CONCERT REVIEW
by Michael Swanger
Bruce Springsteen
Wells Fargo Arena, Sept. 21
The Boss can show up an hour late for work, but we Iowans don’t mind when it’s a working class hero in charge. That much was evident at Wells Fargo Arena where Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band elicited endearing chants of “Bruuuuce!” from a jittery crowd of nearly 10,000 fans who anxiously awaited the opening number “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” By the end of the two-hour-and-fifty-minute marathon coveting much of Springsteen’s deep catalog, all was forgotten as the crowd was left wanting for more following a show-stopping version of “Glory Days.”
Twice, Springsteen invited audience members to participate in the festivities, stopping the show for a young girl to sing the chorus to “Waiting On A Sunny Day” and plucking a spry grandmother from the audience to shake a leg on “Dancing in the Dark.” In return, the audience cheered and saved the loudest applause for anthems like “Hungry Heart” and “Born to Run.”
The middle part of the show, however, catered to die-hard fans as the 11-piece band effortlessly weaved in and out of old and new songs of labor, love and murder on “Seeds,” “Johnny 99,” “Youngstown” and “Good Lovin’”. They were followed by a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and the E Street’s first-ever rendition of Dion’s “The Wanderer” as requested by one sign-toting fan.
“Someone thought they could stump the E Street Band?” Springsteen bragged with a smile. After finishing “The Wanderer,” Springsteen tore up the sign to the delight of the audience. It was another reminder of the Boss taking charge that night in Des Moines. CV — Michael Swanger
 Tantric at The House of Bricks Photo by Shannon Smith |
 Dave Matthews Band at Principal Park Photo by Jared Curtis |
 Trivium at People’s Court Photo by Darren Tromblay | Bruce Springsteen at Wells Fargo Arena Photo by Michael Swanger |
| Click here for more photos. | |
