BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND : PITTSBURGH

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND : PITTSBURGH - JANUARY 16, 2016

Disc One (72:50)

Meet Me In The City
The Ties That Bind
Sherry Darling
Jackson Cage
Two Hearts
Independence Day
Hungry Heart
Out In The Street
Crush On You
You Can Look (But Better Not Touch)
I Wanna Marry You
The River
Point Blank

Disc Two (79:02)

Cadillac Ranch
I'm A Rocker
Fade Away
Stolen Car
Ramrod
The Price You Pay
Drive All Night
Wreck On The Highway
Badlands
Wrecking Ball
Backstreets
Because The Night
Brilliant Disguise

Disc Three (51:01)

The Rising
Thunder Road
Rebel Rebel
Bobby Jean
Dancing In The Dark
Born To Run
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Shout

Label : Nugs.net

Venue : Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Recording Date : January 16, 2016

Quality : Soundboard Recording (A+)

Review (Kieran's Thoughts) : Five years after releasing The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story, and with nothing going on in a well earned year off, Bruce Springsteen thought it best to use this downtime to celebrate thirty-five years of The River through a special box set. The Ties That Bind: The River Collection would be released in December 2015, comprised of a remastered album, outtakes both loved and unheard, and most importantly, the glorious November 5th, 1980 concert from Tempe, AZ. In addition to these delicacies, Bruce then took the unconventional approach of going on tour in promotion of the box set, reassembling the E Street Band for an initial series of touring dates in North America, billed as The River Tour 2016. Starting in Pittsburgh in mid-January and ultimately culminating in Brooklyn in late-April, these thirty-eight dates would be much different to those fans saw over thirty years earlier in 1980 and 1981. Rather than playing setlists built around his newest touring material, the audiences lucky enough to attend these shows would be treated to The River album from start to finish, something that had only happened once, at the backend of the Working on a Dream Tour seven years earlier. Keeping in theme with the original tour, 2016 would also see the E Street Band stripped down to the core members. There’d be no E Street Horns, E Street Choir or Tom Morello following their important contributions on the Wrecking Ball and High Hope Tours, and instead Bruce called upon Little Stevie Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa, Max Weinberg, Roy Bittan, Charlie Giordano, Soozie Tyrell, Garry Tallent and Jake Clemons, with the latter now the soul Horns player after two years of training. What’s also of note in regards to the ongoing Live Downloads being released through Nugs, as the tour goes on we’ll hear a significant improvement in comparison to the 2014 releases. However, as evident within this particular release, that improvement took time on account of this not sounding too great. The quality of mixing in regards to vocals, instruments and audience participation does lead to a less than stellar listening experience, and it is really the biggest flaw of the show. Finally, before getting stuck into the concert, where I had already written a little about every 2014 show prior to reviewing them fully in August 2020, there are still many 2016 shows (this one included) that I haven’t covered on this site. So, alongside these reviews, I’ll also be writing five Rest of The River Tour guides as we go on (Jan – Feb ’16; March – Apr; May – July; Aug – Sept; Jan – Feb ’17) with the first being posted a few weeks down the road when we get to the end of the February releases. Who knows, some might even find themselves in the Best of guides. And with that all said, let’s take a dive into The River Tour 2016! “Pittsburgh!!! We’re so glad to be in your beautiful city tonight! We’re here to rock ya, to sock ya, we’re gonna take ya to The River! I wanna know are ya ready to be transformed?! Are you ready to be transformed?! Are you ready to be transformed?!?!“ As was the case in November 2009, Bruce doesn’t immediately jump into the album, and while the Madison Square Garden show opened with the newly penned “Wrecking Ball”, this night opens with the newly released “Meet Me in The City”, a River album outtake originally written in 1979, but regardless of when it was first recorded, there’s undoubtedly a fresh and welcoming atmosphere to this show to kick off the tour. Having been debuted on SNL in December 2015, Bruce and the Band had already been able to begin working out what they needed from this one, and the faithful were already aware of the words they’d have to sing along to, so with a rumbling from a immensely Mighty Max, it’s time to meet Springsteen and the E Street Band in the city for a brand new tour! There’s fire in Bruce’s voice from the off, but his vocal is much better in comparison to the final stretch of the previous tour, and combined with the passion he’s giving it this is a terrific start. “If ya can holler then say alright!“. Supporting Bruce strongly are the aforementioned Max, Garry, and Roy with the latter adding a breeziness to their pulsating power, as well as Stevie (3:40) and most importantly, Jake, of whom Pittsburgh are in complete adoration of, making for the highlight of the song. “The River was the record where I was trying to figure out where I fit in. By the time I got to that record I’d started taking notice of the things that bond people to their lives: work, commitments, families. I wanted to imagine and I wanted to write about those things and I figured if I could write about them, then I could get one step closer to realising them in my own life. I wanted to make a record that was big enough so it felt like life or like an E Street Band show. I wanted the record to contain fun, dancing, jokes, good comradeship, love, faith, sex, lonely nights, and of course tears. I figured if I could make a record that was big enough to contain all those things, maybe I’d get a little closer to the home I was searching for. So tonight I want you to come along with us, as we go down to the river.” And then it’s into that essential, era defining riff of a blissful (and very organ driven) version of “The Ties That Bind” for a near-two hour journey through all of those themes Bruce lists above. Likewise with the opening track, this one gets a clear vocal with the slightest touch of grit in his voice (“afraid of being somebody’s fool!“), delightful Little Stevie led-harmonies and another superb Jake solo. There are a couple of little missteps we can hear from him, but they’re easily overshadowed by the positives. Unfortunately that’s not quite the case in “Sherry Darling”, because the “party noises!” he contributes aren’t his strongest efforts, from the intro, to the solo at 2:14 to the finale riff from 3:30. Very early days, it should be interesting to hear how he gets on with this one as the tour goes on. Also noteworthy in this one is how prominent Charlie’s organ riffs are, overshadowing Bruce’s singing massively in the mix, but at least they’re lovely to listen to! The same can be said for the harmonies contributed by Nils, Patti, Soozie and Stevie (who also aces his guitar solo at 2:29), and this Pittsburgh audience who are emphatically loud when Bruce and the Band call on them to sing “what you say, Sherry darling?“. This one mightn’t be as spotless as the opening two tracks, but there are plenty of positive signs for the road ahead. That leads us into another stunning riff of The River era, and I already can’t wait to hear “Jackson Cage” and this intro over and over as the tour goes on. Of course, Charlie is prominent once again (2:23 is instant essence), and Bruce is still singing clearly with some fire in the throat (“try with all your might!“), but this is the first time tonight where we can hear him phased by the rapid tempo of the song. Despite that, he gets through the lyrics with no major problems, and he’s still helped out nicely by Steve’s harmonies and Jake’s harmonica instrumental (the combination of it alongside guitar and drums is class). Listen to how Steve sings “Jackson ca-age!” at 1:43, it’s outstanding! What I like most from Bruce here is how he sings “baby girl you’ve been down here so long“, as the substitution of “little” for “baby” makes the protagonist even more sympathetic, and it’s an exciting example of the little nuances these River albums tracks might be getting over the coming months. Followed by a thunderous “Two Hearts”, once again this puts Charlie, Garry, Max and Stevie into the spotlight, and it’s Steve’s guitar riffs from 0:35 and inspired supporting vocals that steal the show for these four minutes. His cries of “Oh yeah! yeah!” (2:43) perfectly summarises the likely feeling of the audience inside the Consol Energy Center and those of us listening to the audio. A rousing, riveting opening twenty minutes that highlights the fun, dancing and good comradeship of an E Street Band show that Bruce wanted to achieve with this double LP. ““Independence Day” was, uh, the first song I wrote about fathers and sons. It’s the, uh, kind of song that you write when you’re young, and you’re startled by your parents humanity, and you’re shocked to realise that they had their own dreams and their own desires, ’cause all you can see is the adult compromise, that they had to make. And, uh, when you’re young you haven’t had to do that yet, the idea of it frightens you, frightened me, and all I could see was the world that they seemed locked into, and all I could feel was the desire to escape that world. So I had a simple setting, for the song, just a late night conversation between two people struggling to understand, understand each other.“ It’s then into the tenderness of Charlie’s organ and Nils’ acoustic guitar for “Independence Day”, preceded by a special intro informing us of what the song represents, and with the relationship he shared with his dad clearly at the forefront of his mind, Bruce sings this one at a steady tempo, with a regretful vocal. That’s noticeable in the delivery of every line, but if you’re looking for just one example, listen to how he sings “I guess we were just too much of the same kind” at 3:24. What’s also of note in this one comes just after Jake’s brilliant solo (3:54), as Roy’s playing from 4:19 is normally much louder and whether that’s another example of the audio mixing quality or an intentional move, this certainly emphasises the importance of the words Bruce is singing at this point, if they weren’t important enough already. The first performance of Side One on the tour isn’t without fault, but it’s a good start for sure. To kick off Side Two we go back to the boisterous with the first of seventy-four “Hungry Heart” performances on the 2016 tour, and it’s a solid start. I really like Bruce’s calls of “c’mon!” (0:44) and “yeah-ah” (0:57), and while his singing of “hungry heart” at 1:33 isn’t exactly stellar, it has to be said that’s an outlier in the performance. The first rendition since May 2014 and the first without the Choir in a long time, Little Steven and company manage to hold down the fort well enough, while Charlie continues to shine (2:18) in the same way he did in 2014, and as he has done so many times in his time with the E Street Band. Also calling back to May 2014 is what happens from 3:27, as despite his initial concern – “I don’t know man, I don’t know! My back!” – Bruce can’t resist the temptation of a crowd surf! Whether these will be as much of a recurring aspect on this tour as they were in 2014 is something to be discovered, but I have a suspicion this won’t be the only time the sixty-seven year old takes a dive into the audience this time around. “Out in the Street” is an explosive E Street Band exhibition next, exemplified by Jake’s solo (2:32), and also standing out in this one are the class “meet me out in the street” backing vocals from Stevie, Nils, Patti and Soozie. It’s great to hear them sounding so good on this opening night, and knowing their playing is bound to improve as they tighten up the tweaks, it leaves you hoping their vocal contributions will get even better too. With confirmation Stevie is ready for what might be his least favourite song (and Bruce’s too) it’s time for that “hidden masterpiece!“, “Crush on You” and its ferocious riff complemented by a likewise vocal. A fine, if uneventful rendition – after all it has to be a least favourite for a reason! – this one is highlighted best by Stevie’s wails when we get to the chorus. If he likes it or not, at least he’s putting in effort. Then it’s into one Stevie most certainly likes, “You Can Look”, in all of its vibrancy spurred on by guitar and organ. An equally rapid performance to “Crush on You”, where the wails in the song prior give evidence to Stevie’s possible disdain, his enjoyment stating “Hey you! Get out the car!” is all we need to know he’s having a good time here. And if that wasn’t enough there’s his “You better not! You can look Steve!” back and forth with Bruce towards the finish – the shouts of “I said ‘yeah’!” and cries of “c’mon!” (2:44) are simply a bonus. “How we doing? We havin’ fun yet?! I wrote this song, uh, as a daydream. Like, you’re standing on the corner, you’re watching someone, someone you’ll never meet walk by, and you imagine an entire life with this person. Where you’re gonna live, what kinda kids you’re gonna have. Of course it’s the easiest kind of life. It’s the one without the consequences, but hey! It’s a young man’s song! It’s imagining love, in all of its glory! And its tentativeness. It’s not the real thing… it’s not the real thing, but ya gotta start some place, so this is where I started.“ While “Jackson Cage” gave us a lyrical nuance, as minute as it may have been, and “Independence Day” gave us more insight about the song on account of Bruce’s opening monologue, with “I Wanna Marry You” we’re given a taste of both, just with much more of the former beforehand. The song performance itself is relatively straightforward, but it comes as a highlight on this night and the tour as a whole due to the interpolation of “Here She Comes Walkin'” before kicking it in. A song originally written with intentions for it being on Born to Run, the song is notable for how it featured on the original River Tour as a prelude to “I Wanna Marry You” – as can be heard on the official Tempe ’80 and London ’81 releases – it’s perfect for this celebratory occasion. Driven forward by Stevie, Garry and Max in particular, the former adds to his stirring guitar licks by joining Bruce for soulful declarations of the chorus. His delivery of “I know I will!” and their repeated harmonies of “little girl” are absolutely delectable. Max, Charlie and Roy then segue us into the penultimate song of Side Two and this also features excellent Stevie harmonies in addition to Bruce’s delicate vocal. Mind you, those ultimate shouts of “My girl! My little girl!” are filled with grit, perfectly evoking the frustrations young men are likely to feel when a romantic daydream ends. We then, of course, end Side Two and the first half of the night with his song about the frustrations when romance ends, the titular track of the tour, “The River”. Another straightforward rendition, the audience don’t seem to mind and when called upon to sing they do their job fantastically. They also react loudly to Bruce singing the “Johnstown company“, considering Johnstown is an eighty minute drive away. Musically, there isn’t too much to shout about with nothing stunning to Bruce’s sombre vocal, however I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the beautifully haunting melody played by Soozie from 1:22, and her combination with Charlie, Max and Roy to drive home the tragic words of the story Bruce is telling us. An impressive first hour, can they keep it going? Well, if “Point Blank” – another song focusing on romance ending, albeit with more extreme responses to it – is any indication as to the quality of the next portion of the show, we can immediately confirm they keep it going! Roy gets us started with another 1980 flashback, an extended piano intro that somehow makes this one even more despondent, and the guitar wails we can hear from 0:42 turns this noir into an outright horror. Garry adds to that once the song kicks in, and so does Bruce who is almost mocking in the way he says lines such as “everything will be alright” and “you don’t even know what from“. At times talking us through the lyrics (3:29) as if to turn the song into a true story, there’s so much more to this one to unnerve the audience, from the erratic guitar licks at 5:31, to the brutal “but I knew it was you“, to Stevie joining at 6:27, sounding like a spirit who’s suffered a similar fate in the past, and a high bar has been set instantly. I don’t think it’s a matter of whether they will top this, simply how long it’s going to take them. Up next is a song that is still pretty bleak lyrically, but one that’s a needed rise in tempo and atmosphere instrumentally, “Cadillac Ranch”. Starting with Bruce going a little bit wild, this one sees him sing with a gritty, somewhat weathered vocal (check out the “CADILLAC RANCH!” at 3:30) but if this one isn’t a joy to listen to, I don’t know what is. With spotlight guitar and violin solos for Stevie, Nils and Soozie, an apt shout of “through the Pennsylvania night!“, and class Patti harmonies leading into a spirited finale, this one ends up being highlighted by Jake. He’s standing alone for the first time playing this one, and he does a very good job, and surely he can only get better? The joy of “Caddy” leads into more joy with “I’m a Rocker”, and that vibrant riff is very prominent playing behind, and at times above, Bruce’s vocal, so we have to listen intently to surmise how good he sounds singing here. When we hear him, we’re satisfied in the way he delivers lines such as “falling fasterrr” (1:06) and thankfully his “everyday!” is far less manic than on the final night of 2014 in Uncasville – it’s still really wild though! – as Roy and Charlie send us out with an animated combination (3:09). Changing the atmosphere inside the Consol with “Steve Van Zandt’s favourite song“, “Fade Away” brings Pittsburgh a healthy dose of Jersey soul. Bruce is clearly a little weary following his efforts in “Rocker”, but he uses this to fuel the disbelief of his protagonist and his lover with an unsatisfied heart in lines like, “I can’t believe what you say!” and “while other giiiirls go out“, and it also surely benefits the way he sorrowfully pleads “Oh help me darling! I need your love darling! I don’t want to fade away! … I don’t want to faaaaade away!” (4:43). Perfect evidence of the lonely nights and tears Bruce wanted to replicate in 1980. Unsurprisingly, Stevie’s harmonies are excellent for the duration of this one, as are Charlie’s organ riffs and Nils’ guitar playing at 2:28. The latter two weren’t present during the original River era, but they definitely understand what Bruce wanted from his band then and what he wants from them thirty-six years later. “This is a song I wrote, and wrote and rewrote many times before I felt I got it right. Asks the question if you lose your connections, to things, do you lose yourself?“ To further emphasise the theme of lonely nights, Roy’s desolate intro leads into “Stolen Car” to conclude Side Three of the album, and I love how Bruce’s vocal fluctuates from soft to forceful, illustrating his character’s uncertain mind in the process. Highlighted in the way he sings (and shouts) “swore we’d never part!” and “I’m tellin’ myself“, I think this rendition goes a long way towards answering the question he ponders prior, and I believe the answer he leaves us with is ‘No’. Having said that, the harrowing harmonies from Stevie, Patti and Nils in the background are effective enough to the extent that we realise this protagonist losing himself or not doesn’t really matter, as he is now nothing more than a ghost to the world. Will future versions of this imply a future existence for him? “Going to the Roadhooooouse!“ The final half hour of the night’s main attraction starts with the complete antithesis of “Stolen Car”, a wild and rocking “Ramrod”. I love the energy they bring to this one following the highly emotional tracks, and Bruce really goes for it, whether he’s singing alone – “and a thirty to four!” (1:21) – or sharing the mic with Stevie – “you know that’s right!” (2:18), “forever mo’!” (3:55). Their chemistry is infectious here, and it’s a similar story in “The Price You Pay” afterwards. One of my favourite Springsteen songs, Max directs another joyous intro that I’m ecstatic to hear over and over for the foreseeable, and on a night where Charlie’s playing is more notable than most, he manages to be even louder in the mix on this one (4:03). As mentioned, Bruce and Stevie work excellently together, but it’s important to note Bruce isn’t singing perfectly, as his vocal is slightly restricted, just listen to he sings “story of the promised land” (3:51). Still, his delivery of “the price you pay” from 4:47 is stunning and his final “THROW IT AWAY!!!” high note at 4:56 is immense. Imagine how good it’s going to be when his vocal is truly stellar! With Roy, Charlie and Max leading the finale, it’s the former and Garry who set the scene for the album’s penultimate track, “Drive All Night”. Bruce sings with a fragile vocal (“shivers down my spine“) for these ten minutes, and whether that’s a continuation of the song above or because it’s what he deems best for the song, this is a softer contrast. Well, if we discount the passionate cries of “heart and soul” (6:04) and “dry your eyes pretty baby!” (7:07). This one also sees Stevie continue his summary of how the crowd are feeling with that “oh yeah!” (3:42) which leads into Jake’s gorgeous solo, and combined with his playing in the finale, his positives on this night far outweigh the negatives in “Sherry”. The River concludes with “Wreck on the Highway”, spurred on by the playing of Charlie, Garry and Roy, with Max’s cymbals heavy tempo representing the time Bruce talks about as the song fades, ticking away. Singing fantastically, Bruce seemingly confirms here that his approach to “Drive All Night” at least was what was best for the song, and even if that wasn’t the case, the quality of this song, those played over the last two hours and the flaws within them leave us excited for night two in Chicago. “One of other other things I was writing about on The River was time. One friend of mine was sitting around last night and said “Time, catches up to us all.” We’ve got a limited amount of time, to do your work, and take care of your family, try to do something good.” “Thanks a lot that’s The River!“ After all that, Bruce’s shout of “we got a few left for ya!” reminds Pittsburgh that The River wasn’t the sole attraction of the night, so it’s time for the post-album House Party sequence. This was also an aspect of the tour that intrigued fans, as it might have lead to River album outtakes and additional surprises to tie in with the album portion. Ultimately this first night takes an interesting shape. There are no outtakes, no thematic thrills to these seven main set ending tracks. Quite simply, these are seven songs Bruce clearly believed Pittsburgh would be happy to hear, and based on the start of “Badlands” and end of “Thunder Road”, he was right. “Badlands” sees terrific efforts from Charlie, Max (5:09), Jake (2:49) and some staggering guitar playing to boot. Those repeated riffs from 1:28 are class, and once more Stevie evokes his audience’s reaction at 1:57 with “oh yeah!“. The 2014 releases further emphasised that “Badlands” never falters, and with even slightly upgraded audio, that’s more so the case. On a night that puts the focus on Bruce’s classic material, “Wrecking Ball” stands out as an outlier. It’s also notable as a song about time, loosely connecting it to “Wreck” and thankfully it’s also filled with highlights. Driven on by Soozie’s graceful playing (2:54), my favourite moment of this comes when Bruce sings “my home’s here in the Meadowlands“, because while it justifies him not needing to ask who’s from Pittsburgh and Jersey, that ends up biting him when the crowd boo “where Giants play their games!“. Don’t worry, he gets them back onside with “Steelers?!” and a mighty “PITTSBURGH LET ME HEAR YOUR VOICES CALL!“. We then head back to the classic era courtesy of Roy’s magical “Backstreets” intro and Charlie’s awesome kick in riff. Similar to “Wrecking Ball”, Bruce sings fierily, but with more wistfulness than anger, leading to a sentimental version. Adding to that is an always special interlude where Bruce focuses on the triumph of “Forever friends” more than the betrayal of “you and your sad eyes“, and alongside a great solo (3:45), licks from Stevie (2:09) and power from Max (1:50), the first “Backstreets” of the tour will be tough to top. The magical intros from Roy and Charlie continue with “Because the Night”, and despite an early misstep at 0:47 and a Jake solo 2:24 that isn’t flawless, all it takes is Nils’ spotlight moment to completely enthral Pittsburgh (5:06) and us regardless of how many times we’ve heard it in the past. Nils flows us into a spotlight duet between Bruce and Patti in “Brilliant Disguise” and they sound good (exactly two years later they’d be singing this on Broadway). It’s a version featuring fantastic guitar licks and striking organ, but standing out most is how Bruce sings “Now look at me baby! Struggling to do everything right!“. Did some of the themes explored in The River call upon old demons, or is this just a prime example of the passion 2016 will entail? Moving into “The Rising”, the audio quality mightn’t be too much better than 2014, but it is better and it elevates the power of this opening greatly. The acoustics inside the Consol benefit this too, as Bruce’s echoes drifting across the arena are class, and the same can be said for those riffs being played at 1:30. Highlighted perhaps best by the impactful harmonies and shouts of “li li li“, it’s good knowing that this one can still thrive without Michelle Moore’s vigorous vocal in the background. The main set ends with Bruce’s invitation song for the tour ahead, “Thunder Road”, and the best element of this is the audience and their participation. I love how Bruce’s “that’s good!” is received by them singing “oh that’s alright with me!“. In addition to this I like the emphasis Bruce puts on “you know just what I’m here for” as well as the voice break when exclaiming “pulling outta here to win” for the finale, with the latter just about summing up all of this passion. The final noteworthy aspect of this one comes at 5:08, when Jake walks up to the front of the stage and closes this one out alone. There’s no added power from Ed Manion, Barry Danielian, Clark Gayton or Curt Ramm, but that’s no problem as Jake has it in abundance. “Want to take a moment, just to note the passing of our good friend, David Bowie. David, uh, I don’t know if people know, but he supported our music way way way back in the very very beginning, in 1973, he, uh, rang me up and visited him down in Philly while he was making the Young Americans record, and uh, he covered some of my music: “Hard to Be a Saint in The City”, “Growin’ Up” and he was a big supporter of ours, particularly when uh – I took the greyhound bus down to Philadelphia that’s how early it was! Anyway, we’re thinking of him!“ Looking back on it with what’s happened in the five years since, 2016 feels like a breeze, but I don’t need to remind you (or particularly want to remind any of you to be truthful) of the sorrowful year 2016 was in regards to how many people we lost. David Bowie was one of the first, and as they’d do more times than they surely wanted to this tour Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band honour a fallen friend on this night with a remarkable tribute. Fittingly opting for “Rebel Rebel”, this cover dedicated from one tramp to another sees Bruce singing with such an inspired vocal, even with a bit of wear in his voice. The Band’s harmonies are also awesome, and the chorus is cathartic along with the guitar playing of the trio, before those “doo-doo-dododo‘s” in the finale cement a truly memorable opening night. “Rebel” aptly segues into “Bobby Jean”, a song about saying goodbye to a friend, so there’s no surprise to Bruce singing in inspired fashion again. His deliveries of “we went walking in the rain” and “ain’t nobody, no way no how” are emphatic. Roy, Max and Charlie are great instrumentally, but as per usual they’re outshined at the final stretch by Jake, whose solo (3:00) wraps up an emotional eight minutes strongly. Those four above mentioned E Streeters shine in “Dancing in the Dark” too, and while it’s only a simple switch of this and “Born to Run”, an encore mix up is nice to see. This is a well sang version that sees Bruce shout out an engaged couple, and with this added context, it makes the extended finale and conclusion from 6:28 feel like the ending of a fairytale. The energy exuded in it leads to it feeling like Bruce is searching for breaths in “Born to Run”, but the magnum opus goes swiftly as it always does, and it’s another track notable on this release for the prominence of Charlie’s riffs. “Don’t you have to get up for church tomorrow? Do you have anything left? You got nothing! Then let me hear ya!” Joyous opening riffs have been a recurring theme tonight, and I don’t think any will have been received as well by the Pittsburgh faithful as well as this next one, because “Rosie” is here for the tour premiere, in glorious fashion too. Beginning with Bruce going a little bit wild, when 6:39 comes around he and Stevie completely exceed that description. Mind you, they might just be really happy to sing the song given how Pittsburgh actually override Bruce at the off, taking him aback to the extent that he just lets them get on with it. The only downside is that this instance of audience interaction isn’t too loud in the mix, but with the exception of this, we’re treated to a truly delightful penultimate track. Then, with a call of “E FLAT!” the opening night of 2016 comes to an end, and if we thought the versions from 2014 were high speed, we clearly haven’t heard anything yet. That said, it sounds like the Band are working out the tweaks as this begins, but Bruce’s singing overshadows it all, all the way up until he starts rambling and states “I don’t know where I am!“, leading to a quick Max halt and correction. Following this, “Shout” is spot on, highlighted by the “take me to the river, wash me in the water” interlude at 2:23, Stevie’s little guitar licks as Bruce introduces each member of the Band and the repetition of “I want you to know!” that follows his introduction – “star of radio underground radio and television!“. Yes, there’s no “pyjammies!” tonight, but it’s all about the journey, not the destination, especially when you’re heading down to the river! Springsteen and the E Street Band’s previous gig in Pittsburgh two years prior was a wild night that exemplified the spontaneity with which they were playing at the time, so fittingly this return to the Consol Energy Center goes in the opposite direction. A little more polished than the raw first ever run-through of The River from start to finish in November 2009, there are still a few instances in this show that suggest there’s still a way to go before perfecting it, but as mentioned above that’s part of the fun of the journey. Night one is an exciting taster for the road ahead with a solid album play through and exciting concert debut of “Meet Me in the City” along with it. The post album House Party, while somewhat straightforward, maintains the riveting tempo and keeps Pittsburgh invested, before Bruce and the Band further mark this night with a spirited cover of “Rebel Rebel” in tribute of David Bowie and a typically rousing encore. As we go on through the tour, particularly this opening U.S. leg, it’s very possible several of the River album performances will be similar in execution, so while I’ll certainly try my best to keep them detailed in regards to nuances and what I believe are important aspects, with this first review I hoped to properly highlight what these two hours of The River featured and how Springsteen and the E Street Band went about playing it. Bruce and the Band would play a few more gigs in the state of Pennsylvania throughout 2016, returning to Pittsburgh later in the year on the second U.S. leg of the tour, but if this was to have been the only time, I’m sure it would have left this audience satisfied. Next up on The River Tour 2016, Bruce and The Band head to Chicago for night two.