30.09.99 Chicago, Ill., middle of ‘Tenth Avenue Freeze Out’
´´(sings ‘Take Me to the River)....I’m searching....is
there anybody searching out there ? (cheers).....that’s right, that’s
right.....and I wanna go to that river tonight, that river of life .....and
that river of love....that river of hope.....and faith.....and sexual healing.....I
wanna go to that river tonight and I want you to go with me (cheers).....because
I need to go with you ....because you can’t get there by yourself.....you
might think you can.....but in the end....you can’t get to those things.....
by yourself.....now, I found myself as a young man......I was standing in front
of a dark grove of trees.....and I was frightened to pass through those trees
.....even though I knew that the river of life, the river of meaningful life.....was
waiting on the other side....river of love.....and of cold beer.....at a reasonable
price (cheers)....but I couldn’t get there because I was paralyzed....by
my own insecurities and fear....my legs were like stone, my arms were like lead.....and
I thought that I’d never get to that destination .....when all of a sudden
through the woods I saw a gypsy woman and I came forth and I told her my problem.....she
said ‘Well, son....the thing is.....you’ve got to have help and
companionship ....to get to those things on the other side.....and to do that,
you got to give it up, you got to surrender.....what you need , son, is you
need a band’.....and that’s why I’d like to introduce tonight
the Dean of the University of Musical Perversity, Secretary of Intelligence,
on the piano, Professor Roy Bittan.....with me at the riverside....Secretary
of faith and friendship, Silvio, Silvio, wherefore art thou, Silvio....star
of the Sopranos, on the guitar, Little Steve Van Zandt.....the godbrother....foundation
of the E Street nation, southern man, Mr.Garry Tallent on the bass....with me
at the riverside....Secretary of syncopation, Minister of the big beat, star
of late night television, ladies and gentlemen....Mighty Max Weinberg on the
drums....with me at the riverside, Secretary of heart, spirit , godfather of
the guitar, Mr.Nils Lofgren.....standing....with me at the riverside, my brother,
Minister of mystery....and all things unfathomable....in my soul....Phantom
Dan Federici on the organ....with me at the riverside....now, brunettes are
fine, blondes are fun but when it comes to getting a dirty job done, it takes
a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) yeah, man, I´m talking about
a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) oh, man, I´m searching for
a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) yeah, now, I´m talking ´bout
a (crowd : ´Red headed woman´) oh, man, I´ve got to have a
(crowd : ´Red headed woman´) said now I´m searching for a
(crowd : ´Red headed woman´) First Lady of love and Secretary of
sweet harmony....on the guitar, Miss Patti Scialfa, on the guitar and vocals....sing
it, baby, sing it (Patti sings a bit of ‘Rumble Doll’)....thank
you, baby....had to get my baby.....and now....I could see the riverlines were
filled with people as I looked around, baby.....I saw the hands in the air,
look....but....but.....but there was still something missing.....something essential.....something
very big....now I want to introduce tonight the Minister of soul, the Secretary
of the brotherhood.....the Emperor of all E Street....do I have to say his name
?....do I have to say his name ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say
who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say
who ?....say
who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?.....”
30.09.99 Chicago, Ill., middle of ´Light of Day´
´´Chicago !....I did say ´Chicago´ !....say it for the
last time....Chicago !....my kind of town.... but everywhere I’ve traveled,
I’ve seen people lost in the wilderness....I´ve seen people lost
in bitterness....I´ve seen people lost in loneliness....and in this town,
as I´ve traveled, as I´ve walked the streets of your beautiful city,
ladies and gentlemen, I´ve seen people lost in all them cows, lost in
the pizza, lost....in Mike Ditka memorabilia....but I´m here tonight,
I´m here tonight on a mission of redemption, on a search-and-rescue mission,
if you´ve been downsized, stigmatised, retropsychedelicized, analyzed,
Pokemonized, pass-that-tax-cut-for-the-rich-Republicanised, it ain´t too
late to repent, I’m here to re-educate, to rededicate, to reconfiscate,
to resuscitate, to reindoctrinate, to resexualate, to reliberate, to recombobolate
with the power, with the glory, with the power, with the glory, with the promise,
with the mystery, with the majesty, with the ministry of rock and roll !....you´re
not listening to me ! ...with the power and the glory, with the promise, with
the majesty, with the mystery, with the foolishness, with the ministry of rock
and roll !....it´s alive !....it´s alive !....it´s alive !....
unlike my competitors, I shall not, I will not, I cannot promise you life everlasting
but I can promise you life.....right now !...and all you gotta do is raise your
hand and say ‘I’.....”
Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi