Tuesday 24 January 2017

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, 22 Jan 2017 Perth Arena

Didn't think I'd find myself here in Perth for the opening shows of Springsteen's Summer Tour 2017 of Australia yet here I am, writing from the hills overlooking Western Australia's capitol city in the spectacular home of friends Heather and Peter.

Sunday night was the tour opener. My review on the Backstreets magazine site may be found here. Here's the intro paragraph:

And on this night in a city either protected or cursed by the tyranny of distance, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took the Perth Arena stage at 7:55 pm and went to battle. A great shadow had passed over the world since they'd last gathered under New England stars in September. Over the course of a herculean media blitz for his Born to Run autobiography, Bruce had let fly with wilting opinions about the man now ensconced in the Oval Office, had performed acoustically in support of the Hillary Clinton campaign and farewelled President Obama and his staff with a private show at the White House. All of this however, had been done on someone else's stage. Tonight, from the mighty bastion of E Street, the cannons were aimed squarely at the forces of hate and division back in the States. The bombardment lasted 3 hours and 25 minutes, victory declared on the jubilant faces of Aussies who'd come for a River show but got gobsmacked instead by a rock 'n' roll reckoning.

I had a good seat just 6 rows from the GA but the lack of a telephoto lens meant no close-up photography. Here's a few I salvaged. Should have better ones tomorrow night when I'm in the pit.









2 comments:

Liz said...

Joe, great to read your review. This is the third tour when I am able to read your reviews as the shows roll over the land. They add so much to my experience of the Springsteen shows and I thank you for them

The Rhyme Animal said...

Stellar coverage in Backstreets.com. Our guy is moving on in years, but can still bring it home! Nice coverage of night two also in Backstreets.