Voting For Change: Bruce's Politics in the 21st Century

For two Presidential elections in a row, Bruce has come out with a prominent endorsement of a candidate, in both cases the Democratic Party. While anyone listening close enough to his music over the last several decades, along with scattered side comments at various shows documented on various bootlegs, would know that Bruce tends to come down on the Democratic Party's side of the aisle, his endorsement of Senator John Kerry marked the first time his allegiance was made explicit. In this Election season, Bruce has chosen to endorse the Democratic candidate for President once more, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois.

In a PSA type speech Bruce has been giving on the campaign trail in support of Obama, he states "I've spent most of my creative life measuring the distance between that American promise and American reality...I believe Senator Obama has taken the measure of that distance in his own life and in his work. I believe he understands, in his heart, the cost of that distance, in blood and suffering, in the lives of everyday Americans." These statements level the playing field between artist and politician, making their values, their desires, and their goals similar so as to be indistinguishable. Surely any pure-bred Bruce Tramp will not deny the unfailing nuance and intellect with which he casts his eye towards the American character as a whole. The journey through America in Bruce's eyes beginning with Born To Run's "runaway American dream" continuing throughout the Darkness and River records and especially incisive on the Nebraska album, a stark black and white portrait of the country seen through the eyes of those not quite so lucky as to receive the benefits of the era of Reaganomics. There is an undeniable through line of dissection and thought, and it is through, not a telling, but a showing of what the country is, was, can be, can't be, will be, should be.

In these recent years, Bruce has seen fit to make that which was implicit into something explicit. There has been a shift from allowing the music to show and demonstrate an idea to making that idea unmistakably clear through speaking it, preaching it, outright saying it free from metaphor or Flannery O'Connor-esque storytelling to shroud the point in drama and detail. The facts are these: Bruce Springsteen is a Democrat, Bruce Springsteen supports Democratic candidates for the Presidency, Bruce Springsteen believes his music and vision of America within his music reflects a Democratic ideology.

The first two facts no one may take issue with, as a man and his values are to be his own and his own alone. Personal freedom of voice, of expression, of opinion in this country are some of the best parts about America and Bruce's integrity is admirable. Certainly no one in their right minds would accuse him of being anything but a patriot. Where the train comes off the tracks is in the third fact, the idea that the vision of America being represented in Bruce's music is a Democratic one.

Fans and journalists alike, when praising the music, time and time again cite one the greater parts of the music is it's cinematic quality, the epic nature of the picture painted in the music. The canvas is as far and wide as this country is, and the trains carries all, saints and sinners, losers and winners, as started by one of his best songs about America, community, and redemption. The vision is larger than life...until now. It seems by aligning this music with a particular party, it goes against the very fundamental ideal of the music to begin with. The tent of Bruce fandom is a big one. When one partakes in the concert experience it is clear to see that it certainly takes all kinds. But the populist message of the music is significantly de-emphasized when Bruce sings and dedicates songs to people who are, at the end of the day, politicians running for office.

The concern isn't a conservative one or a liberal one but rather the non-partisan plea of a passionate fan to not see music larger than life, larger than one politician or one party, be co-opted for a specific purpose and message that from now on resonates in the ears in the political context. As if now going to a concert and hearing "The Promised Land" will fill the non-registered Democrats ears with thoughts of Bruce slying winking to Democrats and singing "And I believe in the promised land....but really I'm singing about how great President Obama's universal healthcare program is gonna be"

In short, there is now a divide, a gap between between Bruce and those fans that may not be so quick to invest their faith in a politican, Republican or Democrat. These fans aren't crazy. They aren't gonna burn their records in effigy while waving Nobama signs in the air. They probably aren't going to stop going to the concerts and paying $100+ to see the best show by the best artist and the best band they know. But for these fans, the gap between artist and audience has become wider as the associations become entrenched. “No Surrender” was John Kerry’s campaign song and “Working On A Dream” was Barack Obama’s song on Sunday. For the people who gladly voted for these candidates, no dissonance exists. But for the other kind of listener, the dreamer who still dreams of an America too big for parties and politicians, Republican or Democrat, it up to this listener to reclaim the vision for their own and know that the land of hope and dreams lies not in the words of Barack Obama or John McCain but in the heart and soul of every American citizen who would believe in it. While his words outside his songs may fail to completely capture it, it is this truth that is self-evident in the music and lyrics of Bruce Springsteen.

Boot Tracker, Oktober 5th 2008, Columbus Ohio

"I've spent most of my creative life measuring the distance between that American promise and American reality." -Bruce Springsteen

The above quote sums up Springsteen music pretty well. For years I've been trying to explain my fascination for that man to my friends, who more than once looked at me and my borderline obsession quite bemused. I can assure you, I've never been able to capture him in one simple sentence. Unfortunately I'm much to verbose for that. Springsteen's association with Barack Obama makes perfect sense when you set it off against his work and that one sentence. If I were to over simplify Barack Obama, he'd become an image of hope. It has been argued that Obama has been more image than content. In a sense that is true. Senator Barack Obama's strong charisma radiates a hope that America hasn't seen as strong since the mythic Kennedy was president. In a sense his image is as grand (and maybe overblown) as Springsteen's "Promised Land." Obama's image touches something that's bigger than himself, in the same way Springsteen's songs touch that big vision. Barack Obama radiates the vitality and youth that is the American dream. A dream that quite a few of us Europeans are smitten with as well. With its sense that every man is created equal and should have an equal chance to achieve his or her goals, how can you not be?

Yet, as the quote betrays, between dream and reality there's a gap. A gap that these days seems to be widening rapidly. With the stock market crashing, Iraq an continued bloody mess and New Orleans still struggling to get back on its feet, many of us are scared. Truth tell, I'm scared, afraid that I'll learn more about the era the Joads came from than I bargained for. America's brand of capitalism seems to have stretched itself beyond its capacity and once more there seems to be an awful lot of truth in these words, "if America sneezes, the world catches a cold." America has been sneezing big time as of late. So while a lot of Europeans look at the American dream with a sense wonder, we look at the American reality with a sense of fear or apprehension. Often this is mistaken as a form of anti-Americanism in more conservative circles, but it simply isn't. The world has almost as much invested in the American dream as America itself.

The question is if Barack Obama can help restore that American dream. Strip away the image, a man remains, as vulnerable and prone to mistake as we all are. More importantly, as limited in capacity as we all are. Not one man can change society, it takes a nation to do so. Springsteen may claim that "One thousand George Bushes and one thousand Dick Cheneys will never be able to tear that house down," but the current administration did it an awful lot of damage. Not just damage to the economy and its standing in the world, but to the spirit of America. Right now America needs a president that can built bridges, or rather that can inspire people to built bridges. I believe Barack Obama is that man. He has proved as much in Chicago with his community work, he has proved as much by building a grass roots movement that proved bigger and more powerful than the top brass in the Democratic Party. In the "Audacity of Hope" Barack Obama shows himself as a man of character, a man who is able to approach people with respect and leave room for other points of view. More importantly Obama demonstrates in his book sufficient concrete ideas on how to improve people's lives, he understands what the common American needs to achieve a base sense of quality in their lives and how to get it to them.

In the light of the current economic crisis, both his image and his practicality are important. Economy, for a large part, is based on trust. When consumers and investors start to get cold feet, start to loose faith, the economy shutters to a halt. Practical measures are needed and in recent days Obama proved he was able to recognize the severity of the economic crisis, recognize the measures that needed to be taken and inspire people to make difficult choices. If that isn't the measure of leadership, I don't know what is. So in short, I fully support Springsteen's endorsement of Obama. While all three rally shows were sober and not really all that special, none of these versions will ever become a definitive version, these performances do radiate that electrifying sense of promise and resilience that makes the man so inspiring in the first place. The context is what gives these rally shows their edge. In a few years from now they'll probably won't sound like anything special, but right now I find it enormously exiting to hear Springsteen chant "Yes We Can" along with a crowd that is bigger than the crowd of the average Magic show.

"Mr Spaceman"

MP3 File
A short, but very cool samply. Bruce got introduced by John Glenn in Ohio. Glenn is one of those few people who really seen it all. So if he takes pleasure out of introducing our man, that means something right?


Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Read the review from the Columbus Dispatch here

Boot Tracker, August 16th 2008, Charleston

Helping me catch up with the bootlegs from the Magic tour I missed Charleston is reviewed today by guest writer Nightfishing from BTX. The same Nightfishing that brought you that excellent compilation of the earlier legs of the tour.Check it out here if you haven't already.

"Lost In The Flood" might be a good title for the Charleston boot. Amid the epic nature of the last few shows of the tour, the chatter over Charleston came and went pretty rapidly, but, make no mistake about it, August 16th was a fine example of what this final leg of the tour was all about and jb's recording is excellent. There is a bit more crowd on this tape than on the fine bakerstuff recordings of recent, but the clarity is great and the balance is a notch above the boots we received for Missouri et al. I am not going to spend a lot of time talking about the performance; anyone who has the pleasure of seeing any of these "Reunion Part Deux" shows knows that the band is at the top of it's game and Bruce is having an absolute blast as the tour winds down.

Double Shot is a perfect opener for a late summer show and coupled with Radio Nowhere and Out In The Street, the show takes off as well as any show on this leg. Two Hearts gives Stevie a chance to sing and you can decide for yourself if that is a plus or a minus! (I love the vox, Steve.)Spirit In The Night gives Bruce a chance to catch his breath before the sign brigade begins. Spirit has been a bit rote, to my ears, over the past few weeks, but this one has some real bite to it. Light Of Day, Growin' Up and Janey win the lottery and while they are not the best three pack we have seen, they get the job done. Growin' Up pales a bit in comparison to Nashville due to the lack of the G-D guitar story, but with every play of this classic being the potentially last time to see it, who's going to argue.

No Surrender kicks things back up (and has gotten new life in the middle of the set vs. it's opening block spot during much of the tour). Atlantic City seems out of place in this type of show (as did Devils & Dust a few nights later). Because The Night is owned by Nils, as usual but (as been the case a number of times) there isn't anyplace to go to follow it. She's The One into Livin' In The Future is possibly my least favorite coupling from this leg of the tour. I would have loved to see Gypsy Biker or Devil's Arcade get back into the set instead of LITF, but it's Bruce's world, we just live here. Mary's Place does it's job, as usual. The crowd gets frenzied while Bruce gets one last chance to catch his breath for the 5, err 4 pack. Charleston gets a little Hungry Heart before The Rising and at this point I have trouble writing anything about the 4 pack. If it's your first show of the tour you're gonna love it. 'nuff said.

Streets Of Fire is a nice surprise to open the encore and Jungleland, Born To Run and Rosie are perfect. Thank god (and that sign in Rochester) for bringing Rosie back to her rightful home in the encores. DITD has absolutely rocked this entire tour, but if you don't get it by now, there's no saving you! A post American Land Twist & Shout caps off a great night of classic E Street. With the embarrassment of riches we have received the past month, it's hard for a boot to stand out, but I think Charleston will be in heavy rotation, for me at least, for quite sometime.

"Double Shot (of my baby's love)

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here, part 1 and part 2
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3- out of 5
Show: 4,5 out of 5
Artwork: none

Get the review from the Courier here

Boot Tracker, August 19th 2008, Hershey (Bakerstuff)

The second Bakerstuff tape to surface today is almost equally as impressive as the St. Louis tape. Next to that stellar show this recording testifies how consistent the quality is the band delivers night after night. Listening to them back to back, it is funny how different things suddenly stand out. High lights of this tape aren't necessarily the rarities and covers, even though Hershey got a few choice selections, the tracks that grab me most on this recording were the "Reason to Believe" and "Prove it All Night" double shot and the joyous audience participation during "Waiting on a Sunny Day." For some reason those tracks transported me to the show most. That is not to say there isn't a whole lot next to that to enjoy on this recording. The biggest surprise here is without a doubt "Part Man, Part Monkey." Though the song is a far cry from the best he's ever written, on this particular night it the song where Springsteen's voice shines through most as it is extremely well sung.

Hershey was a bit Little Steven's show. Springsteen allowed him to drag the audience down to his underground Garage by letting him pick a few request. Silvio van Zandt went for "Boom Boom" Animals style followed by a rousing version of "Darlington County." Though the second wasn't as surprising, it isn't less exiting because of it. Same goes for tour staples "No Surrender" or "Because the Night," there's a reason there staples after all. As final blow out for this Hershey night Joe Grushecky was invited on stage. As special guest Joe is almost a staple in itself. Instead of going for "Code of Silence" however, Joe tore into "Gloria" with the Boss in a competition whose voice has the most gravel and guts. Few rockers are as rowdy as Gloria and I can imagine this rendition left Hershey in a frenzy once more, especially since it followed an already high energy encore that started with rockabilly monster "Seven Nights to Rock" and allowed Rosie to come out to play. Bakerstuff captures captured all of this on a very nice recording that is fairly even. It seems like Bakerstuff is bringing the power night after night to our stereos for the final nights of the tour. In the notes he announced his version of Kansas City. So with the rumored Crystal Cats coming in September as well, I suspect that the Magic will continue through our stereos and iPods for just a little while longer.

"Part Man, Part Monkey"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3+ out of 5
Show: 4,5 out 5
Artwork: none

A review from the show by the Patriot News.
The picture in this post are by David Bernstein and Backstreet Bev

Boot Tracker, August 23rd 2008, St Louis (Bakerstuff)

St. Louis is without a doubt contender for best show of the tour. It is both representative for the Magic tour's earlier and the later legs. Where quite a few shows of the last two legs were awfully short on Magic material, St Louis featured six songs from that album embedded in the structure of the later legs, filled with rarities from his own catalog and some price covers. Counting the "Not Fade Away" intro to "She's the One," the show held a whopping six nuggets from R&R's rich past. Albeit that the intro was more of a tease, a reminder of the '78 intros to the song, than a full blown recreation of it. With a near perfect "Then She Kissed Me" as the opener and "Little Queenie" rousing up the encores it are the covers that give this show its edge. Though Springsteen seems to have taken great pain to give every fan what he or she wants by including choice cuts like "For You" and "Drive all Night," cemented by later leg staples as "Mary's Place."

I have great difficulty of making sense of these add on dates. The great thing about them is that he managed to keep an element of surprise for the last three legs of the tour. Ever since Anaheim, which seems like an eternity ago, Springsteen has been throwing curve balls all over the place. The Magic tour started out as very much set in stone with quite immobile sets for the Boss, but morphed into one of the diverse tours he ever did. These last few shows especially the Jack seems to be out of the box. In a way Springsteen has been looking back, showing how versatile his catalog has been. This could be interpreted as a farewell tour filled with one last time moments. If so the E- Street Band is going out with a bang. Should Springsteen decide to let the band bid its final farewell it would be totally understandable in the light of events that marred the Magic project. After loosing Terry Magovern July last year, Springsteen and the Band lost one of their founding members with Danny Federici in April this year. Even though Charles Giordano is doing an excellent job filling in, Danny's passing must have been confronting in the sense that it made tangible the finite aspect of the band. The E-Street Band have always been a mythical yet very real band of brothers, so Danny's passing was a tremendous blow to the band.

Yet the way the band has adapted to that loss by playing with a youthfulness that is so astounding that it almost seems unreal from time to time, this current leg doesn't feel like it could be the end. Where a band like the Stones come off like geriatric rock, held afloat by pompous shows, relying on nostalgia only, the Magic tour has given us an E-Street Band that was at the same time fresh and relevant by supporting a new album and reinterpreting old material while giving us our bitter sweet tours down memory lane. If the band is stepping out after this tour, it is leaving us with a sense of great possibility of the future, making them possibly the first band that has been around for as long as they have to do so. Springsteen warned us at the start of the tour that the band was as good, or better, as it ever was. A show like St. Louis serves to prove his point. Bakerstuff capture the Band's triumph nicely on tape. A bit muddy and bass heavy and, though not nearly the best bootleg of the tour, a highly enjoyable listen.

"Mountain of Love"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3+ out of 5
Show: 5+ out of 5
Artwork: none

Read the review from the St. Louis Dispatch here

Boot Tracker, August 24th 2008, Kansas City (Travitz)

The Kansas City bootleg was made available at neck break speed again. Hardly giving me time to catch my breath from California. I'm still trying to figure up a way to catch up with the shows I miss, which will probably be reviewed in one big swoop. In the mean time I'm just jumping back on the train at its current station. Being Kansas City, from this time on known as city of the squealing Farfisa. The funny thing with Charles is how he keeps surprising me. Because of his affiliation with the Seeeger Sessions band I had him pegged for a keyboard player who's more versatile in all the different folk styles. In Kansas City he proved to be able to give Peter Zaremba, Garage Farfisa God from the Fleshtones, a run for his money. In the two weeks I have been away, the E-Street Band has been working its way back to where they once started, to being the most overqualified bar band in the world. Covers and rockers from the Garage have been flying through the set and that Farfisa seems right at home in the current phase of the tour.

Like a garage show, the current E-Street shows have a delightful messy appeal. Though the structure of the show is still carried by "Spirit in the Night" and "Mary's Place" as its pillars, it is a far cry from the tight Rock attacks that the tour started out with. The first legs of the tour proved that the E-Street Band is still the tightest band in the business. I guess with that reputation solidly in place, they feel confident enough to show the world they can still be the most surprising act in the field of Rock. What other band of their status would pull out three surprise covers in one set with some assorted rarities from their own catalog thrown in. The covers and request may compromise the theme and tightness of the Magic tour somewhat, especially with some of the covers being quite messy affairs (Just listen to Max tear into "Boys" on this one), I don't think there is another band out there, touring for this long that is quite as thrilling and exiting as the E-Street Band because of it.

This Travitz tape is unfortunately as messy as some of the songs in the set. Like a Garage record, it is highly enjoyable when played loud! But overall, the tape is a bit dark and muddy. Though I think with some remastering it could sound a lot better. Since the show was littered with rarities like the never before played "Ricky Wants a Man of Her Own" and the rarely featured Bobby Womack and the Valentinos (or more likely Rolling Stones) cover "It's All Over Now" with Soozie on vocal, I don't think there will be a lot of fans out there complaining about this tape.

"It's All over Now"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Show: 4,5 out of 5
Recording: 3- out of 5
Artwork: none

Read the Kansas City Star review here

August 2nd 2008, Gilette Stadiumd, Foxboro MA (Bakerstuff)

This new Bakerstuff tape is exactly the reason why I embarked on this crazy quest of reviewing every single tape on the Magic tour. Not only is this a fantastic show, it is a great tape. The first keeper since Paris and Amsterdam. Though it is not quite on that level, it isn't bad by all means. Excellent instrument separation, with most of what's happening on stage coming through quite clear, though a bit on the dark side. But for a stadium tape, this one absolutely doesn't disappoint. You can hear Clarence's honking in the back ground and his percussion better than on most tapes, which is nice since sometimes I tend to forget he brings much more to the fold than a killer saxophone solo here and there. Clarence adds these little colors to Springsteen songs, that help transcend them to that next level.

One of the things about this Foxboro tape that is so nice to hear is the high quality level Springsteen manages to keep this tour, even outside his key markets. Foxboro isn't New Jersey, there isn't that challenge of going legendary on our ass. Even though the Foxboro show was a whopping 30 minutes shorter than the New Jersey shows, the band does deliver the goods and then some. I've heard it said, by myself included, that this stadium leg lacks the cohesion the first Magic legs had. By cutting down the set with three songs, some of that cohesion returns. Though the Magic songs are still sparse, "Spirit in the Night" and "Mary's Place" have found there respective spots in the set as markers. Though shorter and more cohesive, Foxboro got plenty of that surprise element that marked the previous few shows. Most notably with "Little Latin Lupe Lu," a thoroughly prepared request, with the lyrics printed on the back. With the weather in Foxboro temporarily forgetting this is the summer season, "Who'll Stop the Rain" might not have been such a big surprise, but "Does This Bus Stop at 42nd Street" most certainly was. Judging from the "Youngstown" that followed it, that bus is nowhere near close to running out of gas. But for all my rambling, Pete over at "Blogness on the Edge of Town" puts it into words much better than I possibly can.

"Little Latin Lupe Lu"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 4- out of 5
Show: 5- out of 5
Artwork: none

Get the Berkshire Eagle review here
See more of Nanci's pictures here

Boot Tracker, July 31st 2008, Giants Stadium NJ (NYC Taper)

When I was reviewing the Bossman's tape of this show the New York City taper's version was rumored. Going on his excellent reputation and his past Magic recordings, I was looking forward to this show quite a bit. Unfortunately it is not the upgrade I had hoped for. Though there is little echo and the sound of the band is pretty much in sync , the tape has a fairly distant and dark feel. This taper has taken the effort to master his recording, so I doubt that the quality of this tape can be improved much by raising the audio levels. This version is the best one yet, but not all that much. Overall it is one of those tapes that benefits from cranking up the sound on your stereo. Another bonus is the relative absence of intrusive audience noise. The NYC taper seems to have placed himself strategically. Listening to this tape, there seem to have been less beer runs during "Pretty Flamingo" than there actually were. Though you hear quite a bit of chatter going on, it stays more in the background than on the Bossman tape I reviewed earlier. Still all those improvements are only slight ones.

What remains stunning to me however is the performance. Especially earlier mentioned "Pretty Flamingo," this song seems to have been thrown in to the set totally unrehearsed. If it wasn't for a cue here and there, there would way of knowing. Though this version can't compete with the classic '75 version, it is pretty cool to listen to the band pull it off so nicely. Though I realize taking those request is part show, some of them always turn out to have been on the set list anyway, the way he handles it is something I enjoy hearing every time as well. Just when the band thinks they have to play "Incident on 57th Street" for a few bald fans, the Boss stops and turns to notice another sign and shoots "Blinded By The Light" at the boys. I think it was the Star Ledger who pointed out in one of their reviews that doing a stadium show is usually something artists do with quite the amount of rigor. The Rolling Stones or U2 play tightly constructed set lists to bring the evening to a good end. Springsteen takes a complete opposite approach. While this sometimes seems like its bound to end in a train wreck, at a Springsteen show this is part of the thrill. It is exiting to see what he pulls from his hat next, there's suspense in watching him pull it of, thrilling to hear him add little things to set list war horses. Only an artist performing at the top of his game could pull it off. And that's exactly what the Giants Stadium got three nights in a row.

"Pretty Flamingo"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3+ out of 5
Show: 5- out of 5
Artwork: none

Read the Rollingstone review here
Visit the Star Ledger for more videos.

Boot Tracker, July 31st 2008, Giants Stadium NJ (Bossman)

The final Giant Stadium show sounds like the best of the three night stand so far and also is the best bootleg I've heard of the three nights. Though I must admit, with all the versions coming out, I haven't been able to listen to all of them. For the first two nights I put my money on the Travitz tapes, but after hearing positive things on the first two Bossman recordings I figured I'd give him a try. I'm glad I did. This Bossman tape is decidedly clearer than the Travitz tapes of the first two nights, although marred by the same heavy bass. So I'm tempted to see if the other two Bossman tapes compare to this one in quality. That isn't to say that all is good however. There is some slight echo on this tape and the sound isn't as balanced as I'd hoped. Worse is the amount of audience chatter. The beer runs and inane social chatter completely ruin Springsteen's tour premier of "Pretty Flamingo" including a nice rap on his relationship with Patti and the Big Man's coming marriage. Probably the reason why the preacher shtick replaced the raps all together in the new millennium. You have to wonder how much of it came across in the stadium as well.

This third night came across as the most loosely constructed set list yet. Compared to the first two legs, this does tape the pace out of the show some, which was often at neck break speed in 2007. But when tightness and high speed R&R is replaced with a full hour extra show and rarities galore, I don't think many of us will complain about the relative loss in pace. Especially not when there are plenty of stadium wreckers like "Cadillac Ranch" to whip the show right back on track. And just listen to Charlie rip into his organ on "Light of Day," of high energy there's no lack. The loss of pace is relative anyway. At the age of 58 Springsteen still delivers R&R shows with an energy level that will make many 20 year olds go green with envy, even when the night is loosely constructed. The loose set lists of late also add an element of surprise that is arguably more thrilling than neck break speed shows. During the first two legs, the out line of the show was more or less set in stone. With the recent shows anything could happen, you never know what you'll get. Even during shows without debuts, you stumble from one surprise into another. This Giants Stadium show not only got two debuts with "Pretty Flamingo" and "Jersey Girl," choice rarities like "Blinded by the Light" remind you of why Springsteen used to be such a hard ticket to score.

"Blinded by the Light"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3+ out of 5
Show: 5- out of 5
Artwork: none

Read the review from Rolling Stone magazine here

Boot Tracker, July 28th 2008, Giants Stadium, NJ (Travitz)

An early birthday party for Patti this second Giants Stadium night. And I must admit, I am one of those fans who really likes having her up there on stage. There's a certain dynamic between her and Springsteen that is exhilarating. Sparks fly... maybe not as sizzling and intensely as during the Tunnel of Love Express tour, but there certainly still is a certain dynamic between them. It carries a certain erotic quality that comes across especially well in the "Tunnel of Love" songs, but doesn't stop at that quality. When the missus joins the Boss on a song, like title track of that album, it always sounds to me like they are reaffirming their relationship and aren't scared to ask the difficult questions that come with the territory. It is a dynamic that would hard to act out when their hearts wouldn't be in it, which is exactly why it is so thrilling to watch or to listen to. Though Patti's voice doesn't work as well in every song, there are a select amount of songs that gain something. Especially "Out in the Street" and "No Surrender" always seem to gain quite a bit of depth with the female voice added.

Ironically, or maybe a blessing for the people out there that aren't as big a fans, Patti's voice is one of the things that doesn't come across very well on this second Travitz tape. Her voice gets buried in a rather bass heavy mix. Though the recording is enjoyable once again, quite a bit of subtlety gets lost. So while we can enjoy Stevie's soulful belting on "Two Hearts," Patti gets drowned a bit. On an aside, I have always been curious how that song would sound as a duet with miss Scialfa. Maybe the song would a get too mushy, while right now it still stands as song that underscores the nearly mythical brotherhood that is such an important part of the E-Street Band's appeal. How much that sense of companionship and family is a part of the band perhaps became clear when Max's son Jay Weinberg was allowed to step in for his old man on "Born to Run." Let me tell you, from the sounds of it, mighty Max produced some thunderous offspring. And is it just my imagination, or are those 'Boom ' Carter fills less of a struggle for Jay?

"Born to Run"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Go to the Star Ledger for videos and reviews

Recording: 3- out of 5
Show: 4+ out of 5
Artwork: none

Boot Tracker, July 27nd 2008, New Jersey (Travitz)

Seemingly minutes after the first Giants' show ended a pro-shot video of "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" and two recordings surfaced. Watching the video and this Travitz show do a very nice job of bringing the exitement in your living room. The world of bootlegging is making a decent start here, Travitz captured a very fine show nicely. The recording is somewhat heavy on bass, has a bit of echo hear and there and the guitars sometimes fail to develop that big sound we like, but overall this is a fun tape. There is a nice mix between the band and the audience allowing us to capture a little bit of the fun Bruce must have been having in his home state. With thirty songs and three hours plus, this seems to be one of those shows that just wouldn't stop, one of those moments where both audience and band appear insatiable. Travitz incidentally captured one of the finer recordings earlier on in the tour. His Philadelphia from October 6th 2007 is very much worth your while as well. It is interesting and thrilling to put the two together and see what the tour has morphed into.



The Magic tour started with some of the tightest and shortest shows he had ever given. Critics felt he shook it up too little. Maybe those critics had a point, maybe Springsteen has even been listening. Whatever the reason, the Magic tour started developing to its current shape in California earlier this year. More audibles were thrown in, more curve balls swept by us and the band. Looking at those shows in the second American leg now, it seems as if they were the final leg of the Magic tour. During the subsequent European leg a lot of the Magic material was cut from the set and the show piece that had marked the tour up till then disappeared. "Reason to Believe" was replaced by "Spirit in the Night" and "Mary's Place." Judging from this tape, it is the latter specifically that is reclaiming its rightful place as the show piece. This Travitz tape has it clocking in at over 14 minutes, complete with preacher shtick.

While this "Mary's Place" doesn't seem to be everybody's cup of tea, I love seeing little things added here and there. The shtick is what the stories were to his early career and possibly more effective in a Stadium surrounding because it calls for more audience participation. Somehow I don't see how the "Sad Eyes" interlude from the classic "Backstreets" versions could work at a Giants' stadium. This show also taught fans once again never to head for the parking lot during what used to be the show stopper. Just when you thought it was all over, Rosie came out to play. For those who missed it, here it is........

"Rosalita"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3+ out of 5
Show: 4+ out of 5
Artwork: none

Boot Tracker; July 19th 2008, Barcelona (fortylicks)

Barcelona taped by fortylicks is one of those tapes that's a paradox. The recording isn't all that hot, but its an exiting tape to listen to. The expectations for Barcelona were high. Springsteen's Spanish shows are considered amongst his best, added to that fact is the last stand factor. The two nights of Barcelona are the last shows Springsteen will do this side of the pond and he's notorious for making them count. Aided by the heat that allegedly made steam rise from the stadium floor before the show had even started, Barcelona was promising to be a hot show. Temperatures rose to such levels that some took Springsteen's old command, "I want you to take all your clothes of now!!!!," quite literally. Eyewitness reports noted there were Catelonian men dancing in their Adam's suits. It stayed with dancing however, no cunnylingus was reported. The exitement of the Barcelona shows spilled over all the way across the pond, in what might be the first E-Street Band show some attended through conference call. Thanks to Skype and cellphones, a lucky few were able to listen in live.

Was all that exitement warranted? Judging from this recording it was. The band was on fire this night, before a near 100.000 attending the show at Camp Nou, Europe largest soccer stadium. The set list didn't have any premiers, or all that much rarities, Bruce might be saving those for tonight, but that did nothing to damper the spirits. While this recording is distant and marred with more than a few of sound warps, not to mention lack of instrument separation or depth, it does bring the exitement of Camp Nou into your living room. Play this show in your car and it is guaranteed to get you a speeding ticket! Listen to "Hungry Heart" heart on your iPod in the train and you'll be bound to get a few amused stares when you can't help singing along. I dare you to listen to "Mary's Place" and resisting the temptation of imitating that knee slide Springsteen does.......it's futile!!!! And I dare say "Summertime Blues" has never sounded this smoking! Who cares this tape isn't perfect, this is Fun with a capital F. Did I mention there's a near ten minute "Twist and Shout" on here to give your neighbors nightmares? Take the taper's advise, play this one LOUD!!!

"Summertime Blues"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 2+ out of 5
Show: 5 out of 5
Artwork none

Boot Tracker, July 11th 2008, Helsinki (Ev2)

Usually Ev2 releases are very good news. I've come across few Ev2 recordings that disappoint me. Quite a few of them I rank amongst the best Springsteen bootlegs out there. Unfortunately this Helsinki bootleg testifies that even Ev2 can have releases that do not quite live up to my expectations. To be fair, Ev2 set the bar high for himself and Helsinki is still a pretty decent tape and a very enjoyable listen, just with a few more glitches than I hoped. There's quite a bit of distance in the sound and the recording is marred by a strange swirl, with a few drops throughout the recording. Part of this is probably caused by the way it was recorded. As I understand it the taper, Drunkenmaster, used the internal microphones on his Zoom digital recorder. Those internals work well enough with acoustic shows, but electric shows like these simply need more refined recording equipment.

Still, this release does a very decent job of capturing a fun show. The electric debut of "Youngstown" would be worth the price of admission alone. But to top it off there's the romantic double punch of Sandy and "I'll Work For Your Love" and the R&R rave up pairing of "Summertime Blues" and "Sherry Darling". "Mary's Place" is re-claiming its spot as the show piece, slowly expanding with a bit of that preacher shtick, but still about eight minutes shorter as during the Rising tour. By including songs as varied as "Pointblank" and "Born in the USA," contrasting hidden gems with 'overplayed' stadium monsters, the subtle with the blatant, Springsteen manages to give a career overview few greatest hits CDs could do over the course of the evening. Helsinki will also go down in history as the show where Springsteen threw his oddest curve ball yet, near old saint Nick's home, Santa came to town in mid July. Breaking the record for earliest occurrence held by the September '78 appearance. Another triumph the '78 tour cannot take away from this magical 2008 tour.

"Santa Claus is Coming to Town"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3+ out of 5
Show: 5 out of 5
Artwork: 4 out of 5

Boot Tracker, June 25th 2008, Milan

For a while I was afraid a proper recording of Milan wouldn't surface. An mp3 recording, not worth mentioning, rose its ugly head and a sub par audio rip from a video was what we got, but no proper audio recording. Since Milan was one of those shows that had rabid fans and casual fans foaming from the mouth alike, I found this to be highly disappointing. Luckily, good things still come to those who wait. Courtesy of Edomedo, there is now a very nice document of Milan indeed. Though this tape is far from the best sounding bootleg of this tour, I dare say it is one of the most exiting tapes to listen to. Edomedo warned in the description that there would be a few people clapping, what he meant to say was he captured the entire stadium in union with the band. The good people from Milan are very present indeed, yet hardly ever in an intrusive way. So what this recording manages is capturing the exitement of a Springsteen show in Milan, or getting as close as a tape can. Depending on your own tolerance for audience 'noise' (music to my ears on this one) you'll love this tape. Especially since the band comes through pretty darn good as well. Not spectacular, but good enough to make this a highly enjoyable recording.

Milan got treated on a spectacular show from the sounds of it. The opening "Summertime Blues" made me check again what year it was. After pinching I was certain we were still living in the future of '78. "Summertime Blues" isn't the only parallel with '78 by my accord. As I have addressed many times before, Springsteen's dedication to his trade is stunning. To these ears the band sounds as relevant and committed as they did thirty years down the road. Listen to that rousing "Spirit in the Night" and you'll be able to hear what I mean. Clarence's hips may not be able to carry Scooter into the crowds anymore, but the Boss still brings the house down with this one, effectively using his catwalk to get his physical with the audience in. While Springsteen's show has adapted to larger audiences over the years, it is uncanny how he manages to connect with these large buckets. Even when he's not performing in small clubs or arenas, E-Street Band shows habitually have an intimacy that you wouldn't suspect from his brand of delightfully bombastic R&R. Whether he's playing a moving ballad like "Racing in the Street," a no holds barred R&R rouser as "Darlington County" or a mini Rock opera like "Born to Run," in funny way that intimacy is always there. Springsteen often boasted he's in this trade to make a connection, this Milan recording proves he delivers the goods.

"Spirit In The Night"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 4- out of 5
Show: 5 out of 5
Artwork: none

Boot Tracker; July 7th 2008, Oslo

I was really looking forward to the Oslo recording. During this show half the Born in the USA album was played, including a very rare appearance of "Cover Me". Though Born in the USA is far from a favorite amongst fanatic fans, those songs always make for quite the house party. I always wonder why it is that us fanatics have a kind of love and hate relation toward the album. Is it because the album that made our little secret a little bit too widely know. Or is it because Born in the USA was, in all honesty, a little too slick sometimes. The River still had quite a few epics that felt close enough to the epics on the Wild, the Innocent and the E-street Shuffle, to make that portion of the fan base that was attracted to that aspect of Springsteen feel right at home. Born in the USA and Nebraska were the last step in the process that started with Born to Run, where Springsteen started to get to the core of a song, stripping away all extras. By the time the Born in the USA tour started, the Boss had no need to include any R&R classics. He had written some effective three minute gems of his own.

Like I said Born in the USA ensures hard rocking shows. Cover Me., Glory Days, and No Surrender are very effective house wreckers, especially when they are paired with trail blazers as Cadillac Ranch. Unfortunately, we won't get to enjoy that party from this recording. This Oslo tape is easily amongst the worst tapes I've heard. Its a distant bucket of mud, with a few people clapping of beat to make matters worse. I'm sure the taper managed to bring back the evening with the help of this tape. But I seriously doubt that having witnessed the concert will do much to increase this tape's enjoyment. I'm sorry to say that this recording goes straight to the garbage bin on my desktop next. With my apologies to the taper. I understand he slept in a truck to get his efforts to us. I can imagine that the results were somewhat disappointing to himself as well after going through such an ordeal. The things us fanatics do to get to a show! Half a Born in the USA album or not, its worth it isn't it?

"Cover Me"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 1 out of 5
Show: 4 out of 5
Artwork: none

Boot Tracker, June 23rd 2008, Antwerp

While we're all eagerly awaiting a proper Milan or Göteborg night 2 recording there's the pleasant Antwerp to hold us over. It took a while to trickle in, but now it has it turns out to be a nice tape to spend my Sunday morning with. With Bruce blasting out my speakers, promising the Antwerp crowd "Transformation! Liberation! Sexification!," I do not need coffee to wake up. I must admit that the sound on this recording isn't amongst the best of the tour. It's a moderate arena recording. But a moderate arena recording is always leaps better than a bad Stadium recording. There's less mud and echo in those indoor venues, which makes almost every single arena tape listen-able at least. This recording gives you a very good sense of that hot night in Antwerp, though it isn't a recording that will find its way to your media player or hi-fi system very often. The band sounds a bit thin and Springsteen's vocals seem to be stuck in a pit. But as I said, this tape is great fun for a Sunday morning, with nothing much to do. The decent sound and the killer set makes the download well worth your while.

This show was moved indoors to Antwerp's Sport's Arena because for some reason the planned stadium in Brussels wouldn't sell out by a long shot. Springsteen seemed determined to prove all those who stayed home wrong with a, relatively short, but high energy set. It seems as though the Boss realized he was playing for the fanatic crowd here, as one curve ball after another flew through the arena. "So Young and in Love" proves to be a very effective opener once more and "Thundercrack" holds its own quite nicely sandwiched between "Prove it all Night" and "Because the Night". If that wasn't enough, Antwerp was treated to another hauntingly beautiful "Point Blank" and an increasingly rare "Magic". "Fire" almost had as much fire and sizzling sexuality as the classic versions, something doesn't happen much these days. The evening's biggest surprise however came with "I'm a Rocker," a River tour staple that rarely raised its head since the eighties. While everybody is getting exited over yesterday evening's "Drive All Night," I must confess, this raucous gem is really what gets my blood pumping. Let's be serious, how many of you have actually driven all night just to buy some shoes? Drive all night to get to a Springsteen show maybe, but shoes?!?

"I'm a Rocker"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3+ out of 5
Show: 4,5 out of 5
Artwork: none

Boot Tracker, June 29th 2008, Copenhagen

After those two excellent Moerie tapes, it's hard switching back to 'regular' stadium recordings. Copenhagen is more in the mold I've grown accustomed to during this leg of the tour, distant and muddy. Though this one isn't half bad, the Copenhagen tape gives us a decent impression of a stellar show, if you turn up your stereo loud enough that is. Though that will turn up the intrusive talkers at the start of "For You" as well of course. I must admit though, I'm stunned with how little talking I hear during this supreme rendition of the song, again delivered solo on piano. Few artists have the ability to silence a Stadium enough. Funnily enough, where Max's drums sound thin and muddled, Charlie's organ comes through quite nicely. On this tape you're able to hear the excellent job he's doing stepping into those impossible shoes to fill. Charlie's organ howls and growls its way through "Gypsy Biker" and provides the necessary groove for "Living in the Future". As the taper notes the sound picks up through the second half of the tape, which helps to pull this recording away from mediocrity just a bit and adds to the enjoyment of those tremendous encores Copenhagen got. Just listen to the Big Man honk on "Seven Nights to Rock" just before Charlie tears into a few ass kicking licks on the organ.

Even though there were no premiers, Copenhagen is exemplary for this second half of the European stadium leg when it comes to the set. Springsteen is throwing the band and the audience increasingly more curve balls, digging deeper and deeper into his back catalog. A striking difference with the Rising tour is how the songs of the new album are slowly starting to fade out. Copenhagen got a meek five songs from Magic. The Magic tour show piece "Reason to Believe" dropped out many shows before. The Boss is looking back, maybe for the first time in his career. You could argue that the Reunion tour was the big 'looking back' tour, but with all the different arrangements on old songs he did during that tour, I always felt that was the tour where he explored the possibility of taking the E-Street Band to a new and next level. With the Magic tour Springsteen elects to stay closer to the classic arrangements on most of the songs. However you want to interpreted this shift in the set however, Springsteen does seem to guard against the Magic tour turning into a greatest hits tour. For every big hit there seems to be a 'forgotten' album track to balance the set out. For every "Dancing in the Dark" there is a "Downbound Train". The 'looking back' nature of this leg is in sync with the rumor that this might be the last tour for the band. If that rumor would prove to be true, the band is going out with a bang. Against all odds, these Magic shows are on par with the best of his career.

"Downbound Train"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3- out of 5
Show: 5 out of 5
Artwork: none

Boot Tracker, June 27th 2008, Paris

Moerie hit us with a double shot. Hot off the heels of his Amsterdam tape comes his Paris recording from a few days down the line. The shows are interesting to compare for two reasons. First there is the sound. There has been some discussion on the web on which recording is better Paris or Amsterdam. I'm prone to say Amsterdam, but maybe I'm biased since I was at that show. But in general the sound on the Amsterdam bootleg sounds just a tad clearer and closer. Paris to my ears is almost equally good as Amsterdam, but does sound a tad more distant. A big plus on Paris however is Garry's bass, which seems to sound a notch warmer on Paris. The big difference between Paris and Amsterdam however is the way the audience is present in the mix. On Paris the audience is much further down, where on Amsterdam they are a pleasant but prominent part of the recording. I personally prefer the audience to be present on a recording like they are on the Amsterdam recording, so you can get a taste of the evening's feel. The audience is almost part of the band if it comes to Springsteen shows, don't they?

Second there's the set list. Amsterdam got a pretty standard set, filled to the brim with greatest hits, save for the encores. Paris however got quite a few curve balls. Most notably the rare "Janey Don't You Loose Heart" and a spine tingling rendition of "For You", solo acoustic on piano. While this makes Paris a show to drool over for the more fanatic fan, it may provide a few off moments for the more casual fan who's taken aback with songs he or she isn't all that familiar with. When the casual fan is taken aback, intrusive chatter and beer runs start happening that intrude on the fanatic's enjoyment. Then again, a set with 'standards' takes some of the joy away for the fanatic as well. We are a difficult to please lot. Judging from the audience's response on this bootleg though, Paris got a great show and had some fantastic fans in the house. I sense as much enthusiasm for a rarity as "Rendezvous" as I do for a staple like "Darlington County". In the final judgment, I'll let Paris take the edge on account of the set, where I'll let Amsterdam win on sound. But feel free to drop me a comment if you disagree.

"Rendezvous"

MP3 File

Download the full show here in part 1 and part 2
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 4+ out of 5
Show: 5 out of 5
Artwork: none

Boot Tracker, June 18th 2008, Amsterdam (Revisited)

To paraphrase the man himself, "bootleggers! Pay attention". During the past few weeks I've been highly critical on the bootlegs coming out. Most of them had sub-par sound to these ears. Something I ascribed to the wash tubs the shows were performed in. This Moerie tape proves me wrong in spades. This recording has excellent instrument separation, crystal clear vocals and a killer feel of the audience that night, without them ever being intrusive. I'm tempted to say this recording sounds better than the official Barcelona release from a few years back. But then again I've heard live in Barcelona been compared to the sound of a flushing toilet, so that might not do this excellent recording justice. What strikes me most is that this audience recording can rival with the San Jose matrix. Apparently high end recordings aren't needed to capture a great show in high quality. An Edirol with good microphones will suffice. There is just a slight echo on this recording, but with the Stadium where it was taped in, that's inescapable. I'll leave it up to you to decide, but if you ask me, this is one of the best recordings coming out of the Magic tour to date. Sit back (if you can, because Amsterdam is bound to have you leaping out of your lounge chair), and enjoy Clarence's wailing sax, Nils' scorching guitar, Roy's rollicking boogies and the man's soulful cries on this rare moment in bootleg land where everything is simply all right!

"Spirit In The Night"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 4,5 out of 5
Show: 5 out of 5
Artwork: none

Boot Tracker, June 21st 2008, Hamburg, Germany

"What a show and what a setlist," A fan was quoted saying on Backstreets, "If you can call it that! It was more like a wishing well or a request-night made in heaven." Isn't that the truth! After Amsterdam I felt the shows couldn't get any better than that. After seeing the set list for Hamburg though I found myself banging my head against my wall realizing I could probably have made it to this show if I had tried. Oh well, can't have them all. The nicest thing about the Hamburg set list is the perfect balance it strikes up between fan(atic) favorites and crowd pleasers. There's what Springsteen calls his punk song, the obscure "Held Up Without a Gun", last played live in front of an audience in 1980, balanced with a crowd pleaser like "Hungry Heart". On the latter Springsteen starts out solo acoustic, followed by the band after one verse. An unique version, making it something quite a few fanatics will drool over. Unfortunately the recording of this excellent show aims at the fanatic segment. Though it is a bit better than most recordings I've heard so far from the European Stadium leg, there's too much echo to make it a bootleg that is easily enjoyed. It serves to assure yourself they can still play the hell out of those obscure songs, it is proof you can woo a stadium crowd with a gorgeous rendition of "Incident on 57th Street", but that's about it. As a souvenir of the show it will be adequate, but I imagine this is a recording that's for the archives mostly. Still it was great fun finding out why banging my head into a concrete wall was entirely justified.

Held Up (Without a Gun)

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 2,5 out of 5
Show: 5- out of 5
Artwork: none