2003-07-15 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

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

Info & Setlist | Venue

Start of the now legendary ten night stand at Giants Stadium. "Born In The U.S.A." is solo acoustic; the tour's final "The River" is full band. "Mary's Place" includes "The Monkey Time", "You Sexy Thing", and "Baby I've Been Missing You".

Intro to “Empty Sky”
´´Evening, New Jersey….oh, good to see you….we´ve been all around the world, it´s nice to be back home….thank you, it´s been a while since we´ve been here (?) it´s nice tonight…. need a little bit of quiet for these next few songs, thank you…..”

Intro to “Sherry Darling”
´´Gimme some light….lights, lights, lights…alright….are you ready, C ?….we´ve got a little summer song for you….is everybody ready for summer ? (cheers)….”

Middle of “Mary´s Place”
´´Are you ready ? are you ready ? are you ready ? are you ready ? are you ready for a house party ? (cheers) are you ready for a house party ? (cheers)…what do you think, C ?…C says ´It´s opening night….sometimes people kind of tight´, he says some people ready, some people ain´t ready….(?)….to be ready for a house party (cheers) that´s better, two conditions have to be met, three conditions, one, the music has got to be (Clarence : ´Raucous´) raucous ….two, the music has got to be (Clarence : ´Raucous´) raucous….three, you´ve got to get your (Clarence : ´Ass´) ass out of your seat, baby….I´m talking all the way up in the back now…. alright….because I´m about to introduce to you the greatest little house band in all the land ….that´s right….that is right….I wanna say at the far end of the stage, on the piano, the illegitimate son of Jerry Lee Lewis and Liberace, Professor Roy Bittan….on the violin and vocals, out of New York City, we´ve got Sister Soozie Tyrell….on the guitar, star of the ´Sopranos´-television show, the coolest little dj in the U.S.A, ´Up from Little Steven´s Underground´, keeper of all that is righteous on E Street, Little Steven Van Zandt….on the bass guitar, the Tennesee Terror, Mr.Garry W.Tallent….that´s right….on the drums, the man that brings the power hour after hour night after night, I´m talking about the Minister of the big beat, the Secretary of syncopation and the star of ´Late Night (crowd : ´Television´) Mighty Max Weinberg….on the guitar, Secretary of heart and spirit, one of the greatest guitarists in rock and roll, Brother Nils Lofgren….on the organ and accordion, hailing from Flemington, New Jersey, keeper of all the secrets on E Street, Phantom Dan Federici…..to the far side of the stage, we´ve got the First Lady of love, on guitar and vocals and my sweetie baby honey child, Miss Patti Scialfa….I believe in miracles, where you from, you sexy thing ?….yeah, baby, yeah, baby and last but not least….Minister of soul, Secretary of the brotherhood, do I have to say his name ?….on the saxophone, you wish you could be like him but I´m sorry you can´t because under the sun there´s only one Clarence Big Man Clemons….that´s right, that´s the heartstopping, pants-dropping, houserocking, earth-shaking, booty-quaking, Viagra-taking, lovemaking, legendary E Street Band…..”

Middle of “Ramrod”
´´Hey Steve….I think it´s quitting time, baby….it´s quitting time (?)…I got to get my ass on the Turnpike….I wanna go to the beach early in the morning….I´m going home, Kid…. quitting time, thanks for coming….you were great….(?)….hey Steve….if it ain´t quitting time, Steve (chuckles) then what time is it ?….(Steve : ´Are we in New Jersey ? (cheers) the swamps of Jersey ? (cheers) it must be Boss-time´)….
(….) Mr. and Mrs.New Jersey, all I wanna know is what time is it ? (crowd : ´Boss-time´)

Intro to “Seven Nights to Rock”
´´We´ve got seven nights at the Giants Stadium….and I wanna tell you what we´re gonna do….”

Intro to “My City of Ruins”
´´Thank you….thank you very much….oh yeah….I wanna thank everybody for coming out to the show tonight…..thank you very much….oh….the response to our shows here were really just so wonderful and….what can I say, it´s been a long time and uh…..we appreciate your support (chuckles)….speaking of which, we´ve got the Community Foodbank of New Jersey out in the hall tonight, you´ll see ´em on your way out, I hope….they´ve been friends of ours for a long time and uh….they ship up 24 million pounds of food to 18 New Jersey counties, they´ve been at for, uh….way over 20 years now….and 40 percent of the people that they, they assist are kids so on your way out please check out the Foodbank of New Jersey, they´re worth your time and your support, this is for them…..also a little plug for Asbury Park, it´s coming along, if you get a chance…..stop down along the business district, there´s a lot of art, art galleries and coffee shops and there´s some neat new clubs that´ve opened up and uh….if you got a weekend here, it´s worth your time down at the Shore so I´ll send this out to my friends down there too….oh yeah….”

Intro to “Land of Hope and Dreams”
´´A little bit of light for me…..up front, please…..this is uh, once again I wanna thank everybody for coming out to the show tonight….what I like about it I know people of, people with all different kinds of political beliefs come out and see us and I, I like that, you know, and we welcome all and uh, there´s been a lot of questions raised recently about the forthrightness of our government and this playing with the truth has been part of both Democratic and Republican administrations in the past and it´s always wrong….never, never more so than when there´s real lives at stake…..and the question of whether we were misled into war with Iraq isn´t a Liberal or a Conservative question or a Republican or a Democratic question, it´s an American question….and uh….protecting of the democracy that we ask our sons and daughters to die for is our responsobility and it´s our trust…..and demanding accountability is our job as citizens….that´s the American way so may the truth will out….. that´s our public service announcement for tonight…..this is ´Land of Hope and Dreams´…..”

^{Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi.}

Francis Valentino	My favorite concert of all time. I was 14 at the time and hadn't really seen many stadium shows by anyone. I'll never forget the opening Born in the USA Acoustic. Sitting in the back, I found it amazing how extremely loud and clear the sound was. Looking down to the stage and seeing a little figure with a tiny guitar blaring throughout a stadium. The whole show was incredible I think. The 8 song encore(s), Rosalita, Ramrod into Born to Run. then Dancing in the dark. Great.
John L.	Start with amazing and from there it only gets better. Opening with Bruce doing a solo version of Born In the USA. Chilling versions of Empty Sky and You re Missing follow by the pick me up Waiting On A Sunny Day. Sherry Darling had the building rocking (not kidding). If Sherry Darling had the building rocking, Badlands plain and simple moved the foundation. Back to the tears with Into The Fire followed by No Surrender. Amazing how they all fit together. Not a better first encore to be found then Bobby Jean Ramrod Born to Run. 60,000 people thrusting fists to tramps like us. Seven Nights To Rock opens a second encore followed by a wonderful version of My City of Ruins. Bruce offers this song to the NJ Food Banks and to Asbury Park. Land Of Hope and Dreams puts a bow tie on the evening. I would have been happy to say good night and lets do it all again in a few days. What followed might have been one of the most amazing moments of any concert that I have ever been too. With Bruce teasing this is the one, get up because this is the one the opening of Rosalita took opening night to level that concerts just don t get to very often. When I noticed this guy sitting next to me, who before the show, said he had been to 30 35 shows and all he wants to hear is I ain't here for business, I'm only here for fun when that guy has tears rolling down his face, not much else needs to be said. Just for good measure Bruce throws in a little Dancing in The Dark to prove, to everyone who still has the ability to stand, that he is in much better shape then all of us. Started amazing … ended amazing! Special time.
Tom Cantillon	Impressive opening night! The energy and intensity level was amazing. Great renditions of Promised Land, Darkness, Sherry Darling, Worlds Apart, Into the Fire, Ramrod was out of control and Rosalita was a very nice surprise. Bruce and the band are in fine form—better than ever and more energetic than from the reunion tour. Looking forward to the rest of the Jersey nights. Thanks, Bruce and Band for an unforgettable night. The magic is still there.
Kyle Pucciarello	Four months ago I received my tickets for what was destined to be the greatest two weeks in my entire life. As July 15th drew nearer and nearer, my anticipation grew to a point where nothing else mattered - just Bruce. And he did not disappoint. Opening the show with a solo Born in the USA was something that I felt was a very bold move - making a statement while showcasing a brilliant reworking of a tremendous song. In the parking lot prior to the show everyone was wondering just what he would open with - from "Summertime Blues" to "Seven Nights to Rock," but this worked just fine. "The Rising" and "Lonesome Day" continued to prove powerful and worthy of the opening spots. And the adrenaline continued with "The Promised Land," an inspired "My Love Will Not Let You Down," (with Max's blistering drums) as well as a great "Darkness on the Edge of Town." As has been customary on the 2002-03 tour, Bruce then brought the show down with "Empty Sky" and "You're Missing." Some felt these songs may not work in a stadium, but they served as a reminder than the World Trade Centers are no longer visible from the Turnpike right outside of Giants Stadium, and functioned brilliant in their own right. "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" continued to be a fun number, with Bruce knee-sliding across the stage and flipping himself upside-down on his microphone stand - a truly great moment. In keeping with the summer sing-a-long, a great "Sherry Darling" was played, followed by the powerhouse trio of "World's Apart," "Badlands," and "Out in the Street," one of Bruce's truly great stadium songs. After the band intros and fun of "Mary's Place," one of the first surprises surfaced, a full-band version of "The River," fit with a beautiful falsetto and violin solo at the song's end. "Into the Fire" was great as always, and the band going into "No Surrender" worked tremendously well. "Thunder Road" closed off the main set with Bruce doing a knee slide to Clarence, giving the audience a slight nostalgic feeling. The first encore picked up with crowd-pleasing "Bobby Jean," and continued with the stunning "Ramrod." The on-stage antics between Springsteen and E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt were entertaining, as was Bruce and the entire band exiting the stage, leaving piano playing Roy Bittan all alone. Bittan's piano solo was another true highlight of the night, and the band came back on stage to finish out the rocker. Then came everyone's concert favorite "Born to Run," the anthem of New Jersey. But the encore would not be complete without a song that summed up the seven night run. Well, what better than "Seven Nights to Rock." Although not everyone in the crowd was familiar with the words, the song proved to be an all out rocker and was another true highlight of the night. The second encore began with "My City of Ruins," which was dedicated to the local food bank as well as Asbury Park. "Land of Hope and Dreams," the only low point of the show, followed with a brief public service announcement about the United States' involvement in the war with Iraq. After the LOHAD, Bruce pulled all of the band to the front of the stage. Feigning not being able to lift his famous Telecaster, Bruce did a dead-on Robert DeNiro impression of not being able to play anymore. But the night was not over yet. Bruce yelled out "This is the one," but not all of the crowd got it. Could this be a joke? Nope, "Rosalita" came out and was the highlight of the night, proving that thirty years after it was first penned it was still was one of the Boss' best concert rockers. And then came a newer rocker, the reworked "Dancing in the Dark." The powerhouse duo of Rosie and Dancing brough the energy level up to heights seemingly impossible, and for a moment it was like the crowd was transported back 18 years to the days of "Born in the USA," when Bruce was the biggest thing out there. And for this one night (and probably the next six as well), he really was.

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In Stadium, Connecting With the Intimacy (and Imagery) of a Kiss

Kisses keep coming up in the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen's most recent album, ''The Rising,'' released in the backdraft of the Sept. 11 attacks. They are for reassurance, confirmation of one's place in the world, proof of life, a passage to understanding. Whether waking or dying, the characters need to fuse with someone before the song can end.

It makes it seem as if Springsteen has found his master metaphor. Whatever social or political ills may be lurking in his distantly referential songs, kissing will solve them. And not just kissing, but deeper bonding: in the album's title track, which he performed early in his show at Giants Stadium last night, he sang, ''May I feel your arms around me/May I feel your blood mix with mine.''

In the typically well-paced show — the first of 10 concerts scheduled here through the end of August, most of them already sold out — Springsteen did his best to melt into his own band, as well as into the 55,000 people before him. He pressed himself against band members, as if to supply himself with enough battery power to keep stalking the stage. He was looking to connect.

The 10-piece E Street Band has become arklike: it is a keyboard band, a guitar band, and a vocal band all at once, with its pianist and organist, its four guitarists often chiming in unison, and various members becoming harmony singers.

For the seemingly endless ''Rising'' tour, which started last August, Springsteen has had the guitarist Nils Lofgren doubling on pedal-steel guitar, as well as the guest musician Soozie Tyrell playing violin.Those instruments, with their portamento slide, are best suited for the tonal equivalent of the rising (to the occasion, from the ashes, to take one's places) in his new lyrics.

It takes practice, the stadium thing: it's got to be writ large, yet it's got to be intimate; you can't blast them from the start, yet you have to start winding them up as soon as you hit the stage.

Springsteen began alone with a 12-string acoustic guitar, playing an altered-harmony version of ''Born in the U.S.A.'' that sounded like a cross between raga and old rural blues.

He started in with a few of his most stolid, staying-the-course songs, including the obsessive, repetitive ''My Love Will Not Let You Down.''

Then he asked the crowd to settle while he played a pair of mournful songs, ''Empty Sky'' and ''You're Missing.''

In due course Springsteen moved into party songs. In ''Mary's Place,'' he headed into a long interlude, introducing band members in a preacher's unbroken song-speech. As the song pounded to its end, he performed that classic soul-singer move, jumping into a slide on the knees. Quickly, he was back again for the stolid thump: a relaxed-tempo ''Badlands'' and ''Thunder Road.''

And thereafter he went back and forth, wearing out the crowd.

The encores were whiplashing: condensed excitement for 15 minutes, reflection for 10 and so forth.

And finally — after a brief, stealthy speech on the importance of making the government accountable for its actions in Iraq, regardless of one's political party — Springsteen made a great push at the end with his most innocent need-a-kiss rave-up, ''Rosalita.''

^{By Ben Ratliff via The New York Times.}

Springsteen's Homecoming, With 55,000 Guests

If Bruce Springsteen wrote a song about tailgating at a Bruce Springsteen concert, it could not have more classic Springsteen imagery — more Bruceness — than that seen on the asphalt outside tonight's show. All those guys and girls and fathers and sons and husbands and wives, all those cars, cars and more cars.

But there was more: For the man who got his start singing about fortunetellers and Tilt-a-Whirls and chasing silly New York girls down the beach, the State of New Jersey built a make-believe boardwalk outside the stadium.

''When he sets down stakes in New Jersey, forget it,'' one fan said. ''Things are different here.''

Mr. Springsteen performed before a sellout crowd of 55,000 tonight at Giants Stadium. It was the opening of a 10-night run here that Billboard magazine called a record in performing history. No human being has sold more tickets to more concerts in a series, making it one of the biggest stories in open-air entertainment since the Christians and the lions.

Mr. Springsteen is here for so long, and being encountered by so many people — more than half a million tickets sold — that he has risen from man to star to universal friend, as in: We're going to see Bruce.

(''Thursday night?'' ''Can't — going to see Bruce.'')

''We just call him 'Bruce' around the house,'' said Louise Williamson, 42, an accountant in Denville, N.J., sipping a Mike's Hard Lemonade in the parking lot. ''I've got more pictures of Bruce than I have of my family.''

There was sand, a big sand castle, and a row of carny stands like ''Drown the Clown.'' Beer stands, fried dough, test-your-strength sledgehammer games. The breeze felt nice, but it carried with it, from a big stage in the back, the frightening ''Boss Karaoke,'' a stage where concertgoers sang Springsteen songs.

Summer. Stadium. Springsteen. The last time he was this big, it was 1985, after the release of ''Born in the U.S.A.'' Midwestern grandmothers could have picked out his rear end, clad in jeans on the album cover, in a lineup. Bruce himself opened the door of his house on Halloween to face little trick-or-treaters wearing bandanas on their heads and shouting his lyrics at him.

He still has young fans. Tonight was the second Bruce show for Billy Williamson, 9, of Denville. His friends in the third grade laugh at him, but he does not care. ''My mom always played him in the car,'' he said. ''All of a sudden, I feel like the youngest and biggest Bruce fan.''

Joe Turner, 31, a Hoboken firefighter, was dressed like 1980's Bruce in his cutoff T-shirt and bandana. ''I thought I'd bring it back,'' he said. ''I don't normally dress like this, believe me.'' He wore a cellphone and a beeper on the waist of his tight jeans. ''I have a baby on the way,'' he said. ''I could get the call any second.''

Few dress up like Bruce anymore — not even Bruce himself, who favors dark jeans and dress shirts onstage. He was 35 back then, and has flipped the digits around, 53 now. His latest album, ''The Rising,'' has sold well, but not so you hear it blaring from cars stopped at the light. It fell off Billboard's top 200 chart in April. He has recorded a couple of music videos, those quaint relics from back when MTV showed music videos. Earlier this month, a July 4 exhibit outside Madame Tussaud's wax museum in Times Square featured his likeness, in bandana, at a cookout with Lucille Ball and Elvis. Bruce and the dead celebs.

But the show keeps growing. Track his career by the size of the stages: a native of Freehold, N.J., he started in sweaty Jersey Shore dives, humping his band's gear across the river for Greenwich Village gigs. Then bigger clubs, college halls, concert halls, Madison Square Garden and, in 1985, six shows at the stadium, then a record. Since then, he has toured several times, but not on this scale.

Track his career with a walk through the parking lot: ''I used to drive up in my Corvette,'' said Frank Martin, 39, an importer from Manalapan, N.J. ''Now I got a minivan.'' He looked with a touch of sadness at the sausages on the grill beside a friend's truck. ''We used to just bring a keg.'' His friend, Charles Masterpalo, a Manhattan bank employee, has seen Mr. Springsteen 82 times.

The album dwells, in songs alternately reflective and anthem-like, on the Sept. 11 attacks. Mr. Springsteen kicked off the tour last August in New Jersey, days after the album's release, and he seemed genuinely surprised when most of the audience knew all the new words.

One of the new songs is ''Empty Sky,'' about the World Trade Center. '''I don't even look over at the skyline,'' Mr. Martin said. ''We've got a couple of friends who should be here, but they died.''

Dave Roth, 37, of Voorhees, N.J., praised Mr. Springsteen for not raising ticket prices drastically. Most of the seats cost $75, a bargain to him. ''Every Bruce show is a great Bruce show, but this one's going to be special,'' he said, looking down the little parking lot boardwalk. ''It's a great summer night.''

Mr. Springsteen met his fans alone, walking onstage with just an acoustic guitar for a stripped-down, bluesy version of the song they had been talking about all day, ''Born in the U.S.A.'' The stage was farther back from the front rows than in the smaller arenas, where Mr. Springsteen leaned into the fans, even let them strum his guitar, and last night, he seemed at times to struggle with the urge to run down and touch everybody. He sprinted and slid on his knees. From high up, he was a speck on the stage.

He filled the front end of the concert with new material, like ''The Rising'' and ''Lonesome Day,'' and old favorites for longtime fans, like ''Darkness on the Edge of Town,'' and ''The Promised Land,'' and as a surprise addition that fit the earlier mood outside, the 1980 party rocker ''Sherry Darling,'' about beaches and beer and girls.

''Good evening, New Jersey, it's good to see you,'' he said. ''We've been all around the world. It's nice to be back home.''

^{By Michael Wilson via The New York Times.}

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