The third night of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s farewell stand at Giants Stadium had a markedly different tone than the first two. This was mainly due to the fact that its centerpiece was the first-ever performance of the 1984 album Born In The USA, start to finish. Even before the “album suite,” the show had a stadium-sized sing-a-long feel. “Wrecking Ball” featured the entire band from the start, whereas the inaugural version began with Springsteen alone on stage. “Out In The Street” immediately grabbed the crowd and allowed Springsteen to make the first of many trips into the crowd; in fact, during “Hungry Heart,” he actually crowd-surfed back to the stage.
Born In The USA as an album was fun even if the title track was written as a criticism of US foreign policy, there were “God Bless America” signs and red bandanas galore. The upbeat tunes like “Darlington County” and “Working On The Highway” were warmly received, and while Born In The USA is not his strongest album material-wise but it was the one that propelled him into performing in stadiums in the first place. So it is no surprise that tunes like “No Surrender” and “Bobby Jean” were played as the biggest crowd-pleasers on this night, while“Glory Days” and “Dancing In The Dark” received similar treatment. “I’m On Fire” was notable as it featured Springsteen actually sitting in a wooden chair while he sung to the crowd.
Continuing the feel-good Jersey Shore vibe, he played “Jersey Girl” and “Detroit Medley,” before calling an audible and closing with “Thunder Road.” “Last To Die” was an odd change of pace even though its lyrical content connected quite well to the album which was performed before it. This show’s real standout was a fantastically performed “Kitty’s Back.” Not only did Springsteen lead the band through this intricate jazz-fueled suite at full throttle all the way through, but he was laughing all the way as he got Clarence Clemons to autograph a copy of his upcoming autobiography in the middle. That’s why attend as many Springsteen shows as you can because there’s always another landmark performance to hear.
Setlist:
Wrecking Ball->Out In The Street, Outlaw Pete, Hungry Heart, Working On A Dream, Born In The USA, Cover Me, Darlington County, Working On The Highway, Downbound Train, I’m On Fire, No Surrender, Bobby Jean, I’m Goin’ Down, Glory Days, Dancing In The Dark, My Hometown, The Promised Land, Last to Die, Long Walk Home, The Rising, Born To Run, Jersey Girl
Encore: Kitty’s Back, Detroit Medley, American Land, Waiting On A Sunny Day, Thunder Road
