THERE'S always a moment at a Springsteen gig when all the gods of music seem to get together and align the planets for that perfect moment. You never know when it's going to come, but you don't ever doubt it's going to show up. At the Millennium Stadium, home of Welsh rugby heavyweights, Bruce, the undisputed champion of rock 'n' roll was never going to fail to deliver. So it was that as the last strains of Thunder Road gave way to the opening bars of Born to Run, that we were taken to the top of the mountain. This is a band that has been together for more than three decades, and boy does it show. It's not so much the slickness with which they perform, but the feeling that comes from watching people who've grown up together, who'd probably walk in front of a train for one another. The nuances of friendship, the knowing glances, the humour - it all plays out in front of a 60,000-strong crowd as if they really were just having a party down at Mary's Place. Springsteen is renowned for a changing set list, and Cardiff's offering had enough new tracks and old favourites to keep everyone on their toes for three emotional hours. Opening with From Small Things - a tour premiere - it was on to classic Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out before heading into new territory with Radio Nowhere. Six more tracks from the Magic album were sprinkled through the set, nestling alongside Bruce belters like No Surrender, Atlantic City, and The River. As the sun began to set, the heat started to rise, with the duelling guitars of Gypsy Biker flashing in the night as Bruce and Little Stevie went head to head. The band's talent lies in being able to switch from stadium grandstanding to quiet intimacy. Contrast the hushed intensity of Magic with the raucous-wish fulfilment of Badlands, which ended the main part of the show. This being a Springsteen gig, nobody moved. A few minutes later they were back, launching into a mainstay of many an E Street band tour, Jungleland, before the glorious double-header of Thunder Road and Born to Run. But there was more - Rosalita, another heart-pumping, feet-stomping, glorious joy of song to finish the trio of tunes about running away from a life that will grid you down, rip the bones from your back. If there's anyone who can make you believe in something better, it's the man who picked up a guitar and learned how to make it talk. EMMA RAY
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