The three hour performance represented a shift in the set list for the legend, resulting in a disjointed but nonetheless invigorating performance.
Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band Because he is an American rock icon, and considering tickets for his Aug. 18 stadium performance at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro go on sale this weekend, it seems a fitting time to revisit some notes taken at Bruce Springsteen’s April 16 show in Albany.
The three hour performance represented a shift in the set list for the legend, resulting in a disjointed but nonetheless invigorating performance. Aside from the set list, here are some other observations regarding Springsteen’s stop at the west end of the turnpike.
Albany is a great place for Western Massachusetts fans to see a concert. The Time-Union Center is the same distance from Greater Springfield as Boston’s TD Garden but quicker and easier to get to. Like the smaller Palace Theater in Albany, the arena is right off the highway. Within five minutes of parking the car I ran into six friends from Springfield and subsequently have talked to a dozen others who made the trip.
The Times-Union Center gets high marks as a venue. It helps that the city closes down part of North Pearl Street in Albany for concerts and hockey games, creating a festival-like atmosphere around the building. It would be an interesting concept for the MassMutual Center to consider for events.
With the lights on before, and during a good portion of the show I was initially alarmed at how old the audience was, before realizing that they were all about my age.
Having said that, there were plenty of moms and dads who brought their kids to the show. While the “next Springsteen” is not out there right now (trust me, I’ve seen all the pretenders to the throne) he or she might be in one of these audiences with mom or dad, seeing how it can, and should, be done.
Speaking of having the lights on, Springsteen’s gimmick of turning the house lights on during “Born to Run” (he started the Albany concert with “Badlands” bathed in light) remains the simplest and single most impactful special effect you will see at a live show.
It’s better than lasers, or pyro, or the attempt at 3D that KISS gave us a decade ago. If you want to feel part of something, feel totally invested in a communal experience, then do it with 17,000 other like minded souls with the lights on.
Max Weinberg, drummer for the E Street Band, is a physical marvel. While Springsteen wass catching his breath between songs Mighty Max continued to pound away. Weinberg anchored the band for seven straight songs, more than a half hour of constant and sometime ferocious backbeat before Bruce settled things down.