BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND : ST. LOUIS MARCH 6, 2016

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND : ST. LOUIS MARCH 6, 2016

Disc One (73:10)

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 You Better Not Touch)
I Wanna Marry You
The River
Point Blank

Disc Two (75:02)

Cadillac Ranch
I'm A Rocker
Fade Away
Stolen Car
Ramrod
The Price You Pay
Drive All Night
Wreck On The Highway
Working On The Highway
Prove It All Night
My Love Will Not Let You Down
No Surrender
Badlands

Disc Three (53:56)

Because The Night
The Rising
Thunder Road
Born To Run
Dancing In The Dark
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Shout

Label : Nugs.net

Venue : Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Recording Date : March 6, 2016

Quality : Soundboard Recording (A+)

Review (Kieran's Thoughts) : A little under eight years earlier, Springsteen and the E Street Band stepped onstage inside the Scottrade Center in front of seventeen thousand strong to play what would become a stand out show – if not the – of the post-Reunion period. A special summer night that highlighted the unpredictably and spontaneity of E Street Band shows at its zenith, it’s rather fitting that this River Tour return is much the opposite. Gone are the signs, albeit for one which admittedly does make for an unexpected moment on the night, and in their place is a rather focused setlist that stays true to what we’ve heard so far. The River and thirteen post-album tracks shape what could end up being a significant night in the long run, as what begins as a concert seemingly lacking energy ends with Bruce certainly needing to make an appointment at the doctors. Let’s get stuck into it and see what goes ‘wrong’. Now, I wouldn’t blame you for thinking I’ve spoke too soon upon the end of “Meet Me in the City”, as a thrilling as ever performance (with no lyrical missteps tonight) highlighted for me by Roy’s sudden pause alongside Bruce at 2:57 and those subsequently searing guitar licks at 3:09 leave Bruce exhausted for his monologue (5:18). Immediate exhaustion suggests a highly energetic start to the show, but what fascinates me here is that this “Meet Me” doesn’t feel any more or less passionate than usual. When Bruce and the Band get stuck into “The Ties That Bind” that exhaustion seems to have no impact on Bruce’s vocal efforts at all, so there’s something interesting in how it doesn’t feel like the energy is there for this one. It isn’t stupendous, but it’s a fine rendition, full of vigour (“ohhhhh I!“, 1:45) and catharsis (“that bind“, 3:02), one that leaves us wondering if the men and women onstage are taking it easier than usual early on tonight ahead of something special. Only time will tell. While not a significant shift in tempo, “Sherry Darling” and “Jackson Cage” are more in-line with what we’ve heard so far on the tour. Stellar, spirited efforts from Bruce and the Band, Stevie and Charlie really propel “Sherry”, and Bruce gives us a clear, direct vocal, full of bitter venom alongside Stevie in “Cage”. Bruce and Stevie then combine in the typically explosive “Two Hearts”, and we can definitely feel the passion they’re putting into this one while Max rumbles us on. Stevie is emphatic at 1:24, but Bruce blows us away with his “me aaaaand!” at 3:22, leaving us having no qualms about high energy upon the end of this one. The energy is lowered entirely for “Independence Day”, and instead of a high octane Springsteen and the E Street Band performance, it’s voice breaks, delicate organ and soft cymbal beats setting the stage for the final song of this opening sequence. Still towering in its own special way, what I like about this one is how Bruce utilises exhaustion to benefit the song’s context – whether he’s actually tired or not – as in his vocal singing “getting late” (2:00), we can clearly infer fatigue in his soft tone. However it isn’t fatigue in an energetic sense, but a plea to stop this eternally draining battle between father and son, if only for a few hours. With that plea further stressed in his following vocal nuances and in the contributions of the E Street Band – I love the yearning in Bruce’s voice as he sings “independence day” at 3:51, just before a cathartic Jake solo – on this night in St. Louis, Bruce’s desire for peace may be greater than in any other performance of this song on the tour so far. As Max rumbles us into “Hungry Heart” and a raging “come on!” from Bruce leads to superb participation from St. Louis, we soon notice that the tempo isn’t brought all the way back up following “Independence Day”. Likewise with “Ties” twenty minutes ago, this one is solidly played, but it’s another one that feels like the energy is being saved for something. Aside from that fiery imperative above (as well as at 2:13) and crowd surf number nineteen of 2016 (equalling 2014’s total with many shows left to go), this is simply straightforward, leading into an “Out in the Street” of which we could really say the same thing. Not excessively boisterous, but enjoyable, and bringing us our joy are highlights such as Bruce’s fluidity when singing “way down beneath” at 0:27, Charlie’s experimental riffs (0:38, 2:25, 3:15) and Stevie’s hearty backing vocals at 1:50 and 4:18. The latter is particularly nice, and he’s most certainly louder than Garry tonight, whose spotlight moment goes smoothly (thankfully) for the third show running. No lyrical missteps in “Street”, but we do get them in “Crush on You” as Bruce stumbles and gets lost in his words at 0:53. A shame, but no surprise as this one brings the immense high energy that has been missing for the last forty minutes. Very likely not the song I’d surmised they were saving energy for, but whatever the case we can only marvel at the commitment to this one, in particular the viciousness of “minding my own business!” at 1:57, Jake’s playing underneath the lyrics at 1:34 and the tasty guitar riffs that make for a likewise finale at 2:28. The hidden masterpiece that I’m very close to believing actually is worthy of those two words is followed by a “You Can Look” with more essential guitar playing (1:16) and in a nice follow up to Jake’s ‘background’ sax above, I love how Charlie’s riffs shine at 0:48 here, while never seeming to overshadow the words Bruce sings. It seems like we’ve very much slipped into fifth gear in the Chaifetz Arena. Having said that, Roy eases us back into first with his delectable melody for “Here She Comes Walkin'” to contrast the lively mood of the last eighteen minutes. This prelude and “I Wanna Marry You” mightn’t be as vigorous, but they’re equally as spirited, climbing into contendership for being the best performed pairing of the tour as soon as Bruce tells us, “St. Louis is a romantic city! This is where I got together with Patti! We took a walk under the magnetic arch, and that was it!“. Instantly we get the impression that these ten minutes are going to be driven by sentimental memories for Bruce, and the practically perfect performance we end up getting seems to confirm that. “Here She Comes” is emphasised by a strong, romantic vocal (2:41), and I really like how the pace and power of “here she comes!” at 3:08 is effective in conveying just how quickly this moment happens, and the impact it has on us as soon as the moment has passed. What’s best in this prelude though comes at 3:35, as it’s here where we can note how motivated Bruce truly is. The way he tweaks three lyrics – “she’s so damn fine!“; “someday I want to make her mine!“; “yeah I know that I will!” – is all we need to know for certain he has Patti and his memories with her on his mind, and if his words about St. Louis’ romanticism moments ago hadn’t done it for us, it’s at this point that this River track hits differently on March 6th, 2016. An extended intro for “Marry You”, highlighted by Charlie, Roy and those magic maracas Bruce shakes so determinedly lets the magic of the moment breathe, and the magic does much more than linger in the air. That magic seeps into Bruce’s vocal, giving us more fluidity when he sings “put it there” (6:18), more authenticity when he sings the “I don’t wanna clip your wings” verse at 6:58, and even more tragedy in the way he omits “my“, opting to instead sing “daddy said right before he died” to enhance all the more how personal this song is tonight. If we didn’t know by now that these songs can change nightly and shine in ways we couldn’t imagine beforehand, “Here She Comes Walkin'” into “I Wanna Marry You” on this night serves us a lovely reminder. I was very tempted to refer to the combination above as the heart of the album tonight, but I believe that honour falls to the title track every night, even if it’s a rendition that fails to stun us with noticeable nuances. Tonight’s version of “The River” is one that does stun, and while Bruce’s clear, but definitely weathered, vocal is impactful to the story he tells, it’s the playing of the E Street Band that is most excellent. Roy, Soozie and Stevie are imperative in turning the above daydream into this nightmare, and the latter is essential courtesy of forceful guitar playing (1:32, 3:02) and haunting backing vocals (4:32). A strong end to an intriguing first half of The River. The Professor and Little Steven combine again for the start of “Point Blank”, as Roy’s marvellous playing is soon complemented by attacking guitar riffs, and the curtain is lifted for the second half, picking up where the first despondently left off. This one is certainly despondent too, no doubt about that, with Bruce’s despairing vocal making for a song void of all hope. Listen to how he sings “fooled this time” at 3:06, and even more so how he sings “I was gonna be your Romeo, you’d be my Juliet” at 4:05, I don’t even think Shakespeare’s play felt that disheartening. Clearly, there’s no joy to be found in any memory or thought, past, present or future. With additional highlights here being how Garry and Stevie add to the uneasy, rhythmic imagery Bruce describes from 5:21 and how Bruce once again staggers us with his striking shift from softness to strength (7:29 – 8:28), this is a strong start to the second half that nicely complements the finish of the first. And so we come to “Cadillac Ranch”, the turning point of the show. Starting off, as always, by emphatically turning up the tempo following its preceding tracks, Bruce echoes the contrast well with his emphasis on “little piece of heaven!” (1:01) and upon the conclusion of the first chorus, the second half is barnstorming. Similarly to “Point Blank” this is mostly typical with only a couple of noteworthy moments, including the above and Nils regaining the crown from Soozie (2:42) after a blistering display from the two, Stevie and Bruce. However it’s from 4:04 where this one ends up being truly atypical of the norm, as Bruce delivers voice shredding commands that are so voice shredding, his vocal is hanging on by a thread not even thirty seconds into “I’m a Rocker”. As I said earlier on about “Crush on You”, I don’t think Bruce was planning on this before the show, but if we wanted some energy from him, he’s most certainly given us it here. Even his cries of “everyday!” that normally shred his vocal cords are slightly subdued (not too much, of course) and I don’t think there’s any greater example of how impacted his voice is than that. With that being said, what could easily be a vocal blessing for Bruce in “Fade Away” is far from the case too, as while we can still hear the effects that “Caddy” and “Rocker” have taken on him, it doesn’t stop him from delivering commendable cries of the chorus (0:44) and “coming niiiight” (1:29). I guess if he’ll need to call a doctor after this one, he might as well get his monies worth! Though there are no vocal missteps in this one, just in case the work of the E Street Band is a magnificent saving grace, and in particular Stevie and Charlie (2:39, 3:15) bring equal parts passion and vibrancy, stressing the sorrows and bringing a contrasting beauty to the words being sang. The final instance of pure passion in this one comes from Bruce – with a little help from Steve – courtesy of the fire and pain in his voice as he cries “so help me darling!“, “have mercy baby!” (4:21), and while his voice hanging by a thread may be a problem going forward, right here for this song it’s so effective in emphasising how long he’s been begging and pleading to his lost love. Ending with those hesitations of “I don’t wanna fade.. away…” stressing the fear and resistance in his character, the negative effects of “Cadillac Ranch” haven’t hindered this one, arguably bettering it all the more, but we’ll have to see (and hope) if this continues. Well, despite the wear and tear being incredibly noticeable in his preceding monologue, if this “Stolen Car” was all we’d heard of the show we’d think this is one of the strongest vocal nights of the tour. An immense showing, full of power and clarity – some grit does remain at 1:30 – and following on from last time in Milwaukee we’re again left bewildered at Bruce’s ability to recover, and the speed in which he does it. Alongside the playing of the E Street Band and those harmonies of Nils and Stevie, it’s another perfect performance, all the more so because it really shouldn’t be. As we go Roadhouse for “Ramrod”, we both are and aren’t surprised at the approach Bruce takes in the song. Last time in Milwaukee this one stood out in the final four on account of his laid back performance in comparison to usual, and while it’s still certainly striking to hear him sing the song casually here, we can understand his reasoning in order to preserve what’s left of his vocals. No need to question whether Bruce has the energy for this one this time around! Due to the vocal approach, this one is almost identical to March 3rd, with the same uniquely sang lyrics also standing out here; the only difference is that as it goes on it remains less typical of the “Ramrod” we’re used to hearing (likely because of Bruce’s strained vocal cords) and it seems like Bruce is more so utilising the fire on his fingertips rather than the fire in his throat with awesome guitar playing adding to a fantastic E Street Band effort. The build to the finish (4:43) is the song’s best moment, with Max and Charlie shining behind Bruce and Stevie for a determined, exhilarating end to another stand out rendition of the song. Max, Charlie and the rest of the E Street Band continuing playing awesomely as they get stuck into “The Price You Pay”, and it’s one that also brings us what we might and might not expect in regards to Bruce’s singing. There’s a lot to love here, including more vocal fluidity when he sings “you make up your mind, you choose the chance you take“; a superb moment of informality that really helps with the song’s open country aura in “until the day ya learn“; and a delivery of the chorus (1:50) that leaves us in awe, bemused as to what happened to those worn vocals. In the end, though, Bruce – despite the quality of 4:40 – is unable to hit that final high note (4:51). Not too much of a surprise given, as noted, we could expect this to be the case tonight, the moment is somewhat helped by the audio seemingly fading out, and we’re definitely given a reason to smile after it because of the coda that sees us out. So far, the wear and tear from “Cadillac Ranch” is good enough. “Drive All Night” is also good enough, and then some, as this powerhouse ballad is brilliant once again. Spurred on by a consistently magnificent Roy, Bruce’s vocal showing is near-perfect as he takes the approach of seamlessly drifting from delicateness to robustness to convey his feelings. I also greatly like those moments that are an in-between, such as the “down in the street” at 2:21 and repetition of “c’mon” at 3:04, because while there’s definitely a fragility to them, the intensity he’s singing with is palpable. Bruce isn’t the only one singing with an outstanding amount of heart either, and I wouldn’t argue with you if you said Stevie’s backing vocals (3:26 – 3:36) were the best of the song. Of course, for as good as Steve’s contribution is, there’s a lot more he’s up against, and before the always immense, crescendoing, Jake-driven finale, there’s Bruce’s repetition of “girl you’ve got my love!” and the way in which he expresses “heart and soul!” from 5:38 that stands tall. It’s so different to what we’re used to hearing, and it actually feels like Bruce is distinguishing himself from the song, pouring his heart out for the one he loves as if it’s only the two of them in the whole wide world. When a song feels larger than life in this way, you know it’s a special one. As The River comes to a close, it can often feel like “Wreck on the Highway” pales in comparison to the immensity of “Drive All Night” due to its rarely changing simplicity, but the song always wraps everything up in strong fashion. A fragile performance to nicely complement what it’s following, as we can note from the moment Bruce starts singing at 0:17, there is undoubtedly power in every word he sings, and every word he speaks, with his final words informing St. Louis of The River‘s context and how significant this song is in the grand scheme of that. This night’s performance of the album is an interesting one in regards to energy and exhaustion, and I’m already looking forward to hearing how Bruce fares telling Phoenix about what he was hoping to achieve with this album next time out. “That’s The River!“ “I hope you know what you’re doing.“ Before Springsteen and the E Street Band set off for Phoenix, there’s the matter of a House Party in St. Louis, and to kick start it we go from the tale of the “Wreck on the Highway” to the story of “Working on the Highway”. It isn’t a typical rendition of this story either, because after a moment of confusion as to “what key do we play it in?“, the fan who requests it, Tom England, gets his wish of playing this one onstage with Bruce and the Band granted. He does a good job too, contributing to a splendid opening of the post-album sequence and helping everyone – onstage and off – ease their way into proceedings, making for a nice change of pace from the towering forcefulness of “Badlands”. That towering forcefulness does come immediately afterwards, however it’s in the form of another Darkness track “Prove It All Night”, which soars with very good guitar playing at 3:27, and, upon a seamless transition, combines greatly with “My Love Will Not Let You Down” next. Two songs that are very much two sides of the same coin, expressing the same message, this lustful romance of the ’78 track is replaced by sheer joy here and the urgency of Bruce and the Band is outstanding – just listen to Bruce singing “time slippin’ away” at 0:47 and the attack of guitars at 2:34 and 4:46, with Max adding extra ferocity in the background. This one also brings vocal fragility, as evident in the voice break as he sings “searching everywhere I go!” at 1:01, and the wear we can note from 3:06, and it’s from this point where Bruce really begins to struggle. Struggling or not, the man won’t be deterred, and while thrilling versions of “No Surrender” and “Badlands” are affected by wistfully weathered vocals (2:34 in the U.S.A. track, 1:33 in the Darkness titan) his motivation and the quality of the E Street Band ensure two enjoyable songs. It’s a similar story for “Because the Night” and “The Rising”, although these are impacted less so in comparison despite a noticeable sense of tiredness in Bruce’s voice. And as far as the former is concerned, there’s a similar result to “Fade Away” with that tiredness nicely complementing the song’s lyrics, especially Bruce’s uniquely sang opening vocal. “Thunder Road”, on the other hand, has several unfortunate issues bringing it down. For as wholesome as the communal, albeit echoey, combination of man and audience to start the song is, and for as enthralling the sound of Charlie’s riffs are underneath Jake’s outro solo at 5:15, this one suffers a lot on account of how rough Bruce sounds. We can hear noticeable wear and exhaustion at 2:26, and not long later at 2:52 the song is interrupted both by the audio fading and Bruce stumbling on the lyrics. Again we can potentially look at the audio’s lack of clarity as something of a saving grace, but the manner in which this happens is really far from a positive. The final drawback is a brutal delivery of “pulling outta here to win!” for the finale at 4:30, but much like this less than stellar song performance and the ones coming up in the encore, I can’t help but give Bruce an A for effort. Yes, the encore isn’t perfect tonight, but as always it isn’t without a variety of moments to enjoy. “Born to Run” follows a shout out to the St. Louis Area Foodbank, and despite a stumble at 2:39, this is otherwise straightforwardly solid, highlighted for me early on by the way Bruce sings “we ride” at 0:23. There’s a cool, breezy tone to Bruce’s voice here that perfectly conveys the satisfaction he and his fellow tramps feel in this world of theirs, and sets the mood right for the song ahead. “Dancing in the Dark” is more of the same with wear and tear once again making its presence felt (0:45), but for the drawbacks that brings us, this one also thrills us. This time it isn’t a vocal nuance, but rather the brief halt and spotlight of instrumentation after the “I need a love reaction” line at 2:56 (regular readers will know how happy I am to hear this!) that stands out, and alongside Jake’s powerful playing at 5:28 and Max’s rapid drumming at the finish, the E Street Band certainly make up for what this one lacks in vocal purity. Max’s drumming segues into “Rosalita” making her nightly appearance on this leg, and of course on a night where Bruce’s voice is in tatters, this is the one night as of late where he isn’t overshadowed by his audience upon the song starting. It still isn’t perfectly clear audio even with that being the case, but you can’t help but laugh at the timing. As the song gets underway there’s also no reason to worry about St. Louis possibly being less invested than previous audiences, as they’re still loud in that opening, and they join Bruce for several other hearty instances, including one at 1:50 that tells us Bruce still isn’t afraid to empty the tank. The cool cry of “use of the door!” at 3:09 stresses it too, and if we weren’t aware of that commitment after eight minutes of fun rocking and wild men barking, Bruce’s calls of “do you have anything left!?!” with the most broken of voices put an exclamation point on proceedings (8:06). If he still has enough to ask, I don’t think St. Louis could in good heart say no! St. Louis’ thirst for more means somehow, someway, Bruce has to take it to the “Tenth”, and much to his credit, he just about gets there. Throughout this night the E Street Band have maintained their very reliable playing, and that’s highlighted greatly here as the usual suspects for this one, particularly Stevie and Garry (1:00, 1:41), play damn good music. Where it concerns Bruce we have to applaud him for trying, even finding a nice balance at one point (3:03), and even though he soon loses that, it’s a fine example of his motivation. The additional interrogatives of “DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING LEFT?!” at 5:30 are more examples, because he still won’t be deterred, and his desire to give St. Louis everything he has leads us into “Shout” for one last dance. I was saying last time in the Milwaukee review how Bruce’s ability to find a second wind and go from a hoarse vocal to a soulful one continues to stun me. Given what we’ve heard over the last half hour we couldn’t blame him for a change of pace tonight, but incredibly, we’re left shouting “HOW!?” to the wind when we hear him sing that falsetto note at 0:27. It’s a striking moment of a rambunctious E Street Band performance in which his vocal isn’t crystal clear for the duration (1:36), but is nonetheless solid. A song highlighted by several cool declarations of “I WANT YA TO KNOW!” (1:48) and Charlie’s riffs underneath as Bruce gives his “I gotta message, for St. Lou!” from 2:44, I think you’ll agree that the defining moment of this one – and perhaps the entire night – is that cry of “I’m just a prisoner!” at 4:16. Some nights it’s a legendary statement that has spanned decades, others it’s a stone cold fact, and when a man who likely won’t be able to speak the next morning is following it up with “I just don’t wanna go home yet!” (6:10), we know exactly which direction tonight’s declaration is leaning towards. One of those remarkable nights on E Street, and St. Louis just seems to bring it out of them. Advertisement Privacy Settings A show that begins with us intrigued by Springsteen and the E Street Band’s steadier playing ends with Bruce barely able to speak in one of the most fascinating shows of The River Tour 2016 so far. Songs such as “The Ties That Bind” and “Hungry Heart” that see something of a downgrade in energy early on end up forgotten about from “Cadillac Ranch” onwards when Bruce seemingly rips his vocal cords in half, leading to many songs impacted (in both positive and negative ways) by his rougher, wearier singing. Making the playing of the E Street Band – who are consistently stellar regardless of their ‘slower’ start – all the more imperative, what this night in St. Louis lacks in stunning vocals it makes up for with plenty of passionate, motivated song performances, and the song of the night is one we hear before we go down to “Cadillac Ranch”, one of the best combinations of “Here She Comes Walkin'” – “I Wanna Marry You” we’re likely to hear on this tour, and that says a lot considering what we’ve heard so far. If you’re looking to hear Bruce Springsteen truly empty the tank for his audience, look no further. This may be a significant show going forward, so we’ll have to see how Bruce and the Band fare in Phoenix next time out on their opening U.S. leg.