Reviewed March 03, 2008
Bruce Springsteen Magic Tour
by Ron Hollywood

photo credit A.M. Saddler

March 2nd 2008
Bell Centre, Montreal, Qc

Roy Bittan – keyboards
Clarence Clemons – Sax, percussion, vocals
Charles Giodarno – organ
Nils Lofgren – guitar, vocals
Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
Gary Tallent – bass
Soozie Tyrell – violin, vocals
Max Weinberg- drums
Steve Van Zandt – guitar, vocals

In the darkness Bruce was proclaiming “Bonsoir Montreal! You’re gonna be crawling on your belly like a snake!” Are you ready?!” From there he burst into an upbeat Night, followed by Radio Nowhere where a spotlight went out into the audience. Everyone’s hands raised up for the chorus “it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright, yeah!” during Lonesome Day. If this concert was sex Bruce started with an orgasm and went back to foreplay. When you start off with an explosive moment it seems as though things from there got uneventful at moments.

Bruce and Steve Van Zandt’s power packed guitar duel on Gypsy Biker shows how under appreciated both these players are. No matter how good they are there was no mistaking that Nils Lofgren is the best guitarist in the E Street band especially during Because The Night. His solo fretwork was hot enough to melt all the snow we’ve been getting in Montreal lately.

After skipping Montreal for the last two tours (the acoustic Devils and Dust and Seeger Sessions) Bruce was back in town with the E Street band. There was two changes in the line-up that being an absent Patti Scialfa whom Bruce said was home with the teenagers and Charles Giordano on organ from the Seeger Session band filling in for Danny Federici, who’s recovering from melamona.

Major highlight had to have been Reason To Believe featuring Bruce’s best harmonica playing of his career. The song has gone from a lonely acoustic to a ZZ-Top blues hip shaker. The distorted microphone effect on the third verse is eerie and brilliant all at once.

Living In The Future is classic 70’s Bruce in sound and performance as he worked the entire stage and even made his way to those with behind the stage seats. This was the best performance I’ve seen of this song yet. The haunting keyboards of Devil’s Arcade seemed like a ghost drifting through the crowd’s very soul.

There were no real surprise songs or oddities performed. The set list was basic and too basic for die-hards like myself who’ve been to lots of shows. The pacing was a bit off with Long Walk Home sandwiched in between rockers like Last To Die and Badlands. The first encore song of Girls In Their Summer Clothes is certainly out of place in the set list and not well received. It would have fit much better mid set. The momentum also seemed to have died down at points and the crowd was either really into or not. Sometimes more like not.

Jungleland was the best I’ve ever heard or seen it performed. Bruce was a real storyteller acting out lyrics with his hands. But it was Clarence Clemons breathless saxaphone solo that made this pure… magic. Not just the song but Clarence’s solo was the highlight of the entire night.

The house lights came on for Born To Run where audience and band became one in a raucous sing along. Could the lyrics “The highway’s jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive Everybody’s out on the run tonight but there’s no place left to hide” have felt any stronger. At the end of Dancing In The Dark Bruce flung his guitar around his body.

Ther Seeger Sessions folk song American Land was perfect as it has been on this tour with Karaoke lyrics on the screens and everyone up and some fans in the pit folk dancing as Bruce sang “We’ll make our way to the American Land”. After quickly naming the band members Bruce preached “You’ve just seen the heart stopping, pants dropping, booty shaking, earth quaking, love making, fire taking, history making legendary… “ then as the band stomps out each beat the crowd shouts out “E STREET BAND!” Like an extra helping of desert Bruce jumped back onto the front stage walkway playing as if the show just started. It was certainly not the best night for Bruce and The E streeters but not a bad one either.

Night
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Magic
Reason to Believe
Because the Night
She’s the One
Livin’ in the Future
The Promised Land
Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
Darkness on the Edge of Town
The River
Devil’s Arcade
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands

encore
Girls in Their Summer Clothes
Jungleland
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
American Land

Aside from one great tour shirt which has a band photo and tour dates on the back I have to sadly admit the Bruce Springsteen tour merchandise is some of the worst I’ve ever seen. The tour book is an extended reproduction of the Magic lyrics booklet with no live pictures and only Magic’s lyrics and a quick introduction as text. The tour poster says Bruce Springsteen and The E street band but the picture is a close-up photo of Bruce’s guitar. We don’t even see Bruce except for his hands let alone E street members. Would someone please speak to their marketing and design departments?

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Previously: John Mellencamp Feb 1st 2008
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