1999-09-30 United Center, Chicago, IL

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

Info & Setlist | Venue

"Take 'Em As They Come" opens, set also includes "Atlantic City", "Janey, Don't You Lose Heart" (for the third and final time this tour) and "New York City Serenade". "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" includes "It's All Right", "Take Me To The River", "Red Headed Woman", and "Rumble Doll". "Light Of Day" includes "Boom Boom" and "I've Been Everywhere".

Middle of "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out"
´´(sings ‘Take Me to the River)….I’m searching….is there anybody searching out there ? (cheers)…..that’s right, that’s right…..and I wanna go to that river tonight, that river of life …..and that river of love….that river of hope…..and faith…..and sexual healing…..I wanna go to that river tonight and I want you to go with me (cheers)…..because I need to go with you ….because you can’t get there by yourself…..you might think you can…..but in the end….you can’t get to those things….. by yourself…..now, I found myself as a young man……I was standing in front of a dark grove of trees…..and I was frightened to pass through those trees …..even though I knew that the river of life, the river of meaningful life…..was waiting on the other side….river of love…..and of cold beer…..at a reasonable price (cheers)….but I couldn’t get there because I was paralyzed….by my own insecurities and fear….my legs were like stone, my arms were like lead…..and I thought that I’d never get to that destination …..when all of a sudden through the woods I saw a gypsy woman and I came forth and I told her my problem…..she said ‘Well, son….the thing is…..you’ve got to have help and companionship ….to get to those things on the other side…..and to do that, you got to give it up, you got to surrender…..what you need , son, is you need a band’…..and that’s why I’d like to introduce tonight the Dean of the University of Musical Perversity, Secretary of Intelligence, on the piano, Professor Roy Bittan…..with me at the riverside….Secretary of faith and friendship, Silvio, Silvio, wherefore art thou, Silvio….star of the Sopranos, on the guitar, Little Steve Van Zandt…..the godbrother….foundation of the E Street nation, southern man, Mr.Garry Tallent on the bass….with me at the riverside….Secretary of syncopation, Minister of the big beat, star of late night television, ladies and gentlemen….Mighty Max Weinberg on the drums….with me at the riverside, Secretary of heart, spirit , godfather of the guitar, Mr.Nils Lofgren…..standing….with me at the riverside, my brother, Minister of mystery….and all things unfathomable….in my soul….Phantom Dan Federici on the organ….with me at the riverside….now, brunettes are fine, blondes are fun but when it comes to getting a dirty job done, it takes a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) yeah, man, I´m talking about a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) oh, man, I´m searching for a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) yeah, now, I´m talking ´bout a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) oh, man, I´ve got to have a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) said now I´m searching for a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) First Lady of love and Secretary of sweet harmony….on the guitar, Miss Patti Scialfa, on the guitar and vocals….sing it, baby, sing it (Patti sings a bit of ‘Rumble Doll’)….thank you, baby….had to get my baby…..and now….I could see the riverlines were filled with people as I looked around, baby…..I saw the hands in the air, look….but….but…..but there was still something missing…..something essential…..something very big….now I want to introduce tonight the Minister of soul, the Secretary of the brotherhood…..the Emperor of all E Street….do I have to say his name ?….do I have to say his name ?….say who ?….say who ?….say who ?….say who ?….say who ?….say who ?….say who ?….say who ?….say who ?….say who ?….say
who ?….say who ?….say who ?….say who ?….say who ?….say who ?…..”

Middle of "Light of Day"
´´Chicago !….I did say ´Chicago´ !….say it for the last time….Chicago !….my kind of town…. but everywhere I’ve traveled, I’ve seen people lost in the wilderness….I´ve seen people lost in bitterness….I´ve seen people lost in loneliness….and in this town, as I´ve traveled, as I´ve walked the streets of your beautiful city, ladies and gentlemen, I´ve seen people lost in all them cows, lost in the pizza, lost….in Mike Ditka memorabilia….but I´m here tonight, I´m here tonight on a mission of redemption, on a search-and-rescue mission, if you´ve been downsized, stigmatised, retropsychedelicized, analyzed, Pokemonized, pass-that-tax-cut-for-the-rich-Republicanised, it ain´t too late to repent, I’m here to re-educate, to rededicate, to reconfiscate, to resuscitate, to reindoctrinate, to resexualate, to reliberate, to recombobolate with the power, with the glory, with the power, with the glory, with the promise, with the mystery, with the majesty, with the ministry of rock and roll !….you´re not listening to me ! …with the power and the glory, with the promise, with the majesty, with the mystery, with the foolishness, with the ministry of rock and roll !….it´s alive !….it´s alive !….it´s alive !…. unlike my competitors, I shall not, I will not, I cannot promise you life everlasting but I can promise you life…..right now !…and all you gotta do is raise your hand and say ‘I’…..”

^{Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi.}

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Listen To Your Junk Man

It is hard to believe we are fast approaching 20 years since the Reunion tour commenced and the recommitment of Bruce Springsteen, the E Street Band and their many fans was validated night after night across the stages of Europe and the United States.

The archival download series has already given us perhaps the most famous show of the tour, closing night at Madison Square Garden in July 2000, a masterful performance that was appropriately conscious of its place as the culmination of the 132 concerts that came before it. Now, we get a markedly different slice of the Reunion tour and how sweet it is.

Taking nothing away from great shows in E. Rutherford, Philly, Boston and other cities which preceded it or memorable stands in Los Angeles and Oakland to follow, Chicago ‘99 is a barn burner. It actually gains potency from our collective and relative unfamiliarity with the performance and as a result feels deliciously fresh.

It was the last night of three in Chicago as well as the final show of the first U.S. leg of the tour. On the cusp of a two-week break, the mood is buoyant and at times downright joyous. You can hear how excited these musicians are to be playing together again and the confidence they are feeling at this point of the tour is reflected in an adventurous setlist.

To start (and apologies in advance for the language, but it feels wholly appropriate to convey the sentiment), Bruce Springsteen sings the shit out of this show. There are vocal highlights in both expected and unexpected places, many the kind of heightened, upper-range reaches that signal when Bruce is in the zone.

During the last minute of “The Promised Land,” it comes in the form of a sweet, unexpected, soaring “Weeeee-oooo.” At the end of a hard-hitting “Adam Raised a Cain,” it’s a shrieking stretch of vocal improvisation loaded with emotion. In “Thunder Road,” “your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet” rises to a gorgeous high register. And the coup de grace is “Youngstown,” when Springsteen holds the final note of “the fiery furnaces of hellllllllll” a full ten seconds. Time it yourself!

Chicago also presents the opportunity to reassess the altered arrangements Bruce and the band explored in ‘99. At the time, subtle changes to familiar songs may have thrown a few people off a bit, as they were coming in with expectations of how things “used to sound.” Listening now, the explorations prove fascinating.

Played but 15 times on the Reunion tour, “Independence Day” has a distinctly different feel and begins with a lovely guitar and pedal steel intro. Similarly, Bruce bends the first verse and chorus of “She’s The One” (performed only 16 times circa 1999-2000) in unexpected directions before the band arrives with stirring force.

Jon Altschiller’s vivid mix captures band interplay and subtle work from every E Streeter, much of which you may have never noticed before, with the apex coming in the form of “New York City Serenade.” This piano-driven epic had gone unplayed since 1975 before making its momentous return during the Continental Airlines Arena run a month earlier, its first of five appearances on the tour.

“New York City Serenade” is arguably the most challenging piece of music in the Springsteen canon, full of twists, turns and musical nuance. Chicago offers a bravura performance, enriched by the contributions of the band (extra nod to Roy Bittan) and Bruce’s fearless lead vocal. It is by turns majestic, enthralling, even astonishing for 1999, with no strings attached as in more recent performances.

“Serenade” is joined by two other special rarities. The show opens with a fierce “Take ‘Em As They Come,” one of Springsteen’s underappreciated rockers. Mercifully liberated from the vault in 1998 on Tracks (the song is also included on 2015’s The Ties That Bind box set), The River outtake gets a rare outing (it has only been performed ten times) with the band fully locked and loaded. To be fair, they are a bit less so on the likable Born in the U.S.A. era b-side “Janey, Don’t You Lose Heart,” which ends with Bruce chuckling “we gotta practice that one,” though it is still wonderful to hear.

Noteworthy as those rare tracks are, Chicago ‘99 pays dividends song after song, be it common or uncommon to a setlist. It is one of those nights where the versions run long (even “Ramrod” goes seven minutes), the crowd response is huge and the band plays hot. Case in point: Danny’s organ and Clarence’s solo in “She’s the One,” plus the Big Man nailing the final note of “Bobby Jean”; a mini cover “Boom Boom” worked seamlessly into “Light of Day”; Nils and Stevie shining on all types of stringed instruments; Garry and Max electrifying “Atlantic City” and pushing the pace all night; Patti taking her solo turns with aplomb during “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” and “If I Should Fall Behind.” As it did every night on Reunion, the latter song brings the spirit of the band’s rebirth to life in poignant fashion.

As for Springsteen himself, he sounds like he is enjoying every single minute.

More than 20,000 people saw this show in person and have known ever since what a great performance they witnessed. As for the rest of us: Chicago ‘99, we didn’t know what we were missing.

^{By Erik Flannigan via Nugs.net.}

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