 Bruce Springsteen Richly entertaining audience boot of a '99 show by Springsteen and Co. in Gent, Belgium. The setlist is terrific, one of those rare ones where it hits virtually every song I'd want to hear and doesn't throw in many I wouldn't. "Bobby Jean," "Light of Day," "Darlington County," "Working on the Highway" … apparently my revisionist view of the Boss's mid-80s period meshes with his own. And you can never go wrong with "Thunder Road," "Jungleland," "Prove it All Night," and "Two Hearts." Hm, maybe The River era was better than I give it credit for … certainly the songs from it sound mighty refreshing in this performance. "Out in the Street" is great, and the outtakes "I Wanna Be With You" and "I Wanna Be Where the Bands Are" offer some evidence that maybe Bruce was aware of the Ramones … of course, his version of "punk" is to punk what that video poker game at your local tavern is to the World Series of Poker. The mellow, country-esque treatment of "Mansion on the Hill" seems to be when everyone stepped to the concession stand for a Stella Artois, and it's here where the audience is most audible – but hilariously, it almost works in the song's favor, as the audible French chatter blends with the accordion for an unintentionally clichéd trip down some old-world cobblestone streets with baguette in hand. Normally people talking during shows is hugely annoying; here, it's pretty damn funny. The heavy accents singing along with the entirety of "The River" are also quite amusing. "Hungry Heart," similarly, comes across like some kind of football chant. It occurs to me that I listen to Bruce Springsteen almost more for the comedic value than for any genuine drama. Did I mention that "Light of Day" is thirteen minutes long??! I'd love to see Michael J. Fox try to lip-sync to that shit nowadays. Sound is full and well-balanced, pacing is good, and the performances aren't too big or overly bar-bandy (though they are damn bombastic … but that's Bruce). Well worth snagging if you find it … all the cheesiness and/or glory that you'd expect from the E Street Band circa '99.
Review by La Fée |