73 Years. 40 Thoughts. Bruce Springsteen—Xcel Energy Center March 5, 2023.
Bruce Springsteen is an American treasure.
He visited Saint Paul last night. If you were in the audience, here are 40 things that likely ran through your head:
1) We’d have to check Google Analytics, but we estimate 17,954 people searched “How old is Bruce Springsteen?” last night.
2) 73!!! The man may be a reptile. As all of us Minnesotans marveled at Bruce defying age, thinking there could be no one quite like him on the planet. But then you remembered that other Italian Stallion proving “age is just a number.” It is State Tournament week after all . . .
3) Okay, we move on. At one point about an hour into his set, this conversation was overheard on the concourse:
“The setlist . . .”
“He always does this; plays a bunch of songs no one knows!”
And to be honest, Bruce did just that. A chilling solo rendition of “Last Man Standing” saved the front half of the set, which was comprised of a lot of songs Bruce wanted to play more than the audience wanted to hear.
4) “Last Man Standing” is proof of the genius of Bruce Frederik Joseph Springsteen. It is a true art form to watch this troubadour talk for a couple minutes before playing a song for a full house. Just a man and his guitar, somehow capable of making every neck hair in the joint stand up after 50+ years doing it. You only need one moment like this to make a concert worth it, and Bruce always gives you a few.
5) Bruce is far from the last man standing in the E Street Band. While there was a nice tribute to departed band members Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici, Springsteen had 17 people on stage with him last night. Admit it, you counted. We all counted.
6) After just the sort of story that made his one-man Broadway play a hit introing “Last Man Standing,” Springsteen dedicated the song to the entire crowd wishing us all “a glorious life.”
7) Bruce made us all wonder if we should own maroon shoes and black jeans.
8) At one point early in the show, Bruce tossed a still simmering harmonica into the VIP seats. That my friends, is one hell of a souvenir.
9) For the good of the world and a brighter tomorrow, we should consider swabbing that harmonica for DNA.
10) To prove just how impressive Springsteen is as a live performer at the tender age of 73, we tried to do a list of 73 things for this article. We made it to 40, and even that was a stretch.
11) It seemed appropriate that most members of the Minnesota Wild were in attendance last night, as the song titles of nearly half of Springsteen’s set would be incredibly motivating scrawled on a grease board for the guys to slap as they exited the locker room: PROVE IT ALL NIGHT. NO SURRENDER. THE RISING. WRENCKING BALL. BURNIN’ TRAIN . . .to name a few.
12) Springsteen is an underrated ax-man, and he seems determined with this tour to remind us of his guitar chops, which he did frequently Sunday night.
13) Related, no one stands with a guitar hanging upside down strapped to their back better than the Boss.
14) Hearing an adoring crowd chant, “Bruuuuuuuuce” whenever there was air in the setlist is something every fan of live music should experience at least once in their lifetime.
15) Two words surprisingly absent from Bruce’s set that would have felt nice last night: Saint Paul. Just sayin’.
16) Bruce played a couple covers quite well including a groovy “Nightshift” by the Commodores and “Because the Night” by the Patti Smith Group.
17) The setlist transformed entirely when Springsteen cranked up “The Rising” as his second to last song before a pounding 7-song encore chock full of hits.
18) In many ways, Sunday was two concerts in one. The show Bruce wanted to play, and the show the crowd needed to hear. “The Rising” was the moment he shifted gears.
19) With apologies to the Coen brothers’ woodchipper, “Badlands” might be as ferocious as the Midwest is possible of sounding. To see the fist-pumping from the crowd, you would have thought police cars would have been set on fire all down West 7th after the show.
20) Proving even rock stars know you should go “Tarps off,” Bruce took a cue from Jake Middleton and the rest of the Wild, ripping open his shirt toward the end of the show.
21) The late Clarence Clemons’ nephew, Jake Clemons, made everyone in the building realize we should have been listening to a lot more saxophone since Bill Clinton left office.
22) Dolly Parton is 77. Sorry, still trying to figure out how this guy does it.
23) Springsteen used the full force of his 17-person army on “Pay Me My Money Down,” momentarily transforming the X into Bourbon Street.
24) The importance of drummer Max Weinberg to the E Street Band should not be underestimated. His sticks provide the beat of this band’s porterhouse sized heart.
25) Yes, it was an older crowd. Look no further than the fact that everyone in attendance had the novel idea to watch the show with their eyes, not through their phone. When is the last time you went to a sold-out rock show and didn’t see the entire crowd watching the show through their iPhone? Maybe old people do know something!
26) Steven Van Zandt made everyone want to rewatch “The Sopranos.”
27) Steven Van Zandt made everyone wonder if they start dressing more like a gypsy.
28) Springsteen is aging so well he can pull off earrings (sorry Harrison Ford), and tearing off his shirt.
29) The post-show blizzard seemed worse than the predicted “Snowmageddon” a few weeks ago.
30) Why do meteorologists have zero accountability?
31) Bruce Springsteen or Lou Nanne would probably be amazing meteorologists. Watch your back, Belinda.
32) We should also check Google Analytics for how many people were actively shopping jean jackets last night. Why do we forget that these are always cool?
33) Bruce’s staccato rant about the E Street band is on par with the best of Randy Macho Man Savage and Ric Flair in their prime. Heart-stopping, pants-dropping, hard-rocking, booty-shaking, love-making, earth-quaking, Viagra-taking, justifying. . .
34) For those craving the “Born in the USA,” Bruce dancing with Courtney Cox era Springsteen, they were rewarded with a couplet of “Glory Days” and “Dancing in the Dark” back-to-back.
35) Springsteen’s dancing proved to be much improved from the Reagan-era.
36) Life and death seemed to be a constant theme of the night, including Springsteen’s final solo acoustic number dedicated to Second Harvest Food Shelf, “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”
37) “Wrecking Ball” turned everyone’s collar blue and made no one want to ever get in a fight with anyone from New Jersey.
38) There were two women in the band that resembled Bruce’s wife, Patti Scialfa, but perhaps neither was her.
39) Is it too late for Springsteen to run for President in 2024?
40) As for the two sets in one concert, in the end it was probably for the best. Yes, Springsteen did keep his powder dry for about half the night. But when your powder is as potent and strong as Springsteen (even at 73), it’s possible he would have sent half of his aging crowd across the street to United Hospital had he unleashed 2-hours of his fist pumping best. The Boss made it quite clear he still has the nuclear option; he just chooses to use it with discretion.
These days, The Boss doesn’t need to “Prove it All Night.” Half will do just fine.
