"Your hands are going to hurt, your back is going to hurt, and tomorrow morning you're going to say 'What the f*** happened to me??'"
Well, Boss, you about summed it up.
A Thursday night in April became a rocking, anthem-filled, boisterous and emotional dance party that only Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band could provide.
From the band taking its places to "Dancin' in the Streets" to a lit-up full house for "Dancing in the Dark", the show was an energetic three-hour journey of new songs and old favorites.
After seeing the band open The Grammys with a rocking rendition of "We Take Care of Our Own", it felt only right to have the show open in a similar fashion. After singing the title track of his new album, "Wrecking Ball", the band burst into a lively version of "Badlands" - and we were off.
"Death to My Hometown" and "My City of Ruins" were a thoughtful back-to-back pairing - the latter song gave Bruce and the band the opportunity to pay homage to the late Clarence Clemons, who passed away last year, and Danny Federici, who passed away in 2008.
It was one of a few tributes to The Big Man - a break in closer "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" gave the audience a slide show of Clemons photos and plenty of time to show their love and appreciation for the saxophone master.
But perhaps the greatest tribute was Jake Clemons, The Big Man's nephew, who has joined the E Street Band and held his own on many of Clemons' famous sax solos. For someone new to the gig, Jake Clemons fills those big shoes pretty well.
A highlight of the show was a pairing of Motown favorites "The Way You Do the Things You Do" and "634-5789" - The Boss referred to the musical influences of Detroit throughout the show. During the latter song, Bruce made his way around the crowd through the barricades, but took the express way back to the stage: crowd-surfing.
Another highlight was how The Boss brought young fans up onto the stage. During "Waiting on a Sunny Day", a young man was hoisted onto the stage and sang the chorus, urging fans to get louder each time before telling the E Street Band to step it up, per Bruce's whispering. He also joined Bruce in the famous stage slide. This kid is the coolest kid at school today, no doubt.
Two young girls also joined Bruce on stage to trade dance moves on "Dancing in the Dark".
Other highlights include the inclusion of unexpected songs, such as "Because the Night" and "Incident on 57th Street" - a request from a fan's poster.
Another fan's poster made it to the stage - Springsteen for President - by the encore.
Bruce Springsteen is The Boss. He's the Jersey Devil. He'd make one rocking President. But on Thursday night, he was the King of The Palace.
THE SET LIST
We Take Care Of Our Own
Wrecking Ball
Badlands
Death to My Hometown
My City of Ruins
E Street Shuffle
Candy's Room
Jack of All Trades
Trapped
Youngstown
She's The One
Waiting on A Sunny Day
The Promised Land
The Way You Do The Things You Do/634-5789
Incident on 57th Street
American Skin (41 Shots)
Because the Night
The Rising
We Are Alive
Land of Hope and Dreams
ENCORE
Thunder Road
Rocky Ground
Out in the Streets
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out
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