Too bad he didn't have a show to do on his birthday. But the Giants stadium shows next week should be pretty special. Happy birthday Bruce.

Bruce got a birthday shout out at the U2 show tonight, and then they covered 'She's The One'.

Bono changed the lyrics to "he's the one".

Pretty damn good actually...

I was able to get tix to DC (11/2) and Balto (11/20).  Balto is completely sold out. 

Limited tix still available for DC!

Factory Girl wrote on Sep 25^th, 2009 at 11:32am:



Reports are that Springsteen's doing the full 'Born To Run' album at both of those shows...  

Quote:



SWC, if you get an opportunity to see Bruce....do it.  He and the E Street Band should be on fire.

i share a birthday with him, same year, too.  so far, the 60's haven't been that great!!

Factory Girl wrote on Sep 25^th, 2009 at 2:22pm:


"Darkness" and "The River" for me too, FG - and "Wild & Innocent." 

Factory Girl wrote on Sep 25^th, 2009 at 6:57pm:


It was Wednesday.

September 25 / Apollo Theater / New York, NY
Notes: Over the course of a nearly four-hour Spectacle taping at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello discussed everything from their Catholic upbringings to fatherhood to being labeled "The Next Dylan" to Asbury Park to the role of the songwriter in a democratic society. They talked quite a bit about where and how their paths crossed over the years, including Roy Orbison's "Black & White Night" performance. It's unlikely that nearly all of last night's absolutely engrossing conversation will make it to air; the only consolation to seeing some of these insightful artistic musings fall on the cutting room floor is that they'll be left out to make room for the music. My God, the music!

Costello and the Imposters opened the show with a cover of "Point Blank," setting the tone early for what was to be a night of many non-traditional Springsteen tunes. At Costello's request, Bruce opened with "Wild Billy's Circus Story," for which he was joined onstage by an acoustic Nils Lofgren (who had performed "Like Rain" earlier with The Imposters backing him) and Roy Bittan on accordion. Costello coaxed some early memories from Springsteen regarding the traveling circus in Freehold and the sense of wonder and fear it inspired in him as a child. This was not Storytellers Part II, though. There was no line-by-line deconstruction of songs. Costello seemed primarily interested in the emotional effects of the music, both on Springsteen and his audience, and a major portion of their talk was devoted to the thematic shift that occurred following Born to Run. As Springsteen explained it to Costello, he became more invested in writing songs he felt he would still be able to relate to at the ripe old age of 40 (this of course drew a laugh).

The show was very explicitly a television taping and not a "concert," though, which meant a lot of stopping and starting to rearrange the stage and to get things just right. A solo acoustic version of "American Skin (41 Shots)" came off after a false start, and Springsteen initially forgot that "Galveston Bay" was in Drop D tuning. When the conversation wandered to Roy Orbison, Costello joined Springsteen in an impromptu cover of "Pretty Woman" that ended abruptly halfway throughg. They redeemed themselves shortly after with a show-stopping rendition of Sam & Dave's "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down," Bruce taking Sam's part and Elvis taking Dave's.

Following a quick break, the two reconvened with talk of family life. Costello praised Patti's role as musician, wife, and mother, and performed an acoustic version of her "Black Ladder." Springsteen discussed the pleasure he felt standing outside of his son's room one evening and hearing him listen to "Chimes of Freedom." "What do you think of it?" he asked. "Epic," his son replied, "it's epic, dad." And who could argue with that?

More than three hours into his own epic discussion, Springsteen expressed fear that the audience would keel over soon and indicated that it was time for the finale. He strapped on an electric guitar and delivered a gut-wrenching version of "The Rising" backed by the Imposters, Bittan, Lofgren, and Costello (who stepped up for the "dream of life"s). There was a fiery quality to the performance that was only intensified moments later when the band ripped into "Seeds." Springsteen wailed on the guitar and bellowed like he was half his age or younger, and the crowd was on its feet. The night concluded with a "Radio" medley, connecting Springsteen's "Radio Nowhere" with Costello's "Radio Radio." While the two might not have been the perfect musical pairing to mash together, it was a thematically appropriate and satisfyingly creative ending to a truly unforgettable night.
- Anthony D'Amato reporting - photograph by Frank Stefanko

Setlist:
Point Blank (Costello & The Imposters)
Like Rain (Lofgren & The Imposters)
She's the One (Costello & The Imposters)
Wild Billy's Circus Story (Springsteen, Lofgren, Bittan)
American Skin (41 Shots) (Springsteen)
Galveston Bay (Springsteen, Bittan)
Pretty Woman [Aborted] (Springsteen, Costello)
I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down (Springsteen, Costello, The Imposters)
Black Ladder (Costello, Springsteen, Lofgren)
Brilliant Disguise (Costello, Springsteen)
The Rising (Springsteen, Costello, Lofgren, Bittan, The Imposters)
Seeds (Springsteen, Costello, Lofgren, Bittan, The Imposters)
Radio Silence/Radio Nowhere/Radio Radio (Springsteen, Costello, Lofgren, Bittan, The Imposters)

Bruce is doing the full album thing at Giants Stadium:

9/30 - 'Born To Run'
10/2 - 'Darkness On The Edge Of Town'
10/3 - 'Born In The USA'
10/8 - 'Born To Run'
10/9 - 'Born In The USA'

Arent the shows sold out or close to it?

It'll hardly make a difference, maybe with the exception of BITUSA as there's a fair amount of people out there who think thats the only album hes ever released.

Doing 'half' an album kinda defeats the purpose, though - even if its a double (and he STILL wont play 'Price You Pay' I bet)

He should play all of 'Wild The Innocent'. THAT I'd cross the ocean for!

Gazza wrote on Sep 29^th, 2009 at 5:45pm:

Yeah I was just kidding about half The River. But if he did all of Tunnel of Love. I'd cross the country(again).

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Sep 26^th, 2009 at 7:05pm:

Spectacle is a terrific show.  This should be a two hour segment, however, it probably will get cut.  This could be released as a dvd & it would sell.  Costello is so good.  Thanks for the article!