Bruce Springsteen - 24 March 2013, Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

About two or three songs into this show I remember thinking that it was the greatest show I’ve ever seen. Having had a chance to think about it some more I’d refine that a bit – this is hardly an intimate show – but for any band aiming for a high-energy, rollicking, exhilarating show, this should be the template for what it takes.

Unfortunately for me, pretty much everything that should be said about these shows has been – Bruce’s ridiculous energy (for anyone of any age), the crowd engagement, the depth of his catalogue, the quality of the band. My only regret is that I only managed to make two shows on this tour (although the reason for that is that I’m seeing some other great band – more of that soon).

The recording quality here is really good. There were only a couple of quiet bits (in particular when a young kid was brought up to sing a bit of Waitin’ on a Sunny Day), I’ve tried to reduce static as much as possible, but what’s there is the cost of not having distortion in the rest of the show. Lastly, these shows will be the next ones I make available in MP3 and WAV. I’m hoping to get all the WAV links (including Neil Young) up this weekend).

Out in the Street
Promised Land
Something in the Night
Wrecking Ball
Death to My Hometown
Hungry Heart
Spirit in the Night
High Hopes
The River
Seeds
Johnny 99
Prove it All Night
Pay Me My Money Down
Darlington County
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
The Rising
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Badlands
Land of Hope and Dreams

Born in the USA
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out