Angry, Passionate Springsteen at the Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour at the Garden
- 33 minutes ago
- 2 min read
By Lori Perkins
I’ve seen Bruce Springsteen at least seven times (maybe more? At my age, you lose track of time). I always believed that he was best in New Jersey, his native land. But last night at Madison Square Garden surrounded by 20,000 blue voters you could just feel that he was home in a way I’ve never quite felt in the Meadowlands.
The concert opened with the Motown Vietnam protest song “War!” followed by “Born in the USA” followed by a powerful jam of his classics. It was uplifting to have him sing “the Rising” at the same place he has launched it after 9/11.
He told us that his first appearance in NYC was in 1967 at Café Wa, and continued through his early gigs at Kenny’s Castaways and Max’s Kansas City. “So, what I want to say, is thanks for a life time.”
Fan chanted “Ice out now!” as he sang “Streets of Minneapolis” and the images of murdered protesters Renee Goode and Alex Pretti hung over the stadium.
He paused his musical performance to give his “This is happening now speech” (see YouTube below), which cites the multiple transgressions by the Trump and his administration.
He played “The River,” “Jungleland,” “Because the Night” and “Dancing in the Dark, “ but one of the most moving songs was an old “Immigrant song” (not the :Lez Zeppelin one) with the lyrics “There's diamonds in the sidewalk,
the gutter's lined in song,
Dear, I hear that beer flows
through the faucets all night long.”
He removed his black vest to reveal a drenched white shirt after three continuous hours of concert and told us all, “Honesty, honor, humility, character, truth, compassion, humanity, thoughtfulness, morality, true strength, and decency. Don’t let anybody tell you that these things don’t matter anymore -- they do.”
“Join us, and let's fight for the America we love, do you hear me? Do you hear me? Are you with us New York? Are you with us New York? Are you with us New York!”