Springsteen Brings L.A. Stand to a Satisfying End

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kept the surprises coming Saturday, the end of a four-night Staples Center stand that suggested this is the most satisfying rock reunion tour since Bob Dylan and the Band in the 1970s.

Springsteen served up six tunes he hadn’t done the first three nights: “Take ‘Em as They Come,” “Independence Day,” “Incident on 57th Street,” “For You,” “The Promise” (a solo version with Springsteen on piano) and “Blinded by the Light.”

This brought to 47 the number of different songs performed during L.A. stops. Only 12 tunes made every show: “Two Hearts,” “Youngstown,” “Murder Incorporated,” “Badlands,” “Out in the Street,” “10th Avenue Freeze-out,” “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” “Light of Day,” “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road,” “If I Should Fall Behind” and “Land of Hope and Dreams.”

By focusing on pre-”Born in the U.S.A.” material, it’s as if Springsteen wanted to reconnect with his core audience on the level they enjoyed before the superstar madness that accompanied that 1984 blockbuster seller. The only downside is that we missed some outstanding post-”Born in the U.S.A.” songs, from “Brilliant Disguise” to “Living Proof.” Oh well, there’s next time. The triumph of this tour is that it is one of the few reunion efforts that has left us looking forward to a next time.