Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena - 4/26/12

Timothy Norris

Springsteen with Steven Van Zandt

See also: Our Springsteen slideshow

We've been watching Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play in concert for decades, and it seems as if he and his crew get better with every tour. How? With few rare exceptions, aren't rockers supposed to kind of get stale once they get older?

Whether it's today's troubled zeitgeist or solid new material from the album Wrecking Ball or the recent passing of longtime saxophonist Clarence Clemons, Springsteen was inspired and inspiring in a nearly three-hour show, once again making fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena true believers in the power of rock 'n' roll.

Springsteen and the E Street Band played eight songs from the new album, including rousing renditions of "We Take Care of Our Own," "Easy Money," "Death to My Hometown," and "We Are Alive."

Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello played on ""Death To My Hometown" and "Jack of All Trades," and added guitar work to Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad" -- a song that may have received the loudest and most sustained applause of the night when it was over.

Coincidentally or not, Springsteen sang "My City of Ruins" only days away from April 29, which will mark the 20th anniversary of the Los Angeles Riots. The song was quite relevant for a city that was literally torn apart in 1992 and still needs to rebuild. (Read this week's cover story, "Then and Now: L.A. Riots, 20 Years Later.")

Location Info

Venue

Map

Los Angeles Sports Arena

3911 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA

Category: Music

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Tags:

Bruce Springsteen, E Street Band, Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Patrick Range McDonald, Tom Morello, Wrecking Ball

We Recommend

fishouttawater

On Friday night with only fans on the floor and just a few folks in the stands, Bruce came out about 7:30. He had about 10 family members in tow and introduced them to the sparse crowd as if he were at a family reunion. It was a touching moment. Then he grabbed an acoustic guitar and belted out "I Came for You." The man cares about his fans. What a showman!

Theblushes

It was spiritual. Every second, every note, every lyric mattered and watching Jack Clemons living every measure with a honest heart was a reminder to take in every breath as if it were your last.

Theblushes

oops, Jake not Jack Clemons

Big Dog

Concert Stats Thursday, April 26th:

Length of the concert: 3 hours 10 minutes

Attendance at the Sports Arena: 16,000

No Shows: 132; several forgot about their rescheduled yoga class

People on Lipitor: 12,486

African-Americans on stage: 5

African-Americans in the audience: 4

People in the audience with rhythm: those same 4

Musicians on the stage: 38

Mentions of New Jersey: 51

Mentions of New York: 46

Mentions of Montana: 0

Celebrities At The Show:

Jerry Brown, his wife, Phil Jackson, another old guy with grey beard

Celebrities NOT At the Show:

Kobe, Lady Gaga, Hannity, Rick Santorum

# of times Bruce went to the bathroom: 0

# of times the E Street Band went to the bathroom: 0

# of times I went to the bathroom: 2

Cost of beer inside: $10

Cost of a my ticket to show: $45

Cost of a T-shirt at last night’s show: $45

Cathymargo

What time did the show start?

Patrick Range McDonald

The show started late because there was a problem with letting people inside the Arena. So it started around 8:30 or so. I would expect it to start earlier if there's not a problem again. Thanks for reading! Patrick Range McDonald

Theblushes

8:15pm ish

Celebrities also included Tom Skerritt, Jason Alexander, Madelyn Stowe and the adorable girl that Bruce brought on stage that will remain a celebrity in my eyes. Oh and don't forget Bruce body surfing from center of the Arena back to the stage! Amazing!!

Patrick Range McDonald

I also saw the Cohen brothers (the filmmakers), Jeff Garlin, and Kim Fowley--both of whom were sitting in my section.