BRUCE

Here's the setlist:

Main set: The Promised Land/The Rising/Lonesome Day/My Love Will Not Let You Down/Prove It All Night/Something in the Night/Empty Sky/You're Missing/Waitin' on a Sunny Day/Darlington County/Worlds Apart/Badlands/Out in the Street/Mary's Place/Across the Border/Into the Fire/No Surrender
First Encore: Bobby Jean/Ramrod/Born to Run/Seven Nights to Rock
Second Encore: My City of Ruins/Land of Hope and Dreams/Rosalita/Dancing in the Dark

Pretty solid, huh? My one, and only one complaint was the lack of Thunder Road. But this will do! (hehe)

Bruce and the boys appeared to be having a great time in SF. The Boss himself complimented us on our weather ("usually I'd be sweating my ass off by now"). Max was a monster on the kit. Lots of great schtik with the Big Man, and with Silvio Stevie.

Bruce swinging his Tele all the way around his body? Check. Bruce hanging upside-down on his mic stand? Check. Nils playing with his tongue? Check. And so on...

Bruce did do a bit of politicizing on Iraq, hinting at his opinion of the Bushies' rationale for the invasion ("In the past, administrations both Republican and Democratic have used deception and lies to take this country to war...").

All but 3 songs from The Rising were played, of which "Into the Fire", "Worlds Apart" and especially "Mary's Place" were particularly impressive (the latter was arguably the highlight of the show). Throughout the show, two large tv-screens, one on each side, showed closeups of the various band members and of the crowd, and nothing else.

Though a decent long-time fan, this was my first concert experience involving Bruce. Nevertheless, given the energy (both onstage and in the sold-out Pac Bell Park), the flow of the show (the music rarely stopped, and went on for three glorious hours) and the expertise of the musicians, it ranks as the best stadium-sized show I have ever seen... yes, ahead of both the Stones and U2.

I have reached into my inner Alterman, and this is what I have found.