1999-07-18 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ

Scheduled: 19:30 Local Start Time ??:?? / End Time ??:??

Info & Setlist | Venue

First ever performances in the U.S. of "I Wanna Be With You" and "Loose Ends". A rare "Stand On It" is also played. U.S. tour premiere of "Trapped". "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" includes "It's All Right", "Move On Up", "Red Headed Woman", and "Rumble Doll", plus Steve playing a snippet of "The Godfather Love Theme" and Garry playing a snippet of "Them Changes" for their solos. "Light Of Day" includes "I Hear A Train" and "I've Been Everywhere", plus a snippet of the "Peter Gunn Theme".

Middle of "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out"
´´Oh, that´s right….now I´ve got a story to tell….once I was a young man and I walked as a little child and I walked down many avenues….the avenue of love, the avenue of fear….the avenue of hope, the avenue of despair….the avenue of faith, avenue of cynicism….the avenue of compassion, the avenue of selfishness….the avenue of sexual pleasure (cheers) a very crowded avenue….but wherever I walked, I was alone….and then one day I came to a crossroads….now, everybody´s gotten to a crossroads in their life when you´ve got to make certain decisions….gonna shape the path that your life is gonna take !….gonna send you up ! ….gonna send you down….well, I walked First Avenue, Second Avenue, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and then I came to a crossroads with a sign that said ´Tenth´….another sign that said ´E´….and I started to understand that it was a signifying moment because at that crossroads there was a man playing the piano….and he played something so sweet (Roy plays) Professor Roy Bittan on the piano….the dean of the university of musical perversity….then I walked on and I saw a young man, acteur, musician, rock and roll politician, star of the greatest cable TV-show ´Sopranos´, known as Silvio, play it, Steve (Steve plays a bit of ´Theme from ´The Godfather´´)(?)….and then I walked on, I knew I was gonna need some foundation in my life….give it to me, Garry (Garry plays)…Mr.Garry Tallent on the bass guitar….and then I walked on….and I put an ad in the want-ads….I was telling the folks last night ´Kids, it always pays to read the want-ads´, a man knocked on the door, playing the drums (Max plays)….Mighty Max Weinberg, star of Late Night Television….then I walked on….and I was searching for a guitar man, the greatest in the land (Nils plays) Mr.Nils Lofgren on the guitar ….then I was in a city by the sea and I could feel a spirit moving, oh, I could feel a spirit moving now, come on, Dan (Dan plays) Phantom Dan Federici on the organ….but still I walked on….underneath a dark cloud because my heart was cold….and I was smiling on the outside but, oh, I was crying on the inside….I said I was smiling on the outside….then I thought….´I need a theory, Einstein, theory of relativity, I need a theory to get my life together´, started thinking and I came up with, oh, I came up with this….brunettes are fine, blondes are fun but when it comes to getting a dirty job done, it takes a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) oh, man, I said it takes a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) oh, I´ve got to find a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) yeah, man, I´m looking for a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) oh, man, I´m searching for a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´)(?)(crowd : ´Red headed woman´) oh, let me hear you now (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) oh, man, I´m looking for a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) oh, come on, sugar, now (crowd : ´Red headed woman´)(Patti sings a bit of ´Rumble Doll´) Miss Patti Scialfa on the guitar and vocals…. my savior !….(?)….everything was just about (?) but there was still something missing…..I can´t think exactly what it is right now but there was still something missing….say what ? ….say who ?….say what ?….say who ?….say what ?….say who ? ….say what ?….say who ? ….say what ?….say who ?….say what ?….say who ?….”

Middle of "Light of Day"
´´The great….state of New Jersey !….I said the great state of New Jersey !….let me build that one more time….the great state of New Jersey !….but everywhere I´ve gone I´ve seen people lost in confusion….I´ve seen people lost in the wilderness…..I´ve seen people lost in bitterness…..and I´ve seen people lost in loneliness….but I wanna tell you now that I´m here tonight, we´re not here tonight just to come back home, visit old friends, we´re on a search-and-rescue mission, that´s right, if you´re downhearted, if you´re disspirited, if you´re disgusted, if you´re dispossessed, if you´ve been analyzed, downsized, stigmatised, fractionalised, factionalised, we´re coming to get you, we´re coming to get you, we´re coming to get you, I´m here tonight to let you know that if your soul has bad credit, it´s good here tonight…..that if your heart´s running on empty, come on, come on, come on, come on, we´re gonna fill it on up for you, if your spirit´s bankrupt, I´m gonna lift that debt up off you, I´m gonna lift that debt up off you and I´ll tell you I´m gonna set you free in the morning ! …. how am I gonna do it ?….I tell you how I´m gonna do it….I´m gonna resuscitate (chuckles) I´m gonna resuscitate, I´m gonna regenerate, I´m gonna reconfiscate, I´m gonna reindoctrinate, I´m gonna resexualate you, I´m gonna reliberate you and to rededicate you with the power, with the promise, with the power, with the promise, with the power, with the promise, with the majesty, with the mystery….with the ministry of rock and roll !….because that is my job !….now I know, I know you´re worried about the Y2K-problem, the Millenium fever coming, (?) the end of the world, mortality rearing its ugly head, I´m gonna tell you right now that I cannot, I cannot, I cannot, I cannot, I cannot promise you life everlasting but I can promise you life….right now !….(?)….and all you’ve got to do is raise your hand and say ‘I’….”

Intro to "Freehold"
´´(?)…this is uh….this is a song I did last night, I´ve only played this song a couple of times in the States….and uh….sit down a little bit ´cause it´s, uh, it´s a bit of a long song, it needs a lot of quiet so you gotta help me out with this, ok ?….it´s a song called ´Freehold´ (cheers) oh ! it´s a smash already, how about that ? (laughs) I´ve only played it twice, its, uh, its legend precedes it already (chuckles) but it´s a song I wrote when I was going back to play at my Catholic grammar school in, uh, my hometown, something (?) I wouldn´t´ve bet that I would ever do….when you get older, you don´t know where life leads you….so all the nuns were there, priests were there and one of the Sisters that taught me came from out-of-town, came back (?) and, uh, so I wrote this song for the occasion, figuring it was kind of a combination of my thank you and revenge at the same time (chuckles)…how sweet it is ! (chuckles) so anyway….little more of this acoustic…..I do need a little bit of quiet (?) I was telling the folks last night it´s kind of Whitmanesque (?)(chuckles) oh, Jesus, alright, here we go….”

Intro to "Land of Hope and Dreams"
´´Thank you, I wanna thank everybody for coming down to the show tonight….(?) had a great welcome home and I wanna thank you for that, I wanna say these are…..these are just a real special series of concerts for us, the rebirth and the rededication of our band….(?)…and our commitment to serve you….so, uh….I´d like to do this, uh….I´d like to do this for you tonight, also I´d like to send this out to the, uh….our sympathies and our prayers to the Kennedy family and Bissette family….this is called ´The Land of Hope and Dreams´….”

^{Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi.}

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The Rangers Had A Homecoming

With the first Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concerts in six years now fewer than 50 days away, a return to where their rebirth began feels fitting. East Rutherford, NJ 7/18/99 was only the band’s second US date on the Reunion tour. It followed a 36-show European leg that saw them playing beloved outtakes (finally released on Tracks), exploring the depths of their own catalog, and rounding into form ahead of an audacious 15-night stand at Continental Airlines Arena to kick off the American run.

The 7/18/99 recording, newly mixed from multitrack masters by Jon Altschiller, bears a strong sense of purpose and urgency for reconnection. How thrilling it must have been to not only hear “I Wanna Be With You” for the first time, but to take Bruce’s title statement literally as he calls in the band members one by one in the song’s intro. We want to be with you.

As commonplace as “Prove It All Night” might feel in hindsight, longtime fans hadn’t heard it played with the E Street Band in 14 years, and surely many others in attendance never had. These early Reunion shows were marked by bang-bang pacing at the top as the first two songs roll right into “Two Hearts.” Nils Lofgren may take the solo in “Prove It,” but Stevie Van Zandt’s return to the band is undeniable in his call-and-response backing vocals, which extend into “Two Hearts.”

“Trapped” was a standout when the band christened this building back in 1981; in 1999, Patti Scialfa’s vocals lift the chorus higher while modern keyboard textures from Roy Bittan and Danny Federici give “Trapped” a subtle recharge. “Darlington County” teases the Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women” for several bars before the rowdy road trip begins, giving Clarence Clemons his fifth fine showcase of the night already.

Following that crowd-pleaser, three radical rearrangements show the Reunion tour isn’t here just to play the past by rote. The country arrangement of “Factory” shifts the tone of the song entirely, removing the drudgery-implying repetitive thump of percussion to yield something more contemplative about the meaning of “the working life.” Lofgren’s work in particular shines.

Bittan and Federici similarly recast the tone of “The River” with a long introduction behind Bruce’s mournful harmonica. The spare reading, accented by Danny’s accordion and Lofgren’s pedal steel, bears some influence from Bruce’s recordings for and around The Ghost of Tom Joad. Not every fan liked the rearrangement, but there’s no denying its disquieting impact and the bold choice to reinterpret a classic.

The full-band “Youngstown” might be the most successful of the three. With a trio of players on stage, the Reunion tour had a fatter, richer, and more forward guitar sound than the 1984-85 or 1988 tours. “Youngstown” makes the case that the E Street Band can be a full-throttled rock band whenever they like, and “Murder Incorporated” reinforces the point, riding Max Weinberg’s big beat in a sharp, stunning performance.

One has to admire Bruce’s sequencing as “Badlands” arrives to take us over the top and end a nearly flawless first half of the show. The de facto second set begins with the joyous invitation of a zippy “Out in the Street” in another appealing reading that the audience eats up.

After barely addressing the crowd to this point, Bruce takes to the E Street pulpit during “Tenth Avenue Freeze-out,” which features forays into “Red Headed Woman” and Patti’s own “Rumble Doll,” plus a nod to the great Curtis Mayfield with snippets of “It’s All Right” and “Move On Up.” A reverent “Loose End” follows, and again one has to readjust one’s mindset to remember the years when it was unimaginable “Loose End” would ever be released let alone played in concert.

The summer setting brings “Sherry Darling,” led by the Clemons’ horn, and Brendan Byrne ‘81 vibes abound. “Working on the Highway” makes a light-hearted companion before Bruce shifts gears down again with a solemn reading of “The Ghost of Tom Joad” that starts acoustic before the band adds gentle accent colors.

The full sense of return simmering all night is sealed by the first few notes of “Jungleland.” As great as the show has been to this point, the magisterial appearance of the Born to Run epic seals the deal between Bruce, the band, and the fans. Clarence Clemons meets the moment and plays his saxophone solo with complete confidence. They. Are. Back.

The set ends with a lively, guitar-drenched “Light of Day” and more snippets including “I Need a Train,” “I’ve Been Everywhere,” and a delicious snatch of Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn Theme” (Brucebase, how did you miss that one?). While “Light of Day” only served two tours of duty (1988 and 1999-2000) as an E Street set-closer, it did so with distinction, wrapping the set with momentum.

The encore opens with Springsteen in the confession booth, revealing secrets great, small, and embarrassing with admirable candor in “Freehold.” The song first appeared at Bruce’s solo acoustic show at his old high school in 1996 and its inclusion the first six nights of the 1999 NJ stand seems to suggest that as much as Bruce is back home as a local hero, he’s equal parts humble local man.

“Stand On It” is the final Tracks song in the set and features some dazzling displays from Bittan and Clemons in one of only 21 performances ever. From there, “Hungry Heart,” “Bobby Jean,” “Born to Run,” and “Thunder Road” give the people what they want, each sounding fresh after a long layoff.

On an evening firmly focused on the recommitment of Bruce and the band, “If I Should Fall Behind” delivers the sentiment with spotlight-sharing vocal turns from Nils, Patti, Clarence, and Steve on a song recorded and released while the band was on hiatus.

The night closes with a dedication to the Kennedy family–following the passing of John F. Kennedy Jr. two days prior–as the intro to “Land of Hope and Dreams.” Bruce’s modern day “People Get Ready” (so much so that he shares the writing credit with Curtis Mayfield) captures the American spirit as much as any song in the canon.

The 7/18/99 recording is the earliest Reunion show yet to appear in the Live Archive series, and it shows just how ready they were to begin what we now see as their modern era, one that will enjoy a new chapter come February when Bruce and the band will roar back to life.

^{By Erik Flannigan via Nugs.net.}

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The Rangers Had A Homecoming