Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
25th February 2017
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.
There is something about a Bruce Springsteen concert that stands out from all the rest. He is one of the few artists that can make you feel as if you are the only fan there. Upon entering one of his shows it is guaranteed that you will leave a lifelong devotee…
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
From the beginning: It’s a gorgeous but slightly uncomfortably hot afternoon in Auckland as fans start trooping in towards the stadium for the 3:30pm opening gates. Yes, today’s show is an early starter, but considering that there are two rather decent support acts and Bruce’s penchant for playing for a few hours, it makes logical sense.
Hitting the stage a little before 5pm was the beautifully talented Marlon Williams and The Yarra Benders. The boy from Christchurch may only be 26 years old, yet he has a slew of awards and albums under his arm already. Dressed in a simple (what we would later find out was a thermal “Hashtag Hot! Hashtag It’s because I am wearing a thermal” Williams joked) short sleeved black shirt and blue jeans, Williams easily commanded the stage from the moment he began to sing. His magnificently soulful voice soared through the air, turning people’s heads from wherever they stood. From the marvellous ‘Dark Child’ through to the absolute foot-stomping ‘Trouble I’m In’, Williams had all eyes on him, with those who were not already familiar with his work whispering to people next to them to find out just who this tall handsome stranger was. But it was his closing track, the eerily haunting ‘When I was a Young Girl’ that stole the day; the notes rising and circling in the air before tumbling down to the ground in a wave of despair. Breath taking.
Second act of the night, this time from across the ditch was the incomparable Jet and their superb rock n roll style. Introduced to the stage by the one and only Steve Van Zandt himself, Jet came out swinging, jumping straight into their well-known hit ‘Cold Heart Bitch’ at an ever so slightly slower tempo, giving it an even more broodier edge. The band who formed in 2001 and then broke up for a few years before getting back together just last year, looked at complete ease – if not a little hot under the afternoon sun – up on the big stage and their brand of catchy rock soon had many fans risking dehydration as they cavorted in front of the stage. Lead vocalist Nic Chester certainly looked the part, dressed in a stone wash denim jacket over a paisley shirt while sporting a full beard and long hair. They spoke little with the audience apart from a few brief moments in which they thanked everyone for coming out, and pointing out that one of the band members had his shoelace undone. Jet ran through a 15 song set that included the delicious sing a long and very beatle-esque “Look what you’ve done”, and the punchy hits “Rollover DJ’ and “Are you gonna be my girl” which even had many of the security guards having a quiet boogie by the gates.
The sun by this time was still reasonably high in the early evening sky as sound techs scuttled across the stage ensuring everything was in its rightful place for the boss himself. People were pouring in from all sides to fill up the space, however there were some rather noticeable gaps, especially in the front section!
But none of that mattered as the first few members of the E Street Band began to walk out onto the stage, cheers going up as the crowd recognised and welcomed each one of them. And then there he was, dressed in a simple red and black checked shirt and black jeans, Bruce Springsteen appeared to raucous applause. At 67, nothing much has changed, sure there might be a few more lines on the face and the hair is a little further back, but the figure, as well as the phenomenal stage presence is still there. Over the next 3 hours, Springsteen and the E Street band would take us through a delightful journey, and don’t try and stop for a break because these guys sure don’t!
Hailing from New Jersey, Springsteen tore through a 26 song set. Tracks such as ‘Glory Days’, ‘Hungry Heart’ and the perfect “Born to Run’ showed off his ability to energise a crowd; while the more poignant ‘My City of Ruins” (“this is a song about putting things back together, after they have fallen apart, because everything will eventually fall apart”) and the heartbreaking ‘The River’ had everyone in awe of Springsteen’s ability to go from positively belting out a tune to the point you think he is about to go hoarse to then crooning soft falsettos into the microphone.
The E Street Band were once again at their dazzling best; while a different line up from the last time Springsteen was here (alas no Tom Morello!) there was never the less talent galore. What would a Springsteen show be without the wonderful Steve Van Zandt who looks more like a pirate every time he gets on stage; the amazingly talented sax player Jake Clemons and the astonishing Nils Lofgren who with his outstanding solos (particularly during ‘Youngstown’) threatened to steal the show more than once from the boss himself. As everyone has come to know about Springsteen, he loves his fans. Throughout the night he would often stride up and down a series of small staircases to end up on smaller stages at the furthest corners of the front of the stadium. He would wink at the girls, and smile at the kids. Each hand that he touched was immediately electrified and yet he could do all of this without once coming off as cheesy.
During ‘Dancing in the Dark’ he pulled several lucky fans up on stage, plucking their signs or placards from their hands, showing it to the camera and then helping them up. Tonight’s group included a guitar playing fan, a young lady who was given the auspicious honour of dancing with Springsteen himself and a Mum with a very young daughter whose sign stated that they would be Springsteen’s Charlies Angels for the night.
All too soon the E Street Band were waving goodbye and you knew that the night was drawing to a close, just as it looked as if Bruce was leaving with them, he turned on his heel and said “One more song for you Auckland” and with a harmonica strapped under his chin and an acoustic guitar that looked like it had seen just as much history as Springsteen himself, he serenaded the crowd with a stirring version of ‘Thunder Road’.
They just don’t make legends like this anymore.
Were you there at Mt Smart Stadium to witness this brilliant show? Or have you seen Bruce Springsteen live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Jet Set List
- Cold Heart Bitch
- Get What You Need
- She’s A Genius
- Skin & Bones
- Seventeen
- Lazy Gun
- Rollover DJ
- Walk
- Look What You’ve Done
- Black Hearts
- Bring It On Back
- Are You Gonna Be My Girl
- Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
- Get Me Outta Here
- Rip It Up
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Set List
- Darlington County
- Working On The Highway
- Glory Days
- Johnny 99
- Prove It All Night
- My Love Will Not Let You Down
- Out In The Street
- Hungry Heart
- My City Of Ruins
- Wrecking Ball
- The River
- Youngstown
- American Skin (41 Shots)
- The Promised Land
- Candy’s Boy
- Because The Night
- The Rising
- Badlands
- Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
- Backstreets
- Born To Run
- Dancing In The Dark
- Tenth Avenue Freeze Out
- Shout [cover – The Isley Brothers]
- Bobby Jean
- Thunder Road
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