“Who’s ready for night two?” asked Bruce Springsteen rhetorically of the Chicago crowd as the rocker’s North American tour kicked off at Wrigley Field for the second of two sold out concerts Friday night.
Springsteen’s opening remarks brought to mind the famous words of Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, whose love of the game of baseball was captured in the catchphrase “Let’s play two!” one which expressed his embrace of the doubleheader.
Springsteen seems similarly comfortable on the Wrigley stage, making his return to the Friendly Confines for the first time in more than ten years, following 2012 performances which featured cameos by Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder.
Amidst a world tour which marks their first U.S. dates since 2016, Springsteen and The E Street Band will tour America through September before moving to Canada in November, ultimately making a west coast return to close 2023.
Springsteen and company practically took over Chicago last week, with merch pop ups around the park and E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg filling the off night between Wrigley gigs with one of his own, performing as Max Weinberg’s Jukebox during an intimate set at Chicago club Park West (one with a capacity of just 750 during seated performances).
“It’s fantastic being back in Chicago. I’ve played City Winery here and Wrigley as you know in 2012. And I’ve got Park West tonight,” said Weinberg backstage at Park West prior to the Thursday solo set. “To play Wrigley Field, there really was a sense of anticipation in the E Street Band – because it’s such an iconic ballpark. You don’t see a lot of those around anymore, you know?” he continued. “When you think of what’s gone on there since, it’s just an honor to play there,” said the drummer, referencing the Cubs win in the 2016 World Series. “We had a great first show. People were so great. And we’re looking forward to a great second show.”
Backed by New Jersey rock act The Weeklings, Weinberg opened his Chicago set with David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel,” moving straight into Tommy James & The Shondells’ “Mony Mony.”
Fans play a significant role in building the set during the interactive Jukebox shows, and Weinberg rolled out covers ranging anywhere from the Ramones to AC/DC over the course of two hours in Chicago Thursday night.
Setting up his own take on The Band’s “The Weight,” just two days removed from the death of guitarist/vocalist Robbie Robertson, Weinberg recalled his time alongside Band drummer and singer Levon Helm, ultimately working in a pair of Springsteen cuts (“Pink Cadillac,” “Glory Days”) on the Park West stage.
“How many people are coming tomorrow?” asked Weinberg of the Park West crowd Thursday, looking ahead to Friday at Wrigley. “I’ll be the guy kind of out of focus over Bruce’s right shoulder,” he joked.
Shaking up the setlist slightly on night two, Springsteen offered up a pair of tracks (“Night,” “Trapped”) which weren’t performed during the Wednesday opener.
This time around, the setlists are staying mostly the same by design, with Springsteen touring a more structured show.
Seemingly inspired by the success of his autobiography in 2016 and Springsteen on Broadway production in 2017, 2018 and 2021, this current tour finds The Boss similarly driving the narrative via the combination of story and song. Themes like mortality, aging and the power of music as a healing force emerge throughout, with Springsteen driving the proceedings via the delivery of on stage stories and a pair of solo acoustic takes – just as he did in the one-man show.
“I’m ready to grow young again,” he sang during “No Surrender,” following opening track “Night.”
“Ghosts,” from the group’s 2020 album Letter to You followed, Springsteen looking to fallen bandmates as his guide. “By the end of the set, we leave no one alive,” he sang, offering up an E Street mission statement early Friday night.
Springsteen headed down from the stage to mix it up with fans in front, working the crowd early. “Professor!” screamed guitarist Steven Van Zandt, pointing left at pianist Roy Bittan, keys sparkling at dusk during “Prove It All Night” early on night two at Wrigley. Springsteen leaned back and to his right, ripping a late solo on an old Telecaster before high fiving saxophonist Jake Clemons, sax driving the song to finish.
Springsteen handled harmonica on “The Promised Land” with chants of “Bruuuuce” ringing out across Wrigley as The Boss made his way back to the stage from the audience.
Weinberg’s iconic drum parts filled “Out in the Street” with vocalist Soozie Tyrell shining during the track. Little Steven and guitarist Nils Lofgren shared a laugh on stage during the song, Lofgren pointing down amidst kicks. “Meet me out in the Chicago streets!” Lofgren improvised, everyone taking a vocal turn on the cut as the Chicago crowd filled in the backing vocal, The E Street horns roaring back in to start “Candy’s Room” shortly thereafter.
“It was 1965. I was 15 years old – playing guitar for about six months,” recalled Springsteen during one of the show’s most poignant moments. “It was there at 15 I embarked on the greatest adventure of my life: I joined my first real rock and roll band,” he explained during a set piece which sees Springsteen come closest to the Broadway show, doubling down on storytelling as he sets up an acoustic take on “Last Man Standing.” “At 15, it’s all hello. Later, it’s a lot more hard goodbyes,” he said during a story which once again hit upon formative moments, the loss of bandmates and the idea of soldering on despite life’s ups and downs as one ages. “This is ‘Last Man Standing,’” said Springsteen, performing alongside trumpeter Barry Danielian during one of the evening’s most sparsely beautiful moments.
Springsteen continued in storytelling mode as he made his way through “Backstreets” with Bittan playing in “Because The Night” next. Lofgren unleashed a Crazy Horse-type solo during the latter, right knee up as he spun a whirling dervish, stumbling back as he found his footing, playing with his thumb.
If the early portions of this show find Springsteen wistfully pondering the idea of mortality, it heads toward encore in downright jubilant fashion, with the E Street Band breaking out of “Because The Night” with “She’s The One.”
Tyrell opened “Wrecking Ball” with a solo violin part as Springsteen roared. “Chicago! Let me hear your voices. Come on, let me hear ya!” he implored as the band settled back in, the song taking on an almost Seeger Sessions-like vibe as horns kicked in. “Tonight all the dead are here,” sang Springsteen. “Take your best shot!” he continued, now openly taunting. “Bring on your wrecking ball.”
Lofgren ripped a glass slide during a soaring take on “The Rising,” late call and response vocals taking the crowd to church. Wiping sweat from his eye with his left hand, Springsteen soldiered on during “Badlands,” right hand in the air as he geared up for a solo of his own, Weinberg pounding out the song’s false ending.
Playing to the camera now, Springsteen slung his guitar over his shoulder, making his way closer to the fans as “Thunder Road” took on a laid back groove thanks to bassist Garry Tallent.
With barely a pause for encore, the E Street Band came roaring back with one of the all time great tales of freedom in “Born to Run,” audience hands up as the lights went up at Wrigley, illuminating a sold out crowd of over 40,000.
“Glory Days” took on a conversational tone thanks to a fun exchange between Springsteen and Van Zandt and Springsteen sported a look of absolute contentment, strumming away as “Dancing in the Dark” began (soon trading off the song’s closing lines with Clemons following one of his uncle’s most adored saxophone parts).
“This is the important part,” said Springsteen as images of deceased E Street Band members Danny Federici and Clarence Clemons ran on screen during “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.”
Each show on this tour has ended the same way, with Springsteen delivering one final rumination on life via a moving solo take on “I’ll See You in my Dreams.”
“When all our summers have come to an end, I’ll see you in my dreams,” sang Springsteen, closing out his sold out Wrigley run. “For death is not the end. And I’ll see you in my dreams.”
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