Monday, February 02, 2009

What Bruce Can do in Twelve Minutes!!!

What an amazing event! Oh yeah- the Superbowl was pretty good too, congrats to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bruce Springsteen rocked the world last night with an electrifying half time show, backed by the best band in rock 'n roll, the E Street Band (along with special guests from the 'Max Weinberg 7' and Tampa Bay gospel singers)! Earlier in the week the Boss promised to squeeze one of his marathon rock shows into 12 minutes! And he did it! Best Super Bowl halftime show of all time!!! (I know, I'm a bit of a fan, so to add a bit of credibility to my rave review, I've included another review here)
Read what MTV.com has to say:

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN LEADS HALFTIME PARTY AT SUPERBOWL!
By James Montgomery
MTV.com

James Harrison's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown may have got the crowd at Tampa, Florida's Raymond James Stadium buzzing, but Bruce Springsteen really put things over the top.
The Boss' much-hyped halftime show at Super Bowl XLIII more than lived up to the advance billing, with the ageless one (seriously, how does a 59-year-old man move like that?!?!) was part preacher, part gunslinger and all showman.
Backed by his airtight E Street Band, Springsteen strode onstage to thunderous cheers, tossed his guitar to a waiting tech, then launched into a fire-and-brimstone speech that had everyone in the stadium losing their collective minds.
"For the next 12 minutes, we're going to bring the righteous power of the E Street Band into your home!" Springsteen shouted before climbing atop a piano. "Is there anybody alive out there? Is there anybody alive out there?!?"
And hell yes, there was. Springsteen ripped into "10th Avenue Freezeout," bending backward over his microphone stand, pyro and giant video screens firing behind him. He slapped hands with fans in front of the stage and then slid across the stage — directly into a wayward cameraman — and cracked a smile.
That led right into his classic "Born to Run," which sent the crowd into even further hysterics, and then, backed by a full gospel choir (as he was at the "We Are One" concert last month), he performed a brief segment of "Working on a Dream," the title track of his just-released album.
Then, stretching his 12 minutes to the max, Bruce and the Band flew into "Glory Days," clearly reveling in the moment but aware of the time constraints.
"I think it's quittin' time, Steve," Springsteen laughed to guitarist Steve Van Zandt.
Steve argued a bit, but then a referee came out and jokingly flagged the band for delay-of-game penalty.
"Steve, what time is it?" Bruce asked.
"It's Boss time!" Van Zandt shouted.
And then, to huge applause, they wrapped up the set, and took a much-deserved bow. "I'm going to Disneyland!" Springsteen shouted before leaving the stage.
Of course, he looked like he'd rather suit up for the second half of the big game. Maybe next year ...