Scheduled: 19:30 Local Start Time 20:38 / End Time 23:38
Info & Setlist | Venue
The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle is the album choice – and a great performance. Premieres of "Wild Billy's Circus Story" and a stunning "New York City Serenade" - neither will be played again on the tour. A five-piece horn section guests on "The E Street Shuffle", "Kitty's Back" and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher". An eight-piece string section, led by the Sessions Band's Sam Bardfeld (who also plays violin on "American Land"), and Richard Blackwell on conga guest on "New York City Serenade". Elvis Costello guests on "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher". while Curt Ramm lends trumpet to "Thundercrack", "The E Street Shuffle", "Kitty's Back", "Raise Your Hand", "Wrecking Ball", "American Land" and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher". "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" features the waitress lyrics. "Raise Your Hand" again features a bit of "You Sexy Thing". "American Land" includes a snippet of "Theme From Shaft" in the midsection. Final performances of the tour for "Thundercrack", "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)", "Incident On 57th Street", and "Human Touch". "Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?" and "Glory Days" are played by sign request.
- On Stage
- Setlist
- Performances
- Appearances
- Cancelled
- Gallery
- Media
- Recording
- Storyteller
- Eyewitness
- News/Memorabilia
- Richard Blackwell (Guest)
- Elvis Costello (Guest)
- Horn Section (Guests)
- String Section (Guests)
incl. Rehearsals.
- 2023-04-01 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2022-10-01 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2019-11-04 Hulu Theater At Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2018-11-05 Hulu Theater At Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2018-07-18 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2017-09-15 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2016-11-01 Theater At Madison Square Garden (The), New York City, NY
- 2016-03-28 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2016-01-27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2015-11-10 Theater At Madison Square Garden (The), New York City, NY
- 2015-07-31 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2014-11-05 Theater At Madison Square Garden (The), New York City, NY
- 2013-11-06 Theater At Madison Square Garden (The), New York City, NY
- 2012-12-12 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2012-04-09 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2012-04-06 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2011-12-01 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2009-11-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2009-11-07 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2009-10-30 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2009-10-29 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2009-05-03 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2007-10-18 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2007-10-17 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2006-06-22 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2003-02-23 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2002-08-12 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2000-07-01 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2000-06-29 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2000-06-27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2000-06-26 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2000-06-23 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2000-06-22 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2000-06-20 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2000-06-17 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2000-06-15 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2000-06-12 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1997-02-26 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1993-06-26 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1988-08-24 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1988-05-23 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1988-05-22 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1988-05-19 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1988-05-18 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1988-05-16 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1987-12-13 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1983-08-02 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1980-12-19 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1980-12-18 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1980-11-28 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1980-11-27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1979-09-22 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1979-09-21 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1978-08-23 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1978-08-22 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1978-08-21 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1973-06-15 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1973-06-14 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
incl. Interviews and Recording-sessions.
© All credits to the original photographer. We do not monetize a photo in any way, but if you want your photo to be removed, let us know, and we will remove it.
Official concert recording available for purchase in multiple formats, including CD and high definition audio, from Springsteen's official live download site at nugs.net/bruce (previously live.brucespringsteen.net).
- Running Time: 2:57:25
Audience tape and IEM. Full album portion is available as a audience matrix released as 'MSG Shuffle' (Brucetapes). Audience tape released as 'New York City First Dream Night' (Crystal Cat), part of the six-disc 'New York City Dream Box' set and later released as an IEM / Audience mix on 'New York City First Dream Night (2nd Edition)' (Crystal Cat). Partial IEM available on CD 'Innocent And Glory Days' (Social Graces) - this is solely the album portion of the show but the sound quality is excellent and a must-have. In August 2012 a soundboard recording (arguably claimed, but largely accepted) of this show and the next night was released on six-CD set 'Madison Square Garden 2009' (no label listed). Show also available on DVD.
Intro to "Thundercrack"
“Good evening, New York City (crowd cheers) yes…glad to have you with us tonight (crowd cheers) we’re gonna start out with something we don’t play much, it was an outtake from “Wild and the Innocent,” here we go…”
Intro to "Working on a Dream"
“Good evening, New York City (crowd cheers) we’re so glad to be here in the wonderful Madison Square Garden tonight (crowd cheers) and we’ve been travelling and travelling and we’ve gone thousands of miles and played night after night after night just to be here tonight (crowd cheers) and we plan to fulfil our solemn vow to rock the house! (crowd cheers) but as always we’ve come for more than just to rock the house, we wanna come here and build a house in Madison Square Garden tonight…out of music and out of spirit and out of some New York soul (crowd cheers) and out of noise…now the mighty E Street Band has sworn to bring down the power of the music on you tonight (crowd cheers) but, New York City, we…need…you…to…bring…the…noise! (crowd cheers) let me hear you (crowd cheers) let them hear you in Jersey (crowd cheers) now sing it like you mean it…”
Intro to "The E Street Shuffle"
“Thank you, everybody, thanks for being here tonight (crowd cheers) we got the last eight shows of our, of our tour going down, we’ve been on the road for, uh, between these two records for a couple of years, we appreciate everybody coming out and supporting us (crowd cheers) and uh…as we’ve gotten towards the close here, we’ve tried to think of what we could do that’d be a nice treat for the fans and fun for us so we’ve been playing a variety of different records, the other night we played “Born to Run,” “Born in the U.S.A,” “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” but tonight…we’re gonna do something that’s never been done before (crowd cheers) never…ever…I hope we can do it…this was a record, this was the second record that I made and, uh (crowd cheers) it came out, it didn’t do that well, uh, but it was an interesting record, it was sort of, half of the songs were kind of about, are sort of set in New Jersey and around our, our little street corner (crowd cheers) “E Street Shuffle,” “Sandy,” “Wild Billy’s Circus Story,” uh, “Rosie,” those are all New Jersey songs, and the other half was sort of my romantic ideas and fantasies of New York City (crowd cheers) “Kitty’s Back,” “New York City Serenade” and “Incident”…so, uh… here we go, this is, uh…this is “The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle” (crowd cheers) sssh, sssh…sssh…”
Intro to "Wild Billy’s Circus Story"
“Give that man some light…”
After "New York City Serenade"
“Thank you (crowd cheers) Richard Blackwell on the congas…played on the original record…we were baby boys together from the neighbourhood (chuckles) don’t be talking about me now (chuckled) Sam Bardfeld and the Strings, stand up, take a bow (crowd cheers) yes, yes, thank you, thank you, you did a great job, and Curt Ramm and the horn section, come on out (crowd cheers) take a bow, men…yes (crowd cheers) and the mighty E Street Band, the Big Man (crowd cheers)…”
Intro to "Waitin’ on a Sunny Day"
“Alright, we’re gonna send this one out for my old friend Kid Leo… his daughter Val and Jack who are here tonight…and Jack is asking Val to marry him right now! (crowd cheers) where’s that happening?…is that actually happening? (chuckles)…are they here?…they couldn’t wait, they’re down at the six-dollar motel outside of (?)(chuckles)…”
Intro to "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?"
“This first…keep going…this is for New York! (crowd cheers)…are you ready, C?…key of “G”…New York…”
Intro to "Glory Days"
“It must be done, it must be done…congratulations, New York! (crowd cheers) New York City!…
(…) Oh, that’s right, Stevie (Steve: “Yeah, baby?”)(?) World Champs (?) this is for Mariano…this is for Jeter…Damon…Girardi… (?)…Swisher…”
Intro to "Wrecking Ball"
“Yes, yes…thank you, thank you, thank you for coming out, we had a great night (crowd cheers) woo!…yes…oh yeah…let’s hear it one more time for all the musicians that helped us out on “The Wild and the Innocent” there (crowd cheers) thank you, Sam, thank you, Curt, thank you, Richie…in 1975 the late Harry Chapin founded World Hunger Year…to address poverty issues here in the United States and to provide emergency food for those in crisis and to work on long-term solutions to end the cycle of poverty throughout America, World Hunger Year’s with us tonight in the hall, if you see them, all you gotta do is pick up the newspapers to see the crushing times that so many people are having out there, so much unemployment, people who’ve worked their whole lives without jobs, organizations like World Hunger Year are often instrumental in making sure that kids don’t go to bed at night hungry, please if you see them on the way out, World Hunger Year…
(…) Now, my home’s in the Meadowlands but tonight New York City’s going up in flames (crowd cheers) where the blood is spilled, the Garden’s filled and Walt Frazier played his game…”
Intro to "American Land"
“Thank you, New York, for coming out tonight (crowd cheers)…
(…) The incredible Little Steven (crowd cheers) the First Lady of the E Street Band, Miss Patti Scialfa (crowd cheers) Curtis King (crowd cheers) Curt Ramm (crowd cheers) Sam Bardfeld (crowd cheers) Soozie Tyrell (crowd cheers) the Mighty Max Weinberg (crowd cheers) Garry W. Tallent (crowd cheers) Professor Roy Bittan (crowd cheers) Charlie Giordano (crowd cheers) Cindy Mizelle (crowd cheers) one of the greatest guitarists in the world, Nils Lofgren (crowd cheers) and author…man of letters…saxophonist… he’s bigger than Shakespeare…the biggest man you’ve ever seen, Clarence “Big Man” Clemons (crowd cheers) New York City! (crowd cheers) New York City! (crowd cheers) New York City! (crowd cheers) New York City! (crowd cheers) New York City! (crowd cheers) you’ve just seen the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, earth-shocking, hard-rocking, booty-shaking, earth-quaking, love-making, Viagra-taking, history-making, legendary (crowd: “E Street Band”)(crowd cheers)…”
Intro to "Higher and Higher"
“Come on out, Elvis…Elvis Costello’s gonna join us for one (crowd cheers) my good friend…”
Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi. |
Tom Cantillon | Wow! Wow! "Sparks fly on E Street when the boy prophets walk it handsome and hot…" and man, did sparks fly tonight in the Garden as Bruce and band lit up the place with a phenomenal performance of The Wild, Innocent and E Street Shuffle. A rousing Thundercrack opened the show, followed by a seering Seeds and Prove it all Night. But once Bruce and band settled into the E Street Shuffle, complete with horns, the place was groovin' and ready for the ride, and what a ride they gave us. A beautiful Fourth of July led into one of the most energized performances of Kitty's Back I've ever seen them do—they just kept on rockin' it and jazzing it up to another whole level. Easily one of the best renditions of Incident they've ever done. The song is a romantic masterpiece from start to finish and they played it as such. The band just flowed with it, making those dark, secretive, street corners of New York come alive with the plight of the 2 young lovers. A rousing Rosey led into a captivating version of New York City Serenade, complete with a string section that was hauntingly beautiful and a highlight of the evening. The performance of just the album itself will be remembered as an epic moment in the cataloge of Springsteen performances. Words are inadequate to faithfully describe that section of the concert. Does this Bus Stop fit nicely with the theme of the show, as did a smoldering Human Touch. But the encores were somewhat uninspiring. There are so many great tunes that would make for a great encore and I just don't understand why the same Bobby Jean and Dancing have to be played. Mix it up more. Throw in 10th Avenue, Light of Day, Stand on It or even All Shook Up, which was so much fun down in Philly. Higher and Higher was great, but by then, so much of the initial energy had vanished that it was hard to get the Garden back to that glorious moment in which we all felt a little Wild, Innocent and E Street Shuffle magic. |
© All credits to the original photographer. We do not monetize a photo in any way, but if you want your photo to be removed, let us know, and we will remove it.
I Can Stand Up And Face The World Again |
For Bruce Springsteen, 2009 began with the Super Bowl and wrapped with a series of memorable full-album performances.
First, a brief history.
Complete, in-sequence album performances date back to the ‘70s, when Pink Floyd played Dark Side of the Moon in order on the band’s 1973-75 tours. In 1989, R.E.M. played all of their first album, Murmur, and their then-new album Green at a special benefit concert. In 1994, Phish began their tradition of “wearing a musical costume” for Halloween shows, covering The Beatles’ White Album end to end and doing the same for albums by Talking Heads, Velvet Underground, and Little Feat in subsequent years.
The full-album trend really took off in the 2000s. One of the catalysts was The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, who began performing the band’s seminal Pet Sounds in 2000 and released a live recording of his recreation in 2002. From there, the practice became common for bands of all stripes through the rest of the decade and beyond.
Two months after the Super Bowl XLIII Halftime performance, Springsteen kicked off the 2009 Working on a Dream tour. After a European jaunt that wrapped mid-summer, Bruce and the band returned to the States for another round of shows, where it was announced that at select dates they would join the club and play one of three classic albums: Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town or Born in the U.S.A.
Those full album sets were warmly received, but leave it to Springsteen to raise the stakes. With nearly two years of touring coming to an end and an extended break sure to follow, he wanted to do something special for the fans AND the band. And so it came to be that two shows in New York and a third in Buffalo would showcase the other three albums from the band’s first 12 years. Buffalo got Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ, and the second night in New York hosted The River, both since released in the Live Archive series. We now hit the trifecta with Madison Square Garden 1 and the first complete reading of The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle as performed on November 7, 2009.
While you can’t beat the thrill of a surprise inclusion in the setlist, there’s a different and equally thrilling anticipation to a show where you know what you’re going to hear but still can’t believe you will. Such was the case with this concert. There is a palpable buzz in the building, amped up as Bruce emerges, turns the time machine dial to 1973, and sets the stage for the evening with “Thundercrack,” the delightful second-album outtake.
“Seeds” is unexpected but works as the follow-up, with Springsteen fully engaged in the narrative. The pace is brisk as we jump to “Prove It All Night,” and the era-hopping extends to “Hungry Heart” — included, I suspect, to ensure the crowd understands their participatory role in the evening. “We need you to bring the noise,” he implores during “Working on a Dream.” And how heartwarming is it to hear Clarence Clemons’ encouraging verbal responses in the background as Springsteen speaks?
With the crowd warmed up, it is time for the main event. “Something that’s never been done before!” Bruce announces before explaining that Wild & Innocent is divided between songs about his New Jersey home and his fantasies about the big city across the river.
The conductor taps, we hear horns warming up, and a perfect “E Street Shuffle” ensues, true to the original album arrangement with Springsteen’s voice hearkening the spirit of the Shore circa the Nixon administration. We’re going in order, so “Sandy” comes next, its poignancy striking an immediate contrast to “Shuffle.” It’s a lovely reading with the right amount of distance, Bruce singing it fully in the moment but with memories in the lyrics still vivid.
“Kitty’s Back” rips like it should, with fantastic accents from the horn section and every player taking their solo spotlight like a boss. Perhaps the rarest song from the album in recent times, “Wild Billy’s Circus Story” is spun as a folk tale, and like “Sandy,” its details are sharply drawn.
Every “Incident on 57th Street” is a cause for celebration and tonight’s is no exception. Close listening reveals especially fluid bass runs from Garry Talent, while the guitar solo riffs on the original but the tone is distinct, accenting a weariness perhaps, and as result feels fresh and moving.
The magical transition out of “Incident” leads us to a joyfully traditional “Rosalita,” played like the album without band introductions. While we associate “Rosie” with set closing, tonight it introduces the final scene and a tour de force performance of “New York City Serenade.”
“New York City Serenade” is arguably the most musically ambitious song to perform in the Springsteen catalog. Much of that weight is carried by the emotive piano playing of Roy Bittan, who leads the way through this rendition, followed by Springsteen’s own guitar work. The song builds at just… the… right… pace, and we hear the congas come in, courtesy of special guest Richard Blackwell — the very percussionist who played on the original sessions — along with Tallent’s lush bass. Then at 3:40, when the Sam Bardfeld-led violin section bows their first note, we’re enraptured. “New York City Serenade” is fully reborn in what has to be one of the finest musical moments of the post-Reunion era.
How do you follow-up 12 minutes of sublime, musical majesty? With “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day,” of course, which acts as a sort of plunge pool as the show shifts tone for a largely upbeat final 90 minutes marked by several notable highlights.
We dip into Bruce’s first album for another Big Apple special, “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?,” followed by an undeniable request (“It must be done!”), “Glory Days.” It hadn’t crossed my mind that playing one’s old albums is on some level a “Glory Days” move, but taken at face value, it’s just a great version of the song, tagged with several New York Yankees namechecks.
“Human Touch” is another standout, now fully owned by the E Street Band and highlighted by strong vocals from Patti Scialfa. Stevie Van Zandt hits some lovely note sequences around the 5:00 mark that underscore the build to Bruce’s crescendo “Hey Now!” vocal. The extended ending further marks this version as excellent.
The end of the set and the primary encore stay true to the 2009 tour for the most part, moving through “Lonesome Day,” “The Rising,” “Born to Run,” a welcome “Wrecking Ball” with Curt Ramm on trumpet, “Bobby Jean,” “American Land” (again featuring Ramm plus Bardfeld on violin) and “Dancing in the Dark.”
But a show this special deserves a fabulous finale, and we get one with a cover of Jackie Wilson’s “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher.” The aforementioned guests join in, including Richard Blackwell, while Bruce shares lead vocals with Elvis Costello. The song famously wrapped another set of shows before an extended break (Boston Music Hall 1977) and was resurrected for the last run of 2009. What a message to share with your audience on a night when Bruce and the E Street Band reached back to their past and soared.
By Erik Flannigan via Nugs.net. |
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