Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Conseco Fieldhouse
Thursday, March 20

Bruce Springsteen has always been a man of the people, giving those who come to his shows a little something above and beyond. Tales of four-hour-plus shows abound in Springsteen lore.

Armed with one of the best bands in the history of the business, Bruce can play just about anything in his catalog and rock out. Springsteen’s visit to the Conseco Fieldhouse last Thursday was a textbook snapshot of everything that makes him a legend.

Bruce and his mighty band were in killer form. Miami Steve and Nils Lofgen brought a dazzling twin guitar attack and Max Weinberg demonstrated why he is an underrated drum genius. Clarence Clemons displayed infectious glee throughout the concert, especially when Danny “Phantom” Federici took his spot behind the organ. Federici has been away since November 2007, undergoing treatment for melanoma.

When the Phantom took over, The E Street Band went on a breathless ride back to their salad days. “Kitty’s Back,” “Spirit In The Night” and “Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” all sent the faithful into a collective tizzy. Springsteen was shaking ass and working the mic stand like a pole (he even gave a shout-out to the Red Garter), clearly having the time of his life.

However, he remains a man of the people, and perhaps sensing the majority of the crowd’s befuddlement at the past two-plus hours of killer new stuff and classic blasts from the past, he scratched a planned “Ramrod” and instead served up a deliriously cheesed up “Dancing In The Dark,” including the old “pull up a cute little girl on stage to dance” trick.