Springsteen Concert Reviews from the 2000 Tour

Seen the recent tour?
Submit your own review here.


Charlotte, NC, April 21, 2000
Set List Available
Posted on April 25, 2000 @ 9:00AM GMT

It's very difficult to hit all the points of age, variety, show length, energy, quality, etc. in one review. Much like how his set-list, although very impressive at 26 songs, is merely a small (yet significant) cross-section of The Boss's inventory. You could easily make a killer concert out of the songs he left out, including Born in the USA, Jungleland, Cover Me, and others.

Some of my highlights...

Nils Lofgren absolutely tearing it up in a solo in Youngstown, proving his worth compared to the more popular Steve Van Zandt.

Tenth Ave. Freeze-out was epic. Stopping in mid-song, for a scripted adlib swerve, leading into the band intros, and the inevitable "and a change was made uptown and the Big Man joined the band" was brilliant.

A 10-minute version of the River, completely disguised at the beginning by a fantastic, haunting solo by Clemons.

What semi-baby-boomer parents in the crowd (and there were thousands) didn't well up during My Hometown (35, I got a boy, of my own now...)?

The first set ran two hours. Most other concerts in total can't do that. Oh... and that was before he played EIGHT more songs.

Born To Run with the house lights up? A party with 23,000 of your best friends. Especially milking, with a slight delay, the "1-2-3-4" countdown in mid-song.

Awesome, touching version of "If I Should Fall Behind" with the band taking turns singing. Many other bands with their 'front-guy's egos' would never be able to provide such a performance.

How good was this concert? I knew Ramrod would be the very final song, barring some crazy miracle. By that point I was already so happy, content, and worn out, I was willing to leave in mid-song to have an uncontested trip out of the parking lot, rather than stay to the very very end and fight a swamp of mood-killing traffic. The Show was so good, and my memories are so good, that it didn't bother me at all.

Now, post-concert depression is setting in. I'm avoiding playing any Bruce songs, because I want to try to keep the version I just heard LIVE in my head. The weeks, and recent days, of anticipation are gone. I've seen Bruce with and without E-Street in seven concerts spanning four decades. I may very well never see them again.

But, I'm 38.. and I guarantee I'm saving my ticket stub.

Written by Jim Ramsey