Bruce Springsteen – 1999-07-18 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Bruce Springsteen – 1999-07-18 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 03:00:42 minutes | 2,08 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Live Bruce Springsteen

With the first Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concerts in six years now fewer than 50 days away, a return to where their rebirth began feels fitting. East Rutherford, NJ 7/18/99 was only the band’s second US date on the Reunion tour. It followed a 36-show European leg that saw them playing beloved outtakes (finally released on Tracks), exploring the depths of their own catalog, and rounding into form ahead of an audacious 15-night stand at Continental Airlines Arena to kick off the American run.

The 7/18/99 recording, newly mixed from multitrack masters by Jon Altschiller, bears a strong sense of purpose and urgency for reconnection. How thrilling it must have been to not only hear “I Wanna Be With You” for the first time, but to take Bruce’s title statement literally as he calls in the band members one by one in the song’s intro. We want to be with you.

As commonplace as “Prove It All Night” might feel in hindsight, longtime fans hadn’t heard it played with the E Street Band in 14 years, and surely many others in attendance never had. These early Reunion shows were marked by bang-bang pacing at the top as the first two songs roll right into “Two Hearts.” Nils Lofgren may take the solo in “Prove It,” but Stevie Van Zandt’s return to the band is undeniable in his call-and-response backing vocals, which extend into “Two Hearts.”

“Trapped” was a standout when the band christened this building back in 1981; in 1999, Patti Scialfa’s vocals lift the chorus higher while modern keyboard textures from Roy Bittan and Danny Federici give “Trapped” a subtle recharge. “Darlington County” teases the Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women” for several bars before the rowdy road trip begins, giving Clarence Clemons his fifth fine showcase of the night already.

Tracklist:

1-01. Bruce Springsteen – I Wanna Be With You (05:51)
1-02. Bruce Springsteen – Prove It All Night (05:46)
1-03. Bruce Springsteen – Two Hearts (02:59)
1-04. Bruce Springsteen – Trapped (04:57)
1-05. Bruce Springsteen – Darlington County (07:42)
1-06. Bruce Springsteen – Factory (03:34)
1-07. Bruce Springsteen – The River (10:19)
2-01. Bruce Springsteen – Youngstown (05:45)
2-02. Bruce Springsteen – Murder Incorporated (05:57)
2-03. Bruce Springsteen – Badlands (05:40)
2-04. Bruce Springsteen – Out in the Street (06:50)
2-05. Bruce Springsteen – Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (18:14)
2-06. Bruce Springsteen – Loose End (04:23)
2-07. Bruce Springsteen – Sherry Darling (05:16)
2-08. Bruce Springsteen – Working on the Highway (06:02)
2-09. Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad (05:36)
2-10. Bruce Springsteen – Jungleland (10:42)
3-01. Bruce Springsteen – Light Of Day (15:12)
3-02. Bruce Springsteen – Freehold (07:15)
3-03. Bruce Springsteen – Stand On It (03:49)
3-04. Bruce Springsteen – Hungry Heart (04:50)
3-05. Bruce Springsteen – Bobby Jean (04:25)
3-06. Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run (06:38)
3-07. Bruce Springsteen – Thunder Road (06:18)
3-08. Bruce Springsteen – If I Should Fall Behind (06:56)
3-09. Bruce Springsteen – Land of Hope and Dreams (09:32)

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