BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND : Orlando 2023

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND : ORLANDO 2023

Disc One (53:15)

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 (54:40)

Don’t Play That Song
The E Street Shuffle
Johnny 99
Last Man Standing
Backstreets
Because The Night
She's The One
Wrecking Ball
The Rising

Disc Three (52:15)

Badlands
Thunder Road
Burnin' Train
Born To Run
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Glory Days
Dancing In The Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
I'll See You In My Dreams

Label : live.brucespringsteen.net

Venue : Amway Center, Orlando, Florida, USA

Recording Date : February 5, 2023

Quality : Soundboard Recording (A+)

Concert Review (Kieran's Thoughts) : Night three of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s 2023 International Tour saw them return to Orlando for the second of three stops in Florida on the opening leg. Nights one and two in Tampa and Atlanta saw very similar setlists, and very inspired performances with the latter bringing immediate improvements in Bruce and the E Street Band’s playing. Would night three be a similar story? With Patti Scialfa still absent after the Atlanta show, to the surprise of most fans Bruce continued with the setlist that had shaped the first two shows, but just like in Atlanta there were minor alterations made with Bruce clearly measuring what is and isn’t working for him and the E Street Band on a live stage. Before any changes were made, however, night three kicked off with the same opening six-pack that Tampa and Atlanta were treated to, and if Bruce believed this sequence was working after those two shows, the enthusiastic response each song received from the Amway Center audience went a very long way to assuring him that was indeed the case. It certainly helped that the readings of “No Surrender,” “Prove It All Night” and “The Promised Land” were similarly strong to the first two nights, brimming with energy and Orlando erupted for these three as well as the newer anthems, “Ghosts” and “Letter To You,” which continue to evolve. “Ghosts” saw Bruce singing with more intensity, but he allowed the audience to sing “BY THE END OF THE SET WE LEAVE NO ONE ALIVE!” on this occasion, and they definitely took the opportunity in stride. “Ghosts” also gave witness to what might be a new nickname of sorts for an E Street Band member, because on the way to an exhilarating finale Bruce called on Charlie Giordano by referring to him as “Charlie G!”, although it wouldn’t surprise me if Bruce was just trying to sweeten Charlie up after forgetting him in the Atlanta band introductions! Whatever the case, it was a personable moment between the bandmates, and two songs later “Letter To You” saw similar intimacy as Bruce expressed to his audience the story they’ve shared over many years. In contrast to the previous two shows, Bruce seemed to sing the song more than shout it here, but even in doing so the feeling of comradeship was profound. The only drawback to this opening sequence came during the sixth song, “Out in the Street,” and of course this moment was the spotlight sequence for Garry Tallent, Little Steven, Nils Lofgren and Soozie Tyrell, which featured more than one comical blunder Bruce couldn’t help but laugh about in response. In my Atlanta review I speculated that we may have problems here without Ms. Patti, and it seems that “Ghosts” and “Letter To You” won’t be the only songs evolving as the tour goes on! That said, it’s worth noting that of all these opening songs, Orlando never sounded louder than during this River rocker, and while frequent missteps might typically lead Bruce to leave any song out of the setlist, hearing how happy Orlando were to join in on this one will only motivate him all the more on the way to getting this song right. Advertisement Privacy Settings “Candy’s Room” momentarily brought the rousing atmosphere down as Max Weinberg’s cymbals stirred and Bruce set a scene with a hushed vocal, and then they brought the tempo all the way back up for a song performance that ultimately outshone the energy of “Out in the Street.” Anchored by Max’s rumbling drums, Bruce’s passionate singing and searing guitar solos, this was the first of two songs with fantastically unique styles of music, as “Kitty’s Back” followed. “Kitty” maintained the excitement in the Amway Center, but admittedly lowered the tempo a touch – through no fault of its own, as any song would struggle to follow a song of “Candy’s” magnitude – while bringing a variety of zesty guitar licks, organ and horns riffs. What was most enjoyable about this one though were the “Ohhh what can I do?” harmonies led by Bruce and Choir in the build up to the finale, and while this isn’t the first time we’ve heard them sang on the tour, the way Bruce reacted to Michelle Moore and company singing them on this night was akin to him having a lightbulb moment, and the infectious, communal singing of this interrogative that followed should only become greater the longer the song stays in the set. Also infectious in Orlando was “Nightshift,” and noticeably here Bruce got stuck right into singing, not allowing the intro much time to breathe. If that suggested he was eager to sing this song, the performance that followed confirmed it. A stupendous performance and a very good effort on his part saw him singing with a much improved vocal compared to Atlanta, whilst backed by punchy horns riffs and spirited harmonies from the Choir. If the reading on February 3rd seemed a little disappointing after the superb one on opening night, this was the kind of follow up we’d hoped for; and while the finale again didn’t reach the heights that it did in Tampa – despite a nice falsetto from Bruce – the awesome horns-led coda ensured this rendition ended in a manner that befit the entire performance that had preceded it. “Nightshift” led into “Don’t Play That Song,” which was fronted by a breezier intro courtesy of vivd guitar licks – fitting in the Sunshine State – and where the song prior found itself improved after Atlanta, this one continued to make its case as a stand out cover in the Springsteen canon. Driven by an equal parts commanding and boisterous Bruce vocal beside righteous Choir harmonies, this one replaced the emotion of “Nightshift” with pure joy, and as two songs from a soul covers record where Bruce paid tribute to the great soul singers, this pairing certainly gave him a chance to mirror Marvin Gaye by singing of “the joy and pain,” and his heart was indeed in every line! In “The E Street Shuffle,” Orlando were treated to the excellent combination of percussion from Anthony Almonte and Max Weinberg that swept the Tampa and Atlanta audiences away, but in expecting that after two shows, what was also able to shine in this one and bring so much joy was the wide range of instruments onstage played so delectably – Jon Altschiller’s mixing work is underlined with this – from the riveting guitar playing to vigorous horns riffs. “Johnny 99” made for more excitement despite what seemed like an immediate misstep with Bruce getting ahead of the music, and upon the end of this barnstorming performance he couldn’t help but shout out the E Street Horns for the invigorating impact their playing had on the music. “The ONLY rock and roll horn section… that I know of!”. “Darlington County” was skipped on this night, and as in Tampa the E Street Band stepped aside to give Bruce the sole spotlight for “Last Man Standing.” Interestingly, the song’s monologue came with a little tweak here, as after commenting that The Castiles were named after a bottle of shampoo, Bruce quickly quipped “Propecia… No!” to bring a small touch of levity to a solemn sequence. This little moment of lightheartedness preceded a third tour performance of Bruce’s tribute song to his Castiles bandmate George Theiss and it was surely appreciated just before a third crushing reading where Bruce tackled mortality, and whether living while your several of your good friends have passed on is much different. His plea for one more moment in the Union Hall with “rock of ages lift me somehow!” and his acceptance for what is with the chorus was no less gutting here than in Tampa and Atlanta, with Curt Ramm’s bugle call serving as additional remembrance for George and all others who have been lost. Another remembrance followed, as “House of a Thousand Guitars” was left out of the setlist and “Last Man Standing” segued right into “Backstreets” to ensure the emotional expressivity was overwhelming. From the intimacy of a Springsteen solo performance to the towering aura of Springsteen and the E Street Band, this pairing of songs for friendship, loss and times passed was truly remarkable, and just like in Atlanta, an interlude made the sequence all the more special. After repeating “Until the end…” Bruce intertwined this Born to Run epic and the memory of George Theiss forever by saying, “I’ve got your books now… and I’ve got, I’ve got your 45s… and I’ve got your guitar… and I carry the rest right here,” pointing at his heart to enhance this moment’s beauty. Shortly afterwards, he added a promise, whispering “and we’re gonna go some place, where the music never ends,” before leading the E Street Band back into the Born to Run song-proper. Upon this fans were left aware that while they’ve heard many powerful versions of “Backstreets” over the last forty-five+ years, on this tour the song may hit an emotional peak they’ve never been able to envision. The five-pack that followed “Backstreets” in Atlanta did the same here, and though it may have worried the setlist-watchers who were hoping for some spontaneity, all Orlando could do was take great delight in five fantastic performances. A sultry “Because the Night” was initially highlighted by a determined approach from Bruce, before Nils took the spotlight with his solo and spinning that are expanding on a nightly basis; “She’s the One” was then a thunderous highlight of the show’s second half with a magnificent, exciting build and enthralling instrumentation from all onstage, particularly Garry Tallent whose bass playing was as pulsating as ever; but both songs were overshadowed by “Wrecking Ball.” Wistfully sang and magnified in emotion by Soozie’s violin, Curt’s trumpet playing and Nils’ guitar riffs, where the first two performances of the tour served catharsis after Covid, after “Last Man Standing” and “Backstreets” this was profound on a different level in Orlando. What particularly struck me was the way Bruce sang, “when all our youth and beauty has been given to the dust… and when the game has been decided and we’re just runnin’ down the clock…” as his chuckling and his pronounced delivery simply added to the sentiments songs such as “Letter To You” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams” have been conjuring up so soon into the tour. Much like “Backstreets,” if this song remains a feature on the tour, when all is said and done “Wrecking Ball” might be thought of in an entirely different way, much more than a simple song for a football stadium. Rousing readings of “The Rising” and “Badlands” uplifted after the equally defiant and emotional “Wrecking Ball,” and as “Thunder Road” ended the main set, once again given an extra touch of effectiveness thanks to the E Street Horns joining Jake Clemons’ saxophone solo for the coda, it offered an invitation to Orlando, one looking positively towards this tour and the many wonders it should bring rather than a little bit further ahead when “none of this will be here.” For those who accepted that invitation, Bruce made it clear that the train journey is a little different this time around with the first song played in the encore. That’s right, returning to the setlist with those tremendous new harmonies still in-tow, “Burnin’ Train” was a cleansing experience driven by determination – Bruce’s intensity when singing “something’s shining in the light ‘neath your breast” really summarised the passion of the song – and more strikingly good riffs from the E Street Horns. For the disappointment that came with this song’s absence in Atlanta, its return simply made the performance all the more satisfying. Long may it stay in the set. With the exception of “Burnin’ Train,” the encore was unchanged setlist-wise, however the performances saw some differences and “Born to Run” appeared to highlight that instantly with its intro seeming a bit sudden. Nonetheless the magnum opus evoked great catharsis, and equally manic, horns-laden versions of “Rosalita” and “Glory Days” added to that courtesy of the joy they exude. No crew members were injured in the making of the “Dancing in the Dark” that followed, but unfortunately the song did come with another slight misstep as Bruce got ahead of the music again. It was a shame too, as this was an otherwise delightful, soulfully sang effort – the latter has to be a result of the passionate performances on Broadway – fiercely played by the E Street Band in a shorter, tightened arrangement rid of any excess that sometimes came with fans being brought onstage to dance. Bruce played up the intensity of his and the E Street Band’s efforts after “Dancing,” teasing the rabid Orlando audience by repeating “I can’t go on!” and of course this only made the Amway Center crave more. Orlando indeed got more after the band introductions – this time the quality of music was secondary to Bruce joyously shouting out “CHARLIE G! CHARLIE G! CHARLIE G!” – and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” brought the E Street Band’s night to an end as a very finely played, but rather messily sang version of the song as Bruce strolled across the Amway, taking more interest in engaging with the audience (even drinking one fan’s beer!) than giving an all-time vocal performance. Some fans have shown concern about Bruce’s audience interaction early onto in the tour, so seeing him prioritise that over singing a perfect “Tenth” on this occasion wasn’t the worst thing in the world. After the E Street Band stepped offstage, Bruce brought the show to an end with “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” further showing his appreciation to the Orlando audience after the showstopper. Replacing the euphoria of the full band’s playing with delicate guitar and powerful harmonica, Bruce’s voice resonated throughout the arena as he assured his audience that if this was to be the last time they meet in person, it won’t be the last time they meet – it’ll be where the music never ends, too! It was a declaration of “Love you Orlando, helluva crowd!” rather than “Safe travels, God bless!” that followed, and upon the end of these two hours and forty minutes of music, it was a declaration that was very true. Despite retaining an almost identical setlist for the third successive show, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band thrilled Orlando on night three of their 2023 International Tour with a captivating blend of touring staples and newer songs from Letter To You and Only The Strong Survive. Playing at a fantastic standard so early on into the tour, this show in the Amway Center saw evolving versions of “Ghosts,” “Letter To You” and “Nightshift” shine amidst immediate tour essentials such as “Don’t Play That Song,” “Last Man Standing,” “Backstreets” (which featured another stunning interlude) and “Burnin’ Train,” which thankfully returned the setlist – with “Thunder Road” retaining its place. Fans will surely hope the setlist begins to open up soon, but if it’s to stay like this for the foreseeable, we’ll undoubtedly be hearing even better versions of “Candy’s Room,” “She’s the One” and “Dancing in the Dark,” and in listening to this show, it’s difficult to ponder how they could sound better! Next up on the 2023 International Tour, Springsteen and the E Street Band play their final show in Florida on the opening leg, at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood.