Bruce Springsteen's gig review, Anvers, Yesterday.

Springsteen and the E Street Band are currently on tour in Europe and are earning accolades for their stellar performances. In a five-star review (out of five), London's Sunday Telegraph raved, "Bruce proves music can save your soul." The Observer called a London show "a performance of blood, sweat and tears." In another five-star review (out of five), Financial Times of London dubbed the concert "masterly, memorable and utterly exhilarating." The Daily Mail testified, "as good a show as I've ever seen."

Well, there's maybe nothin to add... If you've been a Bruce's gig you know, if you've never seen the E Street Band live, you don't. In the Sport Palace Arena (all the photos have been shot yesterday), I felt some feelings which are really on a very upper level than music, than "only" music. This man takes the crowd, looks in the eye the last row and think "In an hour, you'll stand up and you will be with us on stage" and he did. Whatever the music, it's an amazing performance and challenge he succeeded once again with the sweat and commitment of a working class hero.

The Continental european audiences have changed a lot for twenty years, they're really more rock and roll and ready to have that very big party open to everyone which is so typically British. The crowd was amazing and he felt the feed back. The sad note... Where's Danny? So long, brother, the Band will join you later to have the very last E Street band's concert.

It's really more than a gig, it's life, love, spirituality, communion, brotherthood, "part of the human happiness" and, really, a "reason to believe"... You can even forget for almost three hours (the boy is 60 in September, really good news for Paul, Keep the shape!) that life is not unfinished... Time wa suspended. It's a celebration of life by the way of music, not a gig or not really a gig. I really want to take young and old wankers, so called rock stars, who DON'T respect their audiences to the show. Look, listen. What do you think he still has to prove? Nothin'... but he does and he still plays "Born to run" like the first time ever.

He's not the Ex-Future of Rock'n'roll, he's still a true incarnation of the best "americana" rock'n'roll with deep roots in the best american culture. I wasn't really in the US music when I was a young kid because it was in the mood ("I'm so bored with the USA") but it was, of course, absolutely Stupid, as everytime you say "Every man, Every Woman, is, are"... you're gonna say something very stupid. And once upon a long time ago, I didn't know him at all, there was a TV Broadcast about american music and they spoke about that man... He was singing on the piano... Bruce Springsteen, the future of rock'n'roll...



Bruce is the essence, the quintessence of US rock'n'roll (with Tom Petty on the west coast?). Yesterday he brought us Soul and the Bruce's voice can burn, specially when he's on the "Darkness" edge side of his works. He also played tunes by request, the rare enough (or even very rare) Point Blank... And I'm a rocker for a tour premiere! He also had respect and looked many times the people Behind the stage. ( He respected them more than the Sport Palace management or the belgium tour manager who sold tix to be BEHIND the stage for 40£ and who changed the venue without consideration for the initial prize! I was 100 m far from the stage in Anvers and had an initial seat 25 m on the right of the stage on the first stadium. Of course, I've written, never had any answer...)

Well he took us, knocked us out, up and down with the great E Street Band Roller Coaster. Niels Lofgren went into a fantastic solo, swirling on a single foot around himself, completely out of mind by the beauty of what he was playing, Little Steven is the lifetime lieutenant, The Big Man looked a little bit tired but "we ain't that young anymore" or it was just a "I'm so cool" attitude and Soozie Tyrell add a feminine and elegant touch to the men's quartet behind her, the very discrete Gary W.Tallent, Magic Professor Roy Bittan, Mighty Max Weinberg (one of my favourite drummer in this style) and Charlie Giordano.

They ended by "American land", shown on the wide screen for everyone to call anyone to reconsider United States, Bruce even said there will be something new after 8 years of mistakes... It wasn't a stupid stubborn national anthem but a call to union and fraternity... Check the lyrics... The McNicholas, the Posalski's, the Smiths, Zerillis, too The Blacks, the Irish, Italians, the Germans and the Jews Come across the water a thousand miles from home With nothin in their bellies but the fire down below They died building the railroads worked to bones and skin They died in the fields and factories names scattered in the wind They died to get here a hundred years ago they're still dyin now The hands that built the country were always trying to keep down

Honest, It was the "Promised land" or "Paradise by The C". I'm still dreamin. Paul Weller in Bournemouth and Bruce in Anvers in a month... What else could I ask? Am I only dreamin?

World is such a beautiful and heavenly place sometimes...

Real set list and the other one...

So Young and In Love { lyrics } / Radio Nowhere { lyrics } / The Ties That Bind { lyrics } / The Promised Land { lyrics } / Spirit In The Night { lyrics } / Magic { lyrics } / Trapped { lyrics } / 4th of July, Asbury Park / (Sandy) { lyrics } / Prove It All Night { lyrics }/ Thundercrack { lyrics } / Because The Night { lyrics } / She's The One { lyrics }/ Livin' In The Future { lyrics }/ Mary's Place { lyrics }/ Fire { lyrics }/ Point Blank { lyrics } The Rising { lyrics } / Last To Die { lyrics } / Long Walk Home { lyrics } / Badlands { lyrics }

I'm A Rocker { lyrics } [Tour Premier} / Born To Run { lyrics } / Thunder Road { lyrics }/ Glory Days { lyrics } / American Land { lyrics }