BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND : PHILADELPHIA 2009 SECOND NIGHT

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND : PHILADELPHIA 2009 SECOND NIGHT

Disc One (58:53)

Thundercrack
The Ties That Bind
What Love Can Do
Hungry Heart
Working On A Dream
Badlands
Adam Raised A Cain
Something In The Night
Candy's Room
Racing In The Street

Disc Two (67:15)

The Promised Land
Factory
Streets Of Fire
Prove It All Night
Darkness On The Edge Of Town
Waitin' On A Sunny Day
Sherry Darling
Human Touch
Long Walk Home
The Rising
Born To Run

Disc Three (36:02)

Ramrod
Detroit Medley
American Land
Dancing In The Dark
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

Label : Nugs.net

Venue : Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvanias, USA

Recording Date : October 14, 2009

Quality : Soundboard Recording (A+)

Review (Kieran's Thoughts) : From August 2017 to December 2022, the Live Archive Series was a blessing for Springsteen fans. With the hot – and expensive – ticket, Springsteen on Broadway the only way to truly guarantee an evening with Bruce, the fifty+ shows released by Nugs served the fanbase very well as we waited on his return to the road, preferably with the E Street Band. February 2023 brought us that return, and the next seven months saw each show played complemented by an official live release. The focus on recording and releasing shows from the 2023 International Tour of course meant that the Archive Series had to go on pause, and after the first Fridays of October and November came and went without Archive #89, some fans began to worry it would never return. Not to worry, though, because the second Friday of December saw the Archive Series relaunched, if only for a little while before Bruce and the E Street Band head back on the road in March, and its surprise return comes in the form of October 14th, 2009, the second of four shows played in the Spectrum on the closing leg of the Working on a Dream Tour. The fourth (and final) show they’d play in the building before its demolition preceded the initial First Friday announcement and has been on rotation since July 2017. Similarly to that fourth and final Spectrum show they’d go onto play on October 20th, this show saw Springsteen and the E Street Band play an exciting set highlighted by the performance of an album in sequence. The ‘album shows’ got rolling on September 20th in Chicago, and for Bruce they were a special way to celebrate two years of what was essentially non-stop touring. Up to this point they had played Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town and Born in the U.S.A. – the latter would send off this arena six days later – and they’d soon go on to stun with The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, The River and Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ in New York to highlight the tour’s final month. In addition to the U.S.A. Spectrum show, the last seven years saw the Archive Series nicely add all album performances to our collections: Greetings from Buffalo; WIESS and The River from Madison Square Garden; and Born to Run from Cleveland. As October 14th from the Spectrum brings with it a scintillating performance of Darkness on the Edge of Town, all albums have now been ticked off. The excitement flowing throughout this release isn’t exclusive to Darkness either, as the show also saw several delicacies played before and after the seminal album with “Thundercrack” setting the tone for a memorable evening from the off. Clarence Clemons’ efforts weren’t always spotless in his final years – his struggles evident at times during this show – but he stood out with stellar sax during this rollicking opener, combining nicely with Curt Ramm’s trumpet to make for a strong horns-driven performance; and the Big Man similarly shone in “The Ties That Bind” afterward. The Madison Square Garden shows where these two songs featured (the former outtake preceding its would-be album and the latter fronting its double-LP) were just under a month away, but we get a sense upon listening to them here that setlist wheels were already spinning in Bruce’s head. Then, a true delicacy as Bruce gave a live debut to “What Love Can Do.” Sung with a rawness that isn’t quite there on Working on a Dream, this performance allows for Bruce’s poetic lyrics to shine in a way that they mightn’t have done before, and combined with its build into a class finale, late into the year 2023, the Archive Series brings a new gem. The sole live performance of “What Love Can Do” was followed by a live staple, a simple, but oh-so effective “Hungry Heart,” which surely regained the full focus of all inside the Spectrum after the unsung track from a much maligned new album. It was a version that saw Clarence struggling initially, but one that he eventually soared in upon finding his footing, reminding Philadelphia of his unwavering determination. The title track of that aforementioned much maligned album was then next, and “Working on a Dream” likely undid some of the work its River LP predecessor achieved in the moment. On this release fourteen years later, however, it delights, with Bruce enthralling during his mid-song preacher rant centred around building a house, and Clarence’s buoyant calls of “Let him hear you! Let him feel you!” as they build back into the song for its finale continuing to raise the hairs on our arms as it has done on all other 2009 releases. With the night’s mission statement of bringing music, joy, love and sexual healing made clear, the time was right for the main attraction, and rather appropriately that attraction was an album where the music focuses more on the despair that comes with the aspects of that mission statement. Of Darkness on the Edge of Town, Bruce takes a moment to reflect on its importance and how it means a “great, great deal” to him, summarising “a lot of the things that were going on in the world I was in at the time,” and that while it “wasn’t greeted right away with the affection it’s gained over the years,” the power of the music on that album persevered with them “being in our setlist night after night after night for thirty+ years.” Over the next fifty-five minutes, Springsteen and the E Street Band put those words into effect. With the touring choir stepping aside, there was full focus on the core E Street Band during this album performance, and as we’d expect, those who lived this album and its fabled tour in 1978 shone brightest. Mind you, as the album got underway it was Charlie Giordano who stood out to me during “Badlands.” In the wake of Dan Federici’s passing in 2008, it was rather appropriate that the organ on this live staple to very arguably end all live staples was given extra emphasis and significance, making for a very rousing start to proceedings. Also important in the album opener were the audience, who responded loudly during the song’s second finale, following up the essential interrogative of “IS THERE ANYBODY ALIVE OUT THERE?!” by showing Bruce just how alive they were. That enthusiasm surely fuelled those onstage, and the passion was there – and then some – during “Adam Raised a Cain,” where the brooding efforts of Little Steven Van Zandt and Garry Tallent complemented a scathing, elegiac showing on guitar and vocals from Bruce. That declaration of “somebody else’s past!” was as scathing as it gets. The atmosphere shifted again with “Something in the Night,” a song that is always a pleasure to see on a live release, and this one gave Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg a great opportunity to shine before Max drove “Candy’s Room” just as he did this past February to September on the 2023 Tour. Alongside Bruce and Little Steven in particular, the Professor and the Mighty One here took us into a house not quite of love, but most certainly a house of longing, and our lead vocalists and guitarists highlighted that desire with equal parts raging and scorching passion. The tone of the album shifted once again next, this time with the reflective, wistful “Racing in the Street,” which saw the six men mentioned above combine (not to forget the Big Man’s booming baritone sax) for an E Street masterclass. From the subtle moments such as Bruce’s delivery of “Camaro off my back…” to the magnificent coda soundtracking the search for salvation, of this album performance’s fifty-five minutes, these nine minutes and twenty seconds are a strong shout for being the best. Making for one of the finest one-two punches in the Springsteen songbook, “The Promised Land” restored a jubilant atmosphere, and the optimism of this performance was so profound that we can listen to it and think – if only for a moment – that our protagonists in the song prior indeed found what they were looking for. As the first half of the album showed Philadelphia, however, in Darkness on the Edge of Town the optimism is sparse, and the remaining twenty minutes saw very little of it. A sobering “Factory” brought everyone back into the world Bruce told us he was in at the time while working on this record – asking the question, is salvation not all it seems? – before “Streets of Fire” spoke of the dangers that were going on outside his home. “Streets” seriously shines in the second half of this performance, and as a favourite of mine that is so rarely featured in setlists, while some fans quickly grew tired of full albums in live shows, it can’t be denied that they were a Godsend for giving us more of songs such as this one. The only song that competes with “Adam” for scathing moments, this one really saw Bruce channel the pain that forged it – “I heard somebody call my naaaaaaaame!” – as Roy in particular scored his haunting vocal. The most scathing moment Philly had to wait for, but it was so worth it as his despondent lament of “angels that have no face” led into a fierce “I’M STRUNG OUT ON THE WIRE!” that could only be followed by a glorious guitar solo full of venom. Good God. The penultimate track in “Prove It All Night” served as a final song with optimism at the forefront, and it also served the Spectrum with more ravenous guitar. However this time it came from an E Street Band member who wasn’t onstage in ’78, Nils Lofgren, and here he gave everyone an idea of what could’ve been thirty years prior by really taking a page out of Tom Morello’s playbook by playing a shredding, spotlight solo. The November 7th Archive release from MSG sees him do the same, but where that one took many of us aback, this is different. Finally, it was time for the title track as we’d reached the end of its album, and “Darkness on the Edge of Town” closed out a tremendous performance in style by seeing Bruce lead a methodical E Street Band effort by imploring all of the pain and passion that should come with this song. Be it the delicate “I lost my *faith*!” or the roaring “TOWWWWWWWWWWWWN!!!” that stands out most to us, what’s most important is that, much like the nine songs prior, this finale delivered as an excellent reading with plenty to offer. The Paramount performance of Darkness on the Edge of Town recorded shortly after the tour had ended with just the core ’78 band members and Charlie is widely regarded as one of the finest E Street live recordings. An argument could be made that its intimate setting without an audience hinders it, but this performance from October 14th, 2009 is without that problem, and it gives us a superb display of the dreams and despair that makes this album a top two, if not top one, Bruce Springsteen record. With that Darkness lingering over Philadelphia, it’s safe to say that Bruce Springsteen, the E Street Band and the Spectrum were waitin’ on a sunny day, and it just so happened they had a song for that! Yes, “Waitin’” followed this night’s album performance just as it would the Wild and Innocent and The River performances in November. Unlike those albums, though, this time it was a rather timely follow-up. As usual the song performance was fine, and where there’s always a concern about to what extent the “Sunny Day” kid will ruin that performance, this night’s volunteer was thankfully more hearty than horrid in their efforts. “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day” led into a terrific trio of back catalogue gems: “Sherry Darling,” “Human Touch” and “Long Walk Home” that any fan would consider themselves lucky to hear in a live show. They were damn good performances, too! The River rouser gave spotlights to Clarence and Patti Scialfa, but its highlight was Charlie’s accordion finale. It was so unexpected that it may well have been the highlight of the show! As Bruce said, “That’s entertainment!”. Charlie and Ms. Patti would then stand out again in one of two LP title tracks from 1992, a stormer of a version capped off by Bruce’s sensational declaration of “HEY NOW!” and the subsequent coda; and then it was Little Steven who shone brightest during “Long Walk Home,” bringing such an intense level of passion and soul to the song that, once again, we’re left bemused as to why it isn’t a regular feature in E Street setlists to this day. Determined versions of “The Rising” and “Born to Run” rounded out the main set, and this led into an encore that I’d dare say felt very varied on this night in contrast to what we’re accustomed to. Fronted by a rollicking “Ramrod” – I loved Bruce’s shout of “IS THERE A MAN OF LETTERS IN THE HOUSE?!” to bring in Clarence – the home stretch of this show typified the rocking mood that Springsteen and the E Street Band were in during this time, seeing electric versions of the “Detroit Medley,” “American Land,” “Dancing in the Dark” and “Rosalita” shape the rest of the show. As it would on October 20th, “Rosie” was also preceded here by the Rocky theme to give it that extra oomph, although I’m still undecided as to whether I’d say that was the song’s highlight given the hilarious way Stevie was saying “papa says he knows I ain’t got no money!”. That said, while not the song I’ll find myself revisiting most in this encore, I can’t help but feel “American Land” is of most significance. With its many shades of “Sally MacLennan,” it serves as a small tribute on this release to the memory of Shane MacGowan, and when we remember how Bruce paid tribute to MacGowan and his – at times – unintelligible voice on From My Home to Yours in 2020, I really like how Bruce took a contrasting approach here by very clearly stating his words, in particular, “the hands that built the country we’re always trying to keep out!”. In a show filled with emphatic moments, this one stays with us.