Springsteen Magic Tour 4/25/08 Atlanta, GA: Josh Hathaway and “Blinded By The Light” Debut
I’ve been replaying the night in my head for nearly 48 hours now, trying to condense it all into a few thoughts and words. Good luck. I’ll come as close to that as possible in the coming days and I’ll share it all with you, but in the meantime here is the setlist and just a few recollections of the night. More will follow.
The big news on the set list front starts with “Out in the Street.” It’s only the second song of the night and Bruce is already calling out audibles to the band. That’s when 11 and I looked at each other and said an unspoken “Uh oh.” We knew we were in trouble. We knew we were in for anything. Ever the restless, Bruce was deviating at song 2.
Thursday night, the night before the show, 11 and I were discussing the setlists of the two shows rescheduled after Danny’s passing. We both noticed Bruce seemed to be taking the occasion to return to Greetings From Asbury Park NJ, his debut record when the band consisted of himself, Garry Tallent, Danny, Clarence, and Vincent Lopez. I was only half joking when I said, “We might get ‘Blinded By the Light.’” I’d love to say I called my shot and I take a small amount of credit for the guess but what the 2008 run of dates has taught us all is that you might get anything (except for “The Price You Pay”) and we certainly did.
There were so many great songs and great moments (and a few that were not as great), but the encore is relentless and unspeakably classic. There might be other setlists on the tour I like better, but I’d put Atlanta near the top. I don’t think anybody will or has gotten a better encore than “Thunder Road,” “Born to Run,” “Rosalita,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out,” and “American Land.”
Blood Brothers Video Tribute to Dan Federici
Reason to Believe
Out in the Street
Radio Nowhere
No Surrender
Blinded By the Light (Danny Federici tribute)
Your Own Worst Enemy
Trapped
Murder Incorporated
Prove It All Night
She’s the One
Livin’ in the Future
The Promised Land
Bobby Jean
Point Blank
Devil’s Arcade
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
* * *
Thunder Road
Born to Run
Rosalita
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
American Land
Filed under: Tags: Bruce Springsteen, Springsteen Magic Tour Setlists
Josh,
Today I was searching the net just to see if the set list would be changed becouse of Danny’s death.Now judging by the list of the Atlanta show, I was correct. Thanks for your insight and your share. I grew up in the Los Angeles area and have been a Springsteen fan since I was 14 when I saw him at the Roxy in ‘78 with my uncle who won them thru a local radio station. DF will be sorely missed but his contribution the the band will last forever.
Peace and Danny was truly a “Blood Brother”
Jim M
Long Beach,Calif
What a shame that he didn’t play ‘Dancing In The Dark’ for you and 11.
It’s not a bad song but I’m okay that he played “Tenth Avenue” instead.