Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Live at ACL Live at the Moody Theater SXSW

Following this morning’s SXSW keynote address, Bruce Springsteen and the entirety of his E Street Band rocked a 150 minute plus set of classics and new cuts from recently released album Wrecking Ball. Opening with a moving tribute to Woody Guthrie, the entire band stood in a half circle singing Guthrie’s “I Ain’t Got No Home.” The man they call “The Boss” introduced the event as being a story, implying the songs played would tell a story. And while there was no literal narration, the songs did indeed wrap into a thematic message. Springsteen bracketed songs with small statements about the difficulty in America following the economic crisis of 2008, lamenting how it “divided the country.” “We Take Care of Our Own,” “Death to My Hometown” and “My City’s in Ruins” all served as cautionary reminders of the damage done and the need to rally around one another. In answer, the band offered “Jack of All Trades” (“so use what you got / and learn to make do”) for dedication to perseverance and “The E Street Shuffle” for pure, manic celebration. For many numbers, Springsteen brought out Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello to add color to his already 5-guitar strong band. The highlight of which was Morello’s jaw-dropping, best-in-career guitar solo on “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” Before the evening concluded Springsteen also brought out reggae legend Jimmy Cliff to join the band for a trio of songs including “The Harder They Come” and “Time Will Tell.” All-in-all, it’s impossible to deny Springsteen’s ability to enrapture a crowd. He’s a master entertainer, and deserves all the credit he gets.