Bruce

The Seeger Sessions Band pulled into Ireland to start a three-night Dublin stand, no longer the ragtag collection of fine individual players they were some months ago, but a tight unit here toward the end of the tour — a band. In fact, as Springsteen made the introductions tonight, he said, “You’ll see them again” — and he seemed to be implying further on up the road, not just the next couple of shows here at The Point Depot. Tonight the band included Patti Scialfa once again, her first show since October 5 in Verona. She was back just in time for the cameras to roll — as we’d heard a few days ago, this Dublin stand is indeed being filmed. Cameras were unobtrusive, but numerous. With Patti back, that also meant the return of “If I Should Fall Behind,” and the women once again scatting to open “Open All Night.” Then the men took it at the bridge. And then the ladies… and then the men… yep, it was a regular scat-off. (And it added to the tour bloat that has affected “Open All Night,” lasting three times as long as at the beginning of the tour. Or it least it felt that way.) We previously mentioned the marvelous pipes of Lisa Lowell, and this is a good time to say that Cindy Mizell has been getting more much-deserved time in the spotlight, too — joining the redheaded women for the “Open All Night” scat, as well as a having a stunning feature role in “This Little Light of Mine,” a total crowd pleaser. One concert-goer tonight tells us that “This Little Light” into “American Land” “kicks ass… if you can’t stand on your feet during that, there’s something wrong with you.” And by that point in tonight’s show, nothing was wrong with anyone. Tonight’s crowd was fairly subdued, though, compared to the last visit here; and up on stage, likely concentrating on nailing the performance for the cameras, there were no tour premieres and not much talk from Bruce. But before “Devils & Dust” Springsteen spoke, as he has been, about how very close the recent U.S. elections were, and he went on to reference Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 novel It Can’t Happen Here: “I’m not so sure it didn’t.” And at the end of the night: “We’ll see you tomorrow, Dublin