about two and a half hours, including all those who had not bought the cd yet and didn't know the songs… I am sure they are dropping into the next music store today! The switch from r'n'r to folk music has not chipped away one bit of Bruce's energy and intensity when performing live and it was obvious to everybody that the man was having as much fun as we were. He was in very good shape and spirits and he often joked with he crowd. The Band was wonderful, sounding like they had played with Bruce for a very long time and not only a few weeks. I also liked the fact that Bruce gave them all a lot of space. The show includes lots of violin, banjo, piano, accordion and horn solos, not to mention Bruce often sharing the mic with a great Marc Anthony Thompson. It's very difficult to pick some highlights given the general intensity of the show, so among the Seeger material I will only mention Jacob's Ladder for turning into a collective and joyous ritual. On the other hand Open All Night (a song I always loved so much) was the most striking re-arrangement of his previous material, receiving a '40ish coat of paint thanks to a Radio City Music Hall-style vocal intro sung by Patti and the girls. Ramrod was a tour premiere and Bruce introduced it with a touch of irony saying "This one we're doing for the first time here in Milano… and maybe last one, if it stinks. So we need your help with the singing… you know, in case it tinks!" Moreover, for the first time in the tour Bruce didn't close the show with When The Saints Go Marching In. Soon after he had walked off stage and the rest of the band was following him, in fact, he got back and added a cheerful Buffalo Gals to the list. Finally, I need to mention the fact that during the speech before When The Saints he sent the crowd wild by saying "See you next fall", which he repeated twice afterwards. So it seems like the Seeger experience will be longer than expected or, in alternative, there's a new E-street adventure around the corner.