PHEW! Hammersmith was treated last night to it's best pub lock in for years!
Bruce and his 17 strong Seeger Sessions band played the Apollo the first time in 31 years since his notorious 'Is London Ready'? two nights.
I am not a huge fan but after 5 minutes was boogying on down with the best of them no-one could stand still or stay seated.
We didn't have seats even though we were told we did but like many others who were crammed in the top circle standing, we had the best view, you needed it to see all the band, with the chandaliers the stage were reminiscent of an old time music hall, then we are promised an "all-new evening of gospel, folk and blues and we get it 110%
They open with the old Negro spiritual, "O Mary Don't You Weep". Springsteen gives its nursery rhyme-simple melody all he has. In the space of a few minutes, fiddle, accordion, trumpet and piano players all take short, gutsy solos. It's really mindblowing, breathless, invigorating stuff.
A Hootenanny-type mood is quickly established, Springsteen proved just how easily he can reach row Z of an arena or concert hall.
"John Henry had himself a red-headed woman," he roars on "John Henry", as his own redheaded wife - backing singer Patti Scialfa - joins him fleetingly at his front-of-stage microphone. He's never been afraid to choreograph a move, but his music has rarely sounded more spontaneous or vitalising than this. Further in, he introduces "Old Dan Tucker" as "a 150-year old Bob Dylan song". No matter that this bluegrass banjo-led toe-tapper was made famous by Dan Emmett circa 1843: this is Springsteen acknowledging Dylan acknowledging Woody Guthrie acknowledging all that came before him.
It closes much as it had begun, Springsteen and his cohorts tapping into the Dixieland tradition for the set-closer, "When The Saints Go Marching In". It's been a fabulously rich evening musically, the persevering, life-affirming choruses of tunes such as "Jacob's Ladder" and "Erie Canal" provoking a mass sing-along there are going to be some sore throats in the house today!!. At times it felt like a gospel revival!!!!
Sadly we were not by any way or means were allowed to take any photographs, as it was G's night off and due to lack of press passes we only have the outside as pix, but I have my memories, even though the temperatures reached sky high and a few times you had to steady yourself (even nipped to the loo to remove a few layers!) I will be eating my hat for a very long time, even the stinging merch prices can't spoil this one!
Set list or as near as I remember, damn it!
Setlist:
John Henry/O Mary Don't You Weep/Johnny 99/Old Dan Tucker/Eyes on the Prize/Jesse James/Cadillac Ranch/Erie Canal/My Oklahoma Home/How Can I Keep From Singing/Mrs. McGrath/How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live/Jacob's Ladder/We Shall Overcome/Open All Night/Pay Me My Money Down
Encore:
My City of Ruins/Buffalo Gals/You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)/When the Saints Go Marching In
Free Forum Hosting
Important Announcement
