As a friend put it upon seeing a photo I posted on Facebook, an icon in an iconic place. That was Bruce Springsteen standing on the stage of Wrigley Field in Chicago.
I've seen Springsteen upwards of 20 times over the years. That's nothing compared to some of the faithful who have easily topped 100 shows. I'd never been to Wrigley Field though. So the idea of catching two shows over a weekend in Chicago was too tempting to resist.
If you're a Clevelander you really can't appreciate how great we have it here in regard to traffic until you've been someplace like Chicago. In fact Spirngsteen started late on Friday night because of, as he put it, "a motherfuckin' traffic jam". Everyone in the friendly confines of Wrigley could relate. Thank god my friend and host drove us to and from the shows while I just looked around with tourist eyes.
Some music acts rely on the same setlist night after night on a tour. There's little variation if any at all. Jam bands like the Grateful Dead or Phish are known for their varied setlists. The same goes for Springsteen, making it justifiable to see him multiple times on a tour.
Springsteen played 28 songs Friday night clocking in at about 3 and a half hours. Saturday night's show ran 3 hours and contained 27 songs. There were 14 different songs between the two nights.
Each of the shows felt quite different. Friday night the technical crew were battling sound problems which distracted a bit from the show. There seemed to be an intensity in Springsteen's song choices and delivery. The middle of the show had a decidedly slow pace. Whereas Saturday night felt electric. The pace of the show was much faster and much more energetic. Had the rain not started to fall, which enduced Springsteen to keep the frenetic pace up, the show seemed to be heading toward a tour highlight.
Local heroes Tom Morello and Eddie Vedder joined the band both nights. Each night they played different songs with Bruce and added some star quality though that was hardly needed.
Yes, it rained Saturday night and the majority of the fans not undercover, like me, chose to embrace it. Ironically the rain began during "Waiting On A Sunny Day" and from then on increased in intensity, never letting up. The same could be said for the setlist. Playing slow songs is not the way to go when everyone is standing in a cool rain and Springsteen, the best live performer of all time, knows that.
The crowd would've stayed there another hour but Bruce, like a wise parent, ended the show a little early, as if to say you're all gonna catch pneumonia. He called us "hardcore" before parting but the same could be said for him as he spent much of the time standing out in the rain with us prowling and pacing the runways and risers on the field.
Setlists:
Friday
Prove It All Night ('78 intro)
My Love Will Not Let You Down
Out in the Street
Hungry Heart
We Take Care of Our Own
Wrecking Ball
Death to My Hometown (with Tom Morello)
My City of Ruins
Spirit in the Night
Trapped
Jack of All Trades
(with Tom Morello)
Atlantic City (with Eddie Vedder)
Lonesome Day
I'm Goin' Down
Darlington County
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
None But the Brave
The Ghost of Tom Joad (with Tom Morello)
Badlands
(with Tom Morello)
Land of Hope and Dreams (with Tom Morello)
* * *
We Are Alive
Thunder Road
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Jungleland
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out (with Morello and Vedder)
Twist and Shout (with Morello and Vedder)
Saturday
The Promised Land
The Ties That Bind
No Surrender
Hungry Heart
We Take Care of Our Own
Wrecking Ball
Death to My Hometown (with Tom Morello)
My City of Ruins
E Street Shuffle
Pay Me My Money Down
This Depression
(with Tom Morello)
My Hometown (with Eddie Vedder)
Darkness on the Edge of Town (with Eddie Vedder)
Because the Night
Working on the Highway
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
Who'll Stop the Rain (solo acoustic)
The Ghost of Tom Joad (with Tom Morello)
Badlands
(with Tom Morello)
Thunder Road
* * *
Rocky Ground
Born to Run
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
American Land (with Morello and Vedder)
At Cubby Bear before Friday's show
Springsteen in the rain with the rest of us
