Springsteen Plays Last Show of ‘08 At Harley Davidson Festival, COAF Celebrates 1,000 Posts
Depending on how you look at it and who you ask, Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band brought their Magic tour to a close in Kansas City before playing at the Harley-Davidson festival in Wisconsin or brought said tour to a close at the H-D festival. Bruce did say from the stage in KC that This is the last official night of our Magic tour so anything can happen!” Either way, the last scheduled date for 2008 has been played and fans are wondering if this is the end of the road for one of the iconic bands.
I don’t know the answer to that. I’m not sure if Bruce or his band members know if this is the end. From what I saw in Nashville, it looked like a band having the time of their lives. I have a tough time believing that was the sight of a band looking to bring the show to a close. I didn’t detect anything bittersweet or foreboding, and I can’t imagine that with everything these guys have been through in the last year that they’d be able to knowingly bring this to a close without any of that showing up. Still, it can’t be discounted. It is possible that the E Street Band as we know it has played their swan song.
I bring it up because it’s a conversation worth some discussion, analysis, prediction, and reflection but I’m going to save that for another day. Today we’re going to focus on bringing the Magic tour to a close and leave whatever comes next for later. The band opened the show with “Gypsy Biker,” which is somewhat fitting but hurts my feelings because I really wanted to hear it and didn’t get to at either show I attended. From there, some leftfield covers were played and a traditional “greatest hits” show was played. Obviously in tune with the event there were playing at, songs like “Racing in the Street,” the aforementioned “Gypsy Biker,” “Working On the Highway,” and a cover of “Born To Be Wild” were included.
Whether or not this was the end of the road, the Magic tour was special for me because I finally got to witness this band in action as did TheWifeToWhomI’mMarried. Those nights in Atlanta and Nashville were unforgettable, extraordinary experiences, highlights of my life.
One final note, it’s probably fitting that the 1,000th published post of Confessions Of a Fanboy would be about Bruce Springsteen and about the last show of 2008. Thanks to all of you readers who’ve taken part and read so many of them. Here’s to the next 1,000. I’ll see you and Bruce — in whichever fashion it may take — a little further on up the road.
- Gypsy Biker
- Out in the Street
- Radio Nowhere
- The Promised Land
- Spirit in the Night
- Wooly Bully
- Darlington County
- You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
- Darkness on the Edge of Town
- Youngstown
- Murder Incorporated
- She’s the One
- Livin’ in the Future
- Mary’s Place
- Working on the Highway
- Racing in the Street
- The Rising
- Last to Die
- Long Walk Home
- Badlands
- Seven Nights to Rock
- 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
- Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
- Glory Days
- Born to Run
- Rosalita
- Bobby Jean
- American Land
- Thunder Road
- Dancing in the Dark
- Born to Be Wild
Filed under: Tags: Bruce Springsteen, Springsteen Magic Tour Setlists
While I don’t think for a second that this is the end of Bruce’s performing career, I do have some doubts about the future of the E Street Band as we know it to exist.
Conan O’Brien takes over the Tonight Show next year, which I’d suspect could bind Max to NBC more than his current position on Late Night. He may not be given the leniency to leave whenever a Springsteen tour arises.
And Clarence’s age & health have obviously taken a toll on him (given his throne on the Magic tour). Perhaps Bruce would shake up the lineup and continue to call it the E Street Band (like The Who) or maybe he’ll tour with whatever musicians compliment the music he’s working on at the time, but I do question the future of the current lineup.
Congrats on the achievement, Josh
Thanks, El B. I didn’t mean to take the weekend off. I’ll be back at it today.
Donald, I did touch on these same things in a previous post and will certainly be recycling them again in something soon. You’re not wrong with your observations.
Bruce will obviously continue to work and he’s likely to work with other musicians in addition to solo acoustic. What I don’t think you’re going to get/see is an announcement that the E Street Band is done. Conan won’t do 280 shows a year. They go on hiatus, too. I think it’s quite possible this lineup will surface as soon as next year for a few shows, and in the future as long as they’re all still here.
I’ll just quote what he said at the end of the Milwaukee Harleyfest:
I believe the quote was “We’re just gettin’ started.”
-Glen
Here’s to hoping!