2003-06-16 Olympiastadion, Helsinki, Finland

Scheduled: 19:45 Local Start Time 20:01 / End Time 22:56

Info & Setlist | Venue

Bruce's first ever appearance in Finland. "Born In The U.S.A." is solo acoustic (in the soundcheck and show). "Mary's Place" includes "The Monkey Time" and "Baby, I've Been Missing You".

Intro to “Empty Sky”
´´Good evening….hei, Suomi !….mahtavaa olla Helsingissa (not much response from the crowd) encomprendo, did my best, that was my best (cheers) mittumaari ! (cheers) ah, that´s good, that´s better (chuckles)…saisinko hiljaisuutta, kiitos….”

Middle of “Mary´s Place”
´´Are you ready ? are you ready ? are you ready ? are you ready ? what you think, C ?….are you ready for a house party is what we wanna know (cheers) are you ready for a house
party ? (cheers) are you ready for a house party ? (cheers) alright, ´cause I like to dance like this (chuckles) hey, Big Man, I think some people are ready for a house party but I think that some people are not…..help me, Brother….because if you want to have a house party, three conditions must be met…..number one, the music has got to be (Clarence: ´righteous´) righteous….number two, the music must be (Clarence: ´righteous´) righteous…..number three, you got to get your (Clarence: ´Ass´) ass out of your seats….the Finnish ass must rise….come on up for the Finn ass-rising !….come on, oh, that´s much better, oh, much better….because I´m about to introduce to you the greatest band in all the land….on (?) side of the stage, the pathological piano pounder, illegitimate son of Jerry Lee Lewis and Liberace, Professor Roy Bittan….on the violin and vocals, out of New York City, Sister Soozie Tyrell….on the guitar, keeper of all that is sacred on E Street, Silvio Dante, Little Steven Van Zandt….on the bass guitar, the man that bring the thunder from down under, that put the bass in your face, the Tennesee Terror, Mr.Garry W.Tallent….back on the drums, the man that bring the power hour after hour, night after night after night, the Minister of the big beat, the Secretary of syncopation and star of ´Late Night (crowd: ´Television´) Television, Mighty Max Weinberg ….on the guitar, keeper of heart and spirit, one of the greatest guitarists in rock and roll, Brother Nils Lofgren….on the organ, Secretary of mystery, Phantom Dan Federici….now to the far side of the stage, First Lady of love, on guitar and vocals, and my sweetie baby honey child, Miss Patti Scialfa….bring it to me, baby, bring it to me when daddy comes home….do I have to say his name ?….do I have to say his name ?….Minister of soul, Secretary of the brotherhood, ladies and gentlemen, you wish you could be like him but you cannot because under the sun there´s only one Clarence Big Man Clemons….ladies and gentlemen, that´s the heartstopping, pants-dropping, houserocking, earth-shaking, booty-quaking, Viagra-taking, lovemaking E Street Band…..yes it is !…. ”

Middle of “Ramrod”
´´Hey Steve ! (Steve : ´Yeah, baby ?´) I do believe it´s quitting time…..time to go home….. quitting time….going home…..going home time…..well, Steve, if it ain´t quitting time, Steve, what I wanna know is what time is it ?….(Steve : ´We ain´t to the finish line yet, it´s Boss-time !´)
(….) Mr. and Mrs.Helsinki, what time is it ? (crowd : ´Boss-time !´)
(….) We ain´t quitting….Stevie, we´re gonna play until the sun goes down…..does the sun go down ? (crowd : ´No´) oh, oh, oh….”

Intro to “My City of Ruins”
´´Thank you, thank everybody for coming out to the show tonight, thank you very much…. kiitos, Helsinki, kiitos, Suomi….oh, this is our first time here, sorry it took us so long to get here but uh….we´ll be back to see you so….”

Middle of “Glory Days”
´´Come on, Steve….(Steve : ´Yeah, baby ?´) that sun just ain´t going down…..are you with me, Kid ? (Steve :´Yeah´) is the band with me ?…..are the people with me ? (cheers)….”

^{Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi.}

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We’re Gonna Play Until the Sun Goes Down

Come on up for the rising. At long last, the first live archive release from the Rising tour is here: Helsinki, Finland, June 16, 2003.

What took so long? Let’s address that right off the bat.

The detailed answer is quite technical in nature, but in a nutshell, Rising tour recordings were made on what was then a state-of-the-art DSD (Direct Stream Digital) system, the first to offer high-resolution audio in an easily transportable, multi-track recording unit. But 15 years later, the proprietary nature of the software and hardware elements in that system have caused what might best be described as forward-compatibility issues, making it challenging to restore the original recording files. Helsinki is the first successful result of ongoing efforts over the last several years to address the problems.

Listening to the show now, one would never know how difficult it was to recover the multi-track recordings, as Jon Altschiller’s crystalline mix shines brilliantly and brings out fine details in the lush arrangements of the Rising material featured. Helsinki is a Rising showcase, offering nine songs from the album performed with gravitas befitting much of the subject matter.

While but one tour removed, the spirit captured in Helsinki is quite distinct from that of Chicago ‘99 released last month. The playing is equally accomplished, but there is more narrative unfolding, more stories being told in a very intentional manner. It makes the contrast between heavier material like “You’re Missing” and “Into the Fire” and that of lighter fare like “Mary’s Place” stark, with the night’s high-spirited songs offering release and relief, recognition that there is light beyond the darkness. Different tour, different mission.

Exemplary of this solemn and bold approach is “Into the Fire,” which opens with Patti Scialfa’s haunting vocalization and Springsteen’s most direct lyrical reference to 9/11. When the band kicks in majestically before the second verse, we can only marvel at the sympathetic support. Nils’ pedal steel bends expressively throughout, and while she has performed with the E Street Band ever since, Soozie Tyrell’s contributions have never felt more vital. She’s the musical lynchpin of the song, and she pulls significant melodic weight all night long. Even “Dancing in the Dark,” performed in what is otherwise its purest form since the 1984-85 tour, deftly downplays synthesizer in favor of Tyrell’s violin carrying the melody.

It seems apropos that nine Rising songs are paired with seven from Born in the U.S.A. Sure, this is Bruce and the band’s first-ever show in Finland, so drawing from their most popular album makes sense. Yet the incorporation of so many tracks from both records also suggests that their characters and stories are intertwined, that the people who inhabit “My Hometown,” “No Surrender,” and “Glory Days” went on to experience what unfolds across The Rising later in their lives. Hearing so much from both chapters of that narrative makes Helsinki powerful.

Powerful is a word that stays top of mind listening to the full 25-song set, which by Springsteen standards is as focused and straightforward as any I can recall — with the exception of a delightfully shambolic “Ramrod,” which rolls on for more than 12 minutes including an extended piano solo by Roy Bittan.

The evening’s catharsis peaks with “My City of Ruins,” its gospel-tinged musical cleansing perfectly positioned as a restorative in the encore and the ideal segue to the life-affirming “Land of Hope and Dreams.” A potent pairing.

On its debut, the Helsinki audience impresses, singing along and responding passionately, as evidenced by the call and response at the end of “My Hometown.” The same can be said of the band, performing with utter confidence and control.

As for Springsteen himself, he sets the tone for the night at the start with his bluesy, solo-acoustic “Born in the U.S.A.,” a version that is impassioned and world-weary all at the same time. Informed by that prelude, there’s a sense of purpose to this performance, a commitment to telling stories that reflect some of our darkest and lightest moments. And that is the essence of the Rising tour.

^{By Erik Flannigan via Nugs.net.}

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We’re Gonna Play Until the Sun Goes Down