By Rev. Keith Gordon

There's just one thing that you need to know about Bruce Springsteen: that after forty years in the trenches, he still plays like it matters. That when he hits the stage with the "best little bar band in the world," Bruce and his fellow E Streeters still perform like they have something to lose, like they're auditioning for history, like they're not happy until every fan in attendance is exhausted, drenched in sweat and unable to dance another minute. The Boss would have it no other way…

Springsteen and the E Street Band hit Buffalo's HSBC Arena on Friday night, March 7th in the middle of a raging snowstorm. While conditions fell just short of a blizzard, the storm eventually dumped over a foot of frozen H2O to the ground in the West New York area. Nevertheless, better than 15,000 hardcore Springsteen fans braved the snow and high winds off Lake Erie to take part in the communal celebration that is a Springsteen concert.

A week into the second North American leg of the ongoing Magic tour, Springsteen and crew did not disappoint. Kicking off the set with a surprise performance of "The Ties That Bind," from The River album, Bruce quickly followed with "Radio Nowhere," the superb first single from Magic. A condemnation of radio homogenization, the song is a plea for a return to the rock & roll music that once ruled the airwaves; Springsteen received a loud, hearty "Yes!" from the audience when singing "is there anybody alive out there?"

The band's two-hour set included a well-balanced mix of new material from Magic and fan favorites from Born To Run and Darkness On The Edge Of Town, as well as a few surprises. A raucous version of "The Promised Land" had the audience singing together in harmony while a rockabilly-styled rave-up on "Workin' On The Highway" had 'em dancing in the aisles. A somber, ethereal reading of the Springsteen-penned, Patti Smith hit "Because the Night" featured a scorched-earth Nils Lofgren guitar solo that reminded those of us who have followed Lofgren since the early ‘70s exactly why Springsteen recruited him for the E Street Band in the first place.

Although the fans roared in appreciation with the familiar opening notes of the hits and near-hits from the '70s and '80s, songs from Magic were well-received and, in some instances – as with "Long Walk Home" – known well enough for the audience to participate. "Livin' In The Future" was delivered with zeal, and Springsteen's onstage rap about the anti-democratic nature of the present administration's actions served as a natural lead-in to "Last To Die," the song asking "who will be the last to die for a mistake," in reference to the war in Iraq. The Phil Spector groove of "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" lightened the mood with its wistful melody.

As for the night's surprises, the most striking was Springsteen's re-invention of "Reason To Believe" as a down ‘n’ dirty Delta blues number, with Little Steven Van Zandt hitting a deep blues lick on his little white guitar and Bruce honkin' on the harmonica like some bastard child of Sonny Boy Williamson and Junior Wells. Springsteen's own guitar solo on "Devil's Arcade" showed his chops as a six-string mangler, and a heartfelt reading of "The Rising" resonated with the quiet audience. An off-the-cuff but appropriate performance of the traditional "Buffalo Gals" was enjoyed by the local audience and offered a fine showcase for the bawdier side of violinist Soozie Tyrell's fiddle playing.

Leaving the stage after a slow-paced, albeit eloquent take on "Thunder Road," the band quickly returned for a nearly-30 minute encore. Launching with the spirited, familiar medley of "Devil with the Blue Dress," "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Jenny Take a Ride," the band then ripped it up with "Born To Run" to the roar of the audience. A lights-out romp through "Dancing in the Dark" had Bruce down on the lip of the stage touching the hands of dozens of wild front-row occupants as the house lights came up. The show ended with the Irish-flavored sing-a-long "American Land" that featured the song's hilarious lyrics flashed up on the arena's giant video screens.

Springsteen thanked the audience for coming out, reminding them of the band's Buffalo show in February 1977, a few days after a bona fide blizzard. “People were stir crazy,” Springsteen told the audience, “that was a memorable show!” Considering that Springsteen and the E Street Band had people on the floor dancing to songs that were written before many of them were born, I'd say that this show was equally memorable for an audience that braved the elements to get a much-need fix of old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll.