Bruce Springsteen Live Downloads Review: April 18th, 2016 – University Park, PA – Bryce Jordan Center

“Good evening State College!!! Are you ready to be entertained?! Are you ready to be transformed?!?!“

After a four day break, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band return to the stage for the preantepenultimate show of the opening leg of their 2016 tour. On this night they’re in Pennsylvania’s University Park, and as a college campus it makes for an original River Tour feel in the intimate aura it’s sure to instil, in comparison to the Royal Farms Arena and the Barclays Center venues which will be played next to conclude this stage of the tour.
This night’s show only sees one change to last time out in Michigan’s Palace of Auburn Hills, but as we well know that means little when considering how good the song performances were in Michigan, and going into this one we can only hope the music meets that standard.

In a strong performance of The River that brings us remarkable readings of “Jackson Cage,” “Independence Day,” “Stolen Car,” “The Price You Pay” and “Drive All Night,” one aspect that I really like is how Bruce urges on Penn State College before – and after – sparkling versions of “Meet Me in the City,” “Sherry Darling,” “Hungry Heart” and “Out in the Street.” Perhaps aware of the setbacks that can come with such an intimate venue, Bruce wastes no time in getting them up and out of their seats, involving them in the show. Through intense, exuberant readings of songs such as the aforementioned “Meet Me in the City” and album tracks like “Crush on You” – which gets an added “nigh-nigh-nigh-night!” to go alongside its extended outro sequence – “Cadillac Ranch” and its scorching Nils Lofgren solo, and “Ramrod,” of which our feelings are best exemplified by Little Steven’s reaction at 2:23, there’s plenty of reason for this audience to remain on their feet once they’re on them.
Despite the intimate setting, we could also say it’s no surprise that with this being a Pennsylvania audience, as the album performance goes on we can find reactions similar to those from ‘typical’ crowds across the tour. State College show great respect during the twenty-five minutes that bridge us between the first and second half the album, and in the midst of it react heartily to the “Johnstown company!” cry in “The River,” and show similar appreciation upon the end of Roy’s extended piano intro for “Point Blank” as Auburn Hills did. These two songs also stand out again on this night, and when an audience invests themselves into the performance like this, it has a sure impact on what Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band put into their playing. With that said, their great respect for the lengthy combination of “Here She Comes Walkin'” into “I Wanna Marry You” sees them rewarded with a superb rendition – Bruce’s drawn out “She’s soooo fine!” is immense, and nicely describes these ten minutes – filled with beautiful, dreamlike playing and tons of very pronounced vocals, of which I’m most captivated by his delivery of “Having a home and a family!” at 6:11; note the way he sings that last word, almost as if to suggest his doubts about what he wants from this daydream. This deep into the tour, it’s great that we’re still able to grab different interpretations from these songs we’ve heard over thirty times. State College also reward us as well as those onstage with what they add to the music, and while we can find solid examples in “Hungry Heart,” “Out in the Street” and “I’m a Rocker,” there’s no better example than in the vocally and instrumentally passionate “Fade Away,” because at 4:50 they answer Bruce’s call with those cries of “Fade away!“, and this not only wows us in their investment of a song that will soon be taken out of the setlist, but also amplifies the strength of their relationship with Bruce in the process.
With a final show of respect a little over half an hour later in “Wreck on the Highway,” with appreciation to the message Bruce conveys at its close, what could have been something of a struggle with several slow songs across the album performance becomes a gem, and a true example of the magic that can occur when man, band and audience connect from the very start.

“That’s The River! Thanks for comin’ along!“

We then “kick it a little bit” with the post-album House Party sequence, and despite its one setlist change, it nonetheless sees an exhilarating pairing of “Badlands” and “The Promised Land” to kick us off. Defiant in the cries of “I don’t give a damn!” and “Blow away!” that resound throughout the Bryce Jordan Center, this duo are the perfect follow up to the sobering “Wreck on the Highway,” conveying the same themes of how fragile time is and how time must be used well, but replacing the solemn tempo with an emphatic, blissful sound that makes you truly feel alive – I know the combination of guitar and sax at 2:28 into the latter does that for me! “Because the Night” follows with a Nils solo that might be even better than his stand out solo in Michigan, and where earlier on I mentioned how fantastic it is to hear vocal nuances lead to different interpretations of these songs, hearing the E Street Band better themselves as we reach the end of this leg is equally as good, if not even better. Having said that, in “The Rising” we get more of those vocal nuances that last time out in Auburn Hills typified the extra commitment being put into the song in comparison to usual, and while there are only two noticeable instances: “This chain that binds me!” early on and “sky of glory and sadness!” at 3:42, they still bring that something special that elevates the performance.
Then, we get the night’s only change, and it’s a big one – maybe even as big as the Huge sign it was requested on. That’s right, joy floods University Park as “Jungleland” begins and in a similar instance to the last show with Roy’s “Backstreets” intro there’s immediate excitement and wonderment in the reactions of Pennsylvania, the only different being that they know from the very first note what’s being played here. The audience make sure to take in every moment, participating avidly with superb singing along, taking note from Bruce and buoying him on as he sings “stab of romance!” in the build up to their first ultimate response of “DOWN IN JUNGLELAND!” – as immense as anything that’s come up to this point in the show. What follows from Springsteen and the E Street Band is pure ecstasy, rock and roll at its most absorbing, from Bruce’s equal parts vigorous and stoic vocal, to the delicate and ethereal keys playing of Roy and Charlie Giordano, to the solos: Little Steven’s finest moment, and Jake doing his uncle proud in his execution of the most famous sax solo in the Springsteen catalogue. Upon the conclusion of a spirited “Thunder Road” to end this sequence afterwards, Bruce credits his audience, noting that they’re “loving every second of it!” and when you get eleven minutes and twenty-one seconds of music as good as this, you have no choice but to love it.

With a shout out to State College Food Bank to go alongside that above mentioned praise of those inside University Park, the encore begins with “Born in the U.S.A.,” which remains in the setlist to ensure us that the dust still has yet to settle on the Greensboro cancellation, and that the fight for social justice continues. What also persists is the tremendous quality of this song performance, which is driven by a thunderous balance of vocals and music, and with more of an emphasis on force than snippets of soul this time around, Bruce is really using the music to exert his anger tonight. Evidently fed up of proposed laws, now there’s no time for the beauty of soul singing, and a message needs to be sent. If Bruce’s singing or the thunder brought by Max’s drums, Charlie’s organ and Garry’s bass don’t send that message, the screams of agony from 3:25 are sure to capture the attention of anyone sleeping.
Inspired by their audience and the context behind their titanic track, Bruce and the E Street Band also bring intensity to “Born to Run,” making for a liberating magnum opus reading coated in emotion. Listen to the force with which Bruce sings “together we can break this trap!” at 1:20 and how the E Street Band echo his tempo behind him; and keep on listening to hear how much heart they put into the final sequence from 4:07 – note the way Bruce stresses “I’m gonna get to that place!” – resulting in a sublime finale. Mint.
With “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Born to Run” effectively serving final themes, the final four songs of the night allow for respite, and the joyous escape that rock and roll is great for providing. “Dancing in the Dark” and “Rosalita” give those onstage and in the crowd reason to let loose and, in Bruce and Stevie’s case regarding “Rosie,” go a little mental, while “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” thrills us with nice vocals to go with the E Street Band’s committed display, and a storming “Shout” leaves us feeling “alright now” as Bruce, the E Street Band and State College give each other all they’ve got left to bring the night to riveting and raucous end.

With the end of the opening leg of The River Tour 2016 in sight, this night in the intimate Bryce Jordan Center in Pennsylvania’s University Park allows us to see how far Springsteen and the E Street Band have come since opening night in the state on January 16th. Featuring a very polished run-through of The River album that sees man, band and audience combine to deliver stellar versions of “Jackson Cage,” “I Wanna Marry You,” “The River,” “Fade Away” and “The Price You Pay” amongst several others, it’s unsurprising listening to these songs over and over continues to be a thrill, as the music seemingly can’t stop improving. Then in a post-album sequence that harbours only one change to last time out in Auburn Hills, “Badlands,” “The Promised Land,” “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Born to Run” reaffirm how great music can’t help but make for good listening, as exhilarating and contextually impactful song performances. And as for that one setlist change, “Jungleland” gives us the absolute best of everyone inside the Bryce Jordan Center on this April 2016 night – onstage and off – while assuring us shows don’t need tour debuts or multiple shake-ups to feel special.
Next up, the antepenultimate show of the tour from Baltimore. Can Bruce and the Band raise the bar for the final two shows in New York City?

Rating: 7.6/10

Kieran’s recommended listening from April 18th, 2016: University Park, PA:
“Meet Me in the City,” The River, in particular: “The Ties That Bind,” “Sherry Darling,” “Jackson Cage,” “Independence Day,” “Hungry Heart,” “Crush on You,” “Here She Comes Walkin'” – “I Wanna Marry You,” “The River,” “Point Blank,” “Cadillac Ranch,” “Fade Away,” “Stolen Car,” “Ramrod,” “The Price You Pay,” “Drive All Night” and “Wreck on the Highway”; “Badlands,” “The Promised Land,” “Because the Night,” “The Rising,” “Jungleland,” “Thunder Road,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” “Born to Run,” “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” and “Shout.”

You can download this stop on the opening leg of The River Tour 2016 here.

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