Bruce Springsteen Makes Light Of Hyde Park Blackout
Friday, 20 July 2012
Written by Simon Ramsay
Legendary New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen performed in Dublin on Tuesday night for the first time since his controversial show at last weekend's Hard Rock Calling Festival was unceremoniously ended when the council cut the power during a rip roaring Beatles duet with Paul McCartney. With a cheeky grin and tongue firmly in cheek Bruce wandered out and stuck a plug into a fake power generator, before addressing his amused fans by saying “now....before we were so rudely interrupted”. The 16 piece E-Street Band then ripped into 'Twist and Shout' at the exact point they'd been cut off on Saturday evening, before hitting the crowd with a perfectly pitched rendition of the Bobby Fuller Four's 1966 hit 'I fought the Law'.
Furthermore, as the typically thrifty three and half hour set drew to a close the band played 'Twist And Shout' again as an encore. Just as the song was reaching a stunning crescendo a man decked out as a stereotypical British policeman strode onto the stage waving a contract and ripped the plug right out of the aforementioned mock generator. Only for the devilish little Stevie Van Zandt to plug it straight back in, a fitting gesture given his twitter outburst after the Hyde Park debacle, which included him asking when England had become a police state and suggesting the cops go and catch some real criminals instead of ruining people's enjoyment!
The BBC also reported that at one point during the Irish show Springsteen held up a sign saying “Only the Boss says when to pull the plug”! Whilst such fun is typical of the good natured cabaret feel of Bruce's shows, organisers Live Nation have been forced to repeatedly defend their rigorous implementation of Saturday night's curfew, described as 'excessively efficacious' by London mayor Boris Johnson. It seems there's little sympathy for their decision though, with a number of celebrities wading into the debate. Roxy music's Bryan Ferry feels those concerts aren't worth the negative publicity it's brought to the country, claiming “They shouldn't have these events in Hyde Park any more if it's going to cause embarrassing problems”. And after the concert social media site twitter was rife with disappointment and anger as Simon Pegg asked “what bitter killjoy made that decision?” and Stephen Merchant added “I'm ashamed to be British right now”.
Live Nation have countered, claiming that if Springsteen had been on the stage at his allotted time the problem wouldn't have occurred. However, they should have known about the spontaneous nature of his performances and absolute dedication to pleasing his fans. Last month in Madrid he staged the longest show of his career, coming in at just under four hours. E-Street band guitarist Nils Lofgren summed up his Boss's attitude to playing live during a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, saying "Bruce isn't constrained by curfew fines or set times and lengths. He takes the energy of the crowd and makes a unique and special show that will never happen again." One thing's for sure – no one will ever forget the night Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney performed 'Twist and Shout' together in London.
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