1999-10-28 Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA

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

Info & Setlist | Venue

Premiere of the full band "Sinaloa Cowboys", unfortunately only played once on the tour. "Two Hearts" includes "It Takes Two". "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". Southside Johnny guests to duet on "Hungry Heart".

Southside Johnny (Guest)

Middle of "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out"
(sings ‘It’s Alright’ and ‘Take Me to the River’) That’s right…..that’s where I wanna go….I wanna go to that river…the river of life….and the river of love…..the river of hope.…and the river of faith….the river of sanctification….the river of transformation….I want to be transformed….and the river of resurrection where everybody has a second chance…..and that river of sexual healing…and companionship….that’s where I wanna go tonight and I want you to go with me…. because I need to go with you ….that’s why we’re here…..that´s why I´m here…. because I found out that you can’t get there by yourself….you can try and everybody tries, running and hiding….but in the end you can´t get there by yourself….so I found myself, as a young man, one evening, I was standing before a dark grove of trees….I was frightened to pass through those trees even though I knew that on the other side the river of life, the river of meaningful life and cold beer at a reasonable price was waiting….but I stood there paralyzed, my legs were like stone, my arms were like lead and I knew that feeling because I’d felt it a thousand times before, I said ‘Man, I ain’t going, I’m gonna run….because that´s what I know how to do and that’s what I’m good at….running’….then I heard a voice and a sweet sound coming through the trees…help me, Profesor! (Roy plays)….and I stepped into the trees and there was a gypsy woman !….and I told her my problems and she said ‘Son….you’re gonna be alright….but what you need is….you need a band, you need some help’….and that’s why I’d like to introduce the dean of the university of musical perversity, the Secretary of intelligence, Professor Roy Bittan on the piano….standing with me at the riverside….I wanna introduce the Secretary of faith and friendship, keeper of all that is righteous on E Street, star of the ‘Sopranos’, Little Steven Van Zandt on the guitar ….with me, brother, at the riverside….I wanna introduce the foundation of the E Street nation, Southern man, Mr.Garry W.Tallent.…he just turned 50, he looks good standing with me on the riverside….the Minister of the mighty beat, the Secretary of syncopation, star of Late Night Television, bring the power, Mighty Max Weinberg on the drums….standing with me at the riverside….Secretary of heart and spirit, Godfather of the guitar, the great Nils Lofgren….with me at the riverside, brother…. the Minister of mystery, Secretary of all things unfathomable here on E Street, Brother Dan Federici on the organ and the accordion….stand with me at the riverside, yes, Sir….but you can’t get there without love in your life….I wanna say brunettes are fine and 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 ‘bout a (crowd : ‘Red headed woman’) I´ve got to have myself a (crowd : ‘Red headed woman’) yeah, man, I’m talking ‘bout a (crowd : ‘Red headed woman’) Coming to get you, baby (crowd : ‘Red headed woman’) in the midnight hour now, sing it, kid (Patti sings a bit of ‘Rumble Doll’)….First Lady of love and sweet harmony, Miss Patti Scialfa on the guitar and vocals…..and now I can see through to the banks of that river and there were people waving all around, with their hands in the air….but there was still something missing….something essential….something fundamental….something that we couldn’t go on without….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 ?…”

Intro to "The Ghost of Tom Joad"
‘‘I wanna do this tonight for the folks that are here from the California Rural Legal Assistance….they´re a legal services program with 17 offices in communities from the Mexican border up to Northern California and they fight on behalf of migrant farm workers and new immigrants, single mothers, the elderly, in poor communities throughout the state, they, uh…..they represent those with no other voice or other legal representation….and they´re dedicated to winning humane living- and working conditions for the poorest of the California poor….they´re an important and they're an essential organization here in California…and uh, I´ve been with them through the central part of the state, and there´s still plenty of folks in conditions barely removed from….from the Okies in ‘Grapes of Wrath’…so they´re, they provide valuable service and assistance and they can really use your help and support, they´re called the California Rural Legal Assistance, they´ll be out in the lobby, you should check ‘em out….”

Middle of "Light of Day"
‘‘‘Frisco !….Oakland !….Alameda !….but everywhere I´ve gone, I´ve seen people lost in the wilderness.…I´ve seen people lost in bitterness….I´ve seen people lost in confusion ….I’ve seen people lost on the cellphones….I´ve seen people lost in loneliness….lost in faithlessness….well, ladies and gentlemen, we’re trained professionals and we’re here tonight on a search-and-rescue mission…on a search-and-rescue mission….on a search-and-rescue mission….if you´ve been downhearted, disspirited, disgusted, dispossessed, downsized, analyzed, stigmatized, fractionalized, paralyzed, retro-psychedelicized, Pokemonized, pass-the-tax-deducts-for-rich-Republicanised….it ain’t too late to repent, you can still save yourself….because I´m here….re-educate, to resuscitate, to regenerate, to reconfiscate, to reindoctrinate, to resexualate, to reillustrate, to rededicate, to reliberate you with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, and the majesty and the mystery….with the ministry of rock and roll !….that´s right…. that´s right….that´s right….that´s right….that´s right….that´s right….but unlike my competitors, I shall not, I shall not, I shall not, I will not 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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To Become A Man And Grow Up To Dream Again

If the modern era of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is demarcated by the start of the Reunion tour, we’ve nearly reached the moment where it also represents the midpoint of their touring career spanning late 1972 to present day. Amazingly, that means less time passed between the Born to Run and Reunion tours than the Reunion tour and today. So does a 1999 show have more in common with what came before or what’s come since?

That’s probably best left hanging as a rhetorical question, but listening to Oakland 10/28/99, the last night of a three-show stand, this formidable performance harkens back to past championship seasons. Seventy-eight shows into the Reunion tour, the players on stage are fully match fit and committed to the cause: to do justice to Springsteen’s core catalog and take the music in compelling new directions.

Mixing metaphors here, but who else would start a three-hour marathon with a five-song sprint? The evening commences with a rare opening slot for “Adam Raised a Cain” which sounds newly incensed. Springsteen sings it with age-defying conviction (listen to his falsetto on “from the dark heart of a dream”) and rips an angsty guitar solo. This shock to the system kicks straight into “Prove It All Night,” and again there’s no wavering in an excellent version sparked by back-and-forth vocal interplay between Springsteen and Stevie Van Zandt.

With nary a second to breathe, the pair join forces again on “Two Hearts,” which in turn cues up our third taste of Darkness on the Edge of Town, “The Promised Land.” The fifth powerhouse in this sequence, “Atlantic City,” appears in its staggering full-band arrangement. Jon Altschiller’s mix puts listeners in the perfect seat (but feel free to stand) and the separation of voices and instruments is sharp, like when Nils Lofgren and Van Zandt play off each other in the left and right speakers respectively during the song’s conclusion.

“Good evening,” Springsteen says after. “Thanks for coming out tonight.” The high energy expressed since the start of the show turns delicate. As it does on Nebraska, “Atlantic City” leads to “Mansion on the HIll” in its resplendent country-leaning arrangement with Lofgren on pedal steel, Van Zandt on acoustic guitar and Danny Federici on accordion. The players swirl around each other while Springsteen and Patti Scialfa lay down graceful vocals. The contrast from the barnstorming start of Oakland to this intimate section is stark.

More captivating counterpoints follow, as Clarence Clemons’ saxophone and Roy Bittan’s piano shine during a moving “Independence Day.” Performed only 15 times on Reunion (though it landed on other Archive releases), this reading might be first among equals. Even compared to the version played in Los Angeles just five days prior, the Oakland “Independence Day” glides on a slower tempo; the mix and arrangement (again featuring Lofgren on pedal steel) feel more River-like in spirit despite being so wistfully distinct from the original. What a stately ending.

Loud, soft, then loud again, with “Youngstown” firing up the furnaces. Logren’s showcase solo is more soaring and searing than pyrotechnical, which keeps it nicely inside the song, and Van Zandt’s mandolin playing is again a standout. “Murder Incorporated” plays tough — just like you want it to — and “Badlands” brings a flawless first half of the show to a figurative close.

The second half of Reunion shows can lose focus a bit, since long songs like “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” and “Light of Day” work great as live showstoppers but don’t always translate as well on playback.

But if you haven’t listened to either in a while, the Oakland versions hold up nicely. “Tenth” nods to “It’s All Right” and “Take Me to the River” before Springsteen introduces Scialfa with a few lines of “Red Headed Woman” ahead of her sweet “Rumble Doll” showcase. “Boom Boom” infuses “Light of Day” with a welcome snatch of stomping blues.

Between those showstoppers, a lively “Working on the Highway” starts with a sweet guitar line from Lofgren and Max Weinberg’s big beat before Springsteen darkens the tone again for “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” Though an every-nighter at this point in the tour, Bruce brings subtle, in-the-moment variations to his vocal. The mix showcases the purity of the arrangement, which begins with Bruce on solo acoustic, joined by Federici on accordion, then Garry Tallent on bass, Weinberg on brushes, and Lofgren back on pedal steel.

We stick with Joad for the only full-band performance ever of “Sinaloa Cowboys” which carries forth the instrumentation, augmented with Bittan’s gentle synthesizer and Springsteen’s fine, Mexican-tinged acoustic guitar picking. “Backstreets” rewards the patience of the Oakland audience, and like “Adam Raised a Cain” and “Prove It All Night” at the start, Bruce and the band turn back the clock and reconnect to the heart of the song.

Something amusing to kick off the encore as Southside Johnny takes the second verse and sings along on “Hungry Heart.” By way of thanks for the seemingly impromptu appearance, Springsteen affectionately calls Johnny “a walking chaos machine.” Clemons continues his thick baritone sax sound to fuel up “Ramod,” and goes back to tenor for satisfying takes of “Born to Run” and “Thunder Road.”

Though the tour’s traditional closers, “If I Should Fall Behind” and “Land of Hope and Dreams,” have brought the evening to rewarding finish, Bruce declares, “Ah fuck, one more!” ahead of a rare, all-verses-included “Blinded by the Light.” It’s a tricky song to get right, which may explain why it went uplayed after 1976 and was only attempted five times on Reunion; this is one of if not the best of the modern era.

Clocking in at 24 songs and just under three hours, Oakland 10/28/99 might read like an average show statistically. But don’t let the numbers deter you from revisiting a peak Reunion tour performance that shines in both its loudest and softest moments.

^{By Erik Flannigan via Nugs.net.}

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To Become A Man And Grow Up To Dream Again