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Videos: Bruce Springsteen Exhilarates At Intimate Apollo Theater Show

Ben Yakas

Published Mar 10, 2012

Modified Mar 10, 2012

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Ben Yakas

Published Mar 10, 2012

Modified Mar 10, 2012

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The "hardest working white man in showbusiness" lived up to his billing last night, as Bruce SpringsteenBROOOOOOCE Springsteen and the E-Street Band performed an incredible and intimate 20-song set at the Apollo Theater in Harlem to kickoff their "Wrecking Ball" tour. One can't help but stand in awe of the exuberance the 62-year-old rocker from NJ exerted during the two-and-a-half hour set—between bunny hops, jumping on amps, and impassioned strumming, Springsteen also fit in most of his new album, classic '70s hits, a few deep tracks and some surprise soul covers. Conjuring up the spirit of a preacher, he gave his mission statement before diving into "My City Of Ruin:" “We’re here to put a whoopass session on the recession. We're here to bring a smile to your face, an extra beat to your heart, and to raise your spirit high in these hard times."

There were just over a thousand people—a mixture of celebrities, VIPs, and contest winners—whose spirits were lifted in person at the show, which was held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of SiriusXM satellite radio (and was also broadcast live). Springsteen and his 16-piece E-Street Band took advantage of the surroundings, paying homage to soul heroes with covers of The Temptations "The Way You Do The Thing You Do" and Wilson Pickett's "634-5789"—Springsteen also made frequent trips into the crowd, and climbed all over the theater, singing part of "634-5789" from the edge of the second floor balcony. You can see that in the video below.

Picking out highlights among the dozens of signature moments during the show is no easy feat: the band roll call in the middle of an upbeat "My City Of Ruin," the jubilant rendition of "The E-Street Shuffle," the hushed duet with wife Patti Scialfa on "Mansion On The Hill" (giving her a kiss at the end, he noted, “And that’s how the whole fucking thing started”), the muscular rendition of "The Rising," and that moment when Springsteen and Stevie Van Zandt sang at the same mic together toward the end of an killer version of "Badlands." The new songs from Wrecking Ball came to life freed from the shackles of over-compressed production, especially the "Ring Of Fire"-influenced "We Are Alive," the joyous gospel-inflected "Land Of Hope And Dreams," and the Dropkicks Murphy-sounding "Death To My Hometown."

The E-Street Band was unrelentingly tight in their first full concert performance since the death of the Big Man, Clarence Clemons. His loss was acknowledged throughout the evening, especially during "10th Avenue Freeze-Out:" when Springsteen got to the line, "the change was made uptown and the Big Man joined the band," the band stopped completely. Springsteen held the mic toward the audience, and everyone shouted for a few minutes of catharsis in honor of the Big Man. Springsteen was able to turn what could have been a haunting moment into one of pure joy—and then the band jumped right back into the song where they left off.

The other way the band dealt with the loss of Clemons was through the presence of his nephew Jake Clemons, who has joined the E-Street Band for this tour. Singing and playing drums occasionally, he fit in perfectly, and the crowd embraced him as he performed many of the solos made famous by his uncle—the crowd literally howled during the solos in "Waiting On A Sunny Day," "Badlands," and "The Promsed Land."

Springsteen put the loss in perspective early in the night during a hypnotic chant: "If you're here, and we're here, then they're here." Springsteen will be back in the NYC-area for shows at Madison Square Garden, the Prudential Center in Newark, and the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ during April and May. You can listen to the whole concert below, and check out the set list below that.

Setlist:

We Take Care Of Our Own 2. Wrecking Ball 3. Badlands 4. Death To My Hometown 5. My City Of Ruin 6. The E-Street Shuffle 7. Jack Of All Trades 8. Shackled And Drawn 9. Waiting On A Sunny Day 10. The Promised Land 11. Mansion On The Hill 12. The Way You Do The Thing You Do (The Temptations) 13. 634-5789 (Wilson Pickett) 14. The Rising 15. We Are Alive 16. Thunder Road 17. Rocky Ground 18. Land Of Hope And Dreams 19. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out 20. Hold On, I'm Comin' (Sam & Dave)

Tagged

apollo theater

bruce springsteen

clarence clemons

e street band

Music

rock

Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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