Feels like my 2026 “Concerts Season” started late this year.  It did start off explosively.  On May 5, with my daughter and frequent concert buddy, Marisa, I kicked off this year’s series with a Boss show: the “Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour” at UBS arena just south of home.

The partisan theme — consistent with my views — which I discuss not in this regular Sunday, meant not hearing Bruce and band perform my long-time fave song, “Rosalina.” That said not including that song did not rise to the level of upset if Richie Furay or Poco left “A Good Feelin’ to Know of their setlists or Paul Rogers not perform if as Bad Company skipped my all-time fave, “All Right Now,” which he originated with Free.

The band was tight, Bruce was exuberant. Guest Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine (I know his mom, Mary! though admittedly lost touch.) fit in well on guitar and some co-lead vocals.

Check out the setlist:

*War (The Temptations cover) (with Tom Morello)

*Born in the U.S.A. (with Tom Morello)

*Death to My Hometown (with Tom Morello)

*Clampdown (The Clash cover) (with Tom Morello)

*No Surrender

*Darkness on the Edge of Town

*Streets of Minneapolis

*The Promised Land

*Two Hearts (with outro snippet of Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston's “It Takes Two”)

*Hungry Heart

*Youngstown

*Murder Incorporated

*American Skin (41 Shots) (with Tom Morello)

*Long Walk Home (with Tom Morello) (introduced as “a prayer for our country”)

*House of a Thousand Guitars (Acoustic solo)

*My City of Ruins

*Because the Night (Patti Smith Group cover)

*Wrecking Ball

*The Rising

*The Ghost of Tom Joad (with Tom Morello)

*Badlands (with Tom Morello)

*Land of Hope and Dreams (with Tom Morello) (with outro snippet of The Impressions' “People Get Ready”)

Encore:

*American Land (with Tom Morello)

*Born to Run

*Dancing in the Dark (followed by band introductions)

*Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (with Tom Morello)

*Chimes of Freedom (Bob Dylan cover) (with Tom Morello)
[end setlist]

I think my next show is the  Gotham Battle of the Bands® Presented by Skody Scot & Company CPAs (William Skody).