Bruce Springsteen just wrapped up a month-long residency-of-sorts in Australia, touring from west to east, and finishing up in Brisbane on February 26 with what is being called one of his greatest shows ever: a nearly four-hour long set that swerved away from the setlist after the first song, and included a live, in-sequence take on entire 1973 album The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle.
But here’s the hidden secret: it was a few nights before, on February 23 at a place called the Hope Estate Winery, that Bruce blew the doors off “Human Touch”, a forgotten, 1990’s non-E Street song that, in the middle of a winery, captured his – and the band’s – skills, all in high gear. Start with what is at the end: a long, impassioned, rising, killer guitar solo. The song, in slow-burn early, builds slowly. Mid-song, check out how he waits. And waits. And waits some more for the right moment to kick it in after resting on drummer Max Weinberg’s 1-2-3-4 cymbal ride. Here’s the YouTube clip. How the hell does he create a rock and roll gospel-like firestorm at nearly every show? Don’t know, but the audience is blessed.
