Living in the Light    Detroit Devils and Dust    Fox Theater   4-25-05   2 DVDs

 

 

2005-04-25 Fox Theatre; Detroit, MI
Title: Living in the Light Discs: 2 Format: NTSC Generation: Master Video: multi-cam Audio: dubbed Menu: authored Chapters: songs Video Rating: 8/10 Audio Rating: 8/10 Production Rating: 10/10 Overall Rating: 8/10 Description: The ‘Devils & Dust’ tour’s official opening took place at the Fox Theatre in Detroit on the eve of the album’s release. It soon became apparent that this was no ‘Tom Joad II’. There was a wider variety of musical styles, ranging from the bizarre use of the harmonica on ‘Reason to Believe’ to a number of piano spots between the acoustic guitar numbers. Bruce debuted 10 of the 12 cuts from the new album, mixed with classic oldies like ‘For You’ and ‘Racing in the Streets’. ‘The Rising’ album was also well represented with four songs. Other highlights included ‘Part Man, Part Monkey’ as a commentary on Bush’s fundamentalist views and a return to the original solo piano arrangement of ‘Real World’. The show gets the full-blown ScrewDevil treatment on ‘Living in the Light’, using footage from NYC Shows and Fig. The beautifully designed menus give way to an apt title sequence in the style of an old B&W western. The main source in the 3 cam mix is a head-on shot from waist height. The camera slowly bobs up and down throughout, but Bruce is kept in the centre of the view. This is blended with a great screen shot that is very steady and fills the frame. There is also an alternate stage angle. Picture quality is generally very good and thankfully far superior to the videos from the last solo tour. However, there is quite a lot of digital noise present in the image, particularly in the dark backgrounds. The dubbed audio gives a clear and full sound and is perfectly synchronised. ‘Living in the Light’ doesn’t fail to live up to the high standards we have come to expect from a ScrewDevil production.

 

Backstreet.com review : 

April 25 / Detroit, MI / Fox Theatre
Notes: Just as Devils & Dust is an aural step up from the stark sonics of The Ghost of Tom Joad, so the solo acoustic tour for Devils gussies things up a bit. Sure, the stool is back... but you've also got a chandelier, a Tiffany lamp, and the centerpiece in several respects, the piano. Blessedly, the solo piano "Real World" stayed in the set for opening night (as did all of the piano songs from 4/22, actually), a trend we hope continues. A slightly longer show than the Asbury warm-ups, starting at 8:00 and ending at 10:25, but those rehearsal shows gave a good taste of what was to come. The setlist for tonight's tour opener hewed closely to Friday's matinee, from the boot-stomp accompaniment of "Reason to Believe" at the start to the percussive "The Promised Land" closer (a familiar arrangement from the latter half of the Joad tour). Extending the set: "Black Cowboys" was added back in, and the encore expanded to four songs. "Youngstown" was dedicated "to my Good friend Tommy Morello, playing next door with Audioslave"; Morello was actually in the Fox for the start of Bruce's show before heading to his own gig at the State Theatre. In "Highway Patrolman," cheers rose up at the mention of the "Michigan County line." Springsteen took care to discuss his new songs throughout, and as he wound up the set with "Matamoros Banks," he referenced the Jorge Ramos book Dying to Cross and said, "We need nothing more right now than a humane immigration policy." There were a few minor opening-night snafus, but nothing Bruce wasn't able to roll with. After a bright light lit up the fifth row instead of the stage during "Matamoros," he said, "I knew I shouldn't have given that bottle of Jack Daniels to that spotlight operator." On the plus-side in the technical department, two video screens were set up (with static cameras) to give the whole venue that front-row view. So now that the "Real World" has become reality, what can we wish for next? Well, we don't wanna be greedy, but as long as Bruce is breaking out a Gretsch electric for "Part Man, Part Monkey"... how about rockin' that joint with "Open All Night"?
Setlist: Reason to Believe/Devils & Dust/Youngstown/Lonesome Day/Long Time Comin'/Silver Palomino/For You*/Real World*/Part Man, Part Monkey/Maria's Bed/Highway Patrolman/Black Cowboys/Reno/Racing in the Street*/The Rising/Further On (Up the Road)/Jesus Was an Only Son*/Leah/The Hitter/Matamoros Banks//This Hard Land/Waitin' on a Sunny Day/My Best Was Never Good Enough/The Promised Land
*=piano

 

 

 

 

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