Scoring a ticket to any Bruce Springsteen concert in the Big Apple is never easy so when the venue is a relatively small theater, it's a lock that a lot of the people lucky enough to get through the door either paid a very high price or leaned hard on the right person to score tickets.  As a result, the crowd at the Apollo Theater Friday (3/9) was an elite mix of industry insiders, movers and shakers and people willing to drop a lot of money for the privilege - which is ironic given that his new album seeks to stir up populist indignation about the very type of people he was performing for.  But Bruce delivers, regardless of who is in the audience.  His reverence for the setting came through in a version of Move On Up from Curtis Mayfield and the injection of some added soulfulness a few other times during a set that otherwise was much more subdued than the kind of show the E Street Band puts on in much larger venues.  One set highlight was when Jake Clemons, nephew of the late E Street Band sax player, strode to center stage to wail the Badlands solo his uncle delivered so many nights on so many stages.  It was a thrill the Big Man would have loved to experienced himself.  Drop in on Bruce at the Apollo here (video).
NYDailyNews.com

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