“The ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in
Engines stop running and the wheat is growing thin
A nuclear error, but I have no fear
London is drowning-and I live by the river”
Strummer/Jones
It takes big ones to open up a set in London with London Calling, The Clash’s ultimate city anti-anthem that destroyed radios throughout Britain upon it’s release in 1979. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band did just that setting the bar high for a rousing 27 song set at the Hard Rock Calling festival last year.
Jonathan Phillips wrote for Backstreets:
“A smart—if potentially risky—move to start with ‘London Calling. Sometimes British audiences can be a little protective and parochial over such iconic tunes, but with a full lawn brimming with enthusiasm this worked brilliantly. The crowd’s vocals on ‘and I… I live by the river’ raised the E Streeters’ eyebrows with its fervor and volume.”
The Boss was pleased enough with the footage from the show to package it up and send it out to the masses. Here is part of the official press release from Shorefire Media for the forthcoming Blu-Ray/DVD release:
On June 22, Columbia Records will release Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s ‘London Calling: Live In Hyde Park‘ concert film on one Blu-Ray disc and as a two DVD set. Captured in London at the Hard Rock Calling Festival on June 28, 2009 in HD, the 163-minute film documents 26 tracks of live Springsteen that begin in daylight and progress through a gorgeous sunset into night.
‘London Calling: Live In Hyde Park’ conveys both the experience of being on-stage and the vast crowd experience of the festival environment. Viewers are able to see Springsteen spontaneously directing the E Street Band and shaping the show as it evolves.
The set list spans from ‘Born To Run’ era to ‘Working On a Dream’ and includes rare covers such as The Clash’s “London Calling,” Jimmy Cliff’s “Trapped,” The Young Rascals’ “Good Lovin’,” and Eddie Floyd’s “Raise Your Hand.” Springsteen also performs fan favorite “Hard Times (Come Again No More),” written by Stephen Foster in 1854. Brian Fallon from The Gaslight Anthem joins the band as a guest vocalist on Springsteen’s own “No Surrender.”
This is a photo taken from the show at Hyde Park:
And the stunning setlist from the release:
1. London Calling
2. Badlands
3. Night
4. She’s The One
5. Outlaw Pete
6. Out In The Street
7. Working On A Dream
8. Seeds
9. Johnny 99
10. Youngstown
11. Good Lovin’
12. Bobby Jean
13. Trapped
14. No Surrender
15. Waiting On A Sunny Day
16. Promised Land
17. Racing In The Street
18. Radio Nowhere
19. Lonesome Day
20. The Rising
21. Born To Run
22. Hard Times (Come Again No More)
23. Jungleland
24. American Land
25. Glory Days
26. Dancing In The Dark
27. Music under end credit sequence: Raise Your Hand
BONUS MATERIAL:
The River: Glastonbury Festival, 2009
Wrecking Ball: Giants Stadium, 2009
This is going to look amazing on Blu-Ray and sound even better in remastered surround sound. Here is a primer courtesy of BruceSpringsteen.net. Be warned, you will get off your a** and move. Is there anybody alive out there!?!
The feeling was mutual from the late Joe Strummer. Here is a copy of the fax that he sent to recommend Bruce for the Glastonbury show, courtesy of The Guardian, that Springsteen played the night before. This is an awesome artifact for sure.
High praise indeed, Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce!
