By
Eric Swedlund
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Live in New York City
Columbia
Grade: A
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band began their 1999-2000 U.S. tour with
15 sold out shows in the Boss' native New Jersey and ended at Madison Square
Garden, where the last two shows provided material for a new live compilation.
After 25 years together, Bruce and his band have never played better
together, as this double live album shows.
Gathering material from throughout his career, the album offers the 13
tracks that will make up an HBO special - airing Saturday - plus six bonus
tracks.
Two new songs highlight the collection - "Land of Hope and Dreams" and "American Skin (41 Shots)" the musical indictment of the death of Amadou Diallo at the hands of New York City police officers, a song which pissed off officers enough for some to call for a boycott of Springsteen.
The rest of the album spans from his debut effort with the rarely played
"Lost in the Flood" through "Youngstown," from his 1995 Grammy-winning The Ghost of Tom Joad.
The 16-minute "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" serves as an introduction of the
band members and the tale of the band's formation.
"The River" gets a complete update, a painful reminder of youth gone wrong
that somehow manages to be more haunting than the original.
Another gem is the beautiful "If I Should Fall Behind," in which band
members take turns singing verses.
The collection's only fault is the representation of just two performances, which leaves out such tour highlights as the two spectacular Elvis covers - "Viva Las Vegas" and "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" - from Bruce's first Las Vegas show and the spontaneous "Blinded By the Light" at the final Los Angeles show.
