2004-10-13 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ

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

Info & Setlist | Venue

Special invitation Vote For Change event with Jackson Browne, John Fogerty and Patti Scialfa performing. Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder joins Bruce for "No Surrender" and "Darkness On The Edge Of Town", before tackling Vedder's "Better Man". "Racing In The Street" is performed with Jackson Browne. "Mary's Place" includes "The Monkey Time". Since R.E.M. are not present at this show, "Man On The Moon" is dropped for the first time on the tour, as is "Because The Night". This leaves ten songs that were performed at every show of the Vote For Change Tour: "The Star-Spangled Banner", "Born In The U.S.A.", "Badlands", "No Surrender", "Deja Vu (All Over Again)", "Fortunate Son", "Mary's Place", "Born To Run", "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding", and "People Have The Power".

Bruce Springsteen

Jackson Browne (Guest)
John Fogerty (Guest)
Eddie Vedder (Guest)

Patti Scialfa

Bruce Springsteen (Guest)

^{Complete lineup of performers is not known. If you have any information or further details regarding the musicians onstage for this date please get in touch.}

Jackson Browne

Bruce Springsteen (Guest)

Intro to “No Surrender”
´´Thank you….I wanna bring up a friend of mine who was so gracious to come out tonight for our last stand, Eddie Vedder, come on up !….´´

Intro to “Better Man”
´´(Eddie Vedder: ´´Hello, New Jersey, everybody….Bruce asked, uh, me to do this song and since he´s the Boss and I´m the employee so here it is… ´´)

Intro to “Johnny 99”
´´Í hear them swing voters swinging on that last one….´´

Intro to “Centerfield”
´´Thank you, I wanna bring up a friend of mine, I´ve, uh….somebody whose music I´ve learned from and….and uh, I´ve admired for so long, I´ve heard him described as the Hank Williams of my generation and I think that just about fits right, I wanna bring up John Fogerty….´´

Intro to “The Promised Land”
´´Yes, alright now…told him if he wants to borrow my band, he´s gotta sing one of my songs so here we go….´´

Intro to “Racing in the Street”
´´Jackson, come on up sing one with me, man (Jackson Browne comes onstage)….´´

Middle of “Mary´s Place”
´´Well, good evening, everybody….I´m so glad to be here in my homestate tonight….I´m so glad to be home…..are you having fun out there ? (cheers) I´m glad but of course you know we´re here tonight with a purpose….we´re here tonight on a mission….all the wonderful musicians and the mighty E Street Band have risen up to take you down to the river of change and to help you to cross over to the other side…..that´s right, I wanna be washed in the waters of democracy….that´s right….I´ve been hearing an awful lot about these swing voters….swinging….it´s October 11th, what the hell are you doing ?….you misled the nation into war, a man loses his job….it ain´t rocket science…..in the words of that other great pathological New Yorker, ´You´re fired´ when that happens….there….there I was….one nice, sunny morning….I´d come down after a wonderful night of sleeping and I´m sitting at the breakfast table about to enjoy my eggs and my orange juice….I put on my reading glasses…. and I glance over the frontpage of the morning paper….and it says ´Election race tightens up in New Jersey´…it says ´New Jersey - close´….´New Jersey turning into a swing state´….so the first thought that came to my mind of course was….GREAT GOD ALMIGHTY!….the second thought was WHAT THE BEJESUS ! (chuckles) the third thought was GET ME TO THE MEADOWLANDS NOW !….I can´t have it, I can´t have it…..so all I wanna say out there is if you´re swinging, if you´re swanging, if you´re sweeping, if you´re swooping, if you´re switching, if you just can´t decide….if you wanna be even temporarily released from the burdens of the Republicanism….you can be saved right now !….do I have a volunteer ? ….ladies and gentlemen, I need your help, I need a minute to close our eyes and say Haliburton three times real fast….let the healing begin….go home and tell your neighbors, tell your neighbors that a change is coming…..and all I wanna know is are you ready ?…..´´

Intro to “Born to Run”
´´´(chuckles) Thank you….we wanna thank everybody for coming out tonight….we wanna thank you for your support….we wanna thank you for raising your voice…..we wanna remind you that ACT, America Coming Together, is in the building tonight, they need volunteers, they need help, please check out what they´re doing to get the vote out on November 2nd….. oh yeah….make sure you vote, grab your friends, take your friend with you….please, please ….because, uh….we remain, we remain a land of great promise but we need to move America towards the fulfilment of the promises that she´s made to her citizens….that´s economic justice, civil rights, protection of the environment, the living wage….there are so many people out there who are working so hard and they can´t make ends meet, they´ve got to have a living wage….respect for others and humility in exercising our power at home and around the world….these are not impossible ideals, they are achieveable goals with strong leadership and the will of a vigilant and informed American people and it´s these core issues of American identity that I think´s what´s at stake on November 2nd….and I believe that Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards honor these important issues….and I believe that they´re prepared to help our country move forward…..to make a difference in millions of lives, America´s not always right, that´s a fairytale for children and as John Edwards said, struggle and heartbreak will always be with us….America´s not always right but she should always be true and it´s in seeking her truths, both the good and the bad, that we find a deeper patriotism than the dime-store variety, and we find a more authentic experience as citizens and we find the power that is embedded only in truth to change the world for the better….and that´s how our soul as a nation and as people is revealed, it´s what we are fighting for on November 2nd, so please we got some work to do so get out there and roll up your sleeves if you share our concerns, find the best way to express yourself and get out there and do it !….and remember, the country we carry in our hearts is waiting…..´´

Intro to “Proud Mary”
´´I wanna bring my friend John Fogerty out again, come on out, John….we´re gonna make you play a few more tonight, man…..´´

Intro to “Bad Moon Rising”
´´You gotta play a few more of those, they´re short, they´re short…..(John Fogerty: ´´You know, I just wanna tell you something, we´ve been out here for a couple weeks doing this, I´m sorry that it has to end but I wanna thank the guys of the E Street Band for being so magnificent for me, thanks for your love and kindness, I mean it (?) and especially I wanna thank the great, the man, Bruce Springsteen, you are the greatest, man´´)….´´

Intro to “(What´s So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding”
´´Come on up, Jackson, come on up, Eddie….oh man…..we had, we´ve had a lot of fun (chuckles) a lot of fun on this run….I wanna thank Jackson for coming out and being with us tonight….I wanna thank Eddie Vedder for coming down especially to New Jersey (?)….of course John Fogerty and Miss Patti Scialfa who opened the show tonight….oh baby !….are we ready ?….´´

Intro to “People Have the Power”
´´A shout out to Patti Smith for this beautiful song….a Jersey girl…..´´

^{Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi.}

Brian	Patti was still sound-checking when we got in there, Bruce was there watching.She came out about 7:50, played about 45 minutes or so. I thought she was pretty good and really hot! Bruce came out and did the last two songs with her. She opened with Rumble Doll, which I always liked. Kind of neat seeing him be a member of her band. He really didn't allow the spotlight to be on him. Bruce was supposed to introduce her, but the band came out and just started playing, he did his introduction, etc, after the fact. It seemed to take a while for Jackson to come out. When he did, I wasn't that into his early set, although it did include Fountain of Sorrow. But I had the same complaint about him as I did with REM, that they should have done stuff that more people were familiar with. Including the opening number, Jackson did 3-4 songs I didn't know, and they weren't that upbeat either. The set got better when he did Lives in the Balance and For America, which I hadn't heard him play in awhile. And I am a Patriot with Steve was cool, but a little rough. Running on Empty with Bruce was great, though. (Bruce screwed up the line '69 I was 21, he sang '65 I was 21) oh well. Bruce's opening was similar to Philly, then Eddie Vedder came out, and I think of all of the guest spots, he did his the best. He really knew the stuff, and was dead on. I'm not necessarily a big Pearl Jam fan, but Betterman was awesome. Clarence, Bruce and Eddie all jamming at the end. Apparently, Clarence has some hip problem, which keeps him from standing for a long time, and he needs help getting up and down the steps. But when he did play he was good. His days on the road are numbered, I suspect. No Lost in the Flood, however. Racing in the Streets with Jackson was pretty awesome too, The harmonies they did together were just chilling. The rest was similar to Philly, (but no Youngstown) Mary's Place rocked as always and was a little more elongated, with Bruce talking about how he had read the papers and saw that in New Jersey the race was getting tight, and him going off on that, then said he needed to get to the Meadowlands to straighten things out. (interesitng that he called it the Meadowlands, and not the Continental Airlines Arena). No guests on Born to Run. For the encores, they did 3 CCR songs instead of just one. The tradeoffs on vocals for What's so funny…. and People have the Power were done well. People have the Power was particularly strong, with Eddie Vedder and Bruce just wailing during an extended jam, and they sort of ended and then started again, with the audience picking up on it and reprising the earlier pre-planned audience participation. (I was wondering if Patti Smith would show up, since she is from NJ). Had I not seen the Philly show, this would have been the better show, however the element of surprise had a way of making the PHilly show more exciting. Also the Philly show had more of a feel for the whole purpose of the show, where as this was a bit more casual (and disorganized) in some regards.
Maureen Shames	Awe-inspiring is the best descriptive of the rockin' Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street band at The Concert for Change on October 13. Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street band were the last act to appear on stage at the Continental Arena. They brought the entire stadium out of their seats, dancing, clapping and singing starting with a rousing "Badlands." "Poor man want to be rich, rich man want to be king, and a king ain't satisfied "till he rules everything. I want to go out tonight, I want to find out what I've got." Yes, the audience found out what Bruce has got. He is the boss because he is committed to an unbelievable quality in his music, lyrics, and showmanship. Every jam, every lyric is punctuated by an energetic move. His delivery envelopes the atmosphere, and we breathe it in, intoxicated. This description applies to every song he did, including the climactic songs - "Born to Run" and "Mary's Place." During the latter, he appealed to the Swing Voters to stop swishin' and sashayin' and commit to a candidate. Bruce offered that anyone can be released from the burdens of Republicanism. He also played "The Rising," an exciting "No Surrender" (the chosen song by the Kerry campaign), and an inspired "Promised Land." A deep expression of patriotism was expressed by Bruce during a gorgeous rendition of Jimi Hendrick's, "Star Spangled Banner." Some artists were unintentionally dissed, receiving the usual crowd- call for , "BRUUUCE." Patti Scialfa opened the show with music from her newest album. She was talented, but after several songs, the crowd yelled for her husband. Gracefully, Patti told them, please, I get enough of this at home. Give a listen to her latest music, it's quite poetic with some New York City attitude. Folk/rock would be an apt label. Jackson Browne followed Scialfa, looking like he stepped right out of Rolling Stone Magazine from 25 years ago. Same haircut, same activist attitude. Jackson's highlight was playing old favorites such as: "The Pretender," "How Long" and "Running on Empty." Some of the new songs came across muffled, and we would have preferred more oldies such as, "Stay," or "Friend You Can Depend On Me." Still, it was refreshing to see this friend we could depend on, in such times as these. A nice surprise was the unexpected appearance of Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam on stage. One song he sang was requested by his friend Springsteen. "Can't Find a Better Man" was delivered with the typical Vedder intensity as if John Kerry possibly could hear this cry of support on the campaign trail and stay encouraged. John Fogerty sang old classics. We were watching history remake itself as he sang "Fortunate Son" and "Proud Mary." Different people in this political cycle, yet Fogerty's distinctive voice remained tried and true. His enthusiasm was shown as he did his trademark hopping that punched up the protest in his songs. A glaring void at the concert was the fact that a former leader in the "60s folk/rock political movement did not participate. Ofcourse, Bob Dylan could have added a special dimension with any of his vast array of music, particularly his bone tingling dead-on apropos songs such as, "The Times They Are A Changin'," and "Chimes of Freedom." What vision Dylan had as a young adult. This was just a shortened group of the usual crew of artists participating in The Concert for Change, yet it still seemed difficult to fit everything in and after the encores, it was nearly 1 a.m. The artists never wavered giving every bit of energy to us, (with the exception of Clarence Clemens who appeared under the weather.) The political end of this concert makes perfect sense. Civil Liberties, stem cell research, the Iraq War, the struggles of everyday people to make ends meet are but some of a long list of things at stake, Bruce told us. We know there is much, much more. The Concert for Change gave me an outlet to express my political views. I brought a political homemade poster that said, "Give the Boot to this Cowboy" (with a picture from page one of that morning's Asbury Park Press of a dumbfounded George Bush). My daughter and I taped boots around the border so people could take one and mail it to Bush. We don't have to imagine how a government lacking respect for basic civil liberties might respond in a worse case scenario to us as individuals or to Bruce and everyone in Concert for Change. We learned that from John Lennon during the Nixon years when they refused him citizenship and had the CIA tap his phones. Outrageous. As an artist Bruce is inspirational, using his celebrity to make a difference in this effort for change. As a man, he is equally inspirational taking a risk by sticking his neck out during a time when people are being arrested for expressing civil liberties. When I vote on election day, I'll keep close to my heart the memory of this very moving concert. I'm crossing my fingers that the intensity, passion and love displayed by Bruce and everyone who touched the stage translates into a change in President.
Ralph	What a special night… but, then they are all special. This was my 100th Bruce show and my friends were out in full force - the Springsteen Republicans. Bruce was on fire. He juked with Patti, jostled with Jackson and showed a great deal of admiration and respect for one of his mentors, John Fogerty - and where did Eddie Vader come from. Wow. I fell in love this night. I was in the right place in the arena and in the company of a perfect friend. I was taking the usual rollercoaster ride of emotions with Bruce handling the controls. Up to the heights of the songs when I needed my dancin' shoes, and down to the depths of the songs when I needed to take a breath and be humbled. Bruce was never better. He was home in NJ, he was believing in his cause, and he was looking at the sun setting on this, his last show. The entire show was 5:15 long (the title of my favorite Who song) and we all left work early one day and never made it in the next. Nights like this come every night somewhere in the world for some luck souls. Tonight, tonight was my night. Bruce was as good as he ever was. If the poets don't know nothin' at all, then they at least know this much. Time Magazine's review of the album "The River" in 1980, as the Album of the Year simple said: 'Rock, as good as it gets". Time to invoke those words again. Time to enjoy.
Brian Mac	Better Man with Eddie V. had to be one of my favorite Bruce moments of all time. The band sounded crisp.

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For Fans at Springsteen Concert, the Music Seems to Matter More Than the Message

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Oct. 13 - Bruce Springsteen returned to his home state on Wednesday night for a concert that aimed to raise money for social causes and press the ouster of President Bush.

For an artist who had steered clear of outright partisanship despite songs that focus on the downtrodden, the show represented a homecoming that held the threat of a hostile backlash from conservative fans.

And yet, despite New Jersey's flirtation with being a swing state, fans in the parking lot of Continental Airlines Arena before the show — part of the national Vote for Change Tour sponsored by Moveon.org, which opposes Mr. Bush — hardly seemed to mind their hero's sudden conversion into a Democratic Party activist.

Most started appearing in the lot soon after it opened at 1 p.m. Driving from as far away as Boston, bringing beer and hot dogs, they came — as they have since the 1970's — to see and hear "Badlands," "Born to Run" and other songs they had grown to love.

Many said the music mattered more than the message. "We support Bush, and we support Bruce," said Dan George, a law enforcement officer from Netcong, N.J., wearing a T-shirt that said, "Bruce fan. Bush fan." "We're going to have a great time tonight," he said.

Other Republicans in the crowd reacted with a similar level of what psychologists would call compartmentalization.

Mark Szymczak, 28, a physical therapist from Garfield, N.J., came to the show with Bush-Cheney bumper stickers plastered all over his shirt, hat and pants. He said that when he first heard that Mr. Springsteen was stumping for Senator John Kerry, "I wanted to punch him in the face."

But he got over it. "My father is Democrat, and I still love him," he said. "You have to keep the personal separate from the political."

Brett Gash, 46, of East Windsor, N.J., who set up a D.J. system and brought 1,000 Bruce CD's to play in the parking lot, said that Mr. Springsteen has helped matters by making sure that the shows stay largely nonpartisan. At a recent Vote for Change show in Philadelphia, which Mr. Gash attended, Mr. Kerry was mentioned only once.

"It's not being shoved down my throat," Mr. Gash said. "They've made their points before the show. And at the concert, it's about the music."

Plus, he added, "if you don't like what you hear, you can always go the bathroom or get a beer."

And yet, would most undecided voters stay, and perhaps vote for Mr. Kerry because of Mr. Springsteen's effort? Even avid fans and Democrats were not so sure. Mike Grenier, 55, for example, a Kerry supporter who drove from Salem, Mass., to the show — his 135th Springsteen concert — said the "no nukes" shows that Mr. Springsteen played in the late 1970's seemed to have more of an impact. "There was more passion then," he said.

Trying to make the connection between music and a candidate can be especially difficult, he added. "When Bruce plays 'Badlands,' they're not going to decide to vote for Kerry rather than Bush," he said. "They just want to hear 'Badlands."'

A pair of undecided voters from Hoboken — Cathy Clark, 24, and Sarah Bryant, 24 — agreed. They said the only way Mr. Springsteen could win their votes would be if he ran for office himself.

"He could definitely carry New Jersey," said their friend, Mike Kravitz, 27, standing nearby with a beer.

Not that such skepticism kept partisans from working the crowd. Fans donning Bush apparel were matched by cars with signs declaring, "regime change begins at home," and a number of fans wore Kerry-Edwards pins. Volunteers passed out fliers for various liberal Web sites like www.regimechangeguide.com.

In one area, there was even a "bus for change" — an old school bus, painted in the colors of the American flag, with Christmas lights and signs supporting "affordable health care" and other causes. Driven by about 15 Kerry supporters from Monmouth County, it was an attempt "to stir up conversation," said Dustin Tingley, 25, a teacher from Colts Neck, N.J., who was one of the bus passengers.

And for some, the mix of politics and music seemed to be working. "I'm into it," said Brian Dunne, 15, from Monroe, N.Y. "Anytime Bruce plays, I'm into it. But I believe in the cause, too."

^{By Damien Cave via The New York Times.}

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