Originally scheduled for September 7th, 2023, Syracuse was an outlier on the home stretch of the 2024 World Tour, falling in-between the shows in Uncasville, Albany and Columbus that had been pushed back from last March. It was also an outlier on this first North American leg outright, as it saw Springsteen and the E Street Band play the first of what will be many stadiums over the next seven months. So, in addition to having the purpose of helping end this first leg strongly, this night also had to set us up for the rest of the tour, beginning with the European leg in early May. What would it have in store?
Upon stepping onstage, Bruce instantly excited all in the JMA Wireless Dome by calling out “Are you loose?!” and while we mightn’t have been in Milwaukee, this continued a tradition dating back to 1975 and got out of Syracuse a response you could easily mistake for Fiserv.Forum or the old Harris Bradley Center. Then came a surprise by way of there being no surprise opener, as a strong “Lonesome Day” kicked off proceedings. With this being a stadium affair it makes sense why the opener would be a relatively safe option, as of the fifty-five thousand in attendance there’ll have been a fair few who won’t be too familiar with an “Open All Night” or “Roll of the Dice”-type track. Best off to get everyone onside with a solid and recognisable song that’s featured all tour; and for those in the house who did have high expectations of anything being on the table, this version did see those onstage make an instant impression with their commitment. Unsurprisingly with all that being said, the Rising track fronted a mostly conventional show with very few setlist shake-ups, however the subsequent performances of “Night” (minus an early guitar misstep), “No Surrender,” “Two Hearts” and “Darlington County” ensured that Springsteen and the E Street Band would be striving to give Syracuse just as energetic a show as recent stops in Albany, Uncasville and L.A. The latter two songs each allowed Bruce to share the mic with Little Steven Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren for a moment of brotherhood, and Stevie certainly set a precedent for everyone onstage to rise up to with his inspired cries of “I was!” and “yeaaa-eaaahh!”.
It wasn’t all conventional on this night, mind you, because this opening sequence did see “Letter To You” dropped from the setlist, and perhaps that was because this autobiographical song was surplus to requirements on account of the autobiographical song that made its tour debut via sign request. Although Bruce may have needed a rest from it after over two hundred performances on Broadway, a setlist with themes so relevant to his life, his losses, and his career calls for “Growin’ Up.” After all, that’s why it opened the Broadway show every night. With his electric guitar solo, Roy Bittan’s dreamlike piano and Jake Clemons’ life affirming saxophone at the forefront, this was the perfect antithesis to the Walter Kerr and St. James’ Theatre readings, with a short and sweet interlude in which he simply declared “we ain’t ever growin’ up!” to further exemplify that, as well as show us he still has the same defiance at seventy-four as he did at twenty-three! “Ghosts” then followed, and it made for a stand out double shot in the live canon, let alone this tour. Absolutely euphoric, and a perfect summary of those themes mentioned above, before “The Promised Land” enhanced it all the more. This one was highlighted by a harmonica duel between Bruce and young fan at the finish, and while that youngster would get the real thing on its conclusion, the rest of the audience had certainly gotten something special during this opening sequence, too.
With the impact of that trio perhaps recognised by Bruce, he didn’t go straight into the thematic sequence centred around life and death that we may be used to post-“Promised Land.” Instead, a strong “Spirit in the Night” was next – with captivating instrumentals from Stevie and Jake at the forefront – and what followed was very much an assorted pairing in “Hungry Heart” and “Atlantic City.” It was a pairing that actually made me feel like I was listening to one of those varied shows from 2013/14, and thankfully the performance quality wasn’t far off. The River rouser was led by stellar efforts from Syracuse, the E Street Choir and Garry Tallent whose bass riffs nicely thumped; and the rearranged Nebraska track similarly enthralled despite serving as a major shift in tone. I’d be remiss if I didn’t praise this duo in how it spoke for the different ways people deal with failing relationships, and “Atlantic City” really stressed how desperate it can get. It didn’t see Bruce sing with as many stunning vocals as he did in Albany – although the way he sang “wrong side of that liiine” where he’d normally state it might take you aback – but he nonetheless had Syracuse hanging on to every word he sang, with the E Street Band and the Horns especially, adding to that atmosphere with a compelling performance.
Then came the four-song sequence centred around life and death, and it was a very powerful one on this occasion courtesy of the “My City of Ruins” that fronted it. In showcasing this man and his band’s incredible ability to alter the mood, here they played a beautiful, heartfelt performance that put into focus their mission on this tour: to bring unrivalled joy, and help us remember those who aren’t with us. Where it concerned the latter, Bruce told Syracuse sad truths that we simply can’t help, but in spite of that assured them, stressing, “I don’t know where we go when this is all over, but I know where we remain… if you’re here, and we’re here, then they’re here.” There had already been tweaks made to the performance prior to this in how he added the Horns and Choir to his E Street Band roll call, but the most important alteration shortly followed. Upon taking a sign made in tribute to Justin, a fan who’d passed, Bruce said this song was for him, “and Clarence, and it’s for Danny, and it’s for whoever you’re missing tonight.” With the nightly combination of “Last Man Standing” and “Backstreets” still to come, too, the night had arguably reached its emotional peak already with this moment.
And no matter whether it had or hadn’t, Springsteen and the E Street Band continued playing with purpose, as another noteworthy “Nightshift” followed for extra emotion and to further emphasise how we remember those no longer with us. In a song full of passion, that emotion and emphasis was best evidenced late on by the ardent “it’s gonna be alright!” back and forth between Ada Dyer and Curtis King Jr., and by Bruce’s resounding “now I know yooooouuu’reee not aloooooone!”. Moments later Bruce told Syracuse, “Grief, that’s just the price for loving well” and “Nightshift” reminded us how even in grief, we can find solace. The pairing of “Last Man Standing” and “Backstreets” that followed, of which Bruce made that statement, took the notion of finding solace even higher, especially when it came to the interlude during “Backstreets.” As Roy played a gorgeous intermezzo, Bruce recalled the possessions and the memories of his fallen friend, George Theiss, that he’ll hold in his hands and his heart for the rest of his time. A devastatingly intimate moment within a titanic performance, this is why we could only ever argue about that moment in “My City of Ruins.”
Keeping in-line with the conventional format of the show up to this point, the remainder of the main set was without any additional songs as was the case in L.A., Uncasville and Albany. Rather, those in the JMW Wireless Dome were treated to the six songs that had consistently shaped it until April 7th – “Because the Night,” “She’s the One,” “Wrecking Ball,” “The Rising,” “Badlands” and “Thunder Road” – for a mighty fine blend of hard-rocking and high emotion. Of the six, it was the finale that really stood out. Along with “Badlands” which stood out last time in the MVP Arena, the last two songs of this sequence haven’t been of too much note on this leg, they’ve simply just served their purpose as two of the most important songs in the catalogue. It doesn’t surprise me, though, that as this first North American leg comes to an end it’s these two that are shining, as it’s often in the most special songs where we can note just how much those onstage have upped the energy and commitment. This night’s “Thunder Road” was somewhat ‘interrupted’ by an ardent fan, which got a chuckle out of Bruce – and the rest of us – but it didn’t deter an inspired reading, instead this vehement expression of love helped fuel a hearty performance where Bruce battled through fatigue to conclude the set very strongly, his massive declaration of “to wiiiiiiiin!” at the end typifying it.
The dedication that anchored “Thunder Road” and the five songs prior seeped into the encore. It was a home stretch that once again saw no “Rosalita” (I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come in stadiums this summer) but more importantly what it did feature ensured that this night in Syracuse came to an electrifying end – at least, when Max Weinberg decided everyone could go home, per his state of address in the returning “Glory Days.” Contributing most to that electricity was a duo fans hadn’t seen paired together in an official E Street Band show since September 1985: “Twist and Shout” and the “Detroit Medley”! The former was really the culmination of the community on the night between artist and audience, as Bruce teasing Syracuse about them having anything left brought the song to an apex; and while it may or may not have gotten everything left out of those in the audience, it clearly got enough out of Bruce as the “Medley” showed. While the efforts of the E Street Band were without fault, Bruce just didn’t have the energy left to give this one the vocal approach it normally calls for. On one hand, a disappointing aspect to a song we always want to see played, but on the other a shining example of how much he’d put into these two hours and forty+ minutes – setlist surprises be damned. Fortunately, the three minutes in-between this one ending and “I’ll See You in My Dreams” starting (combined with the finale’s tender arrangement) allowed Bruce’s vocal to improve enough to where he could see this show out on a strong note. It would end on an exciting note, too, because just before he left the stage Bruce would give a final nod to Syracuse’s strength as an audience on the night, and cement their place on cloud nine with an essential declaration of “We’ll be seein’ ya!”. That’s exactly what you want to hear!
Next up, the finale of this first North American leg from Columbus. How would it follow on from the strong work here and set us up for Europe?
Kieran’s recommended listening from April 18th, 2024 – Syracuse, NY:
“Night,” “Growin’ Up,”“Ghosts,” “The Promised Land,” “Spirit in the Night,” “Atlantic City,” “My City of Ruins,” “Nightshift,” “Last Man Standing,” “Backstreets,” “She’s the One,” “Badlands,” “Thunder Road,” “Dancing in the Dark,” “Twist and Shout” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”
You can download the penultimate night of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s first North American leg from Syracuse on the 2024 World Tour here.
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