http://backstreets.com/setlists.htmlAugust 30 / MetLife Stadium / E. Rutherford, NJ
" Notes: The third night in the Meadowlands was a night of epics, of grandeur, of the E Street Band occupying the cavernous expanse of MetLife Stadium with the full range of their talent. It was also a night of hits, of the big songs you remember singing on the radio, the ones everyone remembers the best. And it would be another one for the record books, with Bruce breaking his own U.S. record yet again, with a show that clocked in at 4:01.
Night three kicked off the same as before, with the spectacle of "New York City Serenade" to open the show. It might seem like a curious choice for the opening song for a rock show held in a football stadium, but surprisingly, it just works. "Serenade" lived up to the promise of the recorded version: the performance was soaring and operatic, executed with intricate emotion and the kind of depth you wouldn't expect to experience in such a large venue. Roy Bittan was absolutely outstanding here (and for the entirety of the evening, for that matter) playing that rolling intro with his usual verve and brio. The rowdiest of bros fell silent quickly, wowed by the power in the performance — and this is why it works as the opener. It takes advantage of the generosity of the audience in those initial excited moments. Bruce's voice was strong and clear, impassioned and poignant, and he appeared happy and satisfied by the end of the song.
"We're going to play a bunch of things we didn't play the other two nights," Bruce announced, taking the band into "Blinded by the Light," which would be followed by a surprising string of favorites from the first two records. "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?" would feature yet more sharp, incisive playing from Roy, while "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" — dedicated to "you New Yorkers" — was near-perfect, Bruce squaring off and facing Steve before peeling off an almost visible guitar line, tossing it to Steve for the next one, then back to Bruce again, then back to Steve, until the two blended together to drive the song to its conclusion.
"Spirit in the Night" led to a sign collection effort (most of which, like "Incident," had been soundchecked), out of which came "Summertime Blues." "4th of July, Asbury Park" was pretty much a perfect companion to that, Roy coming to the front of the stage, accordion in hand. "Who's from down the shore?" Bruce asked before launching into a warm, wistful recollection that felt immediate, like it wasn't something written more than 40 years ago. "Love me tonight, and I promise I'll love you forever," he sang, lingering on that last "forever," and it felt like a promise.
"Kitty's Back" was tight and swinging, Bruce conducting the individual solos with energy and enjoyment, swaying back and forth, gesturing with the beat. And just when we'd recovered from that, once again, Roy Bittan's hands fly across the keyboard, and here's Spanish Johnny and Puerto Rican Jane: "Incident On 57th Street." "Good night, it's alright, Jane," the audience sang, seemingly all the way up to the top of the stadium. It was beautiful, and ethereal, and at the end, the very end, the audience was singing along with Bruce, and then, of course, Roy came back in, a coda echoing that intro passage — we all know how it goes, that magic segue from "Incident" to "Rosalita." Usually, when "Incident" shows up in the set, Roy just wraps things up nicely, and the song ends. But tonight, he kept going, and going, and the song wasn't ending, and you could feel the collective anticipation of the diehards in the audience, everyone thinking, "Do it!" everyone thinking, "Oh, god, please, please, please...." And with this small grin, that "Yep, I know exactly what I'm doing" kind of smile, Bruce's hands hit the guitar strings and the audience's heads exploded as the band segued neatly into "Rosie." It's a lovely thing, having "Rosalita" in the middle of the set sometimes; it recharges the song's energy, it makes the band approach it differently, it makes you as an audience member interact with it in a new way. "
Setlist:
New York City Serenade (with strings)
Blinded by the Light
Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?
It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City
Spirit in the Night (with Rickie Lee Jones)
Summertime Blues
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
Kitty's Back
Incident on 57th Street
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Pretty Flamingo
Atlantic City
I'm Goin' Down
Darlington County
Working on the Highway
Downbound Train
I'm on Fire
Hungry Heart
Out in the Street
Living Proof
Candy's Room
She's the One
Because the Night
The Rising
Badlands
* * *
Secret Garden
Jungleland
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Twist and Shout
Glory Days
Shout
Jersey Girl