Boss has fans on their feet

Bruce Springsteen gets close to fans in his first Rod Laver Arena show. Picture: Hamish Blair Source: Herald Sun

EVEN if he didn't sing it, Bruce Springsteen brought the glory days back to a packed Rod Laver Arena last night with a hit-filled marathon set that still had the fans baying for more after close to three hours.

The Boss may have kept the faithful waiting for a decade since his chequered stadium tour of 2003, but he more than made up for it with a master class that showed why he has been for 40 years - and still remains - one of the most relevant and revered figures in the rock pantheon.

From the moment he bounded on to the stage - and then out into the crowd with Out In the Streets to his final farewell 23 songs later, stomping on the piano and waving goodbye to a sea of hands with Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (both songs more than 30 years old and sounding fresh as ever), Springsteen gave it his all.

At 63, and with the energy of a man half his age and the charisma to match, Springsteen pulled out every rock trick in the book - a book he helped write. From sweat-soaked posturing to booty shaking and guitar slinging, to frenzied forays into the crowd, the Boss had the audience in the palm of his hand.

After whipping the crowd up with the handclapping, foot-stomping, Celtic-influenced Wrecking Ball and Death To My Home Town, Springsteen raised the roof with his 1980 hit Hungry Heart, crowd-surfing from the back of the dance floor to the stage.

On his frequent forays into the audience, fans stretched for high-fives and hugs from their hero, and the generous performer obliged. At one point, during Waitin’ On a Sunny Day, he pulled a small child from the audience, coaxing the words out of the song out of the slightly terrified youngster before hoisting him on to his shoulders.

The Boss dug deep into his extraordinary back catalogue as well as airing a fair chunk from his well-received release of last year, Wrecking Ball. At other times, he took requests from the signs held up by well-prepared punters. An impressive glowing red sign yielded a sombre and stirring version of The River and – ever the democrat - he let the audience decide when faced with a choice between Incident On 57th St and Prove It All Night. The latter won the louder roars, allowing a blistering solo from E-Street Band veteran guitarist Nils Lofgren.

Snakes, Vegemite, bats freak out Bruce Springsteen's band

The show and the Wrecking Ball tour are quite rightly credited to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. While the Boss is undeniably the ringleader, his regular collaborators anticipated his every move from rafter-raising rock to the serious and sombre with a dexterity borne from decades of experience.

Two newcomers in the famous band also made an impression – Rage Against the Machine’s guitarist Tom Morello looked like he was having the time of his life substituting for Steve Van Zandt and saxophonist Jake Clemons, who joined the band after the death of longtime E Streeter, his uncle Clarence.

Morello was simply awesome trading verses and guitar solos with Springsteen on The Ghost of Tom Joad (which had been covered by RATM) and Clemons marshalled an incredible horn section as well as busting out some blistering solos of his own.

After thanking the fans for keeping the faith and promising not to take so long to come back next time, Springsteen’s encore had to be heard to be believed. The staggering one-two punch of Born In the USA and Born To Run ran straight into his biggest hit, Dancing In the Dark. Another audience sign that said “Dance With My Daughter: It’s Her 16th Birthday”, gave a young fan her Courteney Cox moment, which she will surely be talking about for many birthdays to come.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play Rod Laver Arena tomorrow and Wednesday and Hanging Rock on Saturday and Sunday. Limited tickets still available.

SET LIST

Out In the Streets

Promised Land

Something In the Night

Wrecking Ball

Death To My Hometown

Hungry Heart

Spirit In the Night

High Hopes

The River

Seeds

Johnny 99

Prove It All Night

Pay Me My Money Down

Darlington County

Shackled and Drawn

Waitin’ On a Sunny Day

The Rising

Ghost Of Tom Joad

Badlands

Land Of Hopes and Dreams

ENCORE

Born In the USA

Born To Run

Dancing In the Dark

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

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