Some of us had gone home by the time May 15th rolled around, but those who remained in France for the Monday show were full of anticipation for what night two inside the Paris La Défense Arena might have in store. Recent history suggested that anticipation was justified, too, as previous multi-night ventures in Paris have seen the second show become a tour highlight. On July 5th, 2012, Springsteen and the E Street Band not only handled the heat inside the Palais Omnisports De Paris-Bercy, but also brought it with a stunning thirty-one song setlist. Last summer I was fortunate to write the Archive Series review of the July 4th show for Backstreets, while Hal Schwarz (co-host of None But The Brave podcast) covered the next night, a show he referred to as “the best he’d seen anyone play in the last twelve years,” which says a lot! Then, four years later on The River Tour 2016, Springsteen and the E Street Band followed an explosive night inside the Accorhotels Arena (the Palais Omnisports since renamed) with the first ever performance of The River album in full outside of the States. Talk about raising the bar!
Night one in Paris on this tour saw those of us in the house treated to a straightforward, but oh so incredibly joyous setlist, and changes were indeed made as this night began. These changes weren’t quite tour debuts, mind you, as the night got started with “My Love Will Not Let You Down” and “Death to My Hometown,” but they were no less joyous for those inside the Paris La Défense Arena here as “No Surrender” into “Ghosts” was forty-eight hours prior. In fact, this “My Love Will Not Let You Down” was played so stupendously that it really surpassed the Barcelona and Dublin outings for me as my favourite of the European tour so far. The rebel anthem from the Wrecking Ball LP that followed was particularly enjoyable too, highlighted by gorgeous pan-flute and the intense determination in Bruce’s vocal. It seems like these two songs, while only saved for second – and third – nights, are starting to show the rewards of practiced and polished performances.
Then came the tour’s usual opening trio: “No Surrender,” “Ghosts” and “Prove It All Night.” I’ve actually yet to revisit the May 13th show via the Live Download, but upon listening to these three expertly played songs I’m certainly transported back into the Paris La Défense Arena, envisioning the lighting effects and other onstage visuals that complemented the music in the moment. It’s a nice feeling, being able to listen to a show that you weren’t in attendance for and have a good idea of what’s happening in the house, however even if that wasn’t the case for these songs, the exhilaration of “No Surrender” and “Ghosts,” and the viciousness of the guitar playing in in “Prove It” would surely have me just as captivated. The same can be said for the other twenty-one songs retained from night one, and this opening portion would close out with strong readings of “Letter To You,” “The Promised Land,” “Out in the Street” and “Kitty’s Back” – the latter featuring a very blistering guitar solo from Bruce – but sandwiched in-between was a compelling “Darkness on the Edge of Town.” This one that mightn’t have been sung with the same kind of conviction that it was in 1978, but there’s no doubt that Bruce was still feeling the words he was singing here in 2023 – “something that they just can’t face!” – and that made for a performance full of purpose that well and truly delighted the audience hanging off his every word.
As noted above, following “Kitty’s Back” the night continued in mostly similar fashion to May 13th, and almost identical fashion to May 7th in Dublin – the positioning of “Glory Days” and “Bobby Jean” the only contrast – so what came next included a passionate “Nightshift” featuring joyful contributions from Ada Dyer (“said it’s gonna be allllriiiight!”) and Curtis King Jr. (“we all remember you!”) and a “Mary’s Place” that saw Bruce alternate from May 13th by starting with the essential interrogative of “Is there anybody alive in Paris?!” before rousing the audience with fun interaction and thunderous declarations of “turn it up!”, “let it rain!” and “meet me at Mary’s place!”. The man promised a party, and this one set the mood superbly, with “Pay Me My Money Down” following on from it nicely with its infectious atmosphere. For many fans, this Seeger anthem isn’t the most exciting addition to the setlist, but Paris’ frenzied singing along served as a fine reminder as to why it continues popping up, and much like I experienced on May 13th with songs I’ve personally grown a bit tired of listening to over the years, how when you’re in the house you can’t help but lose yourself in the music. That was further the case for those inside the Paris La Défense Arena after the E Street Horns’ teasing subsided and “The E Street Shuffle” got underway to bring the party atmosphere to a high. I was overjoyed to witness this one forty-eight hours earlier having had fears it would be taken out of the set just before Paris rolled around, and I’m very happy that it stayed in the set past my show, too, because as has consistently been the case on this tour, the riveting efforts of the Horns, Bruce on guitar, and the duelling Max Weinberg and Anthony Almonte on percussion made for a shining moment in this show. Listening to this battle I can still picture the smile on Max’s face and the determination on Anthony’s from the 13th, and I’m sure that was also the case here, much to the delight of those watching it in the flesh!
As we’ve become well accustomed to, upon the end of “The E Street Shuffle,” the E Street Band stepped aside as it was time for Bruce’s intimate tribute to the memory of George Theiss and the legacy he – and The Castiles – has left behind for Bruce to carry with him until his summers come to an end as the “Last Man Standing.” After sharing a shortened version of his and George’s story from 1965 to 2018 – one that doesn’t lose its impact on an audio recording after hearing him tell it live – Bruce told Paris of his story in the year 2023, a story that is lived mostly through old photos, the memories of times past, and the desire to return and feel the thrill that came with exercising that young passion. This sombre, solo reading was then followed by a cathartic full band version of “Backstreets,” and on this occasion the song that always stands out in these tour shows as the ultimate highlight was even better than usual. Led by a swift, somewhat gritted declaration of “me and Terry became friends!”, here Paris saw Bruce sing with an incredible amount of emotion, the most I can recall hearing him sing with on a Live Download in a long time. Raging, heart aching cries of “say yeeeeeaaaaah!!! Yeah! Yeah!” and “after all this time to find we’re just like all the rest!” stood out, while the sweltering guitar solo he played evoked equal amounts of passion, showing Paris that he can express his pain in more ways than just singing. The nightly interlude in which he borrows lines from “I’ll See You in My Dreams” was then further evidence of that, too. A promise to his fallen friend to assure him that he’ll carry that legacy – and everything else – with him, like I said above, to witness Bruce recite this in person is a towering experience, but it doesn’t take away from the magnitude of hearing it on a recording, especially when he’s following it with the repetition of “until the end…”, spoken and whispered, as he did here. Gutting, but so sublime.
Passion to the degree of that what was found in “Backstreets” would not be heard again inside the Paris La Défense Arena on May 15th, however there was still a good amount to be heard in the songs that followed: those that rounded out the main set and those that shaped the encore. Fronted by a high octane “Because the Night” and its fantastic centrepiece solo played by Nils Lofgren, this final sequence of the main set was thankfully much improved to night three in Dublin, while equally as solid as on night one in this arena, with “She’s the One” and “Badlands” exceptional in their ferocity to complement the high emotion that “Wrecking Ball” and “The Rising” brought about. The usual apex of the emotion in this sequence, “Thunder Road,” was unfortunately absent (again) in this setlist, but while those in the house may have rued that absence regardless of whether they’d seen it forty-eight hours prior or they were hoping for it in their only show of these two nights, “Badlands” certainly sufficed as a strong, stimulating end to the main set.
With the usual count of “One! Two! Three! Four!” (the extra “One! Two!” on May 13th remains a unique moment in recent live history) it was into “Born in the U.S.A.” for a likewise start to the encore as it was to the end of the main set. Since coming home from Paris, the image of the house lights coming up as Max and Professor Roy Bittan launched the E Street Band into this titanic track has come to mind more than most, and I can only imagine the thrill of that was just as great for those in the house on this night, too. What followed was a similarly soulful and scorching effort on Bruce’s part, with the E Street Band relentless in their instrumentation behind him to make for another euphoric version of this song on the European leg. Considering we’re only six shows in, also, I sense there are many more to come. The joy of “U.S.A.” set the tone for the rest of the encore, and what followed saw a typically tremendous blend of excitement and emotion felt through “Born to Run,” “Bobby Jean,” “Glory Days,” – highlighted by Max saying “I don’t want to go home!” in French and Bruce following it up with “WHAT?!” – “Dancing in the Dark” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” I don’t know if those in the pit were handing out “Bruce! Don’t stop tonight!” signs during these songs on this night, but that was surely the feeling in the room nonetheless. As was the case on May 13th, though, the night didn’t go on any longer than usual, and following final bows from the E Street Band, Bruce brought two special nights in the Paris La Défense Arena (even if the setlist didn’t typify it) to an end with “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” a song to bookend the themes of the show and a song to say goodbye just in case it so happens this was the last time Springsteen and the E Street Band were to play in Paris. If that is the case, it’s safe to say they left fans with memories to cherish forevermore.
Forty-eight hours after I saw them for the second time ever in the same venue, Springsteen and the E Street Band returned to the Paris La Défense Arena to deliver a damn good ‘second night set’ for the 2023 tour. Almost identical in structure to night two in Dublin – the only change being the positioning of “Bobby Jean” and “Glory Days” – this one kicked into action with fantastic performances of “My Love Will Not Let You Down,” “Death to My Hometown” and “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” newer additions to the setlist that are starting to sound just as polished as the nightly staples since February. And of those staples, songs such as “Ghosts,” Prove It All Night,” “Kitty’s Back” and “The E Street Shuffle” stood out, with the likes of “Because the Night” and “She’s the One” not far behind as those onstage continued to make strides in finding their best form.
Next on the 2023 International Tour, a long awaited return to Italy with a show in Ferrara. Would further strides be made on May 18th?
Kieran’s recommended listening from May 15th, 2023 – Paris, FR:
“My Love Will Not Let You Down,” “Death to My Hometown,” “No Surrender,” “Ghosts,” “Prove It All Night,” “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “Letter To You,” “The Promised Land,” “Kitty’s Back,” “Nightshift,” “Mary’s Place,” “The E Street Shuffle,” “Last Man Standing,” “Backstreets,” “Because the Night,” “She’s the One,” “Badlands,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” “Bobby Jean,” “Glory Days,” “Dancing in the Dark” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”
You can download night two in Paris on the 2023 International Tour here.
The quickest and easiest way to support my blog is by liking and sharing, however if you would like to donate you can do so here.
Kieran's Thoughts, Previews & Reviews 