Some thirteen thousand of us were privileged to see the greatest rock and roll act on the planet open the new Leeds Arena with a mighty bang the other night…and what a night! The Boss was in town and Leeds was buzzing with excitement, basking in the hot sun and lapping up the cash rolling into the numerous bars and restaraunts as the long awaited arena opened its doors.
At a reported cost of £60m with the Council coughing up some £20m of this, there is no doubt the new venue will be a roaring success. Positioned slap bang in the middle of the city it looks like one of those spaceships from War of the Worlds – minus the tentacles; it’s reach in a metaphorical sense will be far and wide.
Up until its arrival, the nearest venues of a comparable size for those of us living in West Yorkshire were Manchester and Sheffield; granted neither of these are huge distances away but to have this on our doorstep is a huge attraction. And what a sound!
Leeds Arena’s design is much different to traditional elliptical arenas but of course, to cram in the equivalent capacity, you need height. Anybody else other than Bruce and I may have been slightly grumpy climbing the numerous stairs to the “summit” although the view was pretty good and crampons were not required; one minor gripe would be that the big screens need to be bigger and the air-con needs tweaking.
The first few times I went to see The Boss, way back in the early 1990s and at that time on a break from the legendary E Street Band, I felt a bit of a fraud as a back catalogue, by then stretching some 20 years and more, demanded some serious knowledge. I had stumbled across a song called “Brilliant Disguise” from the Tunnel of Love album and, from thereon, I was hooked; it was all Terry Wogan’s fault.
The age range at a Springsteen concert is as almost broad as life itself with the set list as varied too; many tracks are plucked by request from the hoardings held by the ultra-dedicated (or connected) in the “pit”. The beauty of his shows is always as much in the surprises he conjures up as in the consistency, power and quality of the performances; Leeds was no exception.
Bruce started at breakneck pace as he often does and then – bang – he slowed us all down with the chilling “American Skin (41 Shots)”; bringing a respectful hush to the hall, once again a song for the times with recent events still too raw across the pond. The next few songs tested the band’s ability to cope with the unpredictable, to which they responded like thoroughbreds each and every time.
One rare old gem to test them in Leeds was “Thundercrack”, a track dating back some forty years and one which just grew and grew as the band clearly loved resurrecting one of their lesser known songs; we simply loved it and hardly wanted it to end, testimony to the unique and inimitable E Street sound.
There’s a regular feature at most Springsteen concerts these days where he grabs a youngster from the crowd and they get their shot at fame, usually to “Waiting On A Sunny Day”; too easy to dismiss as schmaltzy, this is a genuinely good bloke in touch with his true fans.
At Leeds, on several occasions he also went and fetched bottles of water from the stage and gave them to the fans in the pit; my pal asked me if I thought that this was “for show” but its simply a sign of the times when a modest act of generosity and humility confuses us.
He may have to rethink the invitation to dance on the stage though as the placard urging The Boss to “dance with a family” saw its acceptance followed by a family reunion akin to The Kumars baffling The Boss.
Up in the corporate boxes the bankers sang along to a few songs from the Wrecking Ball, maybe oblivious to the messages within, as we all stomped to “Death to my Hometown” and “Shackled and Drawn”. One of the highlights for me was a passionate and powerful rendition of “Because The Night” with the hairs on the back of my neck so prickly my shirt collar was in danger of being shredded.
Soon, far too soon for us all, it was party time as the end of show approached but not before the first time I had ever heard the achingly beautiful “Secret Garden” performed live; I swear at that stage I could have toppled over the edge into the corporate boxes and died on the spot with a contented smile on my face. It was simply stunning.
One more time though, this masterful and generous performer surprised us again, shooing off the band and then staying put for two final acoustic performances of “If I Should Fall Behind” (We will wait for you Bruce!) and “Thunder Road”…come take my hand!
I am a self-confessed grumpy old man but if one man can get me smiling like the cat that got the cream, Bruce is that man. A one-off show stopper of a performer, comfortable in the company of rich and poor, able to speak for the times we are in and yet lift us magically and soulfully out of them.
Glory Days indeed, come back soon please.
Nick gibson says
Great review Stevie, thought the Arena was great and why didn’t you use the escalator. I have been as you know a fan of Bruce for what seems ever and my enjoyment nowadays is getting Springsteen virgins to the shows. The look on their faces, the excitement in their voices as they discuss what they have just seen adds so much to my night. I don’t really know why it’s Bruce that has taken over my life other than his songs are the only ones that my brain paints pictures to when I listen to them. Thunder Road would make a great movie.
The Leeds show wasn’t full of his hits but it didn’t need to be his albums are full of memorable songs, the gig 3 hours long was long enough but Bruce an extra hour would have been awesome.
I now have just my youngest Sophie to get to one of his shows but I have to go see One Direction apparently before she will.
So if you hear I have been to see those lads you know why, hopefully it will happen.
Hurry back Bruce make this fans dream come true.
Steve says
I bounced around the cricket field that day after, cutting the grass whist the iPod was on shuffle for my Bruce tracks…the neighbours just smile as I sing like a madman…in a strange old world that man and his music always lift me…thanks for kind words about the review
Cath W says
A spot on review of an amazing gig that I was go glad to be at and will never forget!! Turn up that air con for the back row fans though!!
Diane lawson says
Another great blog almost felt like I was as the concert x the writing took me there
Paul Martin says
Great piece Steve, clear to see you miss the world of banking !!
Keep up the good work.