BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND : BARCELONA 2023 FIRST NIGHT

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND : BARCELONA 2023 FIRST NIGHT

Disc One (59:32)

No Surrender
Ghosts
Prove It All Night
Letter To You
The Promised Land
Out In The Street
Candy's Room
Kitty's Back
Nightshift

Disc Two (55:05)

Human Touch
Mary's Place
The E Street Shuffle
Pay Me My Money Down
Last Man Standing
Backstreets
Because The Night
She's The One

Disc Three (62:38)

Wrecking Ball
The Rising
Badlands
Thunder Road
Born In The U.S.A.
Born To Run
Glory Days
Bobby Jean
Dancing In The Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
I'll See You In My Dreams

Label : live.brucespringsteen.net

Venue : Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Spain

Recording Date : April 28, 2023

Quality : Soundboard Recording (A+)

Concert Review (Kieran's Thoughts) : Two weeks after concluding the first North American leg of their 2023 International Tour, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band sought to pick up where they left off in Newark on April 14th, as they kicked off their European venture with the first of two shows in Barcelona. Stepping onstage inside the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys – too early for the Camp Nou this time around, with La Liga still ongoing and Barça playing there the following day – where Bruce and the Band’s primary focus was taking advantage of the momentum built from February 1st to April 14th, fans found themselves most interested in how the setlist would shape-up on the other side of the pond. The two nights on Long Island earlier in the month seemed to suggest that Bruce wouldn’t be diverging too much from his resolute, thematically crafted set that was played in every show of the first leg, but Europe and its audiences always calls for some variation, so a veure com ha anat! Of course, while fans anticipated seeing what changes would be made in Europe, most expected night one to transpire without too much change. With factors such as Bruce’s devotion to this set and his interest as to how this audience would receive it; his catching of Covid post-Newark that may have prevented any extensive rehearsing of newer songs; and also the knowledge that the Camp Nou show that kicked off the 2016 European leg wasn’t a complete contrast to what fans saw during the full River album shows from January to April, it seemed like a given that if there is to be any changes made, then they’ll come at a steady pace. April 28th did see some alterations, but as we’ve become accustomed to, the night got underway with “No Surrender,” as it fronted the tour’s typical starting six-pack. With Anthony Almonte’s percussion, Charlie Giordano’s organ and an array of striking guitars serving as the best of the E Street Band’s efforts, Bruce got the European leg underway here with a rough, but certainly passionate vocal, one that we can expect to only become all the more passionate while the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on. That passion persisted in a resounding “Ghosts,” exemplified by the work of Charlie and Jake Clemons during the coda – the only downside here is that we can’t hear the audience’s adoration for Jake on the Live Download quite like we can on the first U.S. leg recordings – and it seeped into “Prove It All Night” also. On account of the fortnight offstage, it was a version without the same level of intensity that could be heard as the first U.S. leg drew out, but based on the intensity that could be heard from Bruce and Little Steven Van Zandt in particular, it was very apparent upon the end of the song that fans won’t be waiting too long for this one to find its late March/early April form. “Letter To You” followed, and this song saw Catalonian subtitles put up on the big screens for the fans in the house – as did “Last Man Standing” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams” later on – to emphasise the importance of the song to the show and tour outright. That importance was also stressed through an enthralling reading of the 2020 LP title track, and though it may have brought the tempo down slightly after the ravenous Darkness track prior, the meaning and purpose behind its place in the setlist was conveyed just as well. The same can be said for “The Promised Land” afterward, which once again made for an incredibly driven pairing with the song prior, while also restoring a jubilant atmosphere inside the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. That tempo was retained over the next three songs, and where “Out in the Street,” “Candy’s Room” and “Kitty’s Back” serve less of a thematic purpose as songs selected to showcase the E Street Band: from Little Stevie, Garry Tallent, Nils Lofgren and Soozie Tyrell; to Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan; to the E Street Horns and E Street Choir (and the rest!) they were no less effective in getting a reaction out of the audience. I particularly liked Bruce’s back and forth calls of “Hey yo!” with Barcelona during “Kitty,” as it was just the right amount of fun and fitting considering the amount of machismo flowing through this Wild and Innocent titan. The end of “Kitty’s Back” saw more setlist similarity as “Nightshift” was next, and with it, another song of thematic purpose for Barcelona to enjoy. This performance of the Commodores’ tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson was certainly one to enjoy, too, as this delectable reading beside the E Street Choir – Curtis King Jr. at the forefront – saw Bruce and the E Street Band pick up where they left off in New York-New Jersey by retaining the stand out aspects of those versions from Belmont Park and the Prudential Center: namely the lowering of the music late on, and the subsequent harmonies led by Curtis and Ada Dyer that resulted in a more emphatic reciting of the lyrics from Bruce, who went on to deliver a stunning “I knoooooow you’re not aloooooone!” before the E Street Horns saw the song out. “Olé!” chants followed from Barcelona, and they were very appropriate for the quality of that performance. The audience’s appreciation was then rewarded. It was rather unsurprising that it was at this point in the show where a change was made, considering how the post-“Nightshift” slot has been labelled the “wild card” by fans, but it was still a surprise to see “Human Touch” make its tour debut. Even if fans were aware it had been rehearsed the previous day, to see this one played, and played without Patti Scialfa too (more on Ms. Patti later) is still a thrill. In Patti’s absence, Soozie filled in nicely with fine harmonies, and through pronounced guitar, organ and horns riffs, Springsteen and the E Street Band really confirmed to us that they can play this one strongly without those added vocals from Patti that Bruce may have always thought it required. It wasn’t without some fragility on Bruce’s part, but that only made his most ardent vocal deliveries all the more endearing, and upon the song’s end all fans would be echoing his cries of “Oh yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” with pure joy. Back in February I definitely didn’t anticipate “Human Touch,” “Lucky Town” and “Local Hero” to feature this tour’s setlist when songs such as “Spirit in the Night,” “Sandy” and “Racing in the Street” haven’t, but I do love how Bruce is acknowledging them in a show structured to span his career, even if Human Touch and Lucky Town aren’t his most popular albums. What followed the night’s sole tour debut was akin to what fans have experienced so far in 2023, but these similarities made for equal parts excitement, and on a similar note to what I said above, “Mary’s Place” is another song I didn’t expect to see featured in this tour’s setlist. Though not part of a thematic pairing with “Nightshift” on this night, this anthem may end up being symbolic of the European leg in the way it speaks of having a House Party, and it definitely made for a celebratory mood here as a joyous reading sung with great conviction (“Come and meet me!”), made all the more riveting by way of a committed E Street Band performance. Stevie’s guitar licks and the E Street Horns’ riffs were fantastic during the Rising track, and they were even better during “The E Street Shuffle” as the celebration continued with an exhilarating tribute to the E Street Band’s fifty years of work. With additionally stellar guitar playing – and vocals – from Bruce and percussion from Max and Anthony, Barcelona got a prime example of why this was my stand out song of the first leg. I’m ecstatic that this one made it to Europe, and I can only hope it retains its place going forward. There was one more party song for the audience in this sequence, “Pay Me My Money Down,” and Barcelona had a whale of a time during it. I don’t love seeing this song being played when there’s such minimal room for other favourites, but when Bruce gauges a reaction such as this one from the Estadi Olímpic, and when Soozie, Charlie, Ozzie Melendez and Curt Ramm are shining so brightly while playing it, it’s understandable why it continues to pop up. The E Street Band stepped aside upon the end of the Seeger Sessions rouser, having earned a break after a fervent thirty minute sequence, however Curt Ramm remained onstage with Bruce for the song that followed. It was time for “Last Man Standing.” Despite the language barrier, the song’s preceding monologue wasn’t alterated much, if at all, by Bruce (an advantage of the subtitles) but it was noticeable how his delivery of The Castiles’ story, and his story with George Theiss was more direct than in the United States. In the same way he’d soon emphatically recite the lyrics of this song, it was clear that he wanted Barcelona to know what was most important in order to truly understand the importance of this moment in the show. He took a similar approach in “Backstreets,” too, as amidst the stunning guitars and the towering emotion of the song that made for this pairing being the most loved aspect of the first North American leg, the interlude that has taken the emotion to even greater heights was unique here. On this night there seemed to be more enthusiasm in his ode to George Theiss’ memory, and when he stated “and I got that picture!” he did so with some joy, giving us the impression that the healing process these two songs have been paired to be for him is certainly working. The rest of the main set rounded out in typical fashion, best highlighted by particularly potent versions of “Because the Night” and “Thunder Road” that captivated with gorgeous guitar riffs, but for as straightforward as the post-“Backstreets” sequence was, the encore brought many talking points. First was the song that got the home stretch underway, a “Born in the U.S.A.” that saw Springsteen and the E Street Band build on their fantastic tour debut of the song in Belmont Park with a similarly immense performance, one that retained a superb amount of soul to complement the fire that was also in Bruce’s vocal, as well as the E Street Band’s striking instrumentation. The titanic track may be a rarity of sorts in the United States, but it’s much more of an occurrence in Europe and this was hopefully the first of many until the end of July. Afterward came a thrilling “Born to Run,” but it was what followed, and what didn’t follow, that really got people talking. “Rosie” didn’t come out on this night, which I hope is more so a case of her missing her flight rather than it is Bruce abandoning the song outside of the States, but while most diehard fans would find themselves talking about the absence of “Rosie,” others found “Glory Days” to be the most notable moment of the show, as it was here where Ms. Patti made her first tour appearance since Hollywood on February 7th, accompanied by friends, Michelle Obama and Kate Capshaw to contribute backing vocals and tambourine efforts – Michelle and Kate’s significant others, Barack and Steven Spielberg, were watching on from to the side of the stage. For those of us listening to the Live Download, the special guests can’t be heard on the recording, and if we didn’t know any better we’d only be aware that Patti made an appearance, but of course this was a unique moment for the live audience and one that will long live in the memory. The first ladies didn’t hang about upon the end of the Born in the U.S.A. track, but there was still more to come from everyone else, and another encore tweak saw “Bobby Jean” contrast the thrills of its album counterpart with lovely sentiment – best expressed by driven declarations such as “the wiiiiildest things!” and a stunner of a Jake solo at the finish – before more excitement saw the E Street Band’s night out through riveting renditions of “Dancing in the Dark” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” that served as a final celebration and tribute to fallen friends on their part. To then end the show, Bruce stood solo, paying one more tribute to the souls who have left us with “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” and he assured those gone, and those trying to cope with their loss that their spirit lives on through us, until the very end. As many expected, the first show in Europe didn’t see any drastic changes to the set that shaped the first U.S. leg of the 2023 International Tour, but Barcelona did witness a fine performance that will definitely be built on over the next three months. After two weeks offstage, songs that really found a strong flow over the last two months: “Ghosts,” “Prove It All Night” and “Badlands” were unsurprisingly less breathtaking in their intensity, but upon listening to these versions it’s safe to say that it won’t take too long for that intensity to be regained. Elsewhere, the highlights of the first leg remained consistent, as “The E Street Shuffle,” “Last Man Standing” and “Backstreets” floored the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys as highly exhilarating and emotional performances. They combined with the night’s big song surprise, tour debut “Human Touch,” and late show highlights, “Because the Night,” “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Glory Days,” which saw the show’s biggest surprise in the form of Ms. Patti Scialfa singing backing vocals beside Michelle Obama and Kate Capshaw to ensure Barcelona got a night to remember, and Europe were aware that for the next three months, ‘anything goes’!