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Bruce Springsteen's Train Keeps a Rolling A SoundPress.net Feature Article by Rich and Laura Lynch What a difference a decade makes! Only those individuals with clairvoyant powers like Asbury Park's Madam Marie could have predicted that Bruce Springsteen's 10 years from 1999 to 2009 would be the most prolific of his career. This span of time also began with an exuberant historic economic boom followed by today's stifling bust, and as the E Street Band wrapped up their second rehearsal show on March 24, 2009 at Convention Hall in Asbury Park - it was clear that The Boss and CO were tailoring the current incarnation of the band to tackle the hard times that have befallen the country by providing some venerable musical healing.
 Bruce Springsteen has performed over two dozen rehearsals at Convention Hall since 1999. To back this story up a bit we need to rewind 10 years to March 19, 1999. On this day, Springsteen performed a rare full band rehearsal show with the recently reunited E Streeters for a gymnasium filled with adoring fans. This was the second show in to the official rebirth of the E Street Band and the run marked the first series of concerts from the ocean-side convention center ever played by Bruce and the band. Ten years ago, Bill Clinton was in office, the Internet was booming, and a new audio file format - the MP3 - was all the rage at the time. While on line for that concert in 1999 the idea for this website - Kweevak.com - was born. Fans were sharing places to find audio files of their favorite artists and we gathered a list and posted it, thus was the genesis of our music magazine. Now, with the passage of time digital files have transformed the music industry and a new age of music buying by the digitized public is underway. Springsteen brought the band back at a time of optimism and hope for the future and stated that he was recommitted to this band of brothers who helped him conquer the world of music.
 Springsteen surveys the fans and signs autographs before Tuesday's early evening sound check. For me personally, this was also a night when a rock and roll dream came true. The long wait with my wife and friends in the freezing cold of that brisk March day paid off with a front row position at a Springsteen concert. All was right with the world once again. During these first two reunion shows Springsteen debuted a unique "train-themed" song called "Land of Hope and Dreams" with iconic imagery about the band, their families, its adherents, and the train they were all riding on. This anthemic number chugged along nicely and quickly caught on with the fans - notably for the phrase "faith will be rewarded". Bruce also made it known that he had faith in his adopted hometown and he began a public commitment to the community's charities and civic leaders with these shows - with proceeds of the events going to local organizations in need. At the end of that version of the road show known as "The Reunion Tour" Springsteen and the E Street Band returned to Convention Hall to begin a new tradition of semi-regular Holiday shows. On December 17 & 18, 2000 Springsteen debuted the first- and second-ever performance of the powerful song "My City of Ruins" which was dedicated to the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce. "The Rising" - the real life effort to help the world famous city by sea experience economic recovery - was underway.
 Fans with G.A. seating lined up for hours before the concert to get a good position! By early 2002 - things were no longer so right with the world. Springsteen released a new CD in 2002 called The Rising with a much different meaning but the disc would include the first studio version of "My City of Ruins". With a foreign war raging and wounds from a recent national terrorist tragedy still burning, Springsteen returned with a tour. As before, he warmed the band up in Convention Hall - and invited The Today Show to the Jersey shore to capture a week's worth of rehearsals and special events related to the album's release. Springsteen put the focus on Asbury Park during his interview with Matt Lauer and a trend was developing. In the summer of 2002, Asbury Park was springing back to life. All right, this story is like a long train leaving the station. If we've started off a little sluggish it's time to speed things up a bit. In 2005, Devils and Dust was released as a spotlight on the two front war that the U.S. was conducting. In 2006, Springsteen paid homage to folk singer Pete Seeger with We Shall Overcome and increased his own stature in the tradition. 2007's Magic cued in on the deceptive nature of politics and embedded institutions and was a scathing indictment of the Bush years. All these tours began with practice runs in the community known for Tillie, the Palace Casino, and the Stone Pony juke joint which helped launch Springsteen in the early 1970's - at a time when the city still had elements of the good time fun that helped establish it as a strong tourist destination in days gone by. As these tours went on Springsteen also became decidedly more political over the decade - working for both John Kerry in 2004 on the Vote For Change Tour and supporting President Obama with highly visible public appearances during his campaign and inaugural celebration.
 Fans were ecstatic to meet the Boss in Asbury Park! Which leads us to today. In early 2009, Springsteen released Working On A Dream - his 16th studio album - and first of the decade that was free from the burdens of the day. The album is a pop-oriented offering showcasing Bruce's take on the Californian music scene and R&B of the mid-60s, with shades of Brian Wilson circa 1966, coming through at times. This CD has been called Springsteen's Pet Sounds. Working On A Dream chronicles a reflective Springsteen looking at life, love and death through a filter of time and finds him in an appreciative frame of mind - seemingly happy for the opportunity to be the Boss - and for life and the days he has been given to roam the earth. Because of the lighter fare and pop leanings fans were speculating that the upcoming tour might be particularly upbeat. Current economic conditions seem to have dictated a different course as show #02 of the rehearsals began to develop the focused and timely direction his upcoming musical journey is likely to take. "What a difference a night makes," Bruce Springsteen said to the crowd after the main set of the Tuesday, March 24, 2009 concert was complete. Though shorter than the previous evening the night's performance saw Springsteen take a hard stance against hard times with a well-thought our presentation of pertinent portions of his back catalogue along with early public appearances of his new material.
 Asbury Park is on the rise with several new condos and a refurbished boardwalk! "We come to these shows and we find our current selves," Springsteen continued talking about the reasons for the rehearsals - and find themselves they did - putting together a package of material to address to the present economic mess being experienced here and abroad. The mid-show three-pack of "Seeds" (where everything is just 'gone gone gone'), "Johnny 99" (where the subject loses his home and robs a bank), "Ghost of Tom Joad" (based on the title character from John Steinbeck's classic depression-era novel The Grapes of Wrath) along with the encore of "Hard Times Come Again No More" (written 1855 by Stephen Foster) served to remind attendees that our times are tough and turbulent. But, the inclusion of many beloved and anthemic sing-a-longs like the opener "Badlands", "Out in the Street", "Darlington County", "Waiting on a Sunny Day", "The Promised Land" and "Born to Run" provided the outlet for the jubilant joy fans have come to expect from a Springsteen concert. The expanded 12-piece E Street Band was in fine form on Tuesday night. Of particular note was the steady organ playing of Charles Giordano who continues in the role of filling the spot left by the passing of long time keyboardist Danny Feredici who died last year after a long battle with cancer. Clarence Clemons was working it too on sax and he also provided the whistling solo in the title track, "Working On A Dream". After Springsteen, the busiest man on stage was probably Nils Lofgren who was giving his recently acquired surgically enhanced hips a workout - running back and forth for multiple equipment changes - and tearing it up onstage with some extended guitar leads and fine work on slide. The newest passenger on the Springsteen Express was Jay Weinberg, son of the mighty Max, and pretty mighty himself on drums during the last three songs of the first set. Still just a teenager, Jay will be filling for his father on select dates as the elder percussionist prepares to join Conan O'Brien on the all-new Tonight Show. And speaking again of trains - the locomotive theme was back and added cohesive character to the steam-rolling show. During the rocking version of "Johnny 99" Springsteen elicited a train-like "wooh-woooh" from the crowd repeatedly throughout the number. During "Good Eye" Bruce implored "ride that train, ride that train" over and over during a song that contained some hot harp. The inclusion of "Land of Hope and Dreams" at the end of the show completed the circle back to 10 years ago when it was first performed when the band reformed. As usual all proceeds from the $100 face value tickets were earmarked for local charities including the A.P. Mounties, the public library, The Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County, the Danny Fund and about a dozen others.
 Bruce gets a "lucky pen" from a fan! In 2009, Bruce Springsteen's decade-long dream is still alive. Asbury Park has made impressive strides towards recovery but the current recession has set everyone back. Once again, all is still not right with the world. Together we need to find the way forward to the promised land and more prosperous times. No one knows what lies ahead - not even Madame Marie. But, on this evening Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band provided a ticket in the direction of hope. So climb on board, and hopefully the local community of Asbury Park, the nation and the world will be able to get back on track. Now, here's a little trick for you. I've been to more than my fair share of the special concerts that have been performed in Asbury Park over the years. When the ticket prospects looked most bleak I would say over and over in my head while on the phone - "faith will be rewarded, faith will be rewarded, faith will be rewarded" - and every time this Bruce inspired mantra resulted in a reward to the show. Maybe we should all try this technique in terms of the economy and hope for better days a little further on up the road.
SETLIST:
 Madam Marie told fortunes for many - including Springsteen! Related Links: For more information on BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -- BruceSpringsteen.net | Asbury Park C.O.C.
 (Originally Published on March 25, 2009) |
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