Stumping the Band

I realize that lately I've been posting a lot of Bruce, but you'll have to forgive me. When the boys are on tour, my attention is pretty well focused on the band. As well, I'm always so excited by the tour that I feel the need to share what's happening.

It is, of course, my opinion that the E Street Band is the mightiest band on the planet, and the 2007-current touring is heavy proof of such a statement. The Magic tour broke for about two months before flowing into the current Working on a Dream tour, and given that the current set lists resemble the end of the last tour far more than a brand new tour built upon a newly-released album, it is fair game to argue that, in essence, we're looking at one long, long tour.

It's also worth noting that Dream was cut literally on the road of the Magic tour, in-between concert nights.

It's not just that these guys play so well. There are other bands that play at an incredibly high level (mind you, not many, but there are a few). One of the most startling and salient points is that lately it doesn't seem like there is anything they can't play.

For reference: A solid rock band will go on tour with a rotation of songs to play each night, some songs popping in and others falling out throughout a year long tour. The total number of these songs generally ranges around 50 or 60 songs, give or take, depending on the number and differences of venues (you play different songs in a stadium as opposed to a small club).

A damn good band will of course play from a larger set of songs, and a band that's been around a long time will obviously have more to draw on.

A perfect example would be The Rolling Stones, who are the longest lasting rock band in history. On their last tour for the brilliant Bigger Bang album, the Stones played through 78 different songs. To be fair, the Stones tend to play highly structured shows with rigid set lists, with little changing at all in the second half of their shows. However, it's likely only Bob Dylan has more music to draw on, and the Stones certainly are capable of playing any of the songs in their playbook. So they can change it up...if they want to.

By contrast, Springsteen and the E Street Band have played over 160 songs on their recent touring, between the Magic tour and the short beginning of the new Dream tour. Between a quarter and a half of the show is being made up of audience requests, and Springsteen as bandleader is calling audible changes almost every song, sometimes changing even the first song after telling the band what to play before going on stage.

Currently, they're daring audience members to try and fool them, and no one has. In the clip below, you can watch Springsteen take an audience sign for "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" and show it to the band. The sign came complete with chord changes and lyrics. Springsteen runs down the chord changes quickly with the band...and they slam into it.

And they knock it outta the park.

Watching this band right now, you have to remember that no one plays like this. No one audibly changes the set lists constantly, never letting the band know what's coming next, and adding new songs to the list every single night. No one plays songs they've never even attempted before, or songs they haven't practiced or rehearsed in over thirty years.

What this band is doing is flexing its muscles. And what a mighty band they are. One can only hope they keep it up, and keep at it for many years to come.