Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band
Mar 31. GM Place (Vancouver)

Bruce Springsteen’s legendary high-energy rock show seems almost anachronistic in this age of flashy stage bombs and laser effects, but Bruce and the E-Street Band’s Monday night show in Vancouver proved that you need only two things for a stellar show: great music and energy. Though most members of the band are pushing 60, they kept the energy in the red for the whole show, pausing only momentarily to take the occasional breath. They opened with an unlikely number (“Atlantic City” from the subtle masterpiece Nebraska) before launching into “Radio Nowhere” from the 2007 album Magic, and with screaming approval from the sold-out crowd the eternally cool Clarence Clemons blasted the first of many killer sax solos. 

Hyperactivity has been the hallmark of the E-Street Band since day one, but there has always been room for subtlety and quiet introspection. “Magic” was given a striking treatment with Bruce’s gravelly growl and a haunting violin. A spine-chilling version of “The River” followed later in the set, which Springsteen sang while standing entirely motionless, his eyes closed. It’s those kinds of moments that have come to define Springsteen: he’s a no-bullshit performer, and is so intense that he seems perpetually on the verge of self-combustion. Artists one-third his age could take some cues. 

The quiet moments were short-lived, and the ever-tight E-Street Band turned on a dime to pound out classics like “She’s the One,” “The Promised Land,” and “Reason to Believe.” Bruce pulled guitarist Steve Van Zandt to the centre mic and the two sang together arm in arm with pure joy, Van Zandt even taking lead vocals at times. Clemons drew wild applause whenever he sauntered to centre stage, guitarist Nils Lofgren laid down some breathtaking guitarwork, and drummer Max Weinberg kept the bottom end thumping despite looking winded at times.

Springsteen closed the set with the classic “Badlands,” goading the crowd to sing and cheer. They happily obliged. The band left the stage for a mere 90 seconds before returning to kick out a smashing, white-lights-in-your-face version of “10th Avenue Freeze Out,” followed by a show-stopping “Rosalita” and a breathlessly energetic “Born to Run.” Everyone in the place, from the sixtysomething professor types to the 17-year-old toque wearers, wailed along.

At the end of it all, Springsteen and the band stood triumphantly onstage, arms high, like they had just saved the world with rock ’n’ roll. For a bunch of near-senior citizens, these guys delivered a set that I dare any group of 20-year-olds to match. His core audience has followed him into old age, but for a few hours on Monday night, we were young again. Long live The Boss.