For Uncasville – Albany and Columbus too – it was a long time coming. Having waited nine years to see Springsteen and the E Street Band again, at the very last moment that experience they’d been waiting on was ripped out of their hands through illness. March 12th turned into September 16th, 2023, and once again illness struck, meaning it would be nigh on ten years for the fans in Connecticut providing everything went smoothly en route to April 12th, 2024. The third time was, as they say, a charm, and that moment was finally here. It wasn’t the show they’d have been treated to in March 2023, and I’m confident that the September show would have been rather different to this one also, but this was certainly more in-line with the 2023 setlist than the previous shows in Inglewood. After the grandeur of those two nights in the Kia Forum, this was a much more ‘relaxed’ show in comparison, but of course there was still enough to keep Uncasville on their toes, and fans excited for where this tour may be heading.
I wrote briefly about Bruce and the Band’s previous show in Mohegan Sun at the top of my Las Vegas review. That night saw one of the more insane setlists any Springsteen fan will see – “to say it exemplifies the Night Two Rule might be the biggest understatement of the century” is how I described in August 2021 – and although this one didn’t follow suit with six tour premieres in the first seven songs, it did start in similarly exciting fashion. As he did on May 18th, 2014 and in Las Vegas on March 22nd, Bruce stepped onstage with questions and a promise to boot. Following an emphatic “We’re back!” came tweaked interrogatives about losing money to get him and the Band into the building, as well as an assurance that no matter how much money was lost, they were going to make those in Uncasville feel like the “luckiest people in the world!”. As he spoke, Roy Bittan helped set the mood by playing an extended intro for “Roll of the Dice” (who saw this being played again, let alone twice in less than a month back in 2023?!) and just like in Vegas this one made for a joyous start to proceedings. A great improvement to the May 2014 effort on account of Bruce not hanging on by a thread – the way he hit “chaaaaaanging times!” and “come up busteeeeeed!” was sensational – and an equally stimulating version to March 22nd through its infectious Horns riffs in particular, it’s possible this song could have featured in 2023 as a special one-off performance, but in April 2024 it’s on-rotation, and the excitement it evoked in Mohegan Sun was even greater with that in mind.
“Let’s get lucky!” was the call upon end of the Human Touch track, and in this casino resort that could really only mean one thing, a double shot 1992 with “Lucky Town.” A contrast in tone to the opener as a mean performance with scorching guitar and likewise vocals, this wasn’t entirely polished in regards to the former, as we might expect for a song not played in ten months, but Bruce’s outro solo was no less nice on the ears. The first night since the tour started back in February 2023 to not feature “Prove It All Night,” the searing sound of this track was not to be taken lightly.
Having served some exciting gambling themes early on to befit the venue, focus shifted to the tour’s consistent songs about life and loss. “Lonesome Day” was a towering first in this sequence with those onstage on inspired form; from Bruce’s swift delivery of “if I can just” and powerful declarations of the title late-on to aspects such as Little Steven Van Zandt’s guitar licks and the emphatic “it’s alright!” harmonies of the E Street Choir, and it led into an even more towering and inspired version of “Ghosts.” Continuing its hot streak, this brought more hearty efforts from Bruce and Little Steven as well as the audience and other core members of the E Street Band including Roy Bittan, Jake Clemons, Charlie Giordano and Max Weinberg, and in addition to instilling themes of life and loss, it greatly amplified the sense of community inside Mohegan Sun. A powerful performance, one to achieve multiple objectives. As was evident in a tender “Letter To You,” the power of “Ghosts” so great that Bruce was left a little worn, but nonetheless this song also hit as profoundly as usual, if not all the more so with Bruce’s wear and tear evident as he sang about time passing and pages that are filling up more and more each day.
Then, Bruce flipped a switch, as more venom followed in the tour debut of “Seeds,” which took everyone by surprise. Contrasting his “Letter To You” vocal – and then some – here he sang so robustly, with “streets of HOUSTOOOONNNNNNNNN!” and “better think twice on it JACK!” the clear stand outs, his ability on this occasion to switch from fatigued to furious was jaw-dropping. Another song low down on the list of those fans expected to see played again, this was another return that delivered, with its vicious guitars also making up for the lack of “Prove It” in the set, and its horns adding an extra punch to its roaring tone. In a venue that ten years ago saw six tour debuts in the first seven songs, this was the sole tour debut of this evening; but where the High Hopes Tour and that era of E Street outright called for surprise after surprise, on this current tour a single debut of a song like “Seeds” in some small way brings similar excitement. The socio-economic powerhouse ended with a sudden stop – appropriate for its “you won’t see it coming” tone – and the hesitation that bridged us into “The Promised Land” really made the harmonica of the Darkness track and the ensuing catharsis of the song even better. From the American reality to the American dream, the joy that came with Bruce’s words, Stevie’s guitar and harmonies, and Jake’s sax on this occasion felt even more liberating than when this one follows “Letter To You,” even if the thematic connection for the tour wasn’t as strong.
There was no Ms. Patti appearance in store for Uncasville, so no mini-suite of love songs followed. Instead, Bruce called for “Spirit in the Night” to begin that new sequence of songs centred around remembering those we’ve lost and feeling them with us in the arena. It was a sequence we could argue was undone in emotional strength by the “Hungry Heart” that followed to keep the audience roused afterwards, but its position was important when we consider how Bruce said he and the E Street Band were here “to bring some f*cking fun!” at the start of “My City of Ruins.” Adding to that joyous feeling of community as he went on to stress the sorrow of loss with a titanic performance in which his band and his audience also gave their all – those “rise up!” chants were loud – while an argument could be made that “Hungry Heart” lessened the sequence, one could be also made that “Trapped” heightened it before “Nightshift.” Anchored by captivating guitar riffs and Bruce’s stoic vocal, and amplified by the magnitude of its chorus, Max’s drums and Jake’s sax playing, this one complemented the encouraging themes of “Ruins” greatly, adding an exclamation to his assurance that all will be okay.
“Nightshift” with its spotlight moment for the Choir – Curtis King Jr. and Ada Dyer in particular – calmed all the more as a guarantee that those who’ve left us are doing alright, and with “Last Man Standing” next that knowledge was important for Bruce as he sang about his fallen Castiles brethren and further accepted his ultimate fate. There was a great amount of emotion in his voice as he sang this one, stood onstage in darkness all alone albeit for the brief exception of Barry Danelian in the background, and that emotion seeped into a resounding “Backstreets” with the E Street Band back beside and behind him. Roy and Charlie on the keys; Max’s drums bringing force alongside the efforts of Stevie and Garry Tallent; and Bruce conveying his feelings through a stunning guitar solo and a beautiful interlude in tribute to George Theiss. The way the seventy-four year old Springsteen said “my God you were barely nineteen” was especially striking this time around, as it simply spoke for how time passes. To borrow a line from his Letter To You album, “one minute you’re here…”. Emotional promises of “until the end” then bridged into a glorious coda to conclude this sequence in typically perfect fashion, and while the format of the show in 2024 doesn’t make for this one being as much a finale as it was in 2023, it’s no less epic.
After a Nils Lofgren inspired “Because the Night” made for a thundering contrast to the emotion of “Backstreets,” there were again changes made to this sequence following night two in Inglewood. There was no “American Skin” and “The Ghost of Tom Joad” this time around with no Tom Morello in the house, and “She’s the One” did return, but before the Born to Run barnburner was a shift into a softer tempo with “I’m on Fire.” A bubbling song of lust before the eruption, this worked very well and Uncasville were over the moon to see it played, joining in as we’d expect to complement Bruce’s potent vocal and the E Street Band’s invigorating instrumental efforts. The inclusion of the U.S.A. track and its lowered tempo actually made for “She’s the One” having a greater life to it as it begun, too – it was an eruption! – and as we noticed earlier with “The Promised Land” following “Seeds,” this version of “She’s the One” was seemingly more inspired on account of that. Bruce’s vocal felt more vivacious – “of stooonee” – and the music he and the E Street Band played was all the more emphatic, which is saying something given how immense this one has been since February 2023. Thankfully, Bruce and the Band remained inspired upon the end of “She’s the One” as “Wrecking Ball” showed, and from Bruce commenting “Huskies?” to the booing of the Giants to his forceful and fluid “Come on! Come on! ‘Cause tonight all the dead are here!” there was enough in his lyric deliveries alone indicate that, let alone what we heard from the vibrant Horns and the rest of the E Street Band. “The Rising” complete with a pronounced “sky of…” sequence, “Badlands” and “Thunder Road” ensured the main set ended with that inspiration flourishing, and there’d be much more of it in the encore, too.
The home stretch again saw small tweaks made, with “Bobby Jean” replacing “Glory Days” and there being no “Twist and Shout” or “Detroit Medley” after “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” The most important variations, however, came in the song performances rather than the actual song changes. “Rosalita” was the best example of that, as while it brought the main imperfection of the show by way of an instrumental mix-up, with this potential drawback came pure joy as Bruce couldn’t help but laugh before singing about Jack the Rabbit and Weak Knees Willy – he never really got it out of his system as he was still howling during the final moments. That joy certainly made for more advantages, such as a jubilant “We’re gonna…” sequence and one of the sassier “tell him this is his big chance!” deliveries that I can recall hearing on this tour. Incredibly, Bruce then applied a similar buoyancy to “Bobby Jean,” as evident when he sang “the wildest things we’d ever seen!” to give this sad song a touch of triumph, and while the encore had plenty of that by the end of “Dancing in the Dark,” Bruce amplified it with one more tweak. Regular readers will know I enjoy hearing Bruce say “PYJAMMIES!”, and even though he said it twice here, for once it was outshone by the addition of “FLOOR F*CKIN’!” to the E Street Band’s intro rap – a playful nod to his recent appearances in the final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Bruce’s joy was palpable as this night drew to a close – if that wasn’t blatantly apparent by his declaration of “I love Uncasville wherever the f*ck it is! I’m moving to Uncasville tomorrow Goddammit!” – and he and the E Street Band had certainly succeeded in bringing the fun to Uncasville that he spoke about in “My City of Ruins.” One last song of great emotion followed in “I’ll See You in My Dreams” to give a final summation of the night’s themes of life and loss, as well as end it in a similar way to May 18th, 2014 by giving Uncasville a personal message to send them home. As to whether Springsteen and this audience will find themselves in Mohegan Sun again is to be seen, but until then, they’ve just got to dream baby dream.
Next up on the 2024 World Tour: Springsteen and the E Street Band return to Albany.
Kieran’s recommended listening from April 12th, 2024 – Uncasville, CT:
“Roll of the Dice,” “Lucky Town,” “Lonesome Day,” “Ghosts,” “Letter To You,” “Seeds,” “The Promised Land,”“Spirit in the Night,” “My City of Ruins,” “Trapped,” “Nightshift,” “Last Man Standing,” “Backstreets,” “I’m on Fire,” “She’s the One,” “Badlands,” “Thunder Road,” “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” “Bobby Jean,” “Dancing in the Dark” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”
You can download Springsteen and the E Street Band’s stop in Uncasville on the 2024 World Tour here.
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