Concert Review: Bruce Springsteen at Hard Rock Live February 7, 2023

More than twice, I’ve been requested, “Have you ever been to a Springsteen present?” normally in the identical reverent tone used when requested, “How would you describe your relationship with Christ?”

I’ve at all times been a Springsteen agnostic, by no means completely understanding the fierce devotion he garnered. But folks whose musical style I belief say that when you see him carry out reside, all of it turns into clear.

On Tuesday, when Springsteen and the E Street Band stopped at Hard Rock Live for his first South Florida efficiency in seven years, it was a chance to review this phenomenon up shut amongst his acolytes.

At 7:45 p.m., the home lights dimmed, and one after the other, the ten members of the E Street Band walked on stage. There was drummer Max Weinberg, former bandleader on Conan O’Brien’s late-night reveals. There was Mrs. Springsteen herself, backing singer and guitarist Patti Scialfa. There was former Sopranos star and guitarist Steve Van Zandt wearing his trademark pirate bandana.

And then got here the howls from the group: “Bruuuuuucce!” And out he walked, clad in a black T-shirt and denims, wanting impossibly match for a 73-year-old.

“Hollywood!” he screamed again earlier than he ripped into “No Surrender,” the primary of 28 songs he performed over an exhausting three hours.

One clarification I’d heard for the cult of Springsteen is that he is the hardest-working man in present enterprise. Every time he steps on stage, he provides it his all, and on this evening, he actually did. He appeared to really feel each single lyric, closing his eyes as if the working class battle he usually sings about was an excessive amount of for him to bear. 

The E Street Band, which expands to 17 members, together with backing singers and a horn part, is a decent unit. The band finds a approach to incorporate a sax solo and by no means miss a be aware. Utilizing the members’ blues and nation influences, it serves as historical past’s largest bar band. After a rendition of “Out within the Street,” Springsteen complimented the musicians by calling them “the best band on this planet ‘trigger they cowl the Boss’ ass.”

It’s that form of humility that his followers eat up and is the essence of his recognition. Most of our musical heroes, from Elvis to Harry Styles, are flawed. But by way of almost 50 years of public life, Springsteen has seemingly been an exemplary human being. There have been no #MeToo accusations, no misogynistic or racist interview snippets or lyrics. He may cost a fortune for admission, however he’s going to earn that cash by way of sheer effort and an sincere work ethic. He is an honest man who writes and sings about first rate folks aspiring for the American dream.

Unlike most rock stars, there isn’t any cynicism nor edge to Springsteen’s voice. At instances this will come throughout as corny, like within the jukebox musical portion of the present the place he coated “Nightshift” and “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied).” Other instances this earnestness has energy, like in the course of the one storytelling interlude within the present when he spoke in regards to the first band he joined as a young person in 1965 and the way a few years in the past, he went to the funeral of the final surviving member of that band. The funeral-inspired acoustic track, “Last Man Standing,” wasn’t so memorable, however his storytelling about “how necessary residing proper now could be” gave me goosebumps.

It wasn’t till almost two hours into the set that Springsteen performed a track I acknowledged, “Because the Night.” His die-hards knew all of the older, deeper cuts, singing alongside to “Badlands” and “The Promised Land.” Toward the top of the third hour, he ripped into devoted renditions of lots of his best hits like “Born to Run,” “Dancing within the Dark,” and “Glory Days.” At the top of his efficiency, he pulled a trick out of the previous Hardest-Working Man in Show Business, James Brown, by pretending he could not go on any longer.

Finally, he wrapped issues up with “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” performing the track solo on his acoustic guitar earlier than wishing us all a great evening. The usher working the door I used to be exiting could not imagine it was over. “Isn’t he forgetting a track?” she requested, referencing his largest hit, “Born within the USA.” “I am unable to imagine he isn’t taking part in my favourite track,” she mentioned, upset, seemingly unsure if this was a dealbreaker in her becoming a member of the Church of Bruce.

Setlist:

– “No Surrender”
– “Ghosts”
– “Prove It All Night”
– “Letter to You”
– “The Promised Land”
– “Out within the Street”
– “Candy’s Room”
– “Kitty’s Back”
– “Nightshift”
– “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)”
– “The E Street Shuffle”
– “Mansion on the Hill”
– “Johnny 99”
– “Last Man Standing”
– “Backstreets”
– “Because the Night”
– “She’s the One”
– “Wrecking Ball”
– “The Rising”
– “Badlands”
– “Thunder Road”
– “Ramrod”
– “Born to Run”
– “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”
– “Glory Days”
– “Dancing within the Dark”
– “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”
– “I’ll See You in My Dreams”