Concert Report: Bruce Springsteen, Olympiastadion, Berlin, 30 May 2012

Oh man.... I say this about Bruce a lot, but he IS a party! And this has to be the liveliest show I've ever seen. His presence is impossibly commanding without any preening, and he's in so much control of what is going on without seeming to be. The way he picks requests from the crowd and show them to the band and then launch into the song is nothing short of awesome, and I don't care if they're on some pre-arranged set list or not.

I was in fits of giggles for much of this show, especially during the whole 'Berlin, we're gonna rock your pants off' speech, and at the end of the show, one spectator actually did hand up his trousers to Little Steven. Bruce got goofier and goofier as the night went on, which is by no means a bad thing. I got a lot of my favourites played (Thunder Road, The Rising, The River, Dancing In The Dark, which I'd never heard live before), and a lot of other really great songs. I liked the stuff off the new album a lot - except for 'We Are Alive' - I don't know exactly what it is about that song, but it ticks me off. I do not like it at all.

There was a quite beautiful tribute to Clarence Clemons during Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out - after the line 'and the Big Man joined the show', the music stopped, and a montage of photos and footage of Clarence and Bruce was shown on the screens. Poignant without being too sad - more celebration of his life and his talent than anything else. A fitting end to a three-hour non-stop party :) Bruuuuuce!

The stadium was gorgeous - next time I'm in Berlin, I want some more time to explore it properly. We drove down, a colleague, his brother and me, on the day of the gig, spent the night in a nearby hostel and drove back to Cph the next morning - which was fine, seeing as the concert was happening mid-week. It was a fun road trip and a great, great concert - I'm so happy I got to go!

Set list, with respective album and year: 
When I Leave Berlin (Wizz Jones cover)
We Take Care Of Our Own (Wrecking Ball, 2012)
Wrecking Ball (Wrecking Ball, 2012)
Badlands (Darkness On The Edge Of Town, 1978)
Death To My Hometown (Wrecking Ball, 2012)
My City Of Ruins (The Rising, 2002)
Spirit In The Night (Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., 1973)
Hungry Heart (The River, 1980)
Trapped (The Essential Bruce Springsteen, 2003)
Jack Of All Trades (Wrecking Ball, 2012)
Youngstown (The Ghost Of Tom Joad, 1995)
Johnny 99 (Nebraska, 1982)
Working On The Highway (Born In The U.S.A., 1984)
Shackled And Drawn (Wrecking Ball, 2012)
Waitin' On A Sunny Day (The Rising, 2002)
Save My Love (The Promise, 2010)
The River (The River, 1980)
The Rising (The Rising, 2002)
Lonesome Day (The Rising, 2002)
We Are Alive (Wrecking Ball, 2012)
Thunder Road (Born To Run, 1975)
Rocky Ground (Wrecking Ball, 2012)
Born In The U.S.A. (Born In The U.S.A., 1984)
Born To Run (Born To Run, 1975)
Glory Days (Born In The U.S.A., 1984)
Seven Nights To Rock
Dancing In The Dark (Born In The U.S.A., 1984)
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (Born To Run, 1975)