Bruce Springsteen - The Rising Tour 2002/ 03
  

Date: May 22nd, 2003
Venue: Schalke-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

My father collected me from school (aprox. 12:45 pm) and we drove directly onto the motorway (A2) further Gelsenkirchen. Aprox. 1,5 hours later we arrived at the "Schalke-Arena". At the entrance we were still one of the first. So I talked to some people. All were very friendly.
On the way to Gelsenkirchen my father wondered why we have to go there so early (if it would have been possible I'd have went there at 7:00 am ...)! One reason for going there so early was that I wanted to hear the soundcheck. But when it started I could hardly understand something because the security-people in front of us (and some other people around us) were talking much too loud and when I said they should be quiet, they just looked at me and were quite for less than one minute... and went on talking... So I made something like a "quiz" with someone I got known with there, which songs Bruce is playing at the moment...

At 5:00 pm we were finally allowed to go into the stadium (but it didn't look like a stadium because they closed the roof (because of disturbance of the peace... - stupid))!

Then we had to wait a long, long time (aprox. 3,5 hours)... The ticket said that the show will start at 7:30 pm, but at that time people still came into the stadium (because in Gelsenkirchen and especially around the stadium was big traffic jam). This were one of the longest (if even not the longest) 3,5 hours in my life!

At (aprox.) 8:20 pm I saw a group of people coming out of a door in the backstage area (from my place I could see some parts of the backstage area).
Then I saw a big, black man in that group of people... Guess who this was! And then I saw a man with white hair - Roy Bittan... So I knew: the concert will finally start!
Then they walked onstage. A huge cheer went through the crowd! And the party started...
Also Patti took part again! At the first European shows she wasn't there - but I'm not sure why. In Ludwigshafen (first German concert of this tour leg - 05/ 10/ 2003) Bruce said she has to look after the children.

The show passed so fast! The absolute highlights were "Prove It All Night" (I hoped so Bruce would play that song), "Jungleland" (I love that sax-solo (since the show)!!), "The Promised Land" (same reason than "Prove It..."), "Ramrod" (Bruce at his best! And the band left Roy alone onstage...), "Dancing in the Dark" (all the people in the stadium bounced up and down) and "You're Missing" (sung with so much passion).

It was a amazing show and the best concert I've ever seen! The setlist was great! It was nearly the same set like the one I predicted before the show.
At the next tour I'll go to see Bruce again - that's for sure!
  

Setlist:
(Soundcheck: The Rising, Lonesome Day, Born in the USA (acoustic), Atlantic City)
The Rising
Lonesome Day
No Surrender
Prove It All Night
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Empty Sky
You're Missing
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Worlds Apart
Badlands
Out in the Street
Mary's Place
Jungleland
Into the Fire
Thunder Road
  
Bobby Jean
Ramrod
Born to Run
Detroit Medley
  
My City of Ruins
Land of Hope and Dreams
Dancing in the Dark

Download a more detailed setlists here (it's an Excel-file)!