Springsteen Closes Giants Stadium With Fireworks and Wedding Bells

Posted on Oct 10th 2009 10:00AM by Steve Baltin
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There were lots of rumors flying around about Friday night's Bruce Springsteen show at Giants Stadium, the final concert at the venue. The previous night, Eric Clapton and Jon Bon Jovi were bandied about as possible guests, and there was talk of an extra hour added to the typically marathon-length set by Springsteen and the E Street Band.

There were no guests, but Springsteen made sure the night was special, particularly for one couple. As he's done for the past year or so of the 'Working On A Dream' tour, Springsteen turned to the crowd for the sign request portion of the night.

After busting out the Rolling Stones' "Last Time," which he "performed for the first time" and said was "perfect for the occasion," Springsteen announced, "We have a proposal," holding up a sign that read, "Susanne, Will you marry me? Rainer."

The crowd got the answer when Springsteen went over to the barrier and sang the appropriate "Waitin' On A Sunny Day" to the happy couple. After she said yes, Springsteen hugged and congratulated both.

The last night at the venue could have been solemn, but Springsteen was clearly having none of that. Opening with the poignant, anthemic "Wrecking Ball," written especially for the occasion, Springsteen immediately called out to the crowd. "Let me hear you, it's the final night," he bellowed.

As in each of the previous shows, the middle portion of the set was dedicated to a full album. 'Born To Run,' marked by epic scope and artistic vision, was Thursday's choice. For the final night, Springsteen chose 'Born In The U.S.A,' a good pick considering the album's seven hit singles, including "Dancing In The Dark" and "Glory Days." Other cuts, including "Working On The Highway" and "Darlington County," kept the celebration going. Live title track "Downbound Train" and the closing "My Hometown" turned into powerful sing-alongs.

Following the traditional lights-up performance of "Born To Run," the encores included "Kitty's Back" and a fireworks show for "American Land" that even had the E Street Band standing at the front of the stage looking up to the sky in awe. The crowd then answered Springsteen's call to let him hear it, refusing to let the stadium go gently into the lit-up night. "Alright, Giants Stadium, you ready for one last dance?" Springsteen asked. "This one's for all the Jersey girls," he added, finishing up with a wistful cover of Tom Waits' "Jersey Girl" that sent Giants Stadium's musical tenure into the history books.

While there are more events to come at the stadium, including Giants games, last night was a fitting going-away party for an old monument.