Springsteen Concert Reviews from the 2000 Tour

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Pittsburgh, PA, April 26, 2000
Set List Available
Posted on May 22, 2000 @ 11:40PM GMT

This show was the greatest concert that I have ever attended. It was only my second Springsteen concert and my first one outside of the Garden State. Before the show I was told by my relatives that the energy at the Civic Arena would not compare to that at the Meadowlands last summer - much to their surprise, the people of Pittsburgh truly rose to the occasion. Maybe they did not know as many words as the Jersey natives, but they definitely blew the roof off of the igloo that beautiful night.

Unfortunately the show was in the middle of my final exam week at the University of Pittsburgh, but that did not stop me from taking a night off from the books. It all started when I got off of work at about 8:00 P.M. At that point I sprinted about a half mile to get to the Civic Arena in time for the show.

Once I got there I had enough time to get a couple of beers for myself (since I knew I would not have a chance to get up during the show), take my seat and meet the people sitting next to me. As for the seats, I was sitting in the front row of the Balcony (Section E) right behind the stage. These were some of the reduced cost tickets, but if you ask me I had the best seat in the house. At about 8:15 P.M. The lights dimmed and the crowd went wild.

Once the band took the stage, The Big Man took the microphone and did a little intro to get the crowd pumped up. The band went in to The Ties that Bind. It was a great opener to get the crowd was on their feet and ready for the next three hours of excitement.

After the Ties that Bind, the band went right into Adam Raised Cain, which was truly phenomenal. During the beginning of the show the sound was not that great, but as the show went on it got much better.

A couple of songs later, the band went into the rarely played Trapped. During the Chorus the lights were turned up, and you could see exactly how fired up this Pittsburgh crowd was! After Darlington County was played, the band slowed it down playing Factory, Point Blank (which keeps on getting better and better), and Youngstown. If you ask me I think that the most underrated song on the setlist was Youngstown. The song carried a lot of emotion and really hit me that night.

At this point we went into the standard setlist. During Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, the crowd was happy to hear Bruce make reference to the tremendous amount of Steeler memorabilia. Once the song was over, I notice that Bruce was giving an audible to the band. I notice about 15 rows back on the Floor there was a huge sign reading "Loose Ends". I was very surprised that the sign actually influenced the setlist. He then goes into on of the best tunes from Tracks: Loose Ends, which he said they have not played in a while (August 22, 1999 in Boston). It was very nice to hear.

After The Ghost of Tom Joad, the Pittsburgh crowd was blessed with another great rarity, "Back In Your Arms Again" The song was dedicated to his kid (at least I think so). By the time this song was over the whole crowd was about ready to shed tears.

After Back In Your Arms, They went into my favorite song of all time, Jungleland. At this point the energy level was so loud that I could not hear my self think. Bruce then closed off the main part of the show with Light of Day.

Of course, the Pittsburgh crowd loved the reference to the 'Burgh in the middle of the song. The band then left the stage for a couple of minutes. At this point I turned to the person sitting next to me and told them that they have not seen anything yet. The band came out and we heard a nice little Saxophone intro from the big man which could only have meant one thing: Spirit in the Night!

Once the song was over I notice another microphone stand coming out.. I had a feeling that we would be seeing local hero Joe Grushecky for the second night in a row. The and then went into Hungry Heart.. As usual, the Boss gave the crowd a chance to show what they had for the first verse. I don't think he was disappointed when he heard our rendition. Joe Grushecky even took the microphone for a verse. Then we heard a drum intro as the house lights went up - it was Born to Run! Just a great classic that will never get old.

The band took a quick five minute break, before closing out this wonderful evening. We heard a wonderful rendition of the legendary Thunder Road. Next up, If I Should Fall Behind, which is a truly wonderful song that showcases the singing ability of the rest of the band.

Finally, Bruce asked the crowd to hop on the train heading for the Land of Hope and Dreams. All I had to say at this point was WOW. The lights came on and the band took what many thought would be a final bow.. It turns out that they had one more in them, it was Ramrod. What a great song to close with - the place went crazy.

All in all I must say that it was quite a night! The only disappointment is that we did not see A Good Man is Hard to Find. It was reported in the newspaper that it did show up in the sound check, but I guess it did not fit into the setlist. Oh Well.. The one thing that I gathered from this show is that even at the age of 50, Bruce and the band are still in their prime and their is little chance that they will end it once this tour is over.

Written by David Lorenzo