Rousing, somber 'Boss' at FedEx

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On any given night during a Bruce Springsteen tour, there's a good chance the E Street Band is the greatest in the world.

Guaranteed is that his fans are the greatest: the most loyal, animated and enthusiastic repeat patrons of any boomer-dominated rock audience.

They know they're treated like fraternal gold by their sweaty hardworking hero; like they're a sacred reunion of New Jersey diaspora -- and the hottest dance party in town.

They know, too, there's a chance that if they request, through yells or placards, a rarely-played song such as, say, "Pink Cadillac," Mr. Springsteen might dust it off, which he did Saturday night at the inhumanly big FedEx Field -- even though he had forgotten its opening riff.

Luckily, Bethesda's own Nils Lofgren, a 20-year E Street veteran, was there to pluck it out.

"Pink Cadillac" was about the only rarity unearthed Saturday, in a set list not much different than the one Mr. Springsteen played in August 2002 at the MCI Center, on the first leg of this year-plus-long trek around the world.

Heavy on "The Rising" -- he played fully 10 of that album's 15 tracks -- Saturday's play-list included songs like "The Fuse," an unusual recent tune Mr. Springsteen seemed to have retired for this year's stadium jaunt, but one that the E Street Band has performed in the past at illustrious baseball venues such as Boston's Fenway Park.

But in a show that lasted nearly three hours -- with brief breathers for a pair of long encore sets -- Mr. Springsteen could afford to focus on new material and still fit in plenty of fan favorites, like "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)," "Dancing in the Dark" and the brilliant epic "Jungleland," a beloved album track off "Born to Run."

Mr. Springsteen regularly favors dark clothes on stage, but it was a virtual lock that he would come out clad in black Saturday night, on the heels of country legend Johnny Cash's passing early Friday morning.