boss magic
In some ways, it’s a shame. Bruce Springsteen, the Boss man of E Street who has been rocking Rupp Arena with concerts since 1980, is passing us by this time. The upside, though, is that the Boss’ only regional performance on a tour that began last fall to support his Magic album, falls on a Saturday night.
Springsteen on a Saturday with the E Street Band in tow? Suddenly a road trip to Cincinnati doesn’t seem like a big deal.
There is, of course, no real reason to ever pass on a chance to see The Boss whenever and however he plays. But seeing as his last few tours have either been solo ventures behind the darkly meditative music of Devils & Dust or wildly revivalistic folk jaunts with his brassy Seeger Sessions Band, a reteaming with his E Street Band is quite the occasion.
The E Streeters bring out the urgency, celebration and pure electric might that made Springsteen a star in the first place. While recent albums, fine as they were, detoured from that sound, Magic offered a throwback of sorts to the E Street vibe of the ‘70s. But it’s no retrofest.
Echoes of a wartorn country inhabit the album, especially in the divided smalltown sentiments that greet the fallen renegade-turned-soldier of Gypsy Biker and the topical deceptions that circle quietly above the title tune. “It’s not really about magic,” Springsteen has said at previous shows on the tour when introducing the latter. “It’s just about tricks.”
There’s also something of an epic on Magic called Girls in Their Summer Clothes that falls somewhere between Phil Spector-like majesty and vintage Merseybeat Brit-pop. But the lyrics, a sobering reflection of time and age, are simply devastating.
There will be one less voice on E Street this weekend, however. Keyboardist Danny Federici bowed out of the tour after being diagnosed with melanoma. He has been receiving treatments since late November. In his place on Saturday will be Seeger Sessions alumnus Charles Giordano. Here’s hoping that Federici finds his way back to E Street soon.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at 7:30 p.m. March 22 at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. Ticket are $58 and $92. Call (859) 281-6644.
I am a native Kentuckian and freelance journalist who has been writing about contemporary music for the Lexington Herald-Leader since 1980. I have not a lick of honest musical talent myself, just a pair of appreciative ears for jazz, folk, blues, bluegrass, Americana, soul, Celtic, Cajun, chamber, worldbeat, nearly every form of rock 'n' roll imaginable and, when pressed, the occasional tango and polka.