The Boss in New Orleans

Springsteen apparently brought the house down last weekend at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Dedicating a new song to 'President Bystander' and blasting the current administration for 'criminal ineptitude', the Boss won over the crowd, probably his first show in years for an audience that wasn't entirely made up of his own disciples. I was keen to see which of his own songs he might perform with the 17-piece Seeger Sessions band. My City of Ruins was obvious, and could have been written for post-Katrina New Orleans: "Young men on the corner, like scattered leaves, the boarded up windows, the hustlers and thieves, while my brother's down on his knees. My city of ruins."

Here's the full setlist:

O Mary Don't You Weep/John Henry/Johnny 99/Old Dan Tucker/Eyes on the Prize/Jesse James/My Oklahoma Home/Mrs. McGrath/How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?(the new song)/Jacob's Ladder/We Shall Overcome/Open All Night/Pay Me My Money Down

Encore: My City of Ruins/Buffalo Gals/You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)/When the Saints Go Marching In

You Can Look probably suits this band just fine, played as a rollicking Cajun stomp, and one he probably hasn't played since the River tour in 1980-81. This upcoming tour should be lot of fun.

For more on the New Orleans set and all things Bruce: Backstreets