Bruce Springsteen clearly had a blast on his recent Australian tour. First the Boss added AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” to his already lengthy repertoire, then he upped the ante by bringing Eddie Vedder into the mix, and then he tackled INXS’ “Don’t Change”. Perhaps he decided to treat his Aussie fans so well after they made High Hopes his second number one record down under (the other being Born in the U.S.A.).
Wednesday night in Brisbane was the Boss’ final stop of the tour leg, and he made sure to cap things off in style. And what better way to open such a show than by covering a local legend: The Bee Gees. Yes, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band actually opened their set with a rollicking rendition of “Stayin’ Alive”. The band didn’t go too disco with the song, however, instead pumping it full of Bruce’s working-man rock, blaring horns, and even a Tom Morello guitar solo. Watch the whole rare, wonderful thing below. (via Billboard)
Of course, that wasn’t the end of the evening’s highlights. Smack in the middle of the 30-song, three-hours-and-forty-five-minutes long set, Bruce led the E Street band through the entirety of their second album together: The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. According to NJ.com, this marked only the second time the album had ever been performed straight through.
Then, to finish off the encore, Bruce invited Vedder for another go at “Highway to Hell”. Apparently, he thought the Pearl Jam frontman had already left the building, but was more than happy to welcome him back on stage.
Here’s hoping these two cross paths when they come back stateside. Below, check out the complete setlist from Wednesday night.
Set list:
01. Stayin’ Alive (The Bee Gees cover)
02. It’s Hard to Be A Saint in the City
03. Does ThiS Bus Stop at 82nd Street
04. Growin’ Up
05. Spirit in the Night
06. High Hopes
07. Just Like Fire Would
08. You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
09. Sherry Darling
10. Save My Love
11. Fade Away
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle full album
12. The E Street Shuffle
13. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
14. Kitty’s Back
15. Wild Billy’s Circus Story
16. Incident on 57th Street
17. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
18. New York City Serenade
19. Darlington County
20. Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
21. The Rising
22. The Ghost of Tom Joad
23. Badlands
Encore:
24. Glory Days
25. Born to Run
26. Bobby Jean
27. Dancing in the Dark
28. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
29. Highway to Hell (w/ Eddie Vedder)
Encore 2:
30. Thunder Road (solo acoustic)