Springsteen on Broadway - St. James Theatre 8/19/2021

  Was very fortunate to get to see Bruce's limited run of his one man show(with one special guest) yesterday. The first show to open on Broadway since the pandemic shut everything down. 

   Pass Over has since joined Springsteen on Broadway as the only other


Broadway show now running. Waitress and Hadestown will join on September 4, the same night Springsteen on Broadway will close. 

   In reality, Bruce's show makes complete sense as being the first to open. Only two performers on stage and I am sure a minimal amount of backstage personnel. 

  Open slowly and safely.

  The show, same as last time was great. Bruce did alter some of the segments and switched out 3 songs. American Skin(41 Shots) was a fitting choice given the events of the last year, and I'll See You in My Dreams is a more fitting final song this time around than Born to Run.

  I did feel that the segment of the show where Bruce talked about the giant tree which towered over the street he grew up on, was skimmed down so much, the emotional impact wasn't as great as during the last run of the show. However, more focus was given to the section of the show where he talked about  lost friends and the sections about his parents. I think this was intentional, given the last year plus, to have the greater emotional impact be more about the people in our lives, and how even if they are gone, much of our lives are shaped by these people. Something which usually continues long after we are separated from them, whether by death, or just time itself.

 I swear Bruce sounds better every time I see him. And to his credit, he is one of the few performers who can have me laughing one moment, and getting choked up the next. 

 I felt blessed to be sitting in a Broadway theatre, seeing my favorite artist, and hearing his voice once again. At an age where he can phone it in and it would probably still be great, he always gives everything he has, and he seems genuinely grateful for the dedicated fans and casual fans who still show up for him, since he shows up for us.

 Here is the setlist:

Growin' Up

My Hometown

My Father's House

The Wish

Thunder Road

The Promised Land

Born in the U.S.A.

Tenth Avenue Freezeout

Tougher Than The Rest w/Patti Scialfa

Fire w/Patti Scialfa

American Skin(41 Shots)

The Rising

Dancing in the Dark

Land of Hope and Dreams

I'll See You in My Dreams