As I trudged through the rain to Old Trafford in order to see “The Boss” for the first time since the “Born In The USA” tour, it suddenly dawned on me that this was almost exactly 23 years ago.  Now that is a long time in anybody’s book, especially when you consider that I see myself as a fan of Springsteen’s music but a combination of bad timing, inability to get tickets for some tours and maybe just a little loss of faith during “the other band” period led to the long gap. However, since the release of “The Rising”, “Devils and Dust” and the recent album “Magic” I was much more focused on getting a ticket this time around but how would it be – 23 years down the line, could Springsteen live up to my memories of St James Park, Newcastle 1985 ? 

Entering the home of Manchester Utd, the rain finally stopped and I am greeted by the slogan “Theatre Of Dreams”, which seemed somewhat appropriate to my increasing expectations of the evening and I found myself a good position, stage left, right up against the barriers which separated us lesser mortals from those who had got there early enough to get “green banded” and therefore allowed into the stage front enclosure. This still gave me a great view of the stage, the excellent video screens and I just crossed my fingers that the sound would be OK but I must admit to being a little envious of those up front as they were allowed right up against the stage, with no security barrier, demonstrating the great trust that exists between artist and fans. 

No support act of course and at 7:45pm Bruce and the E Street band hit the stage and were straight into a four song onslaught before Springsteen even took a breath. They opened with “No Surrender” and by the end of the song the sound is nicely balanced and I’m really pleased with my choice of location. “Radio Nowhere” is next up and this gets the crowd warmed up for “Night” and “Lonesome Day” before Bruce finally takes time out to welcome everyone to the evening, mentioning how his soccer loving son had told him all about the venue. 

The set-list was as varied as you would expect and, as always, the band show an amazing ability to adapt to changes due to both crowd requests and whatever song Bruce felt like doing at that moment in time. The E Street band, even with the sad death of Danny Federici, remain a tight unit and the guitar work from Steve Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren was stunning throughout but I feel that Springsteen himself deserves a mention too, since he doesn’t always get the appropriate credit for his playing. Tonight he showed wonderful virtuosity on “Adam Raised A Cain”, which was one of the true highlights of the evening. By this point any fears I may have had that this was going to be something less than I witnessed in 1985 had been totally dispelled and in reality I have nothing but admiration for the intensity, sheer emotion and clear enjoyment Springsteen and the band put into their performance. 

Nils Lofgren’s solo on “Because The Night” was awesome and Max Weinberg’s drumming, coupled with Garry Tallent’s bass was incredibly powerful throughout but nobody in the band gave less than 100%, except perhaps Springsteen himself who managed to somehow push himself beyond the limit, as he bounded across the stage in one direction, then slid all the way back on his knees in the other. Personal highlights from the set were the audience requested “It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City” and “Long Walk Home” from the latest album but I’m sure that everyone who was there will have their own feelings on this one.  

“Badlands” brings the house down and drew the main set to a close, with the crowd already calling for more before the band had even left the stage. Once they returned, it was to launch into a six song encore which included the classics “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” and  “Born To Run”, followed by the ever popular “Rosalita” and also included a rather impromptu version of “Dancing In The Dark”, which everyone in the crowd seemed to be doing by that time anyway. The evening came to an emotional climax with the final strains of Seeger Session track, “American Land” dying away to a great reaction from the crowd and suddenly it was all over. 

Tonight there was less story telling from Springsteen than I remember from back in 1985 and he seemed very much in the mood to simply play and make sure everyone had a great time, which was done magnificently. Put simply, this was a thoroughly enjoyable gig where I had a great view and the sound and set-list were superb (although a few friends said the sound echoed about a bit if you were in the stands at the back of the stadium) but above all I witnessed a band in top form, led by a man who still gives a damn about his music and making sure “his crowd” enjoys every note and lyric as much as he does. 

Bruce, you really are still “The Boss” – no question.

Dave McKenzie