Two American icons – Bruce Springsteen and Harley Davidson – met at an intersection called Magic, Saturday at Veteran’s Park.

Springsteen, Harley melding one for the ages
By DAVE TIANEN
dtianen@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 31, 2008

Two American icons – Bruce Springsteen and Harley Davidson – met at an intersection called Magic, Saturday at Veteran’s Park.
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Bruce Springsteen performs at Veterans Park Saturday. Springsteen's official tour ended last week in Kansas City, and the Harley-Davidson concert was a special event.
This was probably the most anticipated Milwaukee concert of the year. Extravagant expectations often unfold in moderate payoffs. On Saturday night, Bruce Springsteen lived up to every measure of his considerable legend. The display of physical stamina alone from a man who will turn 59 in slightly less than a month was astounding. Springsteen has a reputation for fitness but this was amazing. Twenty minutes in, his dark blue working shirt was soaked with sweat. By the time it was over he had been on stage for three and a half hours with out a break. And this was not a leisurely three and a half hours. This was 31 songs, many of them pounding, pedal to the metal rock and roll. After a show that would have exhausted most men half his age, wound up his regular set with a frantic “Seven Nights to Rock” and then came back for ten encores. I put my notebook away four times because I thought the show was over only to have Bruce and E Street roar back to life.

This was Springsteen running and sliding on his knees to the edge of the huge stage. This was Bruce throwing his body on top of the front rows. This was Bruce laying flat on his back and pulling himself to this feet by griping the mic stand. This was Springsteen pulling a young woman out the crowd in an echo of the long ago video to “Dancing in the Dark” dancing with her and then picking her up and carrying her in his arms across the stage.

This was Springsteen the populist hero reminding his nation of forgotten workers in “Youngstown,” or soldier’s lives needlessly squandered in “Last to Die.” This was Springsteen the renegade of the highway on “Thunder Road,” “Born to Run,” and “Racing in the Streets.” This was Springsteen the prophet of the redemptive power of music on “The Rising” and “Spirit in the Night.” This was Springsteen and E Street as the ultimate garage band on “Wooly Bully” and “Born to Be Wild.”

It was an evening richly laden with exhilarating, funny, touching, and sublime moments. These are a few of them:

Reverend Springsteen’s rock’n’roll revival introduction to “Meet Me at Mary’s Place,” exhorting his fans to meet him at the River of Love, the River of Hope, the River of Joy, the River of Life, the River of Faith.

Springsteen spent several minutes patrolling the front of the stage collecting a couple dozen fan song requests written on cardboard – and then playing a bunch of them.

During “Spirit in the Night” he once again threw himself into the crowd. When he got to the line “She kissed me just right like only a lonely angel can,” he bent over for a kiss for a young lady in the crowd. She was so obviously thrilled she looked almost dazed.

Bruce and Little Stevie trading comic ad libs on “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch).”

Springsteen dedicating “Racing in the Streets” to Harley father figure Willie G. Davidson.

This was the first tour the E. Street Band finished without keyboardist Danny Federici who died earlier this year of cancer. For the first encore, Springsteen played “Sandy,” dedicated it to Danny and brought his son Jason out to play accordion on it.

As everyone seems to understand there is a natural affinity between Springsteen and the Harley brotherhood. They share a restless love of freedom, and a devotion to the core values in American life. Saturday all those elements came together in one of the most special nights in Milwaukee concert history.

Bruce Springsteen performs best shows in 20 years !

JULY 31, EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ: IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR
Wow -- when's the last time a U.S. show went past midnight, let alone until 12:45? Granted, the final Jersey show didn't start until 9:30, thanks to a highway (specifically, the New Jersey turnpike, exit 16W) jammed up with a broken tanker truck. They delayed showtime to accomodate the horrendous traffic, finally playing to what appeared to be a fuil house (though some fans were still arriving as late as "Livin' in the Future)." In any case, kudos to Bruce and the band for delivering a thrilling, three-and-a-quarter-hour show, back up to 30 songs again, going above and beyond in terms of length and energy despite the late start -- and despite the heat! Giants Stadium was an oven last night, hot and humid, leading to what Bruce called a "Jersey baptism" in "Mary's Place," as he sponged water onto the crowd "in the name of the father, the son, and Elvis!"



Appropriately enough, for both the heat and the traffic, Bruce began the show with "Summertime Blues." That one had been the sign-collection song at the previous two Giants shows; now "Light of Day" filled that slot, with Bruce gathering requests as Max pounded out an extended intro. The signs brought some classic early material to the set, but first Bruce had his own idea: an impromptu "Pretty Flamingo," last played in this very venue on the Rising tour five years ago (and only its third performance sinde 1978). As Springsteen strummed the chords, refreshing himself and the band, he told the crowd that it was "just Patti's birthday a few days ago," and began ruminating on their history together. "I first met her when I was 20 and she was 17," he said. And then again when he was 24 and she was 21... and again when he was 35. "In the meantime," he said, "something happened to me." As he went on to talk about Clarence's upcoming wedding (just a week away!), it was clear that he meant he had gotten hitched, saying that both the Big Man and himself had been married before. "But Clarence more than me!" He added, "Clarence is getting it right this time," before summing it all up: "So I don't really believe in love at first sight." Taking the band through the Manfred Mann song, it was a magical performance all the more impressive for the fact that it was obviously unrehearsed. "Bridge!" Bruce called out, to make sure they all stayed together.



Back to those signs: "Incident" was just about to get a play, thanks to a sign requesting it "for your old, bald fans" -- "seems to be particular!" Bruce laughed -- when another sign caught his eye. "Give that one to me," he said, pointing to a placard for "Blinded By the Light." "We'll do that one now, and we'll do the other one next." (And hey, that makes for two Manfred Mann hits in the same show!) After "Blinded," though, Springsteen opted to keep the tempo quick, going into a powerhouse pack of "Cadillac Ranch," "Candy's Room," Night," and "Because the Night" -- the last of these featuring another somersaulting solo from Nils. While that forward roll may have been less of a surprise this time, Nils having done the trick before, it was no less shocking -- how the hell does he do that and keep on playing? And after the drawn-out "Mary's Place," Bruce finally made good on his earlier promise, as the strains of "Incident" filled the stadium -- "for you old, bald fans."



A high-energy encore opened with "Jungleland," Clarence shining on the solo; Steve hammed it up good on "Dancing in the Dark" as he and Bruce struck a tango pose. Steve, it should be said, has been really into it on this stand, looking like he's having a blast (and ever-considerate, handing out bottles of water to overheated fans, too). For "American Land," the E Streeters were joined by three Sessions Band players: Jeremy Chatzky on stand-up bass, Sam Bardfeld on fiddle, and Curtis King, sharing a vocal mic with Patti.



Of course, if you thought "American Land" would be the last song on this night, you haven't been paying attention. Two more songs, though? Well, that's a closing night special. First up was the long-awaited "Jersey Girl" (you knew it had to come out here, right?) played for a fancy two-part sign and dedicated to Bruce's mom. "She's here tonight," he said, "she's working the concession stand." The full-band rendition of the Tom Waits classic is always a special moment, and here it was like reliving the version from the Live/1975-'85 box set, with cheers from the crowd coming at the same places as on the '81 recording.

And finally, Bruce and the band closed out their homecoming stand with "Rosalita," one more "fairytale" to send fans home happy, well after coaches had turned into pumpkins.

Watch video from the all three nights, the first three songs from each Giants Stadium show, at NJ.com.


Next: Boston, you're my home... Gillette Stadium on Saturday night!

For the full song list, and reports from other recent performances,
see our Setlists page.