For Springsteen fans in the twenty-first century, the final shows of a European tour have typically brought out setlist changes and big surprises, but as we well know this time around, this isn’t the kind of tour fans have become accustomed to. The penultimate show in Europe saw Springsteen and the E Street Band remain in Germany, travelling across to Munich for a night that stayed true to those that have preceded it since April 28th, albeit one that featured a couple of changes after the trio of identical setlists in Hamburg, Vienna and Hockenheim, and a show that also contrasted on account of featuring twenty-five songs in total, the fewest amount played on this leg yet. Given the high expectations that tend to come with late-Euro shows, that of course may have made for disappointment to some fans, but as this tour has often shown us: when a show is shorter or a setlist is particularly ‘static,’ that is when Springsteen and the E Street Band turn the heat up.
There were indeed many examples of those onstage turning it up in Olympiastadion on this night, and the tone was set by a spirited opening that despite its repetition, once again stood out as an outstandingly crafted six-pack – “No Surrender,” “Ghosts,” “Prove It All Night,” “Letter To You,” “The Promised Land,” “Out in the Street”. While the odd bit of variation is always welcome, these songs served their purpose excellently in electrifying the Munich audience, and I loved the cries of “I’m aliiiiive!” and “coming home!” that Bruce and Little Steven Van Zandt sung with such freedom in “Ghosts.” Little Stevie also brought similar enthusiasm to “The Promised Land” and “Out in the Street,” the latter extra enjoyable on this night, even with the Jake Clemons “meet me out in the street” harmony that has still yet to grow on me. That said, Jake’s saxophone playing on this tour gives him the benefit of the doubt in any other area, and his efforts in “Ghosts,” “Prove It” and “The Promised Land” greatly emphasised that. Where it concerns the former Darkness track, too, while many fans would rather have different songs played each show, I don’t think it can disputed how fortunate we are to have “Prove It” ’23 played so stunningly and savagely every night.
The same can be said for another song that is often criticised, “Kitty’s Back.” Once upon a time it was a rarity much craved for, but after more than fifty performances (over twelve hours worth) in the year 2023, many have had their fill. Much like the above mentioned Darkness track, though, this one seems to get better and better, with its lengthy runtime and exhibitive nature always allowing for potential nuances. Having been seamlessly segued into after the conclusion of “Darlington County” – even though the U.S.A. track has been typically followed by the absent “Working on the Highway,” this flawless transition was another example of Springsteen and the E Street Band’s constant tweaks in search of perfection – the Wild and Innocent behemoth once again brought nuances and sensational solos from those onstage. From Bruce’s pronounced “There hasn’t been a tally since Sally left the alley!” and vicious guitar solo to the captivating efforts of Roy Bittan, Charlie Giordano, Max Weinberg and the E Street Horns, whether it was your first or your fifty-eighth time hearing the song on this tour, this performance had something to reel us all in.
The next portion of this show then brought small changes to the previous three, as a punctuated “Nightshift” was not followed by “Mary’s Place,” but rather “Trapped,” which brought similarly cathartic and life-affirming themes while contrasting the lighthearted approach of the Rising track with its emphatic tone – that highlighted best by a outstanding coda. Then, after the famed Jimmy Cliff cover had ended, came some lighthearted music. Of course, this version of “Johnny 99” was lighthearted in arrangement only, as its lyrics still told a tragic story. Nonetheless, it was a stand out performance on the night, fronted by an awesome extended intro riff, and more superb guitar playing soon followed alongside stupendous work from the Horns and the thundering final lyrics, “sit back in that chair and think it over judge, one more time, let ‘em shave off my hair! AND BURN OL’ JOHNNY 99!”. Mint!
The rambunctious, revisioned Nebraska track served as ten minutes of great levity in a sequence that had more tragic themes ahead, and Bruce’s personal trio – “The River,” “Last Man Standing,” “Backstreets” – rounded it out as highly emotional (and encouraging) tributes to the ghosts that walk beside him – and us too. “The River” saw Bruce first call on them with haunting wails as Stevie played shout out worthy guitar, and “Backstreets” brought the show to an emotional peak with his promise to George Theiss: “The rest of you that’s gone, the rest of you, I’m gonna carry you right here… right here… right here…”. Always the highlight of the show, every now and then Bruce is able to enhance the beauty and emotion of his Born to Run epic by adding a different detail or line, and that was the case here. Truly gorgeous.
There was more emotion to be experienced in Olympiastadion with songs such as “Bobby Jean” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams” in particular, but the final portion of this show was more about the excitement, with “Because the Night” and its potent intro guitar licks reminiscent of ’78 fronting a final hour that surely had all in Munich on their feet. There were admittedly few songs here that stood out on account of nuances, but the songs that comprised the rest of the main set – “She’s the One,” “Wrecking Ball,” “The Rising,” “Badlands” – and those that shaped the encore – such as “Born to Run” and “Dancing in the Dark” thrilled as ever, while being complemented by a revealing “Glory Days” (it seems Bruce has been so eager to go home during this song because of a sole schnitzel waiting for him!) and a “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” that initially suffered by way of Bruce not singing the final lyrics of the first verse, but a version that became class thanks to his fantastically delivered declarations of “Ain’t nothing but the Tenth!” towards the end of the song. This final show in Germany in the year 2023 mightn’t have had memorable moments aplenty like penultimate stops in Europe on past tours, but it no doubt left those in attendance with much to talk about for a long time, and those of us listening to the Live Download with several songs worth revisiting.
Would the final show of the European leg in Monza be a similar story next time out?
Kieran’s recommended listening from July 25th, 2023 – Munich, DE:
“No Surrender,” “Ghosts,” “Prove It All Night,” “Letter To You,” “The Promised Land,” “Out in the Street,” “Kitty’s Back,” “Nightshift,” “Trapped,” “Johnny 99,” “The River,” “Last Man Standing,” “Backstreets,” “Because the Night,” “She’s the One,” “Badlands,” “Glory Days,” “Dancing in the Dark,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”
You can download this night in Munich on the 2023 International Tour here.
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