Giants Stadium 2009

Finally....I can say I'm gonna see Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band this month! Amidst all the Boss fever currently spreading among fans across Western Europe, let us rewind back to 2009, the Working On A Dream tour that was ultra-steeped in nostalgia, the tour that had Bruce revisiting his classic albums and playing them in full, as a big 'thank you' to the fans. Only the Greetings, The Wild, The Innocent & E Street Shuffle and The River albums got played once each (in Buffalo and New York City respectively). Born To Run, Darkness On The Edge Of Town and Born In The USA got multiple shows, with Born To Run getting the most number of performances.

A few days ago, a newly remastered bootleg set circulated online. Two shows at Giants Stadium, Darkness played on Oct 2nd and Born In The USA on Oct 3rd. These are marketed as soundboard shows, but really, any seasoned collector will tell you it's not. To my ears it sounds like a matrix of IEM (in-ear-monitor) and audience recordings. The sound is very outstanding, considering it was a huge outdoor show. Quality wise, I think it has a slight edge over the IEM/audience-mixed River show at Madison Square Garden, which is a must-get also.

The performances of both albums are top-notch; that goes without saying, so there's no need going into them, though I'll say that these versions of Cover Me and Downbound Train are the best I've heard. Sign requests and rarities on both nights were nothing short of surprising....Be True, Kitty's Back, Detroit Medley, Jersey Girl, and an absolutely fucking incendiary Jailhouse Rock.... I actually exclaimed 'holy shit' aloud when I first heard it. If that wasn't enough, the band also brought back Last To Die and Long Walk Home, the highlights of the Magic album and its supporting tour. I love Born In The USA even more now after listening to this boot. This month marks the passing of "Big Man" Clarence Clemons one year ago, and it makes the experience all the more poignant. Get it [link].

Oct 2:                 

1. Wrecking Ball
2. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
3. No Surrender
4. Outlaw Pete
5. Hungry Heart
6. Working On A Dream
7-16. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
17. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
18. I'm Goin' Down
19. Be True
20. Jailhouse Rock

21. Thunder Road
22. Long Walk Home
23. The Rising
24. Born To Run
25. Cadillac Ranch
26. Bobby Jean
27. American Land
28. Dancing In The Dark
29. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

Oct 3:

1. Wrecking Ball
2. Out In The Street
3. Outlaw Pete
4. Hungry Heart
5. Working On A Dream
6-17. Born In The U.S.A.
18. The Promised Land
19. Last To Die
20. Long Walk Home
21. The Rising
22. Born To Run
23. Jersey Girl
24. Kitty's Back
25. Detroit Medley
26. American Land
27. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
28. Thunder Road