2003-02-28 Arena At Gwinnett Center (The), Duluth, GA

Scheduled: 19:30 Local Start Time 20:24 / End Time 22:54

Info & Setlist | Venue

Bruce enters the stage with "I'd like to thank absolutely fucking nobody," a tongue-in-cheek response to the previous week's Grammy Awards. "Mary's Place" includes "The Monkey Time", "Rescue Me", and "Baby I've Been Missing You". "If I Should Fall Behind" is solo piano.

John Hocking	I'm surprised Bruce's rather unusual comment, made prior to playing the first note, hasn't been described. The lights went down, the band came up steps from the rear onto the middle of the stage, two by two, with Bruce, of course, being last. He walked up to the microphone and said, "I'd like to thank absolutely fuuucking nooobody". And, bang, into a really hard rock, "No Surrender". I believe he had opened the previous 46 shows with the Rising. The comment, and "No Surrender", almost certainly had to be a reference to the Grammy awards that were five night earlier. He had won some minor awards, but the biggee, Record of the Year, had gone to Norah Jones and not the Rising. It was the sort of comment one could see him making to a table of friends at a post Grammy's party, but probably not to 12,000 at his next concert. That the comment received no mention in the press, at least that I saw, is, for me, a comment on Bruce's stature. He can do pretty much whatever he wants. Why, heck, I bet he could even get away with openly opposing the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Unknown	Awesome, fantastic, energized, terrific, classic, wonderful… pick your adjective! From the moment Bruce came onstage kicking ass, with his mouth and then his music, I knew we were in for a treat. I am glad the GA pit worked out for all (show a little faith…there's magic in the night) and all who I saw were having a fantastic time! The band was tight, the setlist tweaked and just the right mix of new and old. They were having FUN! We were having fun! My 7 year old did point out to me that Bruce said the "F" word, nothing gets past my kid! But my son had a blast, but did take a "nap" halfway through the show… hey, he's only 7! Kids can sleep through anything, as Nick proved tonight! I saw very few people in the seats (the close seats, anyway) sitting on their butts which was a BIG improvement over Phillips! I think with the show in the 'burbs, you lose allot of the city people who show up just to say they were there. Looking forward to hearing others opinions. I'm too wired to sleep! Bruce, thanks! It was supercalifragilisticexpialidociuos!
Want to be Clarence	The show was great, although it barely made 2 hours and 30 minutes, thanks to an extended Dancing in the Dark to close the show. Bruce opened by coming to the mic and saying "I'd like to thank absolutely fucking nobody" and kicked off with No Surrender. It looked tongue in cheek to me. Then it was back to the standard structure, Rising, Lonesome day, etc. There were some sound problems, I thought — don't know if it was due to the new arena, or what, but not as good as on the other show I've been at on this tour. The band was tight, though, and it seemed like there was more of an effort to showcase the individuals than on some of the other shows — Nils with an extended acoustic intro to Counting on a Miracle, Max on BITUSA, etc., although Roy never really got the spotlight this time out. Great energy from the band, and the crowd really seemed into it. We were on the floor, and when I looked around, it seemed like most of the people in seats were up. At one point, (I think in Mary's place, I can't remember for sure) Bruce said something about getting people off their asses, which may have helped. Out In the Street was similar to the Reunion Tour, with the crowd sing along (Oh Oh!) and multiple endings. Nice to have it back in the set, it's one of my favorites. If I Should Fall Behind, another favorite, was just Bruce at the piano, and was an audible not on the original set list (someone in the pit got one, I saw it after the show). Some idiot got up on stage during Born To Run — ran up from the left side and made it down the ramp behind Nils before he got grabbed and hauled off. I can't believe that security was so lax that someone could do that — I'm sure the arena managers are embarrassed. Couldn't tell if he was trying to make a point, or was just stupid, but the band never missed a beat, and Bruce said "he's too old to be doing that" and kept playing. After LOHAD, the band lined up like they were going to leave, and the crowd was roaring. They stood there shaking their heads like they didn't want to do another song, then relented and played Dancing in the Dark. (Planned, I'm sure, since it was on the set list.) Bruce really looked like he was having fun on it — he kept going long enough that Clarence came out for the close with the sax, then had to retreat because Bruce kept doing the crowd repeat thing for a while. All in all a very strong show, although not as long as some. Good selection of songs, band as tight as ever, enthusiastic crowd. Hope the GA thing gets clarified at some point, I think the first 300 people there eventually made it into the pit, although in lottery fashion. Those of us that stuck around all day ended up at the front of the floor, but the communication between arena or Bruce management wasn't very good.
Bogiesmom	This is my fifth show this tour & it was definitely the best! Bruce & the band all seemed to be in a great mood, the venue was fantastic - small compared to the rest of the places I've seen them this tour, the set list was great (of course, there were many more songs I wish they had played - like She's The One). Clarence seemed to be featured a lot more this time, which is always a treat. The audience was pumped! Much, much better than Phillips - I agree that the crowd there (at least where I was sitting) was a bunch of duds - I couldn't believe it when someone behind us asked us to sit down!! But last night the place was rocking and Bruce did not seem to want to stop playing - like in Tampa! The arena is set up so you can get a really close look at the stage if you are in the seats directly beside it - and Patti looked great, but the Boss - man, he was looking HOT!!
Pammalulu	I think that with the show in the 'burbs' there were a lot of people just there to be in the 'new arena and get drunk'….. at least where I was sitting there were more people interested in bellowing to each other over their Budweiser. It ruined it…especially when Bruce was singing the gorgeous 'If I should fall behind'………….

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Hard-charging night from Boss

Bruce Springsteen's concert Friday night at Gwinnett Arena was packed even though the Boss played the Atlanta area just two months ago at the Philips Arena. For fans, a Springsteen show is like a religious service: Every time you attend is another opportunity to renew your faith.

Springsteen even picked up on this church vibe when he introduced the members of the E Street Band. In the voice of a revival tent preacher. He called his wife, singer Patti Scialfa, "the first lady of love and my personal savior." And he referred to the ever popular saxophone player Clarence Clemons as "minister of soul" and "secretary of the brotherhood."

Springsteen and the band played for more than two hours. And the 53-year-old rocker seemed especially virile and frisky. He slid across the stage, jumped up on a piano and twirled around the mic stand with the fluidity of a stripper working a pole.

The set list was a mix of tunes from last year's 9/11-themed album "The Rising" as well as fan favorites like "Candy's Room" and "Out in the Street." In many ways Springsteen's charging, earnest anthems are about as relevant to contemporary rock as Chuck Berry and the Big Bopper. But he still has a hold on a certain audience.

His popularity with folks in their 30s, 40s and 50s lies in his ability to reconcile the passions of youth with the realities of middle age. He was "born to run," but now he's a committed family man. He's politically skeptical, yet hopeful.

"I'm going to send this out as a prayer for peace," he said after singing the ballad of loss "Empty Sky." And he offered another anti-war message before launching into "Born in the USA." "I wrote this in 1983 about the Vietnam War," he said. "I don't want to have to write it again."

More than any other rocker of his ilk, Springsteen is committed to making his audience think about social and political issues. He dedicated "My City of Ruins" to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. The crowd received Springsteen with numerous standing ovations and hoarse cries of "Bruuuce." And one man, who appeared to be in his late 40s, even jumped onstage during "Born to Run."

"He's too old to be doing that," Springsteen remarked.

The fan seemed to epitomize the sometimes odd evening, when people old enough to afford $75 concert tickets were singing along to lyrics about "tramps like us."

The much feared traffic situation at the arena turned out to be much less of an issue than during last Friday's George Strait concert. By 8 p.m. only a few stragglers remained in the arena lot.

Congestion was heaviest coming from west of the arena as many opted to take back roads to the event.

"Last week was hell," said John Sibley, an attendant with Standard Parking. "This is so much better."

Parking was the bigger issue. Once the arena lot filled, many were confused about where to park. Most were directed to the old Boeing plant off Satellite Boulevard.

^{By Craig Seymour via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.}

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Hard-charging night from Boss