2024-09-15 Beach, Surf Stage, Asbury Park, NJ

Scheduled: 19:30 Local Start Time 19:31 / End Time 22:45

Info & Setlist | Venue

Bruce and the band headline the Sea.Hear.Now Festival with an epic 30-song set. Five tour premieres are performed, as well as rare appearances for "Growin' Up", "Local Hero", and "Tougher Than The Rest" (featuring a guest spot from Patti Scialfa). "Long Walk Home" includes the "Land Of Hope And Dreams" intro. Tour debut "Meeting Across The River" into "Jungleland" opens the encore, completing the Born To Run album for the tour. The show closes, appropriately, with "Jersey Girl". "Last Man Standing" and "Backstreets" are each dropped for the first time on the tour, making this the tour's first show without a single song from Letter To You in the set. Also on Sunday's bill are The Gaslight Anthem (with whom Bruce guested during their set), the Trey Anastasio Band (with whom Bruce also guested), Norah Jones, Kool & The Gang, Action Bronson, Gogol Bordello, Joy Oladokun, Wilderado, The Aces, Eggy, Illiterate Light, Bertha, Sunshine Spazz, and Rachel Ana Dobken.

Sea.Hear.Now Festival

Patti Scialfa (Guest)

Stan Goldstein

Some thoughts on Sunday night's show by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on the Asbury Park beach. When the greatest shows in the history of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are discussed, the Sept. 15, 2024 show in Asbury Park is going to be right on top or near the top of that list. Just an incredible evening, it was surreal. There were cheers, tears and just amazement by the 35,000 people in attendance who witnessed a legendary performance. Bruce earlier in the afternoon joined the Trey Anastasio Band for "Kitty's Back" then he traveled over to another stage to join the Gaslight Anthem for two songs, "History Book" and American Slang. Then it was time for the main event of the festival. Bruce and the band took the stage at 7:32 p.m. "Greetings Asbury Park," Bruce said.
1. Lonesome Day
2. Blinded By The Light (tour premiere)
Bruce before playing "Blinded" said: "I wrote this song about 500 yards north on Loch Arbour beach. We haven't played it in a long Fuckin' time. There's a lot of stuff we haven't played in a long fuckin' time. Let's see how we do?"
3. Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street (tour premiere)
4. Growin' Up
The story in the middle: "There I was, driving down Kingsley. Streets were empty. Buildings all shut down. Nobody on Cookman Avenue, nobody on Main Street, nobody on Ocean Avenue, nobody anywhere. And then I was dreaming, and when I woke up I said, "Where did all these fuckin' people come from? It's good to see you here! Let's hear it for Asbury Park!"
5. The Promised Land
6. Spirit In The Night
Bruce before Spirit: "I feel the moon shinin'! (It was almost a full moon out). I need an Asbury Park howl!"
7. Thundercrack (tour premiere)
Jewishjulie Sokol Chaz's favorite song. "I wrote this song when I was 20 up at the surfboard factory in Wanamassa."
8. The E Street Shuffle
9. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) (tour premiere)
"I want to dedicate this in the memory of Danny Federici tonight," Bruce said. Couldn't be a more perfect song for a beautiful evening in Asbury Park.
10. Hungry Heart
11. Local Hero
"I was driving through Freehold. At the time there was still a J.J. Newberry's. That's how much people remember J.J. Newberry's! It was a five and 10 cents store. You remember five and 10 cents stores? I'm driving down Main Street, I look in the window and I see this black velvet painting of a Doberman Pinscher. And I look on the other side, and I see this black velvet painting of Bruce Lee. And I look in the middle, and I see a black velvet painting of myself with the headband and the muscles and I went home and wrote this song." Great version, love the horns throughout and especially at the end.
12. Atlantic City
13. Tougher Than The Rest
Bruce brought Patti Scialfa out for this. Well done.
14. Long Walk Home
"This is a prayer for our country."
15. Racing In The Street
Roy Bittan continues to be the best.
16. Because The Night
17. She's The One
18. Wrecking Ball
19. The Rising
20. Badlands
21. Thunder Road
Encores: "Wow! I'm feeling f** old tonight but in a good way! The band, we were here on that little street corner when nobody was here. I didn't know if I would see folks in this good town again. I just want to take a moment to thank all the people that have invested themselves in Asbury Park and brought the city back. From the East Side to the West Side. I want to thank the LBGTQ-plus community for all they do. Danny Clinch, I want to thank you. Most of all I want to thank all of you for being here tonight.".
22. Meeting Across The River (tour premiere)
My favorite Springsteen song. My phone lit up with Facebook messages and texts from friends. I looked at Alexandra Jardvall, who I was watching the show with, and the tears started to flow. Curt Ramm's trumpet is so beautiful here. "Change your shirt, tonight, we got style." And you knew what was coming next:
23. Jungleland
24. Born to Run
25. Rosalita
26. Bobby Jean
27. Dancin' In The Dark
28. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out
29. Twist and Shout
Bruce said: "Some of you have been out here since 8 a.m.! 4 a.m.!"
30. Jersey Girl
Show over at 10:45 p.m. for a 3:13 show.
The perfect song to top off a perfect night. A night of pure magic on the beach at Asbury Park. It was a bit windy and got cooler as the night progressed. As Dudley Moore said, when asked to rate Bo Derek in the movie "10" on a scale of 1-10, he said "An 11." This show was an 11.

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