| Springsteen Concert Reviews from the 2000 Tour |
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Seen the recent tour? Submit your own review here. Anaheim, CA, May 22, 2000 Set List Available Posted on May 29, 2000 @ 10:00AM GMT If asked the question, "How does one of Rock's biggest stars live up to the reputation that he's created over nearly 30 years of performing?", the answer is simple. Very well, thank you. With a reputation for playing some of the longest shows in music without an intermission, expectations for Monday night's performance by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band could have easily been set too high. Anticipation grew as the late arriving capacity crowd slowly trickled to their seats. The scheduled start of 7:30 PM gave way to a more fashionably late start at around 8:20. L.A. crowds, long noted for arriving late and leaving early, surprised by living up to only half of that equation. Perhaps Bruce's reputation for such long shows kept everyone there for over two and a half hours and four encores. (The $74 ticket price probably didn't hurt either!) The reunited E Street Band was solid and engaging without taking too much of the spotlight away from The Boss. Clarence Clemmons could easily bring the crowd up a notch every time he wailed away on his tenor sax. Aside from Nils Lofgren's guitar solos being buried in the mix from time to time, the band sounded great. Bruce was able to play selections spanning most of his career but left some inevitable noteworthy exceptions. Songs like "The River", "Born in the U.S.A.", "Hungry Heart", "Dancin' in the Dark" and "Glory Days" were all left off the set list as well as songs that Bruce recorded without the E Street Band. The set mixed old and new and reached high points more than once during the evening. Ending the second encore with "Born to Run" was easily the high point of the evening. After whipping the crowd into an absolute frenzy I couldn't imagine Bruce not milking that emotion for a little bit longer. So as not to disappoint the thousands of fans on hand, two more encores were still to come. Bruce and the band appeared to be having too much fun to call it a night anyway. Perhaps some time away from each other makes the band stronger and more appreciative now. Perhaps not. Whatever the reason, it was easy to see why after nearly 30 years in Rock & Roll and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the shows still sell out and Bruce Springsteen really is The Boss. Written by Scott Heimer |