Bericht vom 26. November 1996 / Rolling Stone
Springsteen auf Tour "Ghost of Tom Joad"

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN "Ghost of Tom Joad"
Paramount Theater, Asbury Park, N.J., Nov. 26, 1996

When Bruce Springsteen brought his "Ghost of Tom Joad" tour to the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank exactly one year ago, it was not entirely a festive affair. The singer asked the audience not to clap along, not to sing or even breathe. Even when he sang "My Best Was Never Good Enough," the one semi-humorous song on "The Ghost Of Tom Joad," the mood was heavy. Springsteen even looked tense performing the songs he described as "having silence between the spaces."
What a difference a year makes. At the conclusion of the singer's three night return to Asbury Park (which benefited three local charities), Springsteen was relaxed, funny, and enjoying himself. There was no talk of rules (with the exception of a ban on flash photography; he promised he would pose for pictures at the end of the show and kept his word), no chastising of the audience, and as a special added bonus, a lighthearted speech on the pleasures of cunnilingus.

Another difference with this show compared to last year's was the healthy dose of older material and the extra musicians on stage. Notably, Springsteen enlisted the aid of E Street Band members Danny Federici on accordion and Patti Scialfa on vocals, violinist Suzie Tyrell, former E Street drummer Vinni Lopez, Richard Blackwell (a percussionist that played on "The Wild, The Innocent, and The E-Street Shuffle"), "Big Danny" Gallagher, and surprise guest "Little Steven" Van Zandt. With the aid of additional musical muscle, stage foils to play off of, and Springsteen's natural command of his acoustic guitar, the Boss was powerful, engaging, and entertaining.

Opening with "For You," "(It's So Hard to be a) Saint In The City," and "Atlantic City," Springsteen set the mood for an evening of storytelling, jokes, and the occasional passionate diatribe. He interspersed the "Tom Joad" material evenly throughout the night, telling tales of growing up in Freehold and recounting the first time he saw John Ford's film version of "The Grapes of Wrath."

Springsteen's stage persona, which always vacillated between circus ringleader and concerned big brother, has now matured into the realm of seasoned country folk artist. His new songs, such as "Sinaloa Cowboys," dedicated to a mysterious Mexican friend who lost his brother in a motorcycle accident, were haunting and evocative, playing out like small movies set to music.

Reinterpreting his best known work, such as "Born in The USA" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town," the Boss urgently attacked his six string with a slide and an upward strum, while his vocals sometimes dropped to the lower register, invoking images of Johnny Cash. He apparently still gets enraptured in the joy of rock & roll, whooping and hollering, shaking his hips and playfully teasing the audience. When introducing "Red Headed Woman" by telling people to practice cunnilingus to do it right, one woman yelled, "Show me Bruce!" "No volunteers, please,'' the singer yelled back in his best southern preacher accent. "You're taking your life into your hands with that one, girl."