Bruce Springsteen, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN - 04/17/2014

I was excited for this one ... the Boss on the eve of my birthday. My wife and I had dinner at Etch beforehand (pretty good, though I'm not crazy about how they combine sweet and savory on everything - fruit on every dish, etc). We sat right next to Peter Frampton, which was kind of crazy.

We made it into the Bridgestone and were in the general admission, standing room floor section. We were close enough, but once the show started, there was no moving or going to get drinks, etc.

The Boss came out around 8 PM and launched into "High Hopes." On this tour, he has a large band including backup singers and a full horn section. I found it to be too much and a bit bombastic at times. Honestly, this show didn't do it for me all that much ... a bit hokey (lots of singing with children), 10 of 28 songs off the last few records (not my favorites), too much going on, songs that went on ... and on ... and on ("The Ghost of Tom Joad" and "41 Shots" stand out as ones that could've used some editing).

On the flip side, when he pared things down like he did on an absolutely killer "I'm On Fire," he sounded amazing. That's what I want from my Springsteen show ... pared down, downbeat. But I'm in the minority, as most people loved it and were thrilled, The Scene included.

Sadly, we left during the encore (during "Point Blank," a personal favorite - we were just dead tired and not feeling it), missing his first US performance of "Born in the USA" in 5 years. My wife and I were in the minority, but this just wasn't our show.

High Hopes
Badlands
No Surrender
Death to My Hometown
Hungry Heart
Spirit in the Night
Burning Love
Satisfaction
Atlantic City
Johnny 99
American Skin (41 Shots)
The Promised Land
Because the Night
I'm on Fire
Downbound Train
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Ghost of Tom Joad
The Rising
Land of Hope and Dreams
---
The Wall
Point Blank
Born in the U.S.A.
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Shout
Thunder Road (solo acoustic)