Bruce takes us into his and our Backstreets and Badlands.
Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street band appeared shortly before 7pm. With a shout out from the Boss of “EDINBURGH” they galloped into a fast-paced No Surrender. Prove It All Night was one from a selection played from his 1978 classic Darkness On The Edge Of Town that almost stole the show early on.
Little Steven Van Zandt brings his evocative backing vocals while rocking a beautiful purple Rickenbacker. A sax break from Jake Clemons hit the spot, and after delivering he followed it by looking over the Boss’s shoulder. Springsteen answered Clemons with a tight, gritty guitar solo. The end coda dynamics between Springsteen and Van Zandt gave us one of many thrilling moments of a what suggest is the best night of the tour so far.
Max Weinberg is a powerhouse behind the kit and a pleasure to watch during Candy’s Room where his booming authority is all over the track. The Celtic boom of Death to My Hometown tells us much about ‘us and them’ and the distance between rich and poor.
There were moments when Springsteen turned Murrayfield into a massive outdoor church throughout The Promised Land or when he spoke about the death of old bandmate and friend George Theiss from 1960s group The Castiles. Before Last Man Standing his words fall like a sermon that touches the hearts of the 67,000-strong audience.
Jake plays a stormer during Kitty’s Back, a beautiful loose rendition of the 1973 cut is delivered in Edinburgh before a memorable cover of The Temptations Nightshift which takes flight during the three-hour set. For the last quarter, we journey with Bruce for a nostalgic trip into the Backstreets and Badlands of his and our past. On the former Roy Bittan, who also provided keys on David Bowie’s Station to Station, is a delight to listen to.
The Boss and Stevie front up together again for a storming version of The Rising. The encore featured a string of big hitters and classics, among them Glory Days where old friends draped their arms over shoulders. Families kissed and hugged during Born To Run and lovers held each other close during Bobby Jean.
Like Bruce, all are aware of the frailties of life while celebrating the joys on this hot summer night in the city that called out those “vanished and gone.” It was Springsteen’s first visit to Edinburgh since the Spring of 1996 for a solo acoustic performance during The Ghost of Tom Joad tour.
He promised not to leave it as long as next time. While rumours abound that this might be the last time, others suggest the Boss is going to keep the show on the road into 2024.
He remains the best there is in the business, it’s hard to think of another contemporary who can blend a sense of the divine with rock n’ roll and working life so poignantly, the connection lingered long into the hot summer night, long after the band had left the stage.
Bruce Springsteen And The E-Street Band Murrayfield Stadium, 30 May 2023
