2007-10-05 Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA

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

Info & Setlist | Venue

"Brilliant Disguise" premieres, replacing "Town Called Heartbreak" in the set. "No Surrender", "Candy's Room", and "My Hometown" also debut, replacing "The Ties That Bind", "Night", and "Darkness On The Edge Of Town".

Intro to “intro to “Radio Nowhere”
“Are you ready for the thriller in Philly? (crowd cheers) well, then is there anybody alive out there? (crowd cheers)…”

Intro to “intro to “Magic”
“Good evening, Philadelphia (crowd cheers) thank you (crowd cheers) this is, uh…this is the title song from my new record…it’s not actually about magic, it’s actually about tricks…”

Intro to “intro to “Livin’ in the Future”
“Good evening, Philly (crowd cheers) is it working for you? (crowd cheers) alright…I’m so glad to be in Philadelphia tonight (crowd cheers) I’m so glad to be here in the beautiful city of brotherly love (crowd cheers) that’s right…reminds me of all the things that we love about America, like them Philly cheese-steaks (crowd cheers) oh, cheeseburgers, French fries, the Bill of Rights (crowd cheers) Clarence “Big Man” Clemons (crowd cheers) that’s right – oh, baseball, right, baseball (crowd cheers) I predict they will rise! (crowd cheers) but I can’t guarantee it (laughs from the crowd)… this is a song called “Livin’ in the future” but what it’s really about is what’s happening now…about how there’s things that have… happened here over the past six years that we never thought would have happen here in American…rendition, illegal wiretapping, no right to Habeas Corpus, the rolling-back of civil liberties…attack on the Constitution – well, we plan to do something about it (crowd cheers) we plan to sing about it right now…alright…”

Intro to “intro to “My Hometown”
“Miss Patti Scialfa…she’s got a new record out too…that’s right…on sale in the lobby…with some fine, with some fine t-shirts…”

Intro to “intro to “Thundercrack”
“(?)…woo! come on (crowd cheers) I played this song in Philadelphia…before the Liberty Bell was cracked, baby (chuckles) it was still good when I played this song…I think this is what cracked it (?)…”

Intro to “intro to “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day”
“Thank you (crowd cheers) the thriller in Philly! (crowd cheers) it ain’t over yet…I wanna thank our friends (?) from the Philabundance (?) here in Philadelphia, PA, Philabundance is the largest foodbank and food-rescue, food-rescue program in the Delaware Valley…if you see them on the way out, please give them a hand, Philabundance, they can use your help…I’ll send this one out to them…”

Intro to “intro to “American Land”
“I wanna thank everybody for coming out, thank you (crowd cheers) oh, a great crowd, thank you, woo!…alright…we’re at a crossroads, an important moment in American history so take this song with you, get out there, let your voice be heard (?) and let freedom ring…(the music starts)…
(…) Miss Patti Scialfa (crowd cheers) Steve Van Zandt (crowd cheers) Sister Soozie Tyrell (crowd cheers) Garry Tallent (crowd cheers) Mighty Max Weinberg (crowd cheers) Professor Roy Bittan (crowd cheers) Dan Federici (crowd cheers) Nils Lofgren (crowd cheers) and Clarence “Big Man” Clemons (crowd cheers) that’s the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, earth-shocking, hard-rocking, booty-quaking, earth-shaking, love-making, Viagra-taking, history-making, legendary (crowd: “E Street Band”)…”

^{Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi.}

Andrew	Go ahead, kill me… but what did I say? same setlist… +- 1 or 2 songs.
Ari	Tight, tight show! Quick (my only complaint), but everyone looked happy, sounded great & exceeded expectations! Like Bruce said. "See you tomorrow".
Bob	Suprisingly great show. Went expecting a little bit of a fall off and was pleasantly surprised as some of the changes from the Hartford show. Born to Run with all of the house lights on was certainly a highlight. Badlands moved to the end from its familiar 3 hole spot in previous tours seemed to provide a more intense rendition. I hope he never takes this one out of his shows. It's just too good live. At 44, I had my 15 and 12 year old along this time. It is amazing to see them "enjoy" almost all of the show, but really take ownership of the newer stuff from "The Rising", that came out when they were fans. They really "lived" or "felt" the music for these songs last night. Kind of the way I feel when he plays songs from Born to Run, Darkness and Born in the USA. Encore was very good, but I would have rather had sing along anthems to bop out the door to. Never heard American Land, but very good live. Kind of a Drop Kick Murphy/Flogging Molly sound. Always a gem in a bruce show… Thundercrack was it this time. All in all, the kind of show that makes me jealous that I'm not going back tonight.
Curt	Awsome show last night in Philly! A downright eclectic set list. Highlights included a terrific version of Reason to Believe,a surprise No Surrender as second song, CANDIES ROOM for God sake!, PRomised Land (great as ever), Big MAn and Suzie jammin together at the end of Darlington County!!!. Then the encores: a big risk doing Girls in Their Summer Clothes - but he pulled it off and people loved it. Then launched into Thundercrack - NEVER thought I would hear a full band performance of that one! The "lights on" Born to Run as rockin as ever and Sunny Day, a real crowd pleaser. A rip roarin, two accordion attack in the Seeger American Land had the crowd hoppin and stompin! The new songs were great also with my person favorite being Long Walk Home. Near the end of the show where it should be and was performed with more passion by the entire band than probably any other. Almost forgot - did anyone else see Bruce toss his guitar to the back stage area toward end of She's the One - only to have it slam on the floor because no one was there to catch it?? Hysterical! There will be some disappointed with the emphasis on the new material and lack of Thunder Road, Jungleland, Rosalita and many other beloved classics. IT was still great Bruce, great E Street Band all rockin as hard as ever!!!
Donna	The show was great-opening set of four songs had the crowd instantly engaged. His new music is wonderful in a live setting and makes me want to go back and listen to the CD again. I was disappointed that the show was only 2 hours and 20 minutes. I hope this isn't all we can expect from the man that used to go four hours plus. I know we are all getting older but I always hoped Bruce would keep his never-ending energy level at his concerts. Don't know that a Bruce concert without ThunderRoad is acceptable to all of his diehard fans. He doesn't need to cut out any of his new material just add some more oldies.
Michael	Going to this show I was struck by the fact that the first time I saw him was July 25, 1975, just eight shows before the legendary Bottom Line performances and a few weeks before the release of Born to Run. I vividly remember the chills I got watching perform his stories on stage while being chased around by the Big Man. It was also one of the first few shows after Little Steven (Miami Steve) came on board and the magic of watching a skinny bearded guy in a motorcycle jacket tell his tales to an adoring crowd that knew all the lyrics was spellbinding! I became a believer that night. Fast forward 32 plus years and many more live experiences, and last night was a treat. The surprise of "No Surrender" as a second song and then later a three-pack of "Reason to Believe" - "Candy's Room" - "She's the One" had my wife and I signing at the top of our lungs!!! Later in the set, Bruce gave us a four-pack of "Promised Land" - "Brilliant Disguise" - "My Hometown" - "Darlington County" and all my previous Springsteen shows came rushing back to me. The power and passion is still alive!! Lights out tonight… "Badlands", what a great way to end the set! I personally loved the mix of the on-core songs but would have loved to hear "Incident" because he seems to always play that in Philly. The show may have been a little short by Springsteen standards but the band, like all of us, has grown a little older but not lost that spirit in the night!!!!
Tom	Well, the rock 'n' roll gods were by my side Friday night. Driving down the Turnpike without a ticket, I take a detour to avoid traffic and get lost — end up somewhere in Philly where they must have filmed the first Rocky movie. At 7:45, nowhere near the Wachovia center, I was ready to head home. But something guided me onward. Miraculously, I get there and park by 8:05. As I approach the main entrance a fellow has a ticket for section 116, which I purchase for $30. 2 minutes after I sit my butt down, the show starts, and what a show! Bruce and band were tight, fast and furious like a locomotive moving through the night. Great renditions of Reason to Believe, Candy's Room & She's the One! The band was smoking along the tracks at this point with no sign of letting up. Livin in the Future & Promised Lnd were equally good and Brilliant Disguise was a nice surprise, although I did want to hear Patti's song. Hometown & Devil's Arcade just temporarily derailed the train. Bruce needs to work out that change in tempo from Promised Land and Darlington to those slow numbers. Adam Raised the Cain might work with Devil's Arcade, sins of our fathers and sins of our country—maybe? Be nice to hear some Human Touch or Cover Me blast in after Radio Nowhere and the idea of needing to make that connection. From Last to Die up thru Badlands, the band was back on track and rolling like a monster. Unbelievable energy during those songs. Encores were great, especially Thundecrack and American Land. Sunny Day is ok, but would like to see Working on the Highway, Because the Night or Pink Caddy jump in those spots as well. Anyone dismissing this tour is foolish to do so because Bruce and band are "proving it all night"!
Philly Clete	The anticipation could not have been greater for me, after all, I had been waiting years to see Bruce and the band playing together again (this wasn't easy, and it took a toll on my family life. I'd like to publicly thank my loving wife and my two adorable girls for their support throughout). I was beside myself with excitement, trying to be a responsible, if not boring CPA all day that Friday. As I tell everyone who (pretends) to listen, "Bruce NEVER disappoints". And, of course, he didn't this time, either. This was a truly fun show. I was sitting with my brother-in-law, Matt, it was a 50th birthday celebration for him. Celebration is the perfect word, as Bruce was very playful. Bruce greeted the crowd by yelling, "Is there anybody alive out there?" Of course, this led into 'Radio Nowhere'. This is a really hard rocking song when performed live. It was the standard setlist, if there could be such a thing after only one official tour show! To Bruce's proud satisfaction, much of the crowd knew his new material (The record had been released only three days before the show). After the first chorus sing-a-long of 'Girls In Their Summer Clothes' Bruce commented, "Ya" almost got it! It seemed as though half the crowd must have had the CD in advance (don't blame me)! In all, eight tracks from the new CD were performed. The shows have a few multi-song sequences every night. The first is a three-pack, with 'Radio Nowhere', an optional song ('No Surrender' tonight - or - 'The Ties That Bind' - or -'Night') followed by 'Lonesome Day'. Little Steven fans will love 'Gypsy Biker'. Steve is awesome on his extended solo. This is a really powerful live song. Definitely Steve's performance highlight. Bruce's intro to 'Magic' included comments that we seem to be in an "Orwellian" time right now. He said that things that are true are being passed off as lies, and lies are being passed off as being true (paraphrasing here). He said that the song wasn't really about magic, but rather about tricks. After Magic comes a smoking power three-pack. The first is 'Reason To Believe', then usually either 'Candy's Room' (tonight) or 'Adam Raised A Cain'. The third is 'She's The One', a compressed, super-charged version. I had studied up a bit before the show (an understatement?) so I was curious what the 'ZZ Top' version of 'Reason To Believe' would be like. It was a very cool rockin' adaptation (despite the dreaded "bullet mic" - limited use only). The crowd immediately reacted and stayed with it throughout. This was a real highlight for me. Before 'Livin' In The Future' Bruce did another political rap, very similar to what he said on the Today Show. Possibly in an effort to soften the tone, he said that "Tonight we're gonna do something about it - We're gonna sing about it!' For me, this song was a little disappointing live. I had envisioned a really fun, rollicking song - 'Waiting On A Sunny Day' immediately came to mind when I first heard it on the cd. Maybe it was the political nature of the message that held it back for me. After 'The Promised Land', a nightly staple for this tour, comes a "Patti" song. In the past it was 'Town Called Heartbreak' from her new CD. Tonight it was 'Brilliant Disguise', never one of my Bruce faves. That led into 'My Hometown', another one of my "non-faves". Even more disappointing to me was that the handwritten setlist had 'Adam Raised A Cain' in this slot! Oh well, I know that once it appears on Bruce's handwritten setlist it shows up somewhere down the line. Next up was 'Darlington County', which was very fun. The crowd was getting back in the groove after the two-song "lull". The next five-pack has been intact every night. It conveys the core of Bruce's message for the evening. We hear 'Devil's Arcade', 'The Rising', 'Last To Die', 'Long Walk Home' and 'Badlands'. 'Devil's Arcade' was true to the CD version - soft musical intro leading into the song. This was a bathroom song this night (maybe because they didn't perform 'Town'). A real high point for me was 'Long Walk Home'. I think that the band has this one nailed already. The melody is great - it is easy to sing along with the chorus. The arrangement is beautiful, as it keeps building and building. Clarence has a very nice solo, too. I loved this. The main set ended with 'Badlands'. You can't do any better than that. Enough said. The first encore was 'Girls In Their Summer Clothes' after Bruce's local donation plug. Amazingly, I noticed that the setlist showed 'Racing' in this spot. I must say that this is the other 'Magic' song that I had expected to enjoy more when played live. Not sure why? Without question, the song that I was looking forward to the most out of every song that I saw from the prior setlists (Hartford plus the rehearsal shows) was the full-band version of 'Thundercrack' (Bruce magnificently premiered this at the Spectrum solo Devils and Dust show). Tonight he mentioned that the song is older than the Liberty Bell, and that the song is what put the crack in the bell. It was cool, delirious, playful, exciting, nostalgic, and EXCELLENT. The crowd immediately jumped in at the first note, and sung along in all the right spots. Bruce actually looked impressed (Reports said that the Hartford crowd seemed to not be aware of the song). From there it was house lights on for 'Born To Run', followed by 'Waiting On A Sunny Day' The finale was an Irish jig of a song called 'American Land'. Bruce wrote this song during his tour with the Sessions Band and began performing it with them. He also released a second version of the Seeger Sessions CD, called the American Land Edition to include it. I think that it is a great show closer. This show was more fun than intense, and it had many, many highlights. It was Philadelphia, so the crowd was terrific as always. What a great show and a great start to my adventure.

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