10th Anniversary Of SiriusXM Radio

LIVE FROM "THE TRUE TEMPLE OF SOUL"

On June 5, 1992, Bruce Springsteen warmed up for his first tour without the E Street Band by sending out a "dress rehearsal" show live over the radio airwaves. While the tour itself wouldn't start for another ten days, listeners everywhere (and a handful of contest winners in-house) got a sneak peek at the upcoming tour. Twenty years later, and Bruce is doing it again: this time not on terrestrial radio but via satellite on SiriusXM; this time with the E Street Band, with an album headed up the charts instead of down, and not from a "mysterious location" but rather from the place where stars are born and legends are made, Harlem's historic Apollo Theatre.

Thing is, Friday night didn't feel like a tour warm-up. It wasn't touted as a rehearsal show, and it didn't feel like one — it felt like a special night curated for the Apollo Theater. Which, no matter what takes shape further on down the road, is exactly what it was: from the band coming out and rubbing Harlem's legendary Tree of Hope as they each took the stage, to Springsteen's delightedly over-the-top self-introduction ("A young man who was born in the U.S.A.... won an Academy Award... the hardest working white man in show business!") to the tributes to soul greats, the special appearance of vocalist Michelle Moore, and the blasting apart of the fourth wall that separates performer and audience in this 1,200-seater. By the time Springsteen began scaling the walls, climbing into opera boxes and out onto the edge of the lower mezzanine, we'd already lost track of how many times he'd ventured into the crowd. It was hardly something he'll be able to repeat at a Corporate Arena Near You.

That said, the new album got a workout, giving a taste of things to come with all songs performed on Fallon returning plus the tour debuts of "Shackled and Drawn," "We Are Alive," and "Rocky Ground." "Shackled" was a Sessions Band-style tour de force, with all the vocalists down front on an a capella intro, even Garry stepping to the mic, and Cindy Mizelle bringing it home at the end: "I want everybody to stand up and be counted tonight!" "Rocky Ground" brought the album's featured vocalist Michelle Moore to the stage, with Bruce recalling fondly how long they've worked together, from Asbury Park holiday shows to The Rising and beyond.

"On our new record," Bruce said, "our motto is dancing and crying." And hand-in-hand with that theme of resilience in the face of adversity and loss, the spirit of Clarence Clemons was very much with us tonight — Bruce and the E Street Band's first full show without him. There was a collective breath held as the "Badlands" solo approached in slot three... and an exhale of relief as Jake Clemons stepped out of the five-horn line-up to do his Uncle (and Bruce and the band and the song and himself) proud. It wasn't much later that Bruce addressed the loss directly, honoring the Big Man, his fans, the band, and our communal bond in the process.

He touched on it first in a mission statement after "Death to My Hometown": "We're so glad to be here with you tonight at the legendary Apollo Theater. We're glad to be here again — we've missed you. Tonight we've got some old friends and some new friends with us... but our mission remains the same. We're here to bring the power, hour after hour... we're here to put a whoop-ass session on the recession... we're here to bring a smile to your face, an extra beat to your heart, and to raise your spirits high in these hard times."

But it was in the next song, a horn-heavy "My City of Ruins" with a newfound groove, that Springsteen met the elephant in the room head on. "Roll Call!" he shouted, introducing each member of the band, who each took a solo. And when they were done: "Are we missing anybody?" There was a tentative feeling in the crowd as a whole, and one of the most moving moments of the night was as we first wondered, is this really what he means? And the look on Bruce's face as he beckoned said it all. He was giving us permission. "Are we missing anybody?" he asked again, and this time the crowd knew to respond. Soon he was telling us, "The only thing I can guarantee tonight... if you're here and we're here, they're here."

In the encore, "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out" brought an even more moving salute to Clarence, Bruce first holding out the mic to the crowd for "kid you better get the picture," and soon bringing the song to a complete halt after "the Big Man joined the band," the crowd hollering in tribute, the moment stretching out before the entire horn section played that quick, signature solo in unison.

These were moments when we acknowledged loss, particularly of Danny and Clarence. Important moments that it felt like we needed, as an audience, and that reminded us of the courage it must take for Bruce and the band to soldier on without their longtime brothers in arms. But we didn't feel just loss all night. We celebrated, we raged, we gasped (jesus, don't let him fall off the balcony, or the tour is over before it starts!), we grooved, and we dug deep into "Soul Music! The Apollo! Home of the Gods and the True Temple of Soul!" In a lengthy and clearly heartfelt salute to the music that is inseparable from the venue and that also nurtured his own musical soul, Bruce described it as "an education." Geography: "Funky Broadway." Math: "99 and a Half Won't Do." Religion: Aretha. Sex Education: Marvin Gaye. "The Wisdom of Solomon... Burke! And of course, the poetry of Smokey Robinson." So many powerful vocalists onstage brought their talents to bear on a superbly arranged "The Way You Do the Things You Do," and Bruce kept the soul train rolling right into Wilson Pickett's "634-5789," as he gave Eddie Vedder and his wall-scaling a run for the money.

The final song of the night, after mixing in more of his own staples like "The Rising" and "Thunder Road," was both another soul classic and a promise to the thousands of fans listening in all night on SiriusXM: Atlanta, Greensboro, Tampa, Boston... "Hold on... we're comin'!"

- Backstreets News

10th Anniversary Of SiriusXM Radio

Larry Rulz Version

09.03.2012 - Apollo Theater, New York City, NY

Disc 1

1. Intro
2. We Take Care Of Our Own
3. Wrecking Ball
4. Badlands
5. Death To My Hometown
6. My City Of Ruins
7. The E Street Shuffle
8. Jack Of All Trades
9. Shackled & Drawn
10. Waiting on a Sunny Day
11. The Promised Land

Disc 2

1. Mansion on the Hill
2.The Way You Do The Thing You Do
3. 634-5789
4. The Rising
5. We are alive
6. Thunder Road
7. Rocky Ground
8. Land Of Hope And Dreams
9. Tenth avenue freeze-out
10. Hold on! I'm comin'

Notes:

Satellite radio broadcast. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play the Apollo Theater to celebrate the 10th anniversary of SiriusXM Radio, the satellite network that also broadcasts E Street Radio. Tickets were only available for SiriusXM subscribers contest winners. The show kicks off at 8:20 p.m. and is broadcast live on E Street Radio. "My City Of Ruins" includes band introductions. "Mansion On The Hill" is played acoustically on guitar and harmonica, with Patti on harmony vocals and Soozie on fiddle. First ever performance of The Temptations' 1964 hit "The Way You Do the Things You Do", played in tribute (along with Wilson Pickett's "634-5789", which sees Bruce up on the balcony of the theatre) to all the soul legends who have performed on stage at Harlem's Apollo Theater. There's also a moving tribute to Clarence Clemons during "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", with the band pausing after "the big man joined the band" for a wave of applause, before crashing back into the song. Michelle Moore (who sung on the album) provides the "rap" vocals for "Rocky Ground". World premieres of several songs from Wrecking Ball, including "Shacked And Drawn" and "We Are Alive". The show is also filmed, perhaps for future use. - 2012-03-09 - APOLLO THEATER, NEW YORK CITY, NY (Brucebase)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whether it was the legendary venue, the excitement of his first show behind his new album, the allure of the celebrity-filled crowd, or the jitters of performing without the late Clarence Clemons, Bruce Springsteen turned in a show at the Apollo that had me, at times, laughing, screaming, staring in awe and damn near crying.

Sponsored by SiriusXM for the company's 10th anniversary, the intimate concert started with Springsteen and the E Street Band walking on stage and rubbing the Apollo's famed Tree of Hope stump for good luck. With a nod to James Brown's 1962 performance at the venue, Springsteen gave himself a lengthy intro as the band started up 'We Take Care of Our Own.'

"Ladies and gentlemen are you ready for showtime? Welcome to Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater! I'd like to introduce to you, right now, a young man, he was Born in the U.S.A! Arrived here tonight in his Pink Cadillac! Winner of the Academy Award! He brought you such great hit as 'Dancing in the Dark,' 'Born to Run,' 'Hungry Heart'! I'm talking about "Mr. Badlands," the Jersey Devil himself, the man who paid the cost to be the Boss, the hardest working white man in show business! Let's hear it for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!"

The big question for Springsteen fans in the audience and listening at home was how the absence of Clarence Clemons would affect the show. It took three songs until we got an answer: During 'Badlands,' Clemons' nephew Jake strutted forward from the horn section's riser at the back of the stage and let loose with a chill-inducing sax solo that drew cheers from the audience and band alike.

Introducing the next song, 'My City of Ruins,' Bruce addressed Clemons' passing indirectly, noting that they were up there with some old friends and some new friends. "The E Street Band's mission remains the same: We're here to bring the power hour after hour, we're here to put a whoop-ass session on the recession, we're here to bring a smile to your face, an extra beat to your heart, and to raise your spirits high in these hard times. And of course, as usual, we've got a story to tell, so let's get started."

Midway through the song, Springsteen brought Clemons' absence up again, without being too literal about it, during a roll call of the band. "Are we missing anybody?" he yelled, goading the crowd into response. "That's right. We're missing a few," he said without naming the Big Man or keyboardist Danny Federici, who died in 2008 following a battle with cancer. "But the only thing I can guarantee tonight is that if you're here, and we're here, then they're here. If you're here, and we're here, then they're here."

Bruce repeated that last part a few times, letting the emotions build before returning to the song with the lines, "Now there's tears on the pillow/darling where we slept/and you took my heart when you left." Appropriately, during the song's refrain of "with these hands," Jake was the first to put his fist up.

Another poignant moment came during 'Jack of All Trades,' where Springsteen talked about writing a lot of the 'Wrecking Ball' album in 2009, before there was an Occupy movement or accountability for the Wall Street banisters and politicians who let them run wild. Backlit by the spotlight and standing mostly still without his guitar, Bruce gave off the impression that the track, obviously too subdued for a lead single, might be the most important to him of all his new material, letting the subtle power of lines like "If I had me a gun, I'd find the bastards and shoot 'em on sight" do all the work.

After a few more upbeat numbers, including Boss nearly doing a jig during the Celtic-infused 'Shackled and Drawn' and venturing out into the audience during 'Waitin' on a Sunny Day,' Bruce and his wife Patti Scialfa duetted on a quiet, emotional rendition of 'Mansion on the Hill,' which they finished off with a kiss and a joke about their 22-year-old son: "That's how the whole f---ing thing started."

Bruce's next tribute was for the Apollo, "the home of the Gods and the true temple of soul." He rattled off his soul heroes, saying they were his real teachers: Sam Cooke taught him history, religion came from Aretha Franklin, sex education was Marvin Gaye and poetry was all Smokey Robinson. With that, Springsteen kicked into a medley of the Robinson-penned Temptations hit 'The Way You Do the Things You Do' and Wilson Pickett's '634-5789,' the latter of which Bruce sang while making his way through the mezzanine, then climbing over the balcony, walking through a VIP box and shimmying back down onto the stage. Pretty nimble for a 62-year-old.

The main set closed with 'Thunder Road,' with Jake blasting out a huge sax solo to the delight of the crowd. A quick break was followed by 'Rocky Ground,' a new song that features a hip-hop verse by singer Michelle Moore -- and believe it or not, the mostly white, middle-aged crowd ate it up.

The most heart-wrenching moment of the night was saved for 'Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,' when Bruce and the band came to a stop after the line, "The big man joined the band." Springsteen wildly waved his arm, willing the crowd to scream for Clemons while the rest of the band looked on, appearing both drained from the epic performance and invigorated by the memorial.

'Freeze-Out' then morphed into the epic closer of Sam and Dave's 'Hold on, I'm Coming,' a show-stopping soul powerhouse that featured Bruce doing his best James Brown impression. As the song barreled on, he did the Godfather's signature "I can't go on" move, with Steven Van Zandt putting a small black towel over the Boss's shoulders. Springsteen faked staggering off the stage then ran back to his microphone to repeat the chorus for what seemed like the 84th time (we're not complaining). With a nod to fans listening at home, he promised them that E Street was coming to them soon, with the 'Wrecking Ball' tour less than two weeks away.

The Apollo concert was the perfect tribute to Clemons: Solemn at the right moments, but mainly a celebration of the Big Man, with Jake ably paying tribute to his late uncle and becoming a star member in his own right. I'm not sure how the rest of the tour will play out, but it seems like Springsteen and the E Street Band might approach the 'Wrecking Ball' trek as if they're bringing a memorial service to the fans. The sadness will be there, but the joy Bruce brings in honoring his fallen comrade will make it as enjoyable as any passing can be. - Bruce Springsteen at the Apollo: A Tribute to Clarence Clemons and Soul (Spinner.com)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band ; Apollo Theater, New York, NY ; March 9, 2012 ; Broadcast live on SiriusXM Radio || Lineage: Subscriber non-trial SiriusXM internet stream (128 kbps) > Audacity > WAV > TLH > FLAC > foobar2000 (flac tags) || Bruce Springsteen - vocals, guitar : the E Street Band: Roy Bittan - piano ; Nils Lofgren - guitar, electric banjo, vocals ; Patti Scialfa - guitar, vocals ; Garry W. Tallent - bass ; Steve Van Zandt - guitar, vocals ; Max Weinberg - drums || with Soozie Tyrell - violin, vocals ; Charlie Giordano – keyboards ; Cindy Mizelle – vocals ; Curtis King - vocals ; Clark Gayton - trombone, tuba ; Curt Ramm - trumpet ; Barry Danielian - trumpet ; Ed Manion - saxophone ; Jake Clemons - saxophone ; Michelle Moore - vocals on "Rocky Ground" - Description details for torrent "SiriusXM Broadcast from the Apollo Theater New York, NY March 9, 2012 (**VERSION THREE**)"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to “Long Walk Home” (Madrid) & The Stone Pony London Forum for the artwork.

External Download Link: