With the end of their 2023 European leg drawing closer, a potential sojourn in Germany for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band was adjourned by a stop in Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadion. It was a notable night, too, however not for reasons many fans would have been wishing going into the show. An identical setlist to July 15th in Hamburg made for the first time Bruce and the Band have played the same songs back-to-back since the start of The Rising Tour in August 2002. That wasn’t something fans were expecting to see in the year 2023, but as was the case with previous shows on this tour that brought identical setlists, this was a thoroughly enjoyable show with many enjoyable moments.
Where some may see the reliance on a previously played set as ‘lazy’ or uninspired, it was evident from the off that those onstage were playing with purpose, as a really energetic “No Surrender” set the tone for the night ahead, and that dedication was maintained during the opening portion of the show with thrilling versions of “Ghosts,” “Prove It All Night” (the efforts of Max Weinberg and Garry Tallent on the drums and bass were equally as immense here as Bruce and Little Steven Van Zandt were playing guitar), “Letter To You,” “The Promised Land” and “Out in the Street” following.
The excitement transcended the opening six-pack, too, with “Darlington County,” “Working on the Highway” and “Kitty’s Back” serving as rousing and showcase performances for the live audience and Live Downloads listeners, and in another instance of something we didn’t expect in the year 2023, “Working on the Highway” stood out once again as a particularly riveting rendition thanks to spirited instrumentation. The U.S.A. track also followed on from the Hamburg show by seeing Bruce substitute a word for greater effect, here singing “to the prison bell clang” instead of “church.” Now it’s always been very apparent what happened to our main character, and while this didn’t allow for interpretation of the same kind as the words sung in “Badlands” and “Born to Run” last time out in Germany (those songs were back to normal on this night) it certainly reminded us just how dark this song truly is!
Twenty-four minutes later, it was again time to serve themes, as “Nightshift” naturally followed the Wild and Innocent behemoth and established the topic Springsteen and the E Street Band would focus on over the next four songs: how we find strength and comfort after losing our loved ones. With the help of the outstanding E Street Choir; Max and Roy Bittan; Soozie Tyrell; Barry Danelian, and quite simply the E Street Band entire, these songs – “Mary’s Place,” “The River,” “Last Man Standing,” “Backstreets” – saw Bruce comfort Vienna by telling them it’s okay to accept, it’s okay to celebrate, and it’s okay to have your regrets, as long as you remember those who’ve left us, as long as you carry them in your heart “right until the end.” Before he sang a “Last Man Standing” in tribute to George Theiss and The Castilles that reverberated across Ernst Happel Stadion, Bruce told those in that stadium to “seize the day,” and it’s important that we heed those words. After all, later on in the night he’d be telling Vienna how “time slips away,” so we have to make the most of it while we have it.
Those above mentioned words would come in a “Glory Days” without a Bob Dylan impression on this night (identical as the setlist may be, it sadly wasn’t all the same), but a “Glory Days” with just about as much joy thanks to the E Street Horns’s euphoric riffs and the enthusiasm Bruce and Stevie sang and bantered with. The “schnitzel” Stevie talked about will have been very well earned, and not just for that song, because awesome versions of “She’s the One” and “The Rising” stood out in the post-“Backstreets” sequence; and the encore also saw more excitement through “Dancing in the Dark” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” as well as emotion with “Bobby Jean” and the show-closing “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” which ensured those in Vienna knew as they left Ernst Happel Stadion that their twenty+ years of love and support will always be appreciated and remembered by those onstage. On its face, this was a show no different to Hamburg, but for those in the house on July 18th, it was a (potentially) perfect culmination to a story all will wish they could have had more of over the years.
Kieran’s recommended listening from July 18th, 2023 – Vienna, AU:
“No Surrender,” “Ghosts,” “Prove It All Night,” “Letter To You,” “The Promised Land,” “Working on the Highway,” “Kitty’s Back,” “Nightshift,” “Mary’s Place,” “The River,” “Last Man Standing,” “Backstreets,” “She’s the One,” “Wrecking Ball,” “The Rising,” “Badlands,” “Thunder Road,” “Glory Days,” “Dancing in the Dark” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”
You can download this night in Vienna on the 2023 International Tour here.
Next on the 2023 International Tour, it was back to Germany as Springsteen and the E Street Band played Hockenheim. What would it have in store?
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