Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band Hyde Park 14th July 2012

As Magical as Harry Potter

Without doubt one of the best gigs I have ever been to!

From the opening Thunder Road, though to a finale with Dancing In The Dark, Born to Run (!), and then English rock royalty with Paul McCartney joining The Boss on stage, at which point that feeling of euphoria hit me like a train!
My best mate summed it up perfectly..."There are 80 thousand people here, but it feels like an intimate gig in a pub, how does he do that?"

My theory is simple, he's one of the best story tellers you will ever see on a stage.  That's not a huge surprise as his song catalogue is a collection of stories so magical that J.K. Rowling would be proud of them.  The River is a masterpiece, Born in the USA is one of the finest protest songs you will ever here hear, if you listen carefully.

This gig was only just over a year since  the tragic death of Clarence Clemens, but boy did his nephew Jake put on a performance.

Finally, big up to Steven Van Zandt, who said what we all thought:

"I'm sorry but I have to be honest I'm pissed. Like I said, it didn't ruin the great night. But when I'm jamming with McCartney don't bug me!"

Van Zandt also compared the occasion to the last live Beatles performance in 1969 on the roof of their Apple record company offices in London's Savile Row. It was cut short by police. "Ha! @raindogs70 just reminded me how the Beatles' rooftop concert ended. Not much has changed in 43 years!"

by Steven Van Zandt