Kingdom of Days

One week ago tonight, I caught 'em. Drove down to San Jose and saw the band bang out a wonderful two hour-forty minute performance that announced to the world, "this one could be another great one!!!!" Then I read the news today that Bruce was named as "the other man" in a divorce case filed in New Jersey. I'm going to stay out of both of those marriages as I struggle in my own daily. Remaining happily married as an adult is one of the hardest things in life next to life itself. Still sad to read, though. Rumors floated around a year or two ago and a couple of songs on the new record now take on new meanings. And yet, there's a setlist to review:

April 1 / San Jose, CA / HP Pavilion
Notes: Bruce and the E Street Band go west to kick off the Working on a Dream tour in San Jose, their first of three California shows. The structure from the second Asbury Park rehearsal was clearly the model -- the setlist was nearly identical to March 24, opening with "Badlands" into a hard-rocking "Outlaw Pete" (Springsteen threw on a cowboy hat for this one) and onward. But a few additions to the set stretched this opener to 26 songs already, suggesting that Bruce is still putting the pieces into place.

The "hard times" arc of the show -- the fantastic Recession Trilogy of "Seeds," "Johnny 99" and "The Ghost of Tom Joad," into the "Good Eye" blues -- was followed by a surprise mid-set cover: "Good Rockin' Tonight." It served as an antidote to those blues, and an invitation -- "Baby, bring my rockin' shoes / 'Cause tonight I'm gonna rock away all my blues / Have you heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight" -- and a smart transition into the back half of the show.



And the signs are back! Just a few songs later, "Growin' Up" was played by request, and in the encore, "Thunder Road" was an audible after someone in the audience gave Bruce a small poster from the Robert Mitchum movie.

Still a lighter focus on the new album than we'd expect at the beginning of a tour. The sixth and final Working on a Dream track was "Kingdom of Days" toward the end of the main set, one showgoer describing it as "gorgeous, with Patti singing at a mic next to Bruce, and Bruce clearly focusing attention on her to highlight her role in his life. This to me was the show that did not happen, the personal show, because the times just don't call for it."

Overall a solid opener, clocking in at 2:40, with a few minor hiccups, but not nearly as many performance kinks as past Night Ones and a quick pace -- Bruce and the band, in mid-tour shape, played continuously without a break from the opening until 90 minutes into the show. What we'll be watching for as we move to Night Two, Night Three, and beyond is a show that feels new, and reconciles the new material with the times.


Setlist:
Badlands - Dammit, start the concert already!!!! It's 8:35 and most places wrap up by 11:00. I was panicking but the band came out happy;closer to the 99-00 version with the audience chant. Good energy, wind mill guitars but a bit of a slow tempo. Nerves?
Outlaw Pete - as good as I imagined it. Yes; let's now call this song epic. Just wish it was stretched out even loooooongerrrrrr!!!!!
My Lucky Day - band hitting its stride, though the vocals were tough to hear. LOVED hearing Bruce and Steve sing together, especially on the same mic.
No Surrender - stalwart; no problems.
Out in the Street - I love this song, though tonight was a bit slow. It's the first show of the tour and it's apparent. "To become a man to grow up and dream again" is one of Bruce's best lyrics ever.
Working on a Dream - really pulling for this one but it was a bit sub-par. Couldn't understand the vocals again and it was hard to join in when Bruce told us to sing it like we meant it.
Seeds - understood its importance in Reagan-era America. Revved up in blues form. Great guitar soloing, though it's never been a favorite of mine. Cool to hear a new oldie, though.
Johnny 99 - "It was more than this that put that gun in my hand". Chilling as it's understandable. Lively, though ironical as people who dropped $115 a piece (face) and spending $50 on t-shirts, $20 on parking and God knows how much on booze singing about hard times like they understand them.
The Ghost of Tom Joad - one of the highlights of the night. Nils' solo killed and the full-band re-arrangement was awesome. Excellent choice and yes, I identified.
Good Eye - the first of two fumbles of the night. Couldn't understand the bullet mic lyrics, now going on the third straight tour. On record, it's a decent blues but Bruce isn't about blues. I think I went pee.
Good Rockin' Tonight - classic cover that meant absolutely nothing. Uber-fans rave about River-era b-sides like this that "shoulda been released on Tracks" that are simple, three-chord songs that mean nothing. I shoulda peed.
Darlington County - and then Bruce starts collecting signs at the beginning of this. I LOVE this song and while the band took a while to warm up, it was fun to just close my eyes and sing.
Growin' Up - from the signs. FANTASTIC. Loved it and for the first time.
Waitin' on a Sunny Day - sing-songy and cool to hear for the first time since '03 though I could go either way with this one.
The Promised Land - I do think it's time that this one be hung up for a while, especially since it was pivotal for the Magic Tour that was so anti-Bush.
The Wrestler - This one could have been the best song of the night. Never thought I'd be hearing this one. The protagonist is about rejection and the lack of redemption. The dynamic delivery by a half-band made this the Racing in the Street for this tour. This is the one to catch. Especially in the light of today's news.
Kingdom of Days - and then there's the song about the struggles and beauty of marriage. Even being with your life partner can be difficult. For Christ's sake, life is messy. And yet, Patti moved to a mic stand close to Bruce, they often sang looking at each other, he with that goofy, stupid and awkward look and she blushing. At the song's end, he held her hand above his head for a long moment and they hugged and kissed. I don't know; don't really care. Let there be songs to fill the air.
Radio Nowhere - last tour, obligatory. That night, a total rocker!!!!
Lonesome Day - while this song needs to join Promised Land, it's one in Bruce's canon that really delivers pain, passion and hope. Tired as I was, I still felt it, though I didn't lift my hands so high for the chorus.
Born to Run - Thank God it wasn't in the encore!!!! A perfect place in the set for this one, and I felt myself loving the song because of that. How can you hate this one? Clarence soared on this and that made me very, very happy.
* * *
Hard Times - the curve ball of the night and another of the best. Bruce has two vocalists, hold-outs from the totally under-rated Seeger Sessions tour, to powerfully deliver the backing vocals. A Stephen Foster song from the 1840s reminding us that good popular music is timeless. Unfortunately, this one is. Thankfully, the work and legacy of Studs Turkel, rest his soul, is, too. A killer.
Thunder Road - Bruce likes this one slow and that's fine, as Mary is now middle-aged herself. Loved hearing this one. When I get around to making my movie, this one's going to be the theme song. Great to see someone handing Bruce the movie poster of the Robert Mitchum film that inspired the song. He sang it just because the person handed it to him.
Dancing in the Dark - he even pulled a girl out to dance with. I love the song on the record. I'm really tired of this one live. If he's going to keep it, he should bury it earlier in the set. Just not here.
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out - and then I get this one...I just love this song. Didn't throughout the '90s, for some reason. I think because I didn't get the whole East Coast soul thing. Now I can't get enough of the song.
Land of Hope and Dreams - now we're talking. A bit rough in spots, including a flubbed opening mandolin-violin riff by Steve and Soozie. Abbreviated from the reunion tour though still powerful and spiritual for me.
American Land - I immediately thought of my oldest son, who holds my hands and dances with me in my family room when I play this. I tell him of our ancestors and where they come from, how long we've been there and how much this song means to me. He tells me how much he loves dancing with me to this song. The last time I played this for my family, I held my daughter's and son's hands and in ring-around-the-rosie fashion, we danced and laughed and I cried. A great song to finish with.

Glancing at my watch at 11:15, I was very happy to see that curfew had been broken by quite a bit. I happily marched to the car, drove home replaying the setlist in my head, collapsing at one in the morning and hitting work the next day. Now, please, just one more show before the band's announcement of retiring?!!?!?