2003-05-26 National Sports Stadium, Crystal Palace, London, England

Scheduled: ??:?? Local Start Time 19:20 / End Time 22:20

Info & Setlist | Venue

The first of two nights at an athletics stadium in Crystal Palace, south London. Tour premiere "Meeting Across The River" is an excellent intro to "Jungleland". Jon Landau plays guitar on "Dancing In The Dark". "Mary's Place" includes "The Monkey Time" and "Baby I've Been Missing You". First ever performance in England of "Seven Nights To Rock". See our News tab to view a set of reviews of the show.

Jon Landau (Guest)

Magnus Lauglo	The band finally came out at about 7: 20pm , an hour earlier than they have done at earlier arena shows. They came out in pairs as usual, with Bruce coming out at the end. Bruce looked great as usual, perhaps in need of a haircut. Patti was sporting a new look in a blue denim skirt, and when I saw here I instantly thought of MiamiMark. The crowd greeted them eagerly, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was no pushing from behind. Perhaps this is because the front row is separated from the stage by a three meter wide area where security guards stalk back and forth, and there is no way to actually touch Bruce form the front row. He doesn't even come down to do the 1000 hand slap or let people play his guitar. Regardless, there was a little pressure on each side, but very little from behind, compared to the pit at Arena shows. The Rising opened the show, Bruce s solo is a little different than on the album, but otherwise this was familiar territory, as was Lonesome Day. The songs brought back memories from last summer, when the new album was being released and these were new exciting songs, rather than predictable set openers we often take too much for granted. Then we got Ties that Bind, with some nice added touches from Suzi s violin (or is it a fiddle?), and then My Love Will not Let you Down. The Fuse was next, and this would be the only time the band played it over the week, which is really too bad. The song is musically excellent, and it gives Nils a chance to shine, which is even more important now that they've dropped Counting on a Miracle from the set. Sound, where I was standing, seemed to be pretty good. No real complaints there, so hopefully Mr Crystal Cat and other enterprising tapers got a decent recording. Throughout the show, security at the front was very tight. There was clearly someone who was a security chief for Bruce, and maybe half a dozen other guys more temporarily hired in. They seemed very intent on catching anybody they saw taking pictures, and when they spotted someone recording on a camcorder further back, all of a sudden they were all talking into their earpieces and giving one another hand signals. It came across as a little wannabe-Navy-Seals to me. They stood up in front of us in the front rows and at one point in the show a scuffle ensued when one fan reportedly got sick of having his view constantly obstructed by a guard and pushed him away. Not the smartest thing to do perhaps, but security did come across as assholes. Clearly they have a job to do, but there are different ways of doing the job. They certainly seemed more intent on catching people for taking pictures with disposable cameras than they were on making sure everybody in the front was actually safe. But they did have cups of water they distributed to anyone in the front who wanted it. Doing the GA thing at these big shows, it is easy to avoid drinking (so as not to have to pee throughout the show) , but it is important to stay hydrated. A girl in front of me was clearly not feeling well before the show. Empty Sky and You re Missing are clearly emotional songs for the band, but like much of the Rising material, they don t work as well as they used to. They sound the same as they did last year, but it is still daylight when they are played, and you don t get much of a light show until the encores. The London audience seemed less animated than some of the crowds stateside, but also more respectful and quiet during the slow songs. Empty Sky and You re Missing were both given loud applause at the end, but there was very little audience chatter during them. I looked back to the reserved seating area several times, and while few people were standing up during the rock songs, there seemed to be much less milling around during the slow songs. The first real highlight of the show for me was Waiting on a Sunny Day. It is just such a great little song, I remember thinking; Summer is finally here! Then I remembered the last time I saw a big Bruce show outdoors, which was my first show back in the summer of 93; and then I thought of the coming summer, and all the stuff I plan to do, and then all the people I ll be leaving behind when I move away from University in the autumn. I've never cried before at a Bruce show, but for some reason this concert would be particularly emotional for me. For the first time that evening, but not the last, I felt the tears on the verge of coming out. Bruce went far out on the wings, getting the crowd to sing along. When I looked at the video screens, I saw Bruce in front of tens of thousands of fans, his mike in the air, and I remember telling myself So maybe this is a bit like it was back in 85 . Darlington County was very fun, it s another great summer song, which deserves to be played a lot for the rest of the tour. Perhaps it was a good idea to give it a short rest after 9/11, but I m very glad it is back in regular circulation now . The setlist had yet to yield any real gems (although I held up my Sandy sign every now and then when I thought Bruce or Danny might be looking), but I'll always remember this concert for the fact that Bruce was clearly having a lot of fun. This was no more evident than during this number; he went out on the wings again, and did a naughty little pelvic grind thing during the we wanna rock all night line and sang the final verse with Nils leaning on the steps that lead down to the ramp at the front. Later examination of the setlist showed that Bruce had originally intended to play either Sherry Darling or Roll of the Dice in this spot, and Darlington had been an audible. The show continued in a robust vein up through Mary s Place, although the London crowd was in all, less than impressive. During Mary s Place, Bruce tried to coax people in the reserved section out of their seats: It s time for the London Ass Rising . Mary s Place does work better live than on the album, but I can t blame people for being a little confused. One minute Bruce is telling them to turn it up , get out of their seats etc., and introducing the band, and then all of a sudden, he s telling people to quiet down; Shhhhhh shhhhhhh . I've been missing you The song reaches a climax again towards the end, but then he milks it too much, screaming out MEEEEEET ME AT MARY S PLACE as loud, high and drawn out as he can. Like 10th Avenue Freeze Out back in 99-00, this is a song which would definitely benefit from being cut down by a few minutes. After Mary s Place, a stand up bass was brought on stage. Meeting Across the River was certainly not a song I expected to see on the stadium tour, but it was certainly most welcome, especially in a setlist which so far had relied a little too much on rehashed reunion tour standards for the non-Rising songs. I don t know how the song was received further back, but from the second row it seemed pretty powerful. It segued naturally enough, into Jungleland. This song would be played far better on subsequent shows, but for now, it was great to hear the original violin intro. Suzi actually played it along with Roy, and then added more violin parts later in the song as well. But Clarence was not having a good day at all, and he made 3 or 4 glaring mistakes throughout his solo. Later in the week, he would play the solo far better, but I remember telling myself at the time that if this is the best he can do these days, I would rather not hear the song at all. It was in short, a painful reminder that the E Street Band is not going to be around forever. Into the Fire was much like Empty Sky/You re Missing in that it was less effective because of the light. If it were played a little later in the set, it might be more effective, it could easily take the My City of Ruins spot in the second encore set, although I doubt Bruce would want to displace or drop that song. After the song, I thought the main set would be over, but Bruce went to change guitars and returned with a harmonica in his hands. We got Thunder Road, which all in all sounds better than it did in the last tour, and makes for a far better set closer than Into the Fire. According to the setlist I read later, this song was an audible, and I m glad Bruce threw it in. Perhaps he figured the crowd wasn't as into the show as he had hoped, and wanted to end on a more impressive note. The break before the encores gave me some time to reflect. The band is having a lot of fun on stage, and while Clarence is clearly past his peak, the rest of the band are rocking like a well oiled machine. The setlist had seemed a little much like a rehash of the past tour, but some of the pacing problems of last year have definitely been ironed out. All in all, the show had been far more enjoyable than you might think just by looking at the setlist. I hadn't seen the band in over half a year, and was very glad to be seeing them again. The first song of the encores was Bobby Jean, and though I had heard it live many times already, it fit my somewhat reflective mood perfectly. It made me think of Bruce the band in sort of mortal terms. I think since 99-00 we have sort of taken them for granted. But they clearly won t be around forever and we should appreciate them as best as we can now that we have them. In retrospect, he first encore set was probably my favorite part of the show. Ramrod has been turned up a notch since last year. In its present 10 minute plus state, it is truly the new Quarter to Three. I m not sure when they started this, (they weren't doing it last time they were in Europe), but after Bruce asks what time it is and tells the audience he is going back to the hotel to watch some of your fine English pornographic movies! Is there such a thing? , and after Steve tells him It s Boss Time , the mobile band members form a line and following Bruce, they go offstage, dancing to the music as they go. Then Danny and Max leave, and only Roy is left playing away at his piano for several minutes as a solitary spotlight shines down on him. Eventually the rest of the band sneaks back onstage to finish the song (and on this particular night Bruce playfully put Clarences cowboy hat on Roy s head as he returned to the stage). Amid yet more false endings, exuberant cries of Whoooo and much clowning around, the song winds to its conclusion. It sounds almost wrong to say this, but Born to Run almost sounds like an anticlimax after all this. Ramrod is just such a powerful showstopper that anything which comes after it seems tame in comparison. (It could easily switch places with say, Dancing in the Dark. In fact, it probably should.) Ironically enough, for a long time I felt the same way about Born to Run. The post BTR slot has always been a tricky place to fill; Bobby Jean was played after BTR on a few European shows in 99 without much effect. Similarly, BTR had opened the encores at the first show of the 02 tour at the Continental Airlines Arena, rendering Glory Days and Thunder Road almost impotent. As a result BTR has often been most effective closing an encore set. But now people, Bruce has found the song for the job. It turns out that it takes a cover song to get this particular dirty job done. Picture this: Born to Run draws to a close, Bruce strumming his guitar frantically. Ordinarily this would be the end of the encore set, but you can see in his eyes that he isn't done quite yet. Suddenly he springs forward to the mike and you hear him declare; Seven night to rock and I've got seven nights to roll! . The song is an old cover, I don t remember by whom. It fits the present day E Street band like a glove, both loose and fun and also muscular and powerful. I haven t figured out all the words, but in short, it is a raunchy ode to male promiscuity, with Bruce playing the dirty old man, relating the different women he is planning to bed on different night of the week, and the different hotels he is going to do this in. He repeats at least one of the verses once, there are short solos for some of the band members and one false ending. I can see this becoming a tour standard from now on, and while that would leave less space for flexibility in the encores, I think it would be well worth it. Bruce hasn't had a standard cover in his setlist for far too long now, and this one is too good to be played only infrequently. The second encore was standard fare. Bruce thanked the crowd for their support over the years before playing MCOR, indicating that they (the band) have no plans on quitting after the tour. By this time it was dark outside and MCOR and LOHAD benefited from a full light show. Dancing in the Dark closed the show. The song doesn't do much for me personally in its present version and position as show closer, but it is a song that everybody in the crowd knows and probably sends many people home on a happy and familiar note. I believe the show clocked in at just over 3 hours; about 40 minutes longer than the first shows of the tour back in August. After hanging out in front of the stage with the fans for a short while, it was time to buy an overpriced drink and hot dog, and limp off to start lining up for Tuesday s show.
John B.	The show was fantastic. This was my second time seeing the Boss and the best. First time around he was without his other half, The E Street Band, and no matter how great he is he is just half a show without them. They all performed exceptionally well but I was a little concerned for Clarence. It seemed like he was having a hard time as if he was feeling ill, or maybe it was part of the act. Anyway I came away from that show exhausted. This was partly because I travelled from Scotland at 5am in the morning, walked quite a bit and queued a long time. The other reason was, as my friend said, Bruce is used to performing a 3 hour show and I'm not. :) As for my mate, Sam, he went in not much of a fan and only a little interested but since he was in London he didn't mind accompanying me anyway. He left the show commenting on how good it was and how he would have liked to have learned some of the songs before he went in so he could sing along with the crowd. The show was brilliant but one thing I want to ask of Mr Springstreen is that since I travelled all that way from Scotland to see him that the next time he comes to the UK he visits me in Edinburgh or Glasgow. Maybe a bit cheeky but come on man, please. The last thing I have to say is after seeing the energy that man has, true to the song and like a classic Cadillac, he is Born To Run Forever!
Richard Byatt	This was WITHOUT A DOUBT the BEST show I have EVER been to by ANYONE, ANYPLACE, ANYTIME!! Everyone of the E-Street Band was superb - Danny Federici's swirling organ on You're Missing; Clarence's solos; Nil's superb playing; Max so clearly enjoying himself (especially on Seven Nights to Rock); you could hear Gary's bass lines beautifully; Soozie coming forward and playing against the Big Man's sax; Roy still delivering those classic piano riffs; welcome back Patti (we missed you) and Little Steven - winding up the crowd, taking a blistering solo on Badlands. So that just leaves BRUCE - he didn't stop moving from the time he hit the stage 'til the time he disappeared, phenomenal .. and the crowd were with him all the way, hands in the air, singing the songs, doing the call and response. The setlist was perfect - I finally got the Fuse complete with that amazing cut-out of all the instruments to leave Bruce's voice ringing round the stadium. And what a great venue - like a smallish-town-America baseball ground, so intimate and with trees all around. I used to run round the track on school athletics meetings in the '70s, never thought I'd be back for something like this! Great to hear My Love Will Not Let You Down, the show opener from the 2000 tour. Quiet for beautiful versions of Empty Sky and You're Missing. The crowd loved Darlington County and Ramrod, really getting into it, smiles all around. And after the high of Mary's Place the amazing, unexpected Meeting Across The River - just Bruce, Gary on upright bass and Roy's piano - I saw grown men wiping away tears (me included), hearing that song, in England, at Crystal Palace of all places! But as if that wasn't enough . next we get Jungleland and the crowd EXPLODES as we go Into The Fire and finish the first set with a superb Thunder Road. Bruce is so clearly enjoying himself up there - hanging off the mike, 'running' in circles whilst lying on the stage, bouncing up and down, shouting at people in the crowd, swinging his guitar round his back, joking with all the band and just generally hamming it up. I swear sometimes he looked like he hadn't changed over 20 years. And they're back with Bobby Jean and the house lights and floodlights are lighting up the crowd, hands swinging back and forth to the rhythm, thousands of memories of listening to the song over the years. Ramrod, not one of my favorites on record but live it's brilliant, really gets people going and then the extended ending with Roy playing rolling 'honky tonk' piano and the crowd clapping along until Bruce creeps up to put his hat on and then we're going into Born to Run - and if you thought the crowd couldn't get more excited you didn't know nothing! Classic Springsteen - out in the open air on a warm(ish) night. A new one on me, Seven Nights to Rock was fun. Somewhere in all this Bruce told the stands to get their British arses OUT of the seats; said he was tired and was going back to the hotel for some Fish & Chips (and some high-class English pornographic films), heard the chimes of Big Ben and promoted Clarence Clemons as next in line for the throne! Bruce on piano for the start of a beautiful My City of Ruins and then the wonderful Land of Hope and Dreams to get everyone's hands in the air and after almost three hours that looked like the end. The band were down the front, looking at their watches and consulting each other; lots of shaking of heads as we asked for just one more song and they relented (as we knew they would) and we went out with… Dancing in the Dark. What a night!!! Until the next time.
Paul Watson	I won't go over the same ground as the other reviews already here. But I will add that the musicianship in this show was exceptional. There seemed to be a lot more complex piano and guitar work than in the other shows I've seen. Ramrod was a particular highlight in this regard. Sadly, not all of the crowd were really into the show, and Meeting Across the River in particular didn't get the respect I felt it deserved. But perhaps it is inevitable these days that some older songs will pass over the heads of some of the attendees at these bigger shows.

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