As fans readied themselves for Springsteen and the E Street Band’s second night in L.A. knowing that night one on April 4th was already the measuring stick to which the rest of the 2024 World Tour would be compared, the question was if and how April 7th could equal or excel. The Night Two Rule as we’d known it over the last twenty years changed during the 2023 International Tour, however the two-nights in San Francisco showed Bruce is open to a little more variation this time around. Night one in Inglewood even showed us that he’s very happy to play thirty-two songs across three hours again. This night would see them bust out thirty-one across three hours, fourteen minutes (Five minutes less than night one? Inconceivable!) and with that sort of approach, we could say this man and his band were well and truly open all night.
And wouldn’t you know it, this night got underway with Roy Bittan playing a saloon melody on the piano we hadn’t heard in a long time. Yes, ten years had passed since the last reading of “Open All Night,” and while it was without those doo wop harmonies from the E Street Choir on this occasion, this was a performance akin to one that had been played nightly. Led by a rampant Bruce who sang his Seeger Sessions arrangement with purpose, for me this was an even more exciting kick off than the special start on April 4th. There’s a magic to this Nebraska gem no the matter the genre its played in, and it made an already special set of shows in L.A. all the more so with its sleazy splendour. That tone was anchored by the E Street Horns especially, but I’d be remiss in not shouting out Anthony Almonte for his pulsating percussion efforts. He hasn’t had as many opportunities to be spotlighted on this tour as he received in 2023, but he made his presence felt here. We’ve spent the last year being able to unconventionally telegraph the start of tour shows while still being enthralled by the “No Surrender,” “My Love Will Not Let You Down” or “Lonesome Day” that opened. Now, though, that excitement has been increased tenfold by Bruce and the Band’s return to the unknown. “Roll of the Dice” and “Something in the Night”; “Light of Day” and “Boom Boom”; now “Open All Night.” It truly could be anything again. Well alright!
The barnstormer of an opener was followed initially by songs relatively unchanged to April 4th, the only variation being “Trapped” out and “Death to My Hometown” in – two songs in which Bruce empowers his audience to not give in, so even in this contrast the was a clear comparison – amidst equally strong performances. “Prove It All Night,” for example, didn’t just see Bruce and Little Steven Van Zandt play with a savage amount of intensity, but also Max Weinberg and Charlie Giordano on the drums and organ. Max and Charlie would then apply that forcefulness to “Two Hearts” while Bruce and Little Steven conveyed a different kind of passion, focusing on their brotherhood rather than their lust for romances, before “Ghosts” allowed them to “make their vows to those who came before” and who are no longer with us. The intensity of “Prove It,” “Two Hearts” and the “Lonesome Day” prior made for Bruce singing this one with a roughness – or stone and gravel, if you will – in his vocal, which really exemplified his passion in what was an emphatic effort from everyone onstage; Stevie was just as vigorous in his backing vocals to complement Bruce as he was with his guitar playing, and that was best showcased in a stupendous finale that also saw Charlie, Roy and Jake Clemons step into the spotlight. The song’s hot steak continues into Uncasville! The emotional themes of life and loss evoked in “Ghosts” were maintained by “Letter To You” and “The Promised Land,” which saw the tempo lowered and then raised again, before the above mentioned “Death to My Hometown” concluded the opening portion of the show in thundering fashion.
With forty minutes of primary themes and hard-rocking served, it was time for a mini-suite centred around love with Ms. Patti Scialfa, who once again made a welcome appearance in the Kia Forum to join Bruce and the E Street Band. Although the selected songs were no different to what invigorated Inglewood on April 4th, there were a few notable contrasts to this portion of the show. Where Soozie Tyrell’s violin playing shone in “Tougher Than the Rest” last time out, tonight it was Charlie’s organ riffs that really stood out, allowing us to hear the song with a glimmering sense of beauty alongside the guitar licks of Little Stevie and Garry Tallent instead of Soozie’s sentimental touch. One aspect that I loved on night one was, however, thankfully retained: the Horns’ pronounced punch for the final “rough enough for love!”, which added an extra feeling of triumph to the song Bruce and Patti are still singing to one another over thirty years later. Interestingly, where the introduction to “Fire” next was another contrast to night one, it again saw Bruce stumble on his facts. In telling L.A. that “Fire” is his only #1 hit thanks to the Pointer Sisters, he happened to forget about Manfred Mann’s version of “Blinded by the Light” (in his defence, I try to forget about that cover too). More important than that, though, was what he followed it up with: the story about him climbing the wall at Graceland! Yes, it’s been a while since we heard him recite that one, but it’s always a thrill when he brings up his impulsive attempt to meet Elvis and hand him the song he’d written for him in mid-seventies in concert. That led into a version of “Fire” that I don’t think was as good as night one’s in regards to Patti’s vocal, which feels off upon listening to the Live Download. Her chemistry with her man, however, was undeniable, and while I’m certain very few in the Kia Forum were concerned about her vocal quality, seeing Bruce and Patti share their love will have no doubt overshadowed all that. And for those of us listening to the Live Download, anything we mightn’t like is really worth it for Jake’s stunning serenade at the finish alone.
“The hits just keep on coming!” was the exclamation from Bruce upon Ms. Patti exiting the stage, because his first top ten hit released by him, “Hungry Heart,” was next and as was the case on April 4th, punctuated efforts from the Horns and invested participation from the audience made for a rousing performance to maintain the smoking atmosphere instilled by the song prior. The excitement didn’t stop, and while it wasn’t the eye widening rarity that “Jole Blon” was, as Bruce noted “Sherry Darling” hadn’t been played in a while so it was extra nice to see it featured. I’m still of the mind that Bruce doesn’t want to play too many River tracks regularly after the 2016 Tour for his, the Band and the audience’s sakes, but as far as I’m concerned every song from that double album is always welcome (yes, even “Crush on You”!). This was the kind of energetic “Sherry” that you’d want to hear, too, with Bruce conveying that almost instantly through his mighty “MOVE THEM BIG FEET!”, and Stevie providing similarly animated backing vocals – “hot sun beating on the blacktop!”; “I got youuuu and you got meeeee!”. It was also great to hear Jake play his saxophone with such strength here, because this was a song he sometimes struggled with back in the year 2016, and this one served as a prime example of his increased confidence and abilities as a musician and member of the E Street Band.
The end of the River LP double-shot brought L.A. into a very effective five song sequence centred around loss, recovery and being able to feel those absent around us. Unlike April 4th, there was no “No Surrender,” but the combination of “Spirit in the Night,” “My City of Ruins,” “Nightshift,” “Last Man Standing” and “Backstreets” was arguably even greater in its power. Almost instantly, “Spirit” added weight to my comments above concerning Jake, as he echoed the song’s sense of freedom incredibly, with the audience in the palm of his hand all the way. The extra joy brought by Jake’s riffing only heightened the emotion of the four songs after it, too, with the “I pray for…!” sequence in “Ruins” and the pairing of “Last Man Standing” into “Backstreets” especially flooring L.A. and those of us listening to the Live Download through Bruce and the Band’s intensity and the sorrowful intimacy in which Bruce stopped the music and cut deep into our souls with his quiet tenderness and tribute to George Theiss and his Castiles brothers-in-arms.
Now, over the last year we’ve been very accustomed to “Backstreets” ending and hearing the same six songs (or five when “Thunder Road” is for some reason absent) conclude the main set and bridge us into the encore. As we’ve gathered over the last five hours and four minutes of music, however, these shows in Inglewood are of a different mould. So different in fact, that what I’ve previously called a cemented sequence of songs saw changes made. Absent on this night was the always reliable “She’s the One,” and that meant “Because the Night” segued straight into “Wrecking Ball.” Just as strange on the ears as “No Surrender” was at fourteen out of thirty-two in the setlist last time, but no less effective.
No single song replaced the Born to Run stormer, because after all two replacements are better than one and following suit from the opening song last heard in 2014 was “American Skin,” played with honorary E Street Band member Tom Morello. Befitting the song’s sombre tone, there was no fanfare for Morello, and instead he walked onstage when his solo beckoned and played what we expect from him, a whirlwind of a solo. The song was simmering up to this point, and his playing sparked the ignition to turn the tempo up. That certainly happened too, as evidenced by the powerful “is it a gun…” line and those horns riffs that regular readers will recall me adoring in my High Hopes Tour reviews – the way Morello and the Horns meshed during the song’s finale was sublime. As Ms. Patti did earlier, Tom stayed onstage to give L.A. a second serving, and of course it could only have been the electric arrangement of “The Ghost of Tom Joad” that followed. Where “American Skin” simmered for a couple of minutes, “Joad” was almost instantly forceful, with Bruce and Tom sharing the mic to give L.A. a very contrasting duet to “Tougher” and “Fire” earlier. With the two buoyed on by the pulsating efforts of Max and Garry also, in California where this song’s roots were sowed, Springsteen and Morello were able to give a very impactful performance, one capped off by a guitar playing rip tide. Having listened to and written about all the shows where the post-“Backstreets” sequence was consistent, I’ve definitely been guilty of wanting to see some variation; I’ve also enjoyed every single thirty-five or so minute stretch. But to see this sequence open up here was really satisfying.
Having flipped what we thought we knew on its head with such surprises and changes that could alter the course of how we presumed this tour was shaping up, Springsteen and the E Street Band could have been forgiven for playing the last hour of this show on auto-pilot if they wished. They didn’t, of course, and while what followed mostly stayed true to the norm: strong versions of “The Rising,” “Badlands” and “Thunder Road” wrapping up the main set and leading us into a frenzied encore, there’d be more changes made in this final hour to night one, and those changes would complement a performance just as inspired as the two hours and thirteen minutes of music prior. Standing out amidst rollicking versions of “Rosalita” and “Dancing in the Dark” were a returning “Glory Days” that saw Bruce come to terms on the fact he and the Band weren’t going anywhere anytime soon, and a “Detroit Medley” that was perfectly positioned in the set. Complementing the “Open All Night” that kicked the night off as some “bar band music to send ya home,” this was an excellent way to wrap up the E Street Band’s night, and also these two shows in L.A. that saw them go old school in a way we could never have expected. What’s more old school than this cover among all covers? Bruce’s solo “I’ll See You in My Dreams” was then a great contrast to the old school way of ending shows as a shift forward to where we are in April 2024. It wasn’t as soulful a performance as the night one reading, but the words Bruce expressed were true, and I’m entirely sure that everyone stood in the Kia Forum will be revisiting this night in their dreams. I’m sure they’ll be frequently pinching themselves to make sure it actually happened, too. Oh it happened alright. Hey ho rock and roll!
Next up, the first of three shows originally scheduled for March 2023. How would Uncasville’s gamble with the E Street Band pay off this time?
Kieran’s recommended listening from April 7th, 2024 – Inglewood, CA:
“Open All Night,” “Lonesome Day,” “Prove It All Night,” “Ghosts,” “Letter To You,” “The Promised Land,” “Tougher Than the Rest,” “Fire,” “Sherry Darling,” “Spirit in the Night,” “My City of Ruins,” “Nightshift,” “Last Man Standing,” “Backstreets,” “American Skin (41 Shots),” “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” “Badlands,” “Thunder Road,” “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” “Glory Days,” “Dancing in the Dark,” “Detroit Medley” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”
You can download Springsteen and the E Street Band’s second stunner in Inglewood here.
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