Hard Rock Calling
Hyde Park
28.06.09
For a 3 day long festival that calls itself ‘Hard Rock Calling’ the promoters seem to have got completely the wrong end of the stick. I can’t even remotely see what’s ‘Hard Rock’ about either, Starsailor or The Dave Mathews Band. Safe to see I avoided all the support acts like the fucking plague and opted for “cunt-free” day.
All of this nonsense was forgotten when The Boss wondered out on stage backed by the infamous E-Street Band. Opening with an inspired version of The Clash’s ‘London Calling‘, Bruce and the gang arte off to a flying start before diving head first into ‘Badlands‘ and then ‘She’s The One’.
The E-Street Band back a juggernaut set from Springsteen who tears through ‘Out In The Street‘ and ‘Bobby Jean‘ to name a few. Brian Fallon from The Gaslight Anthem joins the party on stage to wail through the spirited ‘No Surrender‘ which was a highlight but for some inexplicable reason; ‘Thunder Road‘ and ‘The River‘ remain noticeably absent from tonight’s set list.
After the people rallying anthem ‘The Rising‘, Bruce then delivers a goose-bump inducing rendition of ‘Jungleland‘. Yet more proof (if you needed it) as to why they call him ‘The Boss’. Unfortunately he goes from glory to annoyance in one fail swoop following up with ‘American Land‘. Some jiggery-pockery shite that is more at home in a Pogues B-sides collection. None the less, we are sent home happy with the classics, ‘Glory Days‘ and ‘Dancing In The Dark’.
I’ve been lucky enough to see The Boss before but this time I felt way out of my depth. Tonight, at times, I did feel like I was the unwanted guest of an older generation, and that in the eyes of hardened Springsteen fans that I didn’t “get it”. That may be true but it just goes to show that regardless of age, the music of Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street band have enough quality and enough depth to transcend generations. Tonight proved that.
Written by Tom Lindsey
Photo thanks to Heather Mary Ryan
Watch a phone clip here: