Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt perform “Rebel Rebel” in Pittsburgh.
For those worried that Bruce Springsteen’s policy of playing his double album The River in its entirety at every show on his current tour won’t leave room for other stuff … keep in mind that last night at the tour opener in Pittsburgh, he played 14 songs — which would constitute an entire show for many other classic-rock artists — in addition to the 20 songs of The River.
The show included the concert debut of River outtake “Meet Me in the City” as well as a cover of David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel,” in tribute to the late rock legend.
Springsteen said in introducing the song: “I want to take a moment and just note the passing of my good friend David Bowie. David — not that many people know, but he supported our music way, way, way back in the very, very beginning — 1973, he rang me up and I visited him down in Philly while he was making the Young Americans record. He covered some of my music, ‘(It’s) Hard to Be a Saint in the City’ and ‘Growin’ Up’ and he was a big supporter of ours, particularly when I … I took the Greyhound bus down to Philadelphia, that’s how early it was. Anyway, we’re thinkin’ of him.”
Here is the setlist from the show. River songs are in bold.
“Meet Me in the City”
“The Ties That Bind”
“Sherry Darling”
“Jackson Cage”
“Two Hearts”
“Independence Day”
“Hungry Heart”
“Out in the Street”
“Crush On You”
“You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)”
“I Wanna Marry You”
“The River”
“Point Blank”
“Cadillac Ranch”
“I’m a Rocker”
“Fade Away”
“Stolen Car”
“Ramrod”
“The Price You Pay”
“Drive All Night”
“Wreck on the Highway”
“Badlands”
“Wrecking Ball”
“Backstreets”
“Because the Night”
“Brilliant Disguise”
“The Rising”
“Thunder Road”
Encores
“Rebel Rebel”
“Bobby Jean”
“Dancing in the Dark”
“Born to Run”
“Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”
“Shout”
Here is “Rebel Rebel”:
And, in case you missed it, here’s a video of Madonna covering the same song, in tribute to Bowie.
Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform at Madison Square Garden in New York, Jan. 24 and 27, and the Prudential Center in Newark, Jan. 31.
