Twenty Five Years Burning Down the Road (Cincinnati, April 30, 2000)

The end of April. At our house, that means the cherry blossoms are falling, the pear trees are in bloom, the apple trees and lilacs are about to burst into glory, the magnolia and even the forsythia are still beautiful, the hyacinths, daffodils and the first of the tulips are out, the garden is tilled, and Aaron is helping to pick the dinner salad. Peaceful and beautiful. A cause for reflection, as it also marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of South Vietnam, under far different circumstances.

And so we were off to Cincinnati, 275 miles south on I-75. Two growing zones and 20 degrees warmer, past everything from road-side gravel pits to Pioneer Sugar, on to the Queen City. For Lori and me, the first show since Florida, and almost difficult to get excited. After all, Bruce had just played a show that by all accounts was one of his very best on this tour, and that almost inevitably brings on the fear that there will have to be a let down, a mere ordinary show. The Cincinnati show, 4 days after a Pittsburgh pair and 3 days before a Toronto pair, seemed a curious entry in the schedule. Bruce would certainly fly in during the day, do the show, and go right on back to New Jersey. Nonetheless, he we all were.

The arena in Cincinnati, which has recently acquired the name of a local bank, is cramped and on the small side, by current standards. This may not be a good thing for professional teams seeking luxury box revenues, but it can be great for concerts. The crowd was closer, louder and more demonstrative than at many previous shows we've seen, and this had a significant affect on the show.

Any thoughts of this show being "just" ordinary wre wiped out by the show's 2nd number, an unusually intense rendition of "The Promised Land." By the 5th song, a by-the-numbers-put-it-on-autopilot rendition of "Darlington County" was complete, it was already time for the long-sleeve shirt to come off. "Rendezvous" was a nice bonus, and "The River" was as fine as I've heard it on this tour.

The one major letdown in the show was, surprisingly enough, "Youngstown." Not so much because of the performance, but because of the sound. By the time Nils got to his solo, the sound was so broken up and distorted that I finally had to ask Lori for earplugs. Pure pain. Now, I know Bruce sings about the fiery furnaces of hell in that song, but I don't think that that's what he meant. Things got somewhat better after that, though it was somewhat spotty all night.

The fist knockout blow of the show hit during "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out." I didn't even see it coming. I had glanced up into the audience for a second, and when I looked back at Bruce, there was a bra landing on his head. A big bra. So Bruce tried to give it to the Big Man. Someone, somewhere, has a picture.

What we'll remember this show for, though, won't be the bra, nor its length -- though at 3:13 it was easily the longest we've seen on this tour. It will be for the 2nd knockout blow -- a stunning acoustic mini-set framed by two of Bruce's most famous rock songs -- that ultimately served as his own reflection on the anniversary.

First up was Bruce's all-time best selling single, "Dancing in the Dark." Served up in a Texas two-step mode that allowed Bruce to have fun with it, all the while letting the darkness of the words of the song come through. The audience could be forgiven for wondering if Bruce would call up a spectator to try the two-step with him at the end, or if Bruce's attempt at it would include the same moves as his famous music video. Next up was "The Ghost of Tom Joad," working better when placed in the middle of a trio of similarly paced numbers. Finally, a howling rendition of "Born in the U.S.A.," closing with a modification to the last lines: "I'm 10 years burning down the road... I'm 15 years burning down the road... I'm TWENTY-FIVE years burning down the road..."

Coming out of that trifecta, there was only one place to go, and that was to "Backstreets," and Bruce nailed it with a rendition so fine that even he seemed overcome by it. For "Light of Day," we got a brief quote of Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" to open it (at least, I think that's what he was playing; the sound was a little too muddy to be certain). And, for the final knockout blows, manic renditions of "Stand On It" and "Ramrod" in the encores, the latter featuring Bruce's scariest dance moves.

Back up to Michigan today. The apple trees and lilacs bloomed today.

The Setlist:
The Ties That Bind
The Promised Land
Two Hearts
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Darlington County
Rendezvous
Mansion on the Hill
The River
Youngstown
Murder Inc.
Badlands
Out in the Street
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Working on the Highway
Dancing in the Dark
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Born in the U.S.A.
Backstreets
Light of Day

Stand On It
Bobby Jean
Born to Run

Thunder Road
If I Should Fall Behind
Land of Hope and Dreams
Ramrod