Two and a half hours into his show at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Bruce Springsteen faces down the crowd. “I think its time to go home. You’re all probably tired!” the now 74-year-old American songwriter proclaims, as we loudly signal the contrary. “Are you telling me” Bruce continues “that you think you can outlast the E-Street Band?”. Indeed, despite my ecstatic cries of enthusiasm, in honesty I’m not so sure I can outlast these musicians! As they launch into a run of songs from the Born In The USA album for the first encore, I’m far from wanting the show to end. However, the ability of these performers to play for three hours straight is a match for anyone’s abilities.
There are few concerts I’ve been to that feel as much like a religious experience as this one does! I mean that in the most positive sense possible as well. Springsteen is The Boss! His work has influenced a kind of song writing that is both soulful and honest. Songs like The Rising and Wrecking Ball see the audience lifting their voices in unison, in a way that feels like giving praise. Still, our frontman always keeps an air of humility about his performance style. A huge part of his appeal has always been his relatability, and out of all the songs tonight there’s a particular resonance that The River must have to Welsh communities where a sense of shared identity persists despite them having suffered deprivation comparable to that experienced in New Jersey.
More than that, a lot of what makes Springsteen so endearing are his exchanges with the crowd, who he seems to genuinely value and respect. Indeed, he spends a significant amount of tonight’s set not actually on stage. At one point he stands on the barrier close to where I was stood. I’d love to tell you, dear reader, that I calmly and rationally observed all this happening but like those around me, I could barely contain my excitement. At another, he gifts his harmonica to a child stood in the front row, in an act of kindness that seems to warm the hearts of the entire stadium. Perhaps the most impressive of these interactions are the song requests.
“This song has never been performed. Can we do this? I think we can!” Bruce declares as he holds up a sign from an audience member requesting If I Was The Priest, from his most recent album of original material. In the quiet moments of hesitation that follow, the crowd members around me offer some words of reassurance. “Bruce can do anything!” I say turning to them, and sure enough the band does a note perfect rendition of the song. The point is this - it would be very easy for The Boss to stand on stage for three hours soaking up the adulation he gets purely by virtue of his presence, but instead he seems committed to giving the crowd the best show he possibly can!
However, just to focus on one man would be a disservice to the E-Street Band, who are without a shred of doubt some of the greatest musicians I’ve ever seen live. “The Professor”, Roy J Bittan lends a dexterous and lively feel to these performances, his piano skills proving nimble, yet never entirely without improvisation or delight. Max Weiberg’s drums alongside Gary Tallent’s bass work keeps everything rhythmically focussed, while allowing the band to excellently navigate the many tricky tempo changes. Steven Van Zandt has always been a criminally underappreciated guitarist for his technical prowess – something that’s perfectly demonstrated tonight as on multiple occasions he is allowed to let loose with solo’s that would put some metal musicians to shame!
However, just to focus on one man would be a disservice to the E-Street Band, who are without a shred of doubt some of the greatest musicians I’ve ever seen live. “The Professor”, Roy J Bittan lends a dexterous and lively feel to these performances, his piano skills proving nimble, yet never entirely without improvisation or delight. Max Weiberg’s drums alongside Gary Tallent’s bass work keeps everything rhythmically focussed, while allowing the band to excellently navigate the many tricky tempo changes. Steven Van Zandt has always been a criminally underappreciated guitarist for his technical prowess – something that’s perfectly demonstrated tonight as on multiple occasions he is allowed to let loose with solo’s that would put some metal musicians to shame!
Soozie Tyrell swaps between a range of instruments from violin to mandolin, and seems incredibly adept at each, whereas the range of other musicians that provide backing vocals or brass sections all contribute to making this an awe-inspiring show. Then there’s Jake Clemons – nephew of the late Clarence Clemons, he is every bit the Saxophone player his uncle was, allowing the emotional highs of moments like Born To Run and Thunder Road to absolutely shine.
Lastly, I want to talk a little about what Springsteen’s music means to me. Being at this show felt like I was fulfilling a promise to myself that I would go and see him, and I’m a little emotional knowing that while this is experience I will most likely never get to re-live, its one that will commit itself to memory. One particularly moving moment for me during the performance was when Springsteen talked to his audience about loss, and his process of coming to comprehend that he is the only surviving member of the band he formed in high school, asking “what is grief, if not the price we pay for having loved well?”.
Lastly, I want to talk a little about what Springsteen’s music means to me. Being at this show felt like I was fulfilling a promise to myself that I would go and see him, and I’m a little emotional knowing that while this is experience I will most likely never get to re-live, its one that will commit itself to memory. One particularly moving moment for me during the performance was when Springsteen talked to his audience about loss, and his process of coming to comprehend that he is the only surviving member of the band he formed in high school, asking “what is grief, if not the price we pay for having loved well?”.
This exemplifies the singer’s skill as a teller of stories. They weave their way into all of Springsteen’s songs and are a particular focus of this show, as far from just trotting out a series of hits, Bruce gives the performance a rich emotional arc which takes us from his days as a young man naively in love to one who has had many summers come to an end, yet still see’s those he has loved and cherished in his dreams.
In the week preceding this show I suffered a loss that I am still comprehending. Singing along to Springsteen’s tales of Badlands and Better Days, has helped me in that journey, in that same way that his music has previously helped me process feeling of loneliness, growing up and coming to understand the world and my place in it. Those are the same lessons many have found in Springsteen’s music, and ones that will last beyond tonight’s show. 10/10
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