SPRINGSTEEN, BRUCE - CD
STOCKHOLM MAGIC NIGHT

LABEL:
Crystal Cat CC 857-58
SOURCE:
Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden - December 10, 2007 + Bonus Track
FORMAT:
2CD
RUNNING TIME:
70:22/76:32
SOUND/SOURCE:
Superb Audience
PACKAGING:
Double Slimline Jewelcase, w/replica setlist
 

Stockholm Magic Night frot

Stockholm Magic Night back


SOUND 9.5 / PACKAGING 10 / PERFORMANCE 9.5

 
TRACK LIST:

Disc One:

  1. Intro/The Daring Young Man On The Flying Trapeze
  2. Radio Nowhere
  3. No Surrender
  4. Lonesome Day
  5. Gypsy Biker
  6. Magic
  7. Reason To Believe
  8. Candy's Room
  9. She's The One
  10. Livin' In The Future
  11. The Promised Land
  12. I'll Work For Your Love
  13. The River
  14. Working On The Highway

Disc Two:

  1. Devil's Arcade
  2. The Rising
  3. Last To Die
  4. Long Walk Home
  5. Badlands
  6. Girls In Their Summer Clothes
  7. Jungleland
  8. Born To Run
  9. Dancing In The Dark w/Christopher Clemons
  10. American Land
  11. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
  12. Two Hearts (Bonus Track: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA - October 26, 2007)
 
REVIEW:

The third show, chronologically speaking, in the March 2008 Magic Tour releases from Crystal Cat - and probably the most well rounded recording of the stellar batch.  Right from the outset of the "Helloo Stockhoooolm!" greeting by the Boss, you know what kind of show it was going to be.  The anticipatory build up of the 3 minutes worth of tape prior to the organ grinder and lights out certainly adds drama to the greeting as well.  One of the best versions of the "Radio Nowhere" opener I've heard too.  The momentum is so quickly established that there is nearly no segue noticable into "No Surrender".  A swift and effective opening series as they swing into the groove of "Lonesome Day".  

 The recording is of the standard of many a Stockholm/Crystal Cat productions along the way and what has this taping effort edging out the Milan recording is that the bass is a bit more defined and slight more separation in the instrumentation in the wide stereo audio.  The Stockholm crowd isn't unlike any other except they have a great respect for the rhythm and recognize when to sing along and seemingly when to shut up!  They follow the Boss' lead while never losing hold of the ride.  Interesting actually.  The benefit of listening for the first time is about the only way to recognize it, you can almost see the bodies nodding and bobbing along right in synch with the setlist.  Speaking of which, pretty standard for the most part and "Candy's Room" is still in rotation but a stripped down and very cool version of "The River" is inserted after "I'll Work For Your Love".  Could be one of my new favorites as it rivals nearly any other rendition or arrrangement through the years - even with the crowd given sole vocal of the second verse!  Like I said, they were VERY sharp this Winter evening! Clarence gets big roar of approval by the crowd during the sax solo in "She's The One" and more so again on "Working On The Highway".  Apparently Clarence's son played acoustic guitar on "Dancing In The Dark".  By the time the encore set arrives, an audible by Bruce, apparently obliging a sign held up requesting "Jungleland" he acknowledges the "incredible audience out there tonight" and "Jungleland" it is (it is said this replaced "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" at this juncture, but!...).  Yeah, the show usually closes with "American Dream" but Bruce infuses the holiday spirit to close a special Swedish night out anyway.  The bonus track of "Two Hearts" is nice, and another great recording from the October 26th Oakland show, but after that really special and atmospheric Stockholm marathon it seems gratuitous but hey, a bonus is a bonus and it's one of my other ESB favorites.

The packaging and presentation is right up there with the best of anything Crystal Cat has ever presented, providing an 8-page deluxe glossy booklet with some stellar performance shots of the band, apparently from the Stockholm performance, including nice shots of the band around the city and Christopher Clemons onstage with Dad.  The photography is outstanding in every way and I dare say again these booklets rival some concert programs I've seen.  There is also a glossy insert with a copy of the actual hand-scrawled setlist on one side and the 2007 tour dates on the other.  This standard is replicated throughout these five new titles in the batch.  A superb show and recording making this Stockholm a recommended Magic Tour title to track down.

 

 

 

 

 


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Mar 27, 2008 - 10:29:24 PM


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