Wait, Did I Just See That?

[BronxDarren]

that was a really interesting show. Was it just me, or

--did the tempos fluctuate all night? was Max stoned, or was I? they seemed to be all over the place. (that's bad)

---were the guitars REALLY loud in the mix on She's The One, to the point where it was almost like a stoner anthem? (good)

--Was that a new arrangement of She's The One, or did they just really f**k it up? (can't tell yet if good or bad)

--was that the least amount of energy I've ever felt on Badlands?

-WHY ARE SOME SONGS SO SLOW? IT SAPS THE LIFE OUT OF THE ROOM. WHY DOES MAX GO TO QUARTER NOTES INSTeAD OF THE FASTER AND MORE DRIVING EIGHTH NOTES ON HIS CYMBAL WORK ON BORN TO RUN AND BADLANDS (AMONG OTHERS)?

--Clarence's new solos are amazing. I wish they were 4 times as long. And he should be doing Suziyi's parts Oon the new tunes which would sound way more rocking with more sax. Big Man is back and awesome as always! (his chords on Night are killer)

--did that crowd suck or what? it's like everybody is just waiting for greatest hits but no one is actually feeling or getting into the music. the jam in thundercrack is awesome and people just stood there like dopes.

--on that note, does a new song or slow song now AUTOMATICALLy mean you have to sit? what's up with that? that sucks. people should do some cardio or something so they can stand up for more than 15 minutes at a time.

--did you see Gary f*** up the breakdow (soft part) of Darlington County and get mad at himself? that was pretty funny

--i really liked that they didn't get offstage before the encores and just had the roadies make some adjustments, just like in rehearsal! which means everythng will better on Tuesday, including the sound, right???right???

--why oh why does everyone in the audience have to turn to each other after Bruce talks and ask each other what he just said? is it because WE CAN'T HEAR THE SINGER WHEN HE TALKS???!!!! WHY IS THE BACKUP SINGER'S MIC LOUDER THAN HIS (Patti)? i thought he was singing in Japanese at one point, seriously.

Look, I know it was a rehearsal and everyone has ****ty rehearsals, but some of these problems are the same problems for 3 tours running. Where is Little Stevie to weigh in on these important issues of rock and roll?

PS - You cant tell me you need 10 people, count em 10 people on every song. it just muddies up the songs. why cant some people go backstagefor a few songs? is this a crime? BRUCE IT IS YOUR BAND,. TELL PEOPLE TO TAKE A FEW SONGS OFF, YOU ARE THE BOSS!!! THE MUSIC IS SUFFERING BECAUSE OF THIS.

this band could be awesome and maybe it will be in a week but for now? they have a lot of potential

pps love the new songs, except for the clunker that rips off of Black Coffee in bed. but Long Walk Home JAMS its ass off and the last descending chords of Gypsy BIker or whatever its called are the best part of the song

PPPSSSS - I love the band, so shut up!

[LJK]

You cant tell me you need 10 people, count em 10 people on every song. it just muddies up the songs. why cant some people go backstagefor a few songs? is this a crime? BRUCE IT IS YOUR BAND,. TELL PEOPLE TO TAKE A FEW SONGS OFF, YOU ARE THE BOSS!!! THE MUSIC IS SUFFERING BECAUSE OF THIS.


Yep.

[kingofthealley]

I guess we were at different shows. I thought it was great.

As to the sitting, it could have been the heat. I'm in better shape than I AM HUGE (remember him), and I was dying in the heat and sat for even some of the fast songs. It was definitely cooler down closer to the floor, but I was in the nosebleeds (is there such a thing as nosebleeds at CH?).

[bchgrl]

Some of the people on this board are insane. That was probably one of the top 5 shows I've ever been to in my life. The band was totally rocking, Bruce and the guys were playful and so much looser than the night before. I was just grateful to be in the room and given the chance to listen to such genius. The new songs sounded fantastic, and the band's energy was really high. My only complaint is that a lot of people there were just standing during Thundercrack and American Land. C'mon, have some fun and dance a little.

[BrlDsguise]

Some of the people on this board are insane. That was probably one of the top 5 shows I've ever been to in my life. The band was totally rocking, Bruce and the guys were playful and so much looser than the night before. I was just grateful to be in the room and given the chance to listen to such genius. The new songs sounded fantastic, and the band's energy was really high. My only complaint is that a lot of people there were just standing during Thundercrack and American Land. C'mon, have some fun and dance a little.

How many shows have you been to? Because I have been to 80 Bruce shows (as well as many others) to date and feel qualified to decide if one is below average.

Wayne

[D-Mac]

How many shows have you been to? Because I have been to 80 Bruce shows (as well as many others) to date and feel qualified to decide if one is below average.

Wayne

LOL...you're kidding, right???

[BrlDsguise]

LOL...you're kidding, right???

About 80 shows? Why - is that a lot?

Wayne

[Dirty Annie]

Before we get into a peeing contest of how many shows we have all been to let me say I see some of Darren's points as valid even though he was stoned and dancing topless. One man's version of a loose band is anothers women's version of being disconnected. I did not see it as the greatest show I'd ever seen. It was all of a rehearsal show with body language and playing that said uncertainity. The technical things that Bronx observes are many times from a musicians point of view and in the excitement of just seeing and hearing bruce again sometimes we hear and see what we wanted to see. It's funny when some things went wacky the guys near me got excited and said he is calling on the fly..this ought to be great...when perhaps in reality he was unhappy about how somethin went down and was telling some people so. I preferred the show from the night before and have no doubt that they will pull it together as the tour goes on. It's my belief that a great musician knows when they screw up and adjusts and a band leader that's been in the business as long as Bruce has ,has got to know when he and a band are 100%. They were not last night and me saying so doesn't make me insane.
P.S. D...wish it had been you instead of me at the 7/11 on 36 last night that ran into Max ..your tempo critique might have hit home better than my foot remark.:)

[BronxDarren]

P.S. D...wish it had been you instead of me at the 7/11 on 36 last night that ran into Max ..your tempo critique might have hit home better than my foot remark.:)

No, if I ran into Max like you did, I probably would have showed him my drum callouses and told him he was perfect!

bchgirl, there were moments of pure joy like in any Bruce and ESB show ("Night" comes to mind), and I WAS very happy to be there, but Bruce totally messing up the ending to Born To Run or the band playing too slow is not genius. And for $100, I don't have to feel grateful just because the band shows up and runs through the set. Please.

It's not my fault the band set the bar so friggin high with their past work. Bruce has made statements over the last few years that this is the best the band has ever sounded and played. I disagree.

Go listen to Piece De Resistance, the bootleg from the Capitol Theatre from the Darkness tour. THAT is the band at its peak. Anything less than that will raise questions of whether the band is too old to recapture that magic and passion. I personally do NOT think they're too old, I just think they need to get focused and fix some very correctable problems. Tempos. Sound quality. Set list (for the first time I can remember, it had zero flow at all). Even clothes (the band looks like a bunch of boring middle aged dudes, which they are not. Add a little style. Where's Miami's white suit? Nils in leather? Something more rock and less hack-y.)

That being said, do I really need to point out the obvious and say it's MY opinion? Obviously, like Annie said, other people will have different perceptions than me. Cool, that's why the title of this post is a question. I'm curious to see other people's opinions.

See you in Hartford.

[BrlDsguise]

I have no intention of starting any kind of peeing contest - just pointing out that if you attend enough shows at some point you become qualified to be a critic or at least be able to make an educated comparison between shows.

Wayne

[letterman]

And is wrong to say bruce has the worst fan base of any artist. What a bunch of screamin idiots here. last night's show was great.

[dudley]

the sound issue is concerning
no matter who it is, how many
times you've seen them and/or
how much money you've spent
to get there - none of it matters
if the sound sucks!

[ForYou]

Sounds like getting it together pains. You know Mr. perfection will have them hitting it at some point. Really happy to hear that my Big Man is back and as Darren said...awesome...Iv'e missed him.

[POSTAL]

And is wrong to say bruce has the worst fan base of any artist. What a bunch of screamin idiots here. last night's show was great.


I always find the quality of show or quality of fans argument highly entertaining.

Did anyone else ever notice that the people saying it was one of the greatest shows they've ever seen have a minimal amount of posts, and the people who say it was not very good have a ton of posts.

Just sayin' :nod:

[Dirty Annie]

Big Man is back, Sandy. I could not find fault with him in the last two shows. Wonderful to see him play so well. Maybe it would have something to do with throwin dirt on the man's grave before his work is done. Screw the replacement ideas. Loved Steven,too. Something right with the world when Bruce and him share a mic.Liked Suzie's hair the first night.:)

[letterman]

Did anyone notice that people here with alot of posts are the most anal people around. Did anyone notice that people here with alot of posts maybe should stop going to bruce shows. Did anyone notice Bruce fans are some of the ugliest people around. Inside and out. Just a thought:laugh:

[bchgrl]

I've been to a lot of shows of all different types of music. Was it the cleanest, tightest, most well performed show I've ever seen? Not even close. What I meant was that it made me happpy to be alive, to see a man that I consider a genius playing great live music in a place that I love. Everything about the night made it what is was. The full moon over the ocean, being in Asbury, and surrounded by a few people that really just love music. What I find insane is the amount of complaining I hear. Some complaints are justified, I'll totally agree, but I walked away last night with a huge grin on my face, thankful that I saw something that won't be around forever.

[letterman]

Well, glad you liked the show

[vette5960]

if you remember, the first few shows of the rising tour had some problems too (especially the 1st night at continental). When the band takes a few years off, it takes them a while to get back in the groove. I have to agree that the negative posters here should be happy that they were even there! Yeah you paid $100 but look at the intimate show you got. You know how many bruce fans would have paid double or triple that to get a full band show with only a couple thousand people? Here's hopin' you negative guys get shut out for the rest of the tour.

[BronxDarren]

i..Here's hopin' you negative guys get shut out for the rest of the tour.

don't be mean to me. :)

and by the way, why should Bruce get a pass for the first few shows of tour??? unlike the wackjobs on this board (me included), plenty of people are gonna see Bruce one time, and it might be next week. and the band is gonna be so-so. and that doesn;t have to happen. why does it have to be that way? Max's schedule? why didn't the band rehearse for 3 weeks?

AND WHY WOULD ANYONE EXCUSE THE SHI**Y SOUND OVER AND OVER AGAIN??? Landau should stop counting his money like Mr. Burns and do his f**ing job already. Goddamn it that pisses me off.

By the way, bch, i was smiling my a** off and i had a GREAT time at the show, have no fear. (i was the only fool dancing around with no shirt in section L). the full moon was awesome shining off the ocean, it made me think of that Hall and Oates song (in the moonlight.....in the starlight, M- e- t- h- o- d- o-f- L- o- v- e, it's the method of modern love). and if you read my post, i mentioned some great things about the show (Big Man, the new songs, Night). i was happy to be alive and happy to be there and super psyched to be in an intimate venue.

That doesn't mean there weren't a bunch of problems. Not everything has to be 100% good or bad, dios mio!

Letterman, yes i am anal..remember when Bruce was too?

[BruceNut]

but I think it belongs here too.......
The sound was much better Tuesday over Monday.
I still couldnt understand him when he talked though.
A blurb on the sound though.
the mix board is a brand new state of the art board.I was told the guys working it are still learning its tweaks.
Tuesday night showed they are learning fast.
Anyone who`s familiar with Bruce and the band knows all these shows are works in progress. I personally set the bar very very low.Thus I came away very happy.Do I have complaints? Well sure.But I just cant be bothered because I know the sound will get ironed out.They will get a working flowing setlist eventually.And withing those 21-24 songs will have 3-5 slots that can be juggled with. It also looked like theres a few new guitar techs this go round and they need communication work.
But its all good man.Its all good.Bruce is back with the real band.I predict by the time they hit MSG they will be at 90% How anyone couldnt enjoy a Thundercrack or a something in the night in that venue,on that beach,on that boardwalk boggles the mind.
Last night they screwed up Badlands so bad that I heard Steven tell Patti "I guess we`re wingin this one".
Just funny.
And if Bruce could stop making Steven play SSB material,Steven wouldnt mind lol
Two nights in a row,Steven looked like that was the last song in the world he wanted to be playing
WELL STEVIE I'm WIT YA !
Lets guess who the only 3 people on stage are that didnt have to use the teleprompter for the SSB song?

[Mrs. Weinberg]

No, if I ran into Max like you did, I probably would have showed him my drum callouses and told him he was perfect!

He is perfect..just look at that hair.

[estreet77]

Hey!!!! Letterman 2007....are you out there?
Get a life and stop using other peoples name.....
Dave is my friend and said you smell................

[orthy]

Anyone who`s familiar with Bruce and the band knows all these shows are works in progress. I personally set the bar very very low.Thus I came away very happy.Do I have complaints? Well sure.But I just cant be bothered because I know the sound will get ironed out.They will get a working flowing setlist eventually.And withing those 21-24 songs will have 3-5 slots that can be juggled with. It also looked like theres a few new guitar techs this go round and they need communication work.
But its all good man.Its all good.Bruce is back with the real band.I predict by the time they hit MSG they will be at 90% How anyone couldnt enjoy a Thundercrack or a something in the night in that venue,on that beach,on that boardwalk boggles the mind.


BINGO - well put Mick..!!