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¡Viva Bosselona!

Three and a half hours of Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band at Camp Nou Stadium, Barcelona on Sunday, July 20, 2008

Written by ant (24)

Me, Ester and 70-odd thousand other tramps like us were participants in the party which was the last gig of the Magic European Tour. On a stiflingly sticky Barcelona night, Boss & Co kept us waiting for well over half an hour before finally making their appearance (though they compensated with a full-on show, lasting close on 3 1/2 hours). Having played the same venue the night before — the first act to sell the place out two days running — only half of the setlist was repeated.

As previously mentioned, it was partytime. "No gig tomorrow night, so let's make the most of it!" Furthermore, Barcelona is a very special city for Bruce. Steve Van Zandt affirmed in the Avui newspaper the following day that it has the wildest audience in the world, and is the best place on the planet to finish a tour. They first played here on The River Tour in '81, for 900 pesetas [€1.50!] and 6,000 people — Ester being one of them.

Spain was still emerging from 30 years of 'Francismo' and it was less than 2 months after a failed military coup. Bruce gave some kind of freedom back to the Catalans, and has never forgotten the thanks they gave him! The Stars and Stripes hung from one side of the stage, with the Catalan 'Senyera' from the other. It should also be recalled that he also first publicly proclaimed his love for Patti Scialfa in the same city some years later. ¡Viva Bosselona!

La gran festa began with a galaxy of twinkling point-lights and a crazy Bavarian Beerhouse theme. The band duly trooped up the ramp to assume their positions onstage — except for Bruce, who dived directly into the crowd... Never have I seen anyone do that at the beginning of a gig! And there he remained as the E-Streets launched into "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out". I lost count of how many more times he hurled himself that way; to spit or throw water, collect request placards, share the mike, or just to simply be with the people. I have to confess to never having being an unconditional fan of the man — much of the set was terra incognito for me — but his sheer force and overwhelming enthusiasm throughout the entire show slammed me with an eternally indelible impact.

When he did take to the stage, it was flat on his back on a wave of ecstatic adrenalin, already drenched with sweat. Though not unknown for his affinity with the fan family, this was an extra-special night and absolutely no holds were barred. Throwing himself around like a teenager, song fused into song with the 1-2-3-4 intros generally cutting across the endings. The band never missed a twist of course, each E-Street element showing all the precision and flair you'd expect, though at times there was a fair bit of sound distortion. From the crowd requests came, amongst others: "Tougher Than the Rest" (a kiss for Patti), "This Hard Land", "Livin' in the Future" and — the most original, on a battery-powered LED scroll — "I'm Goin' Down" (with the moon goin' up behind the stage).

"Badlands" concluded the main set, but there was hardly time for him to've necked a coffee before storming back on with "Thunder Road", the stadium floodlights coming on to reveal the full extent of the singalong, dancealong party on the pitch. The "Detroit Medley" was especially stomping, and following it directly with "Born To Run" a stroke of genius! "American Land" had both keyboardists switch to accordion and new-girl Soozie Tyrell's violin once more giving an extra dimension to the band.

For the fiesta's final finale, a 9 1/2 minute fusion of 'Twist & Shout/La Bamba', Evan Springsteen joined dad on guitar, with mama co-ordinating the rest of the brood on maracas, tambourines, et cetera. And so it ended, with Bruce vowing to come back soon. He certainly will — and I'll certainly do my best to be there when he does. Just hope it's not a Sunday night when the Metro's closed so we can avoid the "Long Walk Home", halfway across Barcelona to find a taxi, after the long night's dancing! Ah well, what else can you expect from tramps like us?!!

The Songs

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
Prove It All Night
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Spirit in the Night
Light of Day
Working on the Highway
Tougher Than the Rest
This Hard Land
Youngstown
Murder Incorporated
The Promised Land
Livin' in the Future
I'm Goin' Down
Mary's Place
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands

Encores
Thunder Road
Detroit Medley
Born to Run
Rosalita
American Land
Twist and Shout/La Bamba

The Band

Bruce Springsteen — guitar, harmonica, vocals
Patti Scialfa — guitar, percussion, vocals
Steve Van Zandt — guitar, mandolin, vocals
Nils Lofgren — guitar, vocals
Garry Tallent — bass guitar
Clarence Clemons — saxophone, percussion, vocals
Soozie Tyrell — violin, percussion,vocals
Charles Giordano — keyboards, accordion
Roy Bittan — piano, accordion
Max Weinberg — drums