Bruce Springsteen's Seeger Sessions concert last night was incredible - the best live show I have ever seen (I have been to only a few). He did not delve into his old music, but that was alright; he stuck with the folk songs he has retooled for his most recent album and this concert run, and covered a few other ragtime-style songs, including Rag Mama Rag (which I had only heard performed by The Band) during the ever-lasting encore. The best song was "Pay Me My Money Down."

Springsteen took a few shots at Bush. He sang a song he wrote about Bush's trip to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and ripped on the president in his speak between songs. Very good stuff; hopefully I can legally download the concert on FurtherNET or elsewhere, but I didn't see any recording equipment in the stands. (Oh well.) An anti-war song, "Bring Them Home," didn't go over well for the republicans in the audience. (Seriously though, who digs republicans?)

The best part came when Bruce ripped on the lowly city of Concord, where the outdoor venue, a pretty nice one at that, was situated. (Concord is thirty or so miles east of San Francisco, and is more "conservative" than the majority of the Bay Area; it ain't no Palo Alto though.) Stressing the second 'o' in Concord, like "Con-chord," Springsteen ripped, "Concord... now I've been here. To the city in the burnt brown hills... Now that I know where this is, I will return. I don't know when, but I will return. [Applause] Not saying when... Don't want to make promises."

And even better (earlier in the concert), "Concord... man, San Francisco is like a whole other state." And Bruce ended the night, "Thank you Concordia." Classic Springsteen.


Image: Backstreets.com

Also, you can stream the aforementioned "Bring Them Home" at AOL, for a limited time, of course.

Labels: bush