Live Review: Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band

At this time, the world is living in uncertainty and, in the light of all of the recent and horrid actions undertaken by Donald Trump, it is difficult to celebrate. Such repulsive actions have inspired artists of the world to voice their dissent on a global scale and, to the good fortune of South Australia, Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen & The E-Street Band escaped the turmoil of their native America to bring their cherished anthems to a near-capacity Entertainment Centre.

There was to be no performance of the fist-pumping and adrenaline-fuelled Born In The USA, the outrageous Muslim bans had understandably infuriated Springsteen and he voiced this reason to elevate the protests happening at airports back in his home nation. In a very comprehensible sense, this ridiculous movement by the president informed the song selection this evening and sadly the pride that Springsteen upholds for the USA has been dampened by such a disgusting action. His power as an artist, though, has only strengthened.

Before the onslaught of heroic tunes were unveiled, the anticipation for The E-Street Band created an atmosphere of unease, which enhanced exponentially with every painful minute. Adelaide was nearing breaking point when Roy Bittan walked gracefully toward his weapon of choice, the grand piano, to begin the polite-yet-potent introduction to New York City Serenade. The remaining members, including an eight-piece violin ensemble, appeared on stage. Backed by this arsenal and wielding his acoustic guitar, The Boss poetically serenaded Adelaide from his platform. It was an eerie, but captivating initiation.

The spark had been ignited and was fuelled further with American Land, before which Springsteen proudly professed that, "America is a nation of immigrants," calling the current climate "anti-democratic and fundamentally un-American". Suitably this track included a Celtic rock influence, something that would appear numerous times throughout three-hour performance.

Land Of Hope And Dreams saw the Americana preacher descend from his podium to interact with the audience. Honestly, this was just a tease; the audience involvement would intensify numerous times throughout the night.

For Spirit In The Night, Springsteen immersed himself in the crowd, which had a flurry of women in ecstasy over the 'hands-on' experience. Glory Days included a booty shake from Springsteen and guitarist Steven Van Zandt, before Hungry Heart saw The Boss crowd-surf from the middle of the crowd back to the stage. Even at 67 years old, Bruce Springsteen's inner punk still comes out to play.

Wrecking Ball, Youngstown, Something In The Night, a Van Morrison cover of Brown Eyed Girl (this prompted crowd members dressed as The Honeymooners to join The E-Street Band on stage in an odd collaboration), Death To My Hometown, Racing In The Street, Because The Night, She's The One (which featured a stage-invading fanatic that Springsteen happily encouraged), The Rising, The Price You Pay (with a deafening soccer-style chant included) and Thunder Road had Adelaide breathless but still singing along with every ounce of energy they had left. 

To allow the Entertainment Centre to catch its collective breath, Springsteen crooned acoustic ballad, If I Should Fall Behind, but The E-Street Band erupted again with Born To Run, which quite literally lit up the entire arena. During Dancing In The Dark, Springsteen brought members of the audience on stage to dance among the remarkable musicians. Each dancer was hand-picked for their homemade signs, which Springsteen gleefully displayed to the cameras. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out maintained the mania, but it was a cover of The Isley Brothers' Shout that prompted proper chaos and both were emphasised by guest guitarist Richie Sambora. 

To close, The Boss returned wearing a cape featuring his nickname and Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) bombarded the Entertainment Centre. The E-Street Band huddled in a tight group, feeding off each other's energy.

After three hours of arena rock and 28 unbelievable anthems, the storm left a path of destruction but no suffering was endured, only elation. Until next time, Springsteen, your Glory Days are well and truly ahead of you.