danajohnhill.org | Hard Times Come Again No More

The Working on a Dream tour has been going strong for more than six months.  The E Street Band has been in Europe since May, and just like he did during the Magic tour, Bruce Springsteen is taking requests.  The procedure is simple: bring a handwritten sign into the pit, hold it aloft, and, if you’re lucky, the band will play your tune.  Obviously, savvy fans don’t request “Born to Run” or “Badlands”; those are going to be played anyway.  Rather, you see signs for “The Price You Pay”, “Candy’s Room”, and “E Street Shuffle”.  At the last show I attended, I was sad that he ignored the sign that read “Drive All Night”, but thrilled when he grabbed one requesting “Jungleland”.

As you can see on the autograph setlists, Springsteen leaves a few open slots for audience requests.  The most recent trend has been to request covers.  The E Street Band is as good as any bar band, and it’s fascinating to see what kind of tunes people ask for.  Yes, there are some unusual ones, like “London Calling”, “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide”, and “My Generation”.  But there are others that make a lot of sense, like “Pretty Woman”, “Louie, Louie”, and “Mountain of Love”.  Last week in Bern, he grabbed a fan’s sign, and played “I Fought the Law”.  Watch the video, and notice how well the band pulls this one out.  Bruce takes the sign, calls out a key, and continues to give cues (“Bridge!” or “I think there’s a solo!”) when appropriate.  Max even remembers the “six gun” fill.  It’s pretty good for being a request.

Filed under: Popular Music on July 10th, 2009