Bruce Springsteen: The Enders
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By Anthony “Zute” George
Long before our lives changed because of the Covid-19 crisis, it was unlikely that Bruce Springsteen would tour in 2020. At least that is how I felt. The promised new album with the E Street Band was nowhere in sight, and Bruce’s daughter was all but secured to compete in this year’s Olympics. If anyone knows anything about Bruce, they know he would not be missing that. This is what I reported on Ringside Report a few months back. Today, the world is not the way it was back then, and the Olympics has been postponed.
No, I do not want to be melancholy, but this is where we are at.
Bruce fanatics are no longer wondering when Bruce will tour. But are hoping that Bruce and his family come out of this unscathed. Personally, outside of immediate family members and a handful of close friends, who are indeed family, there are not many people I care more about making it through this than Bruce Springsteen. He means that much to me.
With that said, fans still crave a live performance from Bruce, and, on social media, have expressed the desire for Bruce to perform live over the internet. Naming his now-famous barn as the desired location. Well, that would be grand. But again, if you know Bruce, you know how much of a stickler he is for his music to sound right. I am guessing that the manpower that it would take to make the barn sound ideal would infringe on all the social distancing codes we now must follow.
There are other options for Bruce to play live, of course, we shall see.
At the time of this writing, there has been some promise of Bruce’s new album could soon be on the way. What a fantastic thing that will be for so many of us. A new album with the E Street Band would be a great gift right now. This brings us to the topic of this article. The enders. Ever since Bruce Springsteen began recording studio albums, the strategic placement of tracks has always been an essential dynamic. No more important is that final track. Bruce has always given great honor and consideration to that ending song. The final moments of the greatest auditory orgasm of your life. What, you do not all think of a Springsteen album in such a way?
Examining the last track on Bruce’s studio album is a unique research project. And would make for a great book. I only ask for five percent of the profits, should anyone decide to jump on this idea.
What I want to do now, in keeping with this hope that Bruce plays live for us from a distance, is imagine a setlist that consists of just Springsteen enders. In chronological order, with only his original studio albums, of his own material. So, no Seeger Sessions or High Hopes included. The performance would look like this
1. It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City (a great opening choice for any performance)
2. New York City Serenade (a track that gained a lot of newfound appreciation as a constant opener in the 2016 tour. Would fit well here)
3. Jungleland (One of the Mount Rushmore songs for most fans. Typically, never heard this early in the show. But I do not think anyone would complain)
4. Darkness on the Edge of Town (A gem that fits well both early and late in shows. My personal favorite song by the way)
5. The River (Okay, so it is the last track on the first album. But it is too good to leave out!)
6. Wreck on the Highway (A visceral song indeed. Get out the tissues)
7. Reason to Believe (We need a bunch of them now)
8. My Hometown (Never been a personal favorite of mine. But Bruce often tells great stories when performing this track)
9. Valentine’s Day (Okay, so Bruce likes to leave us with our hearts broken on albums. But this song is underrated, and not often played live. So, it would be welcomed to any setlist)
10. Pony Boy (Not the strongest ending track. Perhaps the weakest. But rules are rules!)
11. My Beautiful Reward (For us, our beautiful reward would be either new music or live music. I’ll take both please)
12. My Best Was Never Good Enough (Bruce, even your worst is good enough!)
13. My City of Ruins (Fitting for what we are going through. Bruce always hits the right nerves when performing this gem)
14. Matamoros Banks (Very underrated song. And how often do we get to hear it live?)
15. Terry’s Song (You can hide no more Terry!)
16. The Wrestler (Another one of my all-time favorites that should be played live more often)
17. We Are Alive (And let’s keep it that way for as long as we can)
18. Moonlight Motel (One of the strongest songs in the set. Became an instant classic for plenty of fans)
There you have it. Not a conventional setlist, and it probably has virtually no chance of ever being performed in this way. But I think it is an excellent way to examine a very prestigious location in Bruce Springsteen lure. My top five personal favorite enders are as follows:
1. Darkness on the Edge of Town
2. The River
3. Jungleland
4. The Wrestler
5. Moonlight Motel
What are yours?
When will we be able to add another song to this fantasy setlist?
Stay tuned…
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