Music
27 May 20

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band rocked Croke Park this day in 2016

He buffed up beforehand in a FLYEfit gym and then played one of his greatest ever Irish shows

While he sadly didn't make it over this year with the E Street Band - yep, plans were afoot - 180,000 or so us have the memory of being at their sensational May 27 and 28, 2016 shows in Croke Park. Bearing witness on the first night were Stuart Clark and snapper Kathrin Baumbach...

There I was looking for The Boss in The Long Hall and O'Donoghue’s when I should have been ab crunching in the FLYEfit gym.
Instead of going for his customary pre-gig pint of Guinness (pretzel optional), Bruce spent the afternoon buffing up in Baggot Street before heading over the Liffey to Croker.
The workout obviously got his adrenaline pumping because it was nine extremely rocking songs – ‘Darkness On The Edge Of Town’, ‘Badlands’, ‘My Love Will Not Let You Down’, ‘Sherry Darling’ etc. etc. – in before he so much as took a breather.
Steve Van Zandt had promised Hot Press a high-octane, almost punk performance and the E Street Band 100% came through.
There was also room in that stomping opening salvo for two of the 22 songs that didn’t make it onto The River, ‘The Ties That Bind’ and a 'sign' request, ‘Roulette’.
Three decades old or not, they still sound factory fresh and prove that it’s the songs Bruce Springsteen rejects that makes Bruce Springsteen the best. Note to John West’s lawyers; your tuna’s great too!
Also getting a run-out, courtesy of the sign-wielding diehards down front, were ‘It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City’; ‘Back In Your Arms’, which was preceded by an “I’ve a question for every man in the audience – ‘Have you ever been in love and done something that fucked up the good thing?’" mock preacher rant; and ‘Lost In The Flood’, the 1973 Greetings From Asbury Park song that’s arguably Bruce’s most intense and heartfelt questioning of the American Dream. Roy Bittan’s stark piano accompaniment was as exquisite as ever.
The harp came out for a spine-tingling, 80,000 people on backing vocals version of ‘The River’. As legendary Hot Press writer Bill Graham noted 35-years ago when reviewing Bruce’s first Irish show in Slane, “‘The River’ with its ‘Then I got Mary pregnant’ line strikes a marrow-deep chord in Irish hearts'.” It was in New Jersey rather than New Ross, but Bruce had the quintessential Catholic upbringing. The reason audiences here so comprehensively get The Boss is that these songs are about our experiences, albeit shone through an American prism.
How many times has Bruce played it live? 500? 1,000? 2,000? However many it is, it’s obvious from the screwed up eyes and solemn enunciation of each line that 'The River' means as much to him now as it did way back when.
Whilst Steve has become Springsteen's de facto second in command, Nils’ 360 pirouetting during a mighty ‘Because The Night’ was a reminder of just how crucial he is to the E Street operation. Ditto new-ish kid on the block Jake Clemons – nephew of the late, great Clarence – who blew up a storm on the equally nocturnal song that followed, ‘Spirit In The Night’.
And what an evening it was for the teenage girl who got to sing the final few verses of ‘Waitin’ On A Sunny Day’ with Bruce, and then – to roars of Croke Park approval – coolly asked him for a selfie.
Marty Whelan, sat to my right, busted out some serious Dad Rock moves as the inevitable encore kicked off with ‘Jungleland’. Petrol was added to the fire by the triple-whammy of ‘Born To Run’, ‘Dancing In The Dark’ and ‘Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out’ which stopped momentarily in memory of The Big Man.
Marty switched into jive mode for a version of ‘Shout’, which joyously seemed to last forever and then grooved his way through that funkiest of Bruce songs, ‘Bobby Jean’.
Visibly moved by the off the Richter Scale hooting ‘n’ hollering, Bruce strapped on his acoustic for a gorgeous “Goodnight Dublin, we love you!” rendition of Born In The USA outtake ‘This Hard Land’. Those of us who witnessed it will be basking in the afterglow of this truly remarkable show for a long, long time to come.