Thursday, May 12, 2005

A Perfectly Low-Key Boss

Bruce Springsteen
5.11.05 Rosemont Theatre
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I've now seen Bruce Springsteen live on stage 22 times, but last night was the first time I've seen him by himself. No E Street Band, no accompanying musicians, not even an appearance by his wife (and E Streeter) Patti. And while I figured with U2 having an off night during their Chicago stand Bono was bound to show up, no sign of him either. Just Bruce, for 2 hours & 15 minutes of acoustic guitar, pump organ and piano, centered around songs from his new, low-key Devils & Dust album. While the show didn't compare to the buoncy of a typical hard-rocking Bruce & E Street greatest hits inclusive affair (and really, nothing does) for a fan like me, it offered an ideal complement.

While the storytelling, short on melody nature of a number of his song selections made for quiet appreciation rather than overt enjoyment, the pacing was never boring as Bruce mixed up his instrumental & vocal stylings, and made several revelatory introductory explanations to his songs. To be honest, an appearance by Bono would have been way too grandiose for this admirably low-key affair. Though I can't deny that despite my appreciation for the Devils & Dust songs, it was solo piano renditions of Incident on 57th St. and The River (old Bruce songs) that really felt special.

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