Tour: The Rising Tour
Date: Thursday May 8, 2003
Venue: Feynoord Stadium
City: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Set List:

1. Darkness On The Edge Of Town (acoustic)
2. The Rising
3. Lonesome Day
4. The Ties That Bind
5. Candy's Room
6. Darlington County
7. Empty Sky
8. You're Missing
9. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
10. Two Hearts
11. The Promised Land
12. Worlds Apart
13. Badlands
14. She's The One
15. Mary's Place
16. Racing In The Street
17. Into The Fire
18. Cadillac Ranch
19. Ramrod
20. Born To Run
21. The Detroit Medley
22. My City Of Ruins
23. Land Of Hope And Dreams
24. Dancing In The Dark

My Review / Notes: My first Bruce show. Seats up in the stands, halfway down the field. The view was good enough for me and I couldn't have asked for a better show to start of with.



The following is my review which I posted on "The Lake". Please don't use my review without my written permission.

My first Bruce show!
The May 8th concert in Rotterdam, can basically be described in 6 words…

Holy shit, that was fookin’ awesome…

I just wrote down whatever I could remember so I won't forget anything...

I still can’t believe I actually saw Bruce live! And what a set list!

Bruce hung upside down on his mic stand, did slides, sung his heart out... I can't stop smiling.

My friend and I got to the stadium at around 5pm and went to our seats at 6pm. Even sitting there like that, at midfield, in section Z, I still couldn’t believe I was at a Bruce concert. It started to rain a little after 6 but luckily it stopped after bout 30 minutes. I quickly realized, that there really ain’t that much you can do except count the minutes till the concert starts. At (and this is how I remember it) 7.45 the lightning guys started climbing up to their places and I became way too optimistic and figured the concert would start at 8 (I know!) As soon as the lightning guys had taken their position, to me every song that came over the loudspeakers was the last one.

And then at a little before 8.30pm, there he was…

Bruce Springsteen.

He still had the sideburns and the soul patch (yes!) and he had on a light blue shirt which had a few buttons loose and the shirt quickly turned into dark blue from all the sweating Bruce was doing. There were also a few chains round his neck. He was looking great!
I had seen an acoustic guitar on stage before and figured we’d get an acoustic BITUSA so when Bruce started playing and I recognized the notes as Darkness on the Edge of Town I was so surprised. I think I might have said “Oh my God, it’s really Bruce!! He’s playing Darkness!” but after that I kept silent. I had wondered how I would react, as this was my first Bruce concert, but imo, you’re never really totally prepared for it. As the song progressed, I could feel the tears coming, but I quickly got a hold of myself and just stood there enjoying the moment.

After Darkness Bruce went into The Rising and Lonesome Day followed by The Ties That Bind. When I got home after the concert, the whole night, I had words from The Ties That Bind running through my head.

By now, I really no longer had any idea of what to expect so when I heard Max doing the intro to Candy’s Room all I could do was shout out “It’s Candy’s Room!!!” I think it was after Candy’s Room (but I don’t remember when exactly), that Bruce told us that Patti wasn’t going to be there tonight, that she was home with the kids and he said something along the lines of how kids first need their mother and then it’s the father they need and that he missed her.

Darlington County was a lot of fun and you could see they were all really enjoying themselves.

I always thought Empty Sky and You’re Missing sounded “sad” on the album, but in concert, it’s even more so. I got goosebumps during You’re Missing and could feel the tears coming once again. I remember looking around me and seeing an entire stadium just standing there listening to every word Bruce was singing and that really left an impression.

Waitin On A Sunny Day… well what can I say bout this song except that it’s a lot of fun! At one point Bruce ran along the front rows and Bruce held a little girl’s hand and sang to her for a few seconds. It was great to see. I think this was the song during which someone threw a tambourine to Clarence, he missed and the thing bounced up and down and rolled away so Clarence had to go and get another one. Very funny! The whole stadium singing along to the chorus and Bruce telling us to sing louder and louder was great. Now, I don’t remember in which order he did all of this, but he did toss his guitar and did a slide across the stage. But to me, THE moment came when Bruce was holding the mic stand and actually climbed onto the stand. I have no idea how to explain this, you had to be there I guess, or you’ve got to see some pics, but Bruce had his legs wrapped around that stand and was pretty much hugging the thing. I remember thinking I had to get a picture off this (see right). I don’t know what I did, as I didn’t take my eyes of off the screen, I guess I must’ve blinked lol, cause all of a sudden Bruce was hanging upside down! on the stand. His head to the floor and his ass pointing to the sky! I shouted to my friend asking how the hell he had done that. There he was, hanging upside down on his mic stand! I had read about Bruce “climbing” onto that stand, but I had no idea he’d do something like that! Such great fun. I still can’t help but smile when I think bout Bruce hanging on that mic. A little later on tho, his right hand had blood on it. I wonder if he cut it while hanging on the mic.

As soon as Bruce yelled for Stevie, I knew Two Hearts would follow and the “It Takes Two” bit at the end is great.

The Promised Land was great! The guitars in Worlds Apart left my ears ringing and the transition into Badlands is awesome. I’d never shouted as loud as during Badlands and damn, it felt great

When She’s the One started I remember telling my friend that he’s saving Not Fade Away for Brussels (fingers crossed lol!). The bass in this song really came through! I don’t know what exactly happened, maybe someone who was closer to the stage, can shed some light on this, but near the end, Bruce picked up a harmonica from the floor of the stage. Did somebody throw one on the stage or did a roadie do it? Anyway, Bruce started laughing and pointed at Clarence (He really is the Big Man!), and did a harmonica solo.

Mary’s Place is so much better live than on the album! The “Are you ready?” bit at the beginning really adds to the song. I remember yelling “Hell Yeah!” a few times before answering with “Are you ready” Maybe it was just me, but to me it seemed that a lot of people were sitting down throughout most of the concert and didn’t seem all that much into it. Can somebody please prove me wrong?! I didn’t care and sang and danced my ass off. Just like during Waitin’ I remember the things Bruce did during this song, but I don’t remember anymore in which order he did them. At one point, there was a slide (how he keeps doing this I don’t know but I love it!) but imo, the best parts were, in no particular order
-the audience singing the "turn it up" part
-the whispers Bruce does ~ I’ve been missing you…
-the interaction between Bruce and Clarence.
Clarence followed Bruce around the stage and Bruce told us that there were 2 things he needed to which Clarence replied (shouting out) TWO. Bruce followed it up by saying that the first thing they need is the music, which has got to be righteous. They then walked over to Clarence’s side of the stage and looked into the audience and Bruce told us that the second thing he needed was for people to get off their asses. They had to get outta their seats, just lift your ass up and stand up! It’s time for the “ass Rising!” and Bruce even pointed to his own ass while telling us all of this. It was great!
-the band introductions... After introducing Danny, Bruce then “introduced” Patti. Walking towards her side of the stage, he said something long the lines off “and now on this side of the stage, the lovely Patti Scialfa…oh no, it’s an empty space and mic…I miss my baby so much!” Bruce then fell to the stage, lay on his back, kicking his legs in the air shouting how much he missed his baby. (I felt like giving the man a hug)

Racing in the Street was the first request of two. It was probably one of the last songs I expected to hear, but I’m so glad I heard it. It was very beautiful. The piano playing is great and it was one of those moments were it really hit me how lucky I was to be there.

I didn’t even recognize Into The Fire at first! That intro put me off, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t great! May your faith give us faith… lovely!!
The first encores…another request and this time it was Cadillac Ranch. What great fun that was! One which always gets me smiling and it was great seeing Bruce up on stage having a good time. I’ve seen a written set list which says Thunder Road in that spot…as long as he plays Thunder Road in Brussels, it’s alright... A few years ago, I lived near this building, which had in big black letters “El Dorado” written on it and nearly every day I’d have Cadillac Ranch stuck in my head. Nils with a big blue Cowboy hat on his head and Bruce acting crazy…this was so much fun, I’ve still got the chorus stuck in my head.

Ramrod… At one point, the whole band lined up, Bruce in the front and as they passed his mic, they all said goodbye, left the stage and Roy was left playing. (That man can play!) Bruce came back onto the stage to give Roy that cowboy hat Nils was wearing during Cadillac and then they were all back on stage. I think Bruce must’ve done about 4 fake endings. It looked like it was never gonna stop. Bruce did the whole “it’s time to go home, watch some of them porn movies” thing and a few times, he mentioned he was horny...
According to local time it’s b b b b BOSS TIME

Born To Run…it’s Born To Run…’nuff said. Lights on, entire stadium singing…no words can describe that…

I really hope Bruce keeps the Detroit Medley in the set list cause it’s so much fun! Shouting out the CC Rider bit and Bruce doing those little whoo’s during Jenny Take A Ride were great!

Second encores…by now, I had lost track of time so badly, that when Bruce went and sat behind the piano I didn’t even realize he was going to do My City of Ruins until he said that he was in the Netherlands for the first time in 1975 and loved coming back. He then started MCOR. Everybody singing “Rise Up” was so powerful, that once again, I could feel tears coming. Bruce did a very nice "dance" were he slowly rocked back and forth, slowly moving his arms... It's hard to explain.

When Land of Hope and Dreams started, I realized, that the concert was coming to an end but didn’t let that spoil it. This train…LOHAD is again such a powerful song when done in concert. I loved it.

Dancing in the Dark is a lot better now than during the BITUSA tour! I hit my knee I don’t know how many times against the seat in front of me throughout the concert and during Dancing I must’ve jumped up and down a bit too wildly. But the rush of seeing Bruce live made me forget bout my knee.

The concert was over before I knew it! I remember looking at my watch when Bruce came on, once at 9.30 and during LOHAD. It seems like he was only on stage for bout 30 minutes. I refused to leave until that video of Bruce playing acoustic guitar and singing Countin' On A Miracle was over. Walking out of the stadium it all felt so surreal. I actually went to a Bruce Springsteen concert! I still have some difficulty believing it all. I’m still on cloud 9. I keep remembering different things. Like Bruce messing up on something at the beginning of a song (don’t ask me which one, I can’t remember. I think Cadillac maybe…) He started to giggle and laughed. I love that giggle

I’m so glad I finally got the chance to see Bruce live. I’ve still got other concerts coming up and am really looking forward to it. Rotterdam made me realize tho, how lucky some of you are, going to dozens of shows each tour... I can’t help but stop smiling. My mind keeps racing, I keep seeing Bruce hanging upside down on that mic, doing slides, singing like there’s no tomorrow…