BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND : MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK 06/22/2000

 

Disc One (46:30)

  1. Another Thin Line
  2. Don't Look Back
  3. Prove It All Night
  4. Two Hearts
  5. Something in the Night
  6. My Hometown
  7. American Skin (41 Shots)
  8. The Promised Land

Disc Two (65:39)

  1. Youngstown
  2. Murder Incorporated
  3. Badlands
  4. Out in the Street
  5. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
  6. Sherry Darling
  7. Secret Garden
  8. The Ghost of Tom Joad

Disc Three (69:24)

  1. Backstreets
  2. Light Of Day
  3. Further On (Up the Road)
  4. Ramrod
  5. Born to Run
  6. Incident on 57th Street
  7. Thunder Road
  8. If I Should Fall Behind
  9. Land of Hope and Dreams

Label : Nugs.net

Venue : Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA

Recording Date : June 22, 2000

Quality : Soundboard Recording (A+)

Review (Kieran's Thoughts) : Where last year’s pre-Land of Hope and Dreams Tour Archive Series release saw Nugs whet the appetite with the very unanticipated October 28th, 1999 – Oakland, CA selection, before the Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour begins at the end of this month, is a Reunion Tour evening fans have been waiting on for a long time: the fifth of that famed ten-show stand inside Madison Square Garden from June-July 2000. Fans familiar with the stand, if not just its two prior releases in the Archive Series – June 27th and the finale from July 1st – should be very excited about this one. Shining with a roaring, intense performance and raising our eyebrows with several mouthwatering songs absent in the releases above, even before listening, I had no doubt this will be regarded as another jewel in the Series’ crown. As “Code of Silence” rotates out of the opening slot, having set a blistering scene in three of the four previous shows, in its place is an Archive Series first. An E Street first, too. Just over twenty-five years before it found its home on Tracks II’s ‘Perfect World’ LP, “Another Thin Line” kicked this night off with a strong feeling of unfamiliarity, Dan Federici’s keys full of fitting mystique, but it nonetheless captivated through its impassioned, fightin’ Bruce lead, the strong support of Little Steven Van Zandt beside him and the sweltering sax outro from Clarence Clemons. The punch packed by this Joe Grushecky co-penned track was then followed by an even harder one, as Springsteen and the E Street Band burst into Darkness on the Edge of Town outtake, “Don’t Look Back.” With this opening double shot came an instant example of how this Reunion Tour detoured from the hits – as if there was a focus on them from the off, of course – as it reached the finish line, and its fire didn’t ease as this night developed. Unlike “Another Thin Line,” that opening “COLD RAIN RUNNIN’ DOWN THE FRONT OF MY SHIRT” was instantly recognisable to the faithful, and the heat that promptly followed ensured MSG wouldn’t be let loose from the grip of those onstage. Stevie and Nils Lofgren’s guitars and, even better, Max Weinberg’s drums complemented the intensity of the lyrics – the Mighty one’s beats for “meet me darling out in the street!” and “Walk it! Talk it! In your heart!” were sensational – as did a second storming outro from the Big Man to help buoy an excellent outro that saw Bruce repeating “Don’t look!” with Stevie’s riffs in tow. One thing’s for certain: nobody in Madison Square Garden was taking their eyes off the stage – and for those of us listening, we’re not going anywhere either. Shaping up the remainder of this opening stretch, Reunion Tour staples: “Prove It All Night” and “Two Hearts” putting further fuel on the fire, with both songs – the latter especially – spotlighting the brotherhood between Bruce and Stevie expertly. Those outro cries of “prove it ALLLLL niiiight now!” hit the spot as much as the ensuing guitar, while those barraging cries of “someday YOUR CRYIN’ GIRL WILL END!” and “THERE’S ONE THING THAT I KNOWWWWW!” blew this MSG crowd away. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that delightful “Steve!“ – “Boss!” moment, too, just before they sent the River rocker out with “It Takes Two.” A small moment speaking for the chemistry of both men as well as any other. With the roaring confirmation of “meee and youuuu,” the tempo lowered. However, the following three songs weren’t exactly quiet. “Something in the Night” sent Darkness fans deeper into dreamland, bubbling and bubbling en route to its leaving the earth scorched. Bruce’s opening wails weren’t as thundering as we’re to expect – the same can’t be said of Max’s drums beneath him – but the reading that followed was just as spellbinding. Utilising those vocal nuances he’d attained during his 1995-97 solo touring, he took New York on a different kind of ride, creating a performance tinged in country – with righteous help from Ms. Patti Scialfa on the way – wrapped up by outro vocals of the usual vigour. “My Hometown” followed, and although it initially struck with its custom tenderness, encouraged by the Garden’s applause and bewitching through Bruce’s heartily impassioned vocal, its pairing with the newly penned “American Skin” ensured the Born in the U.S.A. closer would be remembered on this night with increasingly haunting overtones. A performance of high emotion felt in each word Bruce sang, it was those punctuated, chilling sax riffs from Clarence that strike us as its most hair-raising moment. This meant for increased relief in “The Promised Land” afterward, and its unique, extended guitar build led into massive, blissful harmonica. Clarence’s sax struck the way we’re to expect during this one, but we feel its force palpably (listen out for Roy’s intricate piano fills in the following verse!), just we do Bruce’s emphatic cries of “I said yeaaaah nowwwww!” before and after his exclamation of a harmonica outro. A different hair-raising sensation. That led into the tour’s core stretch: guitar heavy sociopolitical stormers “Youngstown” (featuring a Nils solo-juxtaposing guest spot by Soozie Tyrell) and “Murder Incorporated (this one seeing Bruce’s vocal take on a state of hysteria) into the communal anthems “Out in the Street” and a mammoth “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” with “Badlands” in-between effectively serving both roles – still, at this late stage of the tour serving more as a song of community on account of this feeling being so strongly sought after by the faithful for over a decade. We can’t say it wasn’t craved by Steven Van Zandt either as we listen to it and hear his passion overriding everything else – his savage cry of “WHAT I’VE GO-O-OT!!” stood out before Bruce delivered one determined “I believe in the…” reading, and intense contributions to the chorus promptly followed. In just over a week, Bruce would talk about the “rebirth and rededication” of this band, and this one was Stevie putting those words into effect. “Tenth” was then the culmination of this, the moment that first-timers on this tour were waiting for and the moment returnees were desperate to feel again. A soulful, grooving vocal thankfully featuring the moments I always listen out for on this tour – “to the waaaall now!” and “TAKE ME TO THE RIVER! WASH ME IN THE WATER!” hit magically, albeit not as much as that scorching “light of the livinnnnnnnnn’!” on this occasion. The song shaped up in a familiar, but oh so joyous way, with audience teases and the preacher story that led into the band introductions, notably that most incredible moment in the live legacy of this man and his band. Introducing us to the figure he described on this night as “The Socrates of saxophone!” no one can deny that it’s anything but alright when it comes to the important part. Say amen somebody! As usual, the triumphant end of “Tenth” brought about what can be deemed a few wild card slots. On the June 27th release we have the joy of hearing “Loose Ends,” “Back in Your Arms” (a true delight) and “Mary Queen of Arkansas”; on July 1st it’s the joyous “E Street Shuffle” and first “Lost in the Flood” since 1978. Shaping up this stretch on June 22nd: a summertime anthem in “Sherry Darling,” launched by a mega Clarence intro, anchored by a delectable Bruce vocal, and then another E Street show first, this time in the form of “Secret Garden.” Its intro hit differently to what we’d hear in its future outings, but it was immediately recognisable for much of this audience, and as Roy and Danny found their way into the true melody, they succeeded in loudening the Garden entire’s response. What followed was a moment for Bruce and Patti to share their love with one another, both of them employing a hushed approach to reel this audience in further, before Clarence sent it out with a much more tender offering than what he kicked “Sherry” off with. Once again on June 22nd, 2000, a different kind of joyous sensation. After a shout out to the folks from New York Cares and the important work they do, “The Ghost of Tom Joad” saw Soozie step back onstage, and she proceeded to make a stunning distinction to the versions of this song we can hear on Fall 1999 releases (September 30th, Chicago, IL; October 23rd, Los Angeles, CA) as well as February 12th, 1997 – Sydney, AUS, unearthed last month, contributing a mournful sound to enhance this colourful outing tenfold. Akin to the performances from Chicago and LA, Bruce employed a vigorous vocal as Nils and Danny complemented with rich efforts on the pedal steel and synthesiser, but it’s the work of the future touring E Streeter on violin that makes this an absolute stand out in this show. Breathtaking. Riding an awe-inspiring wave, the night’s chosen epic, “Backstreets,” struck as a resounding contrast to the two tender tracks prior, with its love themes outright devastating and its fight non-existent despite an angry bite. Roy set himself a standard to best during the encore with fantastic fills (his work from 4:12 after Bruce’s pain-staked solo shone brightest), and its passion – be it the music or Bruce’s mighty cries – wouldn’t relent either. Bridging the way to the home stretch was the encouraging and – thanks to Bruce’s pro-New Jersey/anti-New York ‘Life Right Now!’ preacher rant – teasing “Light of Day” (“STICK ‘EM!”) and staying true to what had preceded it, this home stretch was very varied. “Further On (Up The Road)” was a new song also, having been debuted earlier in the month in Atlanta, and it had settled in nicely on this final stand. With its hypnotic music and stunning vocal, it earned its keep on this night, putting the weight of these last few dates in clear focus and setting the scene for an emotional finale to June 22nd. More emotional moments were ahead, but first was a “Ramrod” of immense difference. Just total chaos, this one saw Roy go wild on the piano and the pair of Springsteen and Van Zandt go even crazier with their back and forth. A peculiar Bruce cry of “TWEEDLE DEE! TWEEDLE DO!” had Stevie in stitches, and the “PAPA! PAPA! PAPA!” shouts that promptly followed had them laughing their heads off. With all due respect to Max’s daughter, Ali, her guesting efforts on the keyboards were a little overshadowed on this night. And that’s before the band shifted into “Born to Run” only for Bruce to shout “WAIT A MINUTE BOYS! I’M NOT DONE WITH “RAMROD!”” A most explosive musical cocktail. After the euphoria of “Born to Run” came more euphoria, as Bruce had something special in store for the New Yorkers in the house, a blessing of an “Incident on 57th Street.” Epics on top of epics. Opening with the ever in-sync combination of Roy and Danny, who shone throughout, they superbly laid it off for that guitar riff and Bruce’s wonderfully potent vocal, the latter of which kept all mesmerised without fail. For me, it’s the vibrato of those “what’s your naaaaaaameeee?” and “cops have found the vaaaaaaaiiiiiin?” interrogatives making the bulk of the goosebumps during this one, but as always, there’s so much more when it comes to this essential. The stoic “Johnny was sitting on the fire escape” blending with Roy’s delicate keys and Garry Tallent’s forceful bass stands out as a great example of this song’s quiet amidst the cries; while Roy’s vigour during the assurances of “good night, it’s alright” alongside Patti’s powerful backing vocal highlighted the urgency it can so suddenly take on, capped off by those towering, gritty shouts of “maaaaaaaayyybeeeeee!” from the main man, to ultimately remind us: despite its soothing and comforting statements, for the characters in this one there is always that feeling of doubt. In this sense, “Incident on 57th Street” was certainly an outlier amongst these final songs of pure faith and optimism. A second encore of much determination and emotion brought the custom closing trio: “Thunder Road” was an avid call to arms, while “If I Should Fall Behind” was an acknowledgement of what’s been and gone in preparation for the journey ahead, shared intimately by Bruce, Stevie, Nils, Patti and Clarence, with the music of Max, Roy, Danny and Garry to the side of and behind them no less striking. Then, the final affirmation of reunion and of community for the roads still to travel in “Land of Hope and Dreams.” A performance of undeniable dedication befitting of what preceded it throughout the night, it admittedly hits a little oddly. For all of its masterful music – Danny and Stevie stand out – there are a few vocal and saxophone missteps (Clarence otherwise thrills with booming “this train!” and “yeah! yeah!” declarations) but most jarring is the audio shift a minute or so in. It isn’t a huge fault, and there are far poorer moments of audio quality in the Archive Series, but it may take a few repeated listens for us to get used to the fuzzy, bare sound of Bruce’s vocal. I’d be surprised if there was any fan not rushing to replay this fantastic show anyway! The halfway point of Springsteen and the E Street Band’s triumphant ten-night stand in Madison Square Garden puts a fantastic focus on song variation, seeing strong versions of tour mainstays – “Two Hearts,” “Murder Incorporated,” “Badlands,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” – augmented by a wave of surprises. The show begins with one, “Another Thin Line” in its E Street premiere, and the first “Secret Garden” in a proper E Street show isn’t far behind. More new songs penned and debuted earlier in the tour also stand out here, “American Skin” and “Further On (Up The Road)” serving a striking role in commenting on sociopolitical matters as well as the future of this man and band’s reunion. Elsewhere, an early focus on Darkness era delights – “Don’t Look Back,” “Prove It All Night,” “Something in the Night” – set the tone for an intense evening, while also spotlighting the changes to certain songs on this tour. “Youngstown” and “The Ghost of Tom Joad” add to that, rearranged and on this night very different to previous Reunion Tour versions we’ve heard by way of Soozie Tyrell’s guest appearance; she really shines in the latter. As the show rounds out, the chaos of “Ramrod” brings laughter onstage and off, while a special “Incident on 57th Street” ensures goosebumps en route to a custom trio slightly undone by the audio quality of “Land of Hope and Dreams,” but not enough to deter this fantastic show.