Bruce Springsteen Live Downloads Review: January 31st, 2016 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center

For the first time since September 22nd, 2012, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band return to New Jersey for the fifth night of their River Tour 2016. Springsteen concerts in his home state are always a special event, but after close to four years of anticipation, we can easily imagine just how important and cathartic this night will have been to everyone inside the Prudential Center. Will that catharsis from a surely motivated audience inspire Bruce and the Band on for a truly remarkable night? Let’s find out!

“Jersey! Jersey! Are you ready to be entertained?! Are you ready to be entertained?! Alright! C’mon Max!“

In an immediate contrast to the previous gig in Washington, “Meet Me in the City” isn’t lacking intensity, and instead an overjoyed Newark and ultimately driven Springsteen and the E Street Band make for a version that’s full of it. There are worse ways to start a night. It’s the involvement of the audience that I particularly love in this one, from their responses to “If you can hear me then say alright” at 1:14, reaction to Jake at 2:13 and communal singing with Bruce and the Band from 3:51 to 4:08, where “IF YOU CAN HOLLER!” is once again the call, but at this point Bruce has turned it up past even eleven. With additionally fantastic guitar licks throughout (3:28) and a Mighty Max who’s carrying over his madness from “Shout” last time out as if he never stopped (2:33), if the rest of the night is as strong as this, we’re in for a good one.

“Good evening, good evening, so glad to be home tonight! Well, we’re gonna take ya down to The River. The River was the record we’re I was tryna find out, where I fit in, uh, the first four records I made, I always thought of them as outsider records, there was the E Street Shuffle, Greetings, where I was part of a marginal community on the streets of Asbury Park. And uh, The River was the first record where I was trying to figure out, how to get inside. I’d taken notice of things that had bond people to their lives: their work, their commitments and their families. And I wanted to imagine and write about those things, and figured that if I could write about ’em, maybe I’d get a little closer to realising them in my own life. So, that’s what I did, I wanted to make a big record that felt like life or like an E Street Band show, I wanted the record to contain: fun, dancing, laughter, jokes, sex, good comradeship, love, faith, lonely nights and of course teardrops, and I figured if I could make a record big enough to contain those things, maybe I’d get a little closer to the answers and the home I was trying to find for myself. So tonight, I want you to come along with us as we go down to The River.”

The intensity persists with “The Ties That Bind”, spurred on by a steady Max tempo and the most vibrant of organ riffs from Charlie as it begins. I love the forcefulness of Bruce’s vocal with Stevie’s guitar beside him, and that touch of reverb when he sings “the ties that bind” at 1:24 is a lovely nuance. The highlight of this one, though, is from 2:54 onwards, as it’s where everything combines – the instrumentation from Charlie, Max, Garry, Roy, Bruce’s vocal and the harmonies of Stevie and Patti – for a truly riveting and exciting opening to The River on this night. That excitement continues when Bruce calls for party noises and to hear Newark scream. They’re screaming alright, and that sparks a superb rendition of “Sherry Darling”, which really does appear to be improving nightly. Jake’s contributions are spot on, with a strong intro, a spot on solo (2:15) flowing nicely into Stevie’s guitar (much to Newark’s admiration) and another outro filled with little touches of magic (listen to 3:57 and 4:13!). As for Bruce, there are no missteps to his fiery vocal here, and without the ‘negatives’, it allows us to enjoy the positives all the more. That seemingly applies for Bruce too, as we can hear him enjoying himself quite often in the opening minute (0:31, 0:40, 0:50, 1:07). For as delightful that and Jake’s playing is, the most enjoyable aspect of this is undoubtedly the added quips between Bruce and Stevie, bringing a taste of “You Can Look” to us even earlier. We can hear it when Bruce sings, “Steve, there’s girls waiting out on the beach!” and Stevie retorts, “Oh!” and also at 1:33 when his “Yeah!” is followed by a fantastic “Oh no!“. Back and forth like this has been making “You Can Look” a tour highlight, so let’s hope it continues here in order to make “Sherry” one as well.
It’s into the “Jackson Cage” we go, with Max and Charlie immense from the off, and I think I prefer Bruce’s approach of singing this song tonight more than any of the previous four. It’s primarily clear, with just a touch of fire, however as we might expect there are instances where the fire burns too much and leads to raging declarations. 1:49 is particularly notable given it segues into Jake’s rapturous harmonica solo. Backed very well by Steve’s damn good backing vocals, which is unsurprising even at this early stage of the tour, the stand out aspect of this isn’t a moment of back and forth between the two, but rather a line sang only by Bruce at 2:30: “I wonder what it’s worth to me and you?“. Despite having been sang four times up to now, this is the first time this lyric has caught my attention, and taking into account his delivery, I really love the idea of him as an unsympathetic narrator pondering whether he, and us, should actually care about this protagonist’s struggle. Newark are already heavily invested in the show, but this line brings them (and those of us listening) right up close, if not into the song completely.
With a roaring “One twoooooo!” it’s time for “Two Hearts”, which is certainly passionate if not a bit too rapid. Bruce’s vocal is largely clear once again, although that can’t be said about Stevie who is really giving it his all for the majority of the performance. Listen to the way he sings “than one!” (1:25), “stone!” (1:47) and “than one!” at 2:43, I really like how the delivery of the latter implies exhaustion after a hard effort, only for his “oh yeah!” at 2:50 to negate that entirely. While he’s enthralling us with these supporting vocals, Roy also thrills us with his piano fills (0:48, 1:51) and we soon realise Bruce isn’t in the mood to be outshone, as his “takes!” at 3:25 during “It Takes Two” leaves us wondering which of our two main vocalists has actually given more upon this song’s conclusion.

“Fathers and sons, fathers and sons, fathers and sons… “Independence Day” was, the first song that I wrote about fathers and sons, and it’s the kind of song that you write when you’re young, and you’re first startled by your parent’s humanity. You’re shocked to realise that they had their own dreams and their own desires, and their own hopes, that maybe didn’t pan out, as perfectly as they might have wished. And, uh, all you can see, are the adult compromises that they’ve had to make. The daily lives that they feel, that seem they’re locked into, and a world that seems like they can’t escape. Now when you’re young that’s, all those limits, all those boundaries, you.. you can’t see the blessings that might come with it, and all you feel is a desire to, to get away. So, uh, I had a simple setting for this song, it was a late night conversation around a kitchen table, between two people, struggling to understand one another.“

Changes are made to the “Independence Day” monologue, highlighting how this tour will be an evolving one as it goes on, and aptly, the performance of the song that follows doesn’t let it down. It’s an introduction spurred on by a softer Charlie riff, Max’s delicate cymbals playing and Roy’s tender piano, and if there’s one moment to summarise it, it’s the heavy sighs from Bruce at 0:50, as he begins to tell us about his parents hopes and dreams. We’ve hardly started, and the sorrow is overwhelming. When we get into the song itself, Bruce’s vocal is equally despondent, and while he’s giving it his all, it sounds like he’s struggling. His delivery of “won’t you just say goodbye?” at 3:19 is that of a man who wants these nightmarish memories to end, and perhaps it’s the fact he’s singing this in New Jersey, where many, if not all, of them took place that makes this rendition too real for him. Having that in mind makes for an even more sentimental rendition, and ultimately the notable instrumentals – Jake’s sax (4:18), Nils’ acoustic guitar (5:03), Roy’s sombre sounds (5:12) and Soozie’s finale, with the organ riffs behind her (5:32) – become all the more impactful. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering why Springsteen shows in New Jersey are so special, here’s a fine example.

“Here’s another song about leaving home!“

Charlie contrasts his riffs during the previous monologue with much louder ones in the “Hungry Heart” intro, and adding to the comment above about New Jersey shows being special, this Newark audience follows Bruce’s call of “Jersey!” as if he hadn’t even made one. They just know what they have to do, and that’s to ace singing the opening verse of this song. They do, and Bruce follows them with a nice clear vocal (although I like the difference in his clear “come on now!” at 0:47 and the voice break singing the same phrase at 2:12), highlighted by his delivery of “don’t make no difference what nobody says!” at 2:47. Supported by solid harmonies to make up for any drawback, such as that above mentioned voice break, the foursome of Stevie, Patti, Nils and Soozie really shine from 3:41 for those us listening, as with an “Alright. Woooo!“, Bruce reminds us that if you’re Bruce Springsteen, you can’t crowd surf everywhere else across the world the world and not in New Jersey!
After their vocal and carrying efforts in “Hungry Heart”, Newark aren’t called upon at the start of “Out in the Street”, but we can hear them singing along nonetheless. They’re playing their part in this show perfectly. Onstage, Bruce is singing emphatically, making it clear that he’s got work to do, and he’s doing it well. That said, after Washington there’s one aspect of this song I was looking out for, and instead of another delectable Stevie vocal, Bruce decides to revamp the way he and his harmonists sing “meet me out in the street” (4:16). It isn’t stunning, but something unanticipated goes a long way in these River album performances.
It’s then into that stirring, searing riff of “Crush on You”, and it’s another thrilling rendition with Bruce again very focused vocally – they’re a touch less ferocious than in Washington, but still a joy to listen to. The same can be said for Stevie, and his wails during the chorus and lead harmonies when singing “got no style!” (1:31; 1:49) exemplifiy his commitment to the song, regardless of how he might feel about it in general. Both men’s vocals are complemented by tasty guitar riffs (2:18), striking organ, and thunderous sax, before Bruce concludes the song with a mighty, rapid “I GOT A CRUSH, I GOT A CRUSH ON… YOU!” (2:58).
Of course, with a crush there comes restrictions, and this is emphasised by Bruce and Stevie in the rowdy “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)”. As mentioned earlier on, this has been a highlight in the last four shows, and it continues to be on account of those feral shouts of “do what your mama told you! Mama says!” (2:32) in addition to their guitar playing (1:15) and the high intensity efforts of Roy and Max. Having said that, the best moment of this rendition has to be Patti coming through at 1:57 with her own calls of “you better not“, essentially confirming who The Boss actually is, and that if you’re Bruce Springsteen, you can look, but you better not touch! May God help you if you do…

“Dreaming, dreaming, dreaming. When you’re young it feels like, you’re always waiting for your life to begin. If this would just happen then it would start, you’d feel like you were living. You’d feel alive inside. So I wrote this song as, for all the daydreamers out there. This is just, you’re standing on the corner, watching somebody you’ll never meet walk by, and you imagine this entire life, with this person! Where you’re gonna live, what your kids are gonna look like, how many you’re gonna have, and it’s all bliss, bliss, bliss. It’s the life without consequences. The one that doesn’t exist. But hey! It’s a song of youth! So don’t let reality get in the way of your dreams! There’s plenty of time, later for that. You young folks just ask the old folks next to ya, they’ll tell ya all about it. But right now, just dream on, dream on, dream. So this is a song about love! And all of its glory, and its tentativeness. It’s not the real thing, but ya gotta start someplace.“

Also getting a tweaked opening monologue tonight is the combination of “Here She Comes Walkin'” – “I Wanna Marry You”, and like “Independence Day”, the song performances are good enough to justify the changes. I like the fluctuation in Bruce’s voice as he sings the former, starting off nice and delicately with “Well sometimes at night“, before very quickly adding strong, soulful declarations of “running round my head!” and “when I lie in bed!“. Similarly, there’s a class contrast of tones between his vocals and Stevie’s (3:46), once again inferring the difference between the realists and the dreamers, emphasised even more by the passionate shouts of “little girl!” at 4:50. Then, with a “C’mon baby!“, we’re transitioned into the rest of the fairytale by the combination of Roy, Charlie, Max and Garry, as well as Bruce who complements his robust vocal with solid maracas shaking. A fine continuation, there are two aspects that stand out to me here, the first being the way Bruce slowly sings the “there’s something happy and there’s something sad” line (8:04), stressing to his people what might be the most important words of the song at the final moments; the second comes after that final shout “wear my name!“, the coda highlighted by Jake’s gorgeous, nuanced sax playing (8:24) and Bruce’s calls of “ooo my girl!“. Magic.
To conclude Side One, Bruce gives mention to his sister (mother and entire family) in attendance tonight, and reiterates how “The River” wouldn’t exist without her, before playing a superb, dedicated and motivated rendition. His vocal is firm – “mister when you’re young” – and we can surmise again that the fact he’s actually playing this in New Jersey is impacting the way each word comes to him and spurring him on. Newark are particularly excellent when called on to sing, and they contribute strongly alongside Stevie on the acoustic, Soozie on the fiddle and Patti on backing vocals. If there’s one drawback, it’s how the harmonica from 2:37 is a little erratic (compared to it being vice versa in Washington) however it’s good to know that it doesn’t massively impact the song negatively. Ultimately a strong, enjoyable first half of the night.

We start the second half with Roy’s gloomy piano intro for “Point Blank” and, particularly, those guitar wails (0:41). The guitar playing as a whole is fantastic (1:21) and that applies to the bass too, as Garry’s riffs are pulsating from 3:50. All of this instrumentation adds greatly to Bruce’s vocal, which begins in a gritty, worn delivery, although there are strong deliveries such as “pretty lies they tell!” (3:26). I think what’s best about this vocally, though, is that from 7:02 to 7:24 when he’s singing “point bla-a-ank” and “baby you’re walking in their sights“, the song becomes all the more disorderly from his perceptive, giving us a sublime insight into the horror of this story. Mind you, his sombre, sympathetic and tragic “did you forget to love? did you forget how to fight? You’re one false, one false move away!” from 7:35 adds a strong argument as to what his best vocal moment is.
We head down to the “Cadillac Ranch” next and it only takes the first thirty seconds for Bruce to embrace his inner wild man, and he follows it up with equally savage guitar playing alongside Roy’s rapid piano playing. Already a riveting one, Charlie adds his striking riffs (0:45) before Bruce starts singing with a vicious vocal, although we can hear laughter in his voice after he sings “driving across the North New Jersey night!” a little while later, so don’t be fooled, this is a joyous rendition. “Eldorado!“. That’s further highlighted by the trademark solos from Nils, Stevie and Soozie that hit the spot, and that’s the case for Bruce’s at 3:00 and 5:22 when he combines with Jake’s sax too.
What’s interesting coming out of “Caddy” is that Bruce doesn’t even sound exhausted during “I’m a Rocker”, and instead thrills us with a rousing vocal in a performance full of passion. It’s full of quality from Roy and Charlie as well, and that flows into “Fade Away”, which is pure Jersey soul. Bruce’s cries of “C’mon gir-ir-rl!” (2:40) and “Come back baby, come back!” (4:48) typify that, and there’s equal amounts of emotion exuded by Little Steven, resulting in another glorious version of a song that can’t seem to falter.
We can surely count the ‘poor’ performances of “Stolen Car” on one hand as well, and thankfully tonight’s doesn’t fall into that category. Notably, there’s no brittleness in Bruce’s reading of the opening monologue tonight (it isn’t tweaked either), but we can note the weakened approach he takes for it. He contrasts this with a powerful vocal for the song itself, using those many masks we wear to great effect, and that’s also highlighted in the difference between Stevie and Nils’ harmonies. Stevie’s are vehement, surely coming from the hole our protagonist wants to fall into, while Nils’ are angelic, representative of the ghosts who’ve been in a similar situation and are ready to welcome a new spirit. They will be joined soon, and Bruce’s delivery of “I will disappear” at 3:37 feels like a confirmation, not a follow up to the prior words of this lyric.

We enter the home stretch of The River by going Roadhouse with a rollicking “Ramrod”, and unlike January 29th this stays true to the typical arrangement for the duration. So naturally it’s a thoroughly enjoyable version with Bruce and Stevie on top form, with the culmination of their back and forth being the essential confirmation at 4:10 that is indeed Boss Time. As for Bruce commanding, as Boss, that his people “Shake your booties!” a few moments later, well I’m still undecided on how essential that line is…
No uncertainty as to the importance of “The Price You Pay” that follows, and while there’s a crack in Bruce’s voice immediately, and a subsequent vocal that highlights his age, this is just gorgeous. His strong chemistry with Stevie persists after “Ramrod”, making for several stellar vocals, and yeah, Bruce’s voice doesn’t get through the final “throw it away!” unscathed, but there’s enough here to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Had there not been enough in “The Price You Pay”, we could easily look at “Drive All Night” and all of the positives within this one instead. Delectable from the off in the way Bruce sings “I wish God would send me the word, send me something I’m afraid to lose” and hesitates reciting “lying… in the heat, of the night“, we soon realise everyone inside the Prudential is motivated for this track. It starts with the audience singing “baby, baby, baby” at 1:27, which is absolutely class, and it continues with Charlie’s bright riffs (2:00), Stevie’s backing vocals, Jake’s sax (3:44) and the way it meshes with Charlie’s organ five seconds later. For there to be six minutes left is simply a bonus. Standing out in these six minutes are more superb Bruce vocals, maybe none more than the “dream on dream baby dream on” at 7:20, and an immense finale where Bruce and Stevie are fervid as Jake thunders us out (8:51). It appears this can get even better after all.
We go from the powerful to the sorrowful with “Wreck on the Highway” to conclude this album sequence, spurred on as always by the hauntingly beautiful efforts of Roy and Charlie, and Bruce’s soulful vocal. It’s a vocal with the tiniest break in the voice as he sings “state trooper” and a delivery of “I sit up in the darkness” that feels like it’s being shouted at us, if just to block out the vision that’s implanted in his head. It leaves us asking if this level of emotion can also be attributed to this performance taking place in New Jersey, and even if it can’t, the fact that we’re left pondering it at all says everything about this performance.

“That’s The River! The mighty E Street Band!“

Moving into the House Party sequence, we get three tour debuts tonight starting with “Lonesome Day” and it allows for a thematic continuation after “Wreck” as another sombre track, albeit one with a stirring declaration that things will get better. As Jake plays more nuanced sax riffs (2:25), Bruce sings strongly, trying his hardest to empty the tank with the way he cries “lonesome daaaay!” at 3:12. Thankfully, he has just enough left in him for some nice falsetto at 4:03. Max is emphatic as The Rising track closes out, but a lot less forceful for the start of our first “Working on the Highway” of the tour next. His steady tempo accompanies an extended acoustic driven intro, and Bruce follows with an interesting vocal approach, one where he doesn’t know which styling to actually go with, so he fluctuates throughout. I like it. With Charlie’s vibrant riffs, Stevie’s and Garry’s rhythm guitars, and Bruce’s little bursts of wildness in addition, it’s an enjoyable first outing for the Born in the U.S.A. fan favourite, let’s hope that continues to be the case.
Speaking of fan favourites, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say the most appealing, and fitting, selection of these debuts is “Atlantic City”. Driven on by brooding guitar riffs and Max’s steady, albeit relentless tempo, Bruce walks us through the start of this story with an equally worn and crushed vocal – with a little bit of help from Newark – before kicking in with those organ riffs (1:21; 2:45). Upon the kick in, Bruce’s vocal persists, and the tone is emphasised by a storm of guitars with Nils joining in (he also contributes to the despondent aura through backing vocals alongside Steve). As for Steve, he thrives on mandolin duties (4:16) and thrills with his vocals, whether it’s the calls of “meet me tonight” (4:53) or the simple repetition of “c’mon baby” at 5:24 as they immensely segue into the finale.
Doomed love is replaced by the search for it with “Human Touch”, and this is transcendental in all of its wistful guitar, organ and bass driven glory. There’s a lot of fire in Bruce’s voice, but he’s not angry, just determined, and that really shows when he’s singing with Patti. 2:21 is very nice, as is the guitar playing that follows at 2:42, but there’s nothing bettering his “SAY NOW! YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH!” at 4:40, it’s absolutely cathartic!

As far as cathartic performances are concerned, “Wrecking Ball” may very likely be the summit of the show. No need for a ratio check tonight, that’s for sure! Highlighted in the simplest mention of the “swamps of Jersey” and the always special “and Giants play their games!” for those who bleed blue, this really does feel like a special rendition here. Standing out in particular is the response to “Jersey let me hear your voices call!“, as while the sixteen and a half thousand in the house do just that, it certainly feels like the dead are right there with them. Driven forward by class rhythm guitar in the opening minute and Soozie’s sentimental violin moments later (0:55), instrumentally the song peaks at 2:20. Alongside the calls of “bring on your wrecking ball!” in the finale, this is the homecoming in full effect. Mesmerising.
“The Rising” next is vigorous, led by an inspired Stevie, and as noted in the Washington review, the audio quality of these releases is really starting to do these Live Downloads justice. Here the clarity allows this performance to really shine, and for me there’s no better example of that than the blissful guitar solo from 2:00.
Our main set ending trio looks set for now, and bringing the first two hours and forty-three minutes to a close is the song for New Jersey, about getting out of New Jersey. It’s “Thunder Road”, and it’s splendid. Spotlessly played, from the loudness of this Newark audience to the impressively delivered “pulling outta here to wiiiiin” at 4:27, if this was the final act of the night, that’s how you want it to end.

Luckily for Newark (and us listening, of course) there’s another half hour to go, and after Bruce gives credits to the efforts of the Community Foodbank of New Jersey, Newark lose their minds over “Badlands”, in a rare encore spot, and it sets the tone for the four songs that follow. Inspired with Bruce and the E Street Band still on fine form, “Badlands”, as well as “Born to Run” and “Dancing in the Dark” afterwards sees excellent work from Max, Roy, Stevie, Charlie, Garry and Jake who shine either solo or together for heated and rousing renditions.
It’s a similar story for “Rosie”, who had to come out for Newark, however this one begins with Bruce getting mixed up with the lyrics, and I think that’s due to Newark really surprising him with their participation. No mix ups after that, and this one soars in the same manner it has done in the last four shows, this time with the added bonus of Stevie howling at the moon from 2:11 as if he’d just turned into the Jersey Devil. And I thought we’d been blessed by the usual wild man behaviour like at 6:38. “Say it Steve!“.
There are fewer highlights within “Shout” than there were in Washington, but Jersey are still really with Bruce after three hours, so he treats them to a blistering, breakneck rendition nonetheless. That said, for the highlights this doesn’t have, what it does feature arguably makes up for them all, because we finally get the essential “IN THIER PYJAMMIES!” from 5:17. New Jersey gigs are the best. And of course, it doesn’t end there as Bruce once again calls “F!” at 5:22 for another raucous finale. It sounds like the end of the world, and I’m sure for this Prudential Center audience, there’s no other way they’d want to see it out.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concerts in New Jersey are always a special occasion, and close to three and a half years since their last one, that’s even more so the case tonight. The fifth night of their River Tour 2016, Bruce takes advantage of being home by making a few tweaks to his introductions for “Independence Day” and “I Wanna Marry You”. It’s quite clear from these two songs alone that this should be a constantly evolving tour. Consequently, those tracks stand out greatly in a fantastic River album sequence, which is partly fuelled by a Newark audience desperate to make up for time lost since September 2012, and that continues way beyond the conclusion of “Wreck on the Highway”. A post album sequence featuring three tour debuts sees the audience, Springsteen and his mighty men and women keep up the tempo with tremendous, exciting performances with a New Jersey flavour, and while the songs following the debuts seem locked in to their respective positions for the meantime, they’re thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless.
Bruce and the E Street Band would return to New Jersey in late August for three eventful nights (to say the least), but up next on this first leg they head to Toronto for their only Canadian show of the tour.

Rating: 7/10

Kieran’s recommended listening from January 31st, 2016 – Newark, NJ:
“Meet Me in the City“, The River, in particular: “The Ties That Bind”, “Sherry Darling”, “Jackson Cage”, “Two Hearts”, “Independence Day”, “Here She Comes Walkin'” – “I Wanna Marry You”, “Point Blank”, “Cadillac Ranch”, “Fade Away”, “Stolen Car”, “The Price You Pay”, “Drive All Night” and “Wreck on the Highway”; “Atlantic City“, “Human Touch“, “Wrecking Ball“, “Thunder Road”, “Born to Run”, “Dancing in the Dark”, “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” and “Shout”.

You can download Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s first stop in New Jersey on their 2016 tour here.