It's days like these when you wake up the next morning and, reflecting back on the night before, say, "Damn, it really was that good."

That's how I'm feeling right now after Bruce Springsteen's Wednesday night show at Fenway Park in Boston.

Tuesday's Fenway show was spectacular too, but Wednesday was one of those special evenings that when us Bruce fanatics are sitting in a bar years from now, we're going to say, or most likely brag, "I was at Fenway Park for the Aug. 15, 2012 show."

It was a show that had so many songs from the 1970s — and done in ways that they were performed by a 28-year-old Springsteen in 1978 — that made me feel I was back in high school again for the Darkness tour.

An incredible 18 different songs were played from Tuesday's show.

WEDNESDAY'S SET LIST

Show began at 7:36 p.m.

Taped organ music of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" as Bruce comes onstage to lead the crowd in a singalong. of "Take Me Out To the Ball Game."

1. Thunder Road (Bruce and Roy)

Bruce said "I used to start like this in the 1970s." Just Bruce at the mic with no guitar and Roy playing on the piano. What a way to start a show that had a heavy emphasis on the 1970s.

2. Hungry Heart

This was when you knew this show as going to be a bit different. Very rarely has Bruce played this so early in the show.



3. Sherry Darling

Part of the "summertime" set, Bruce said. A lot of fun. Jake Clemons did the first sax solo and Ed Manion the second.

4. Summertime Blues

More summertime. Bruce opened shows in the summer of 1978 with this cover. Was a lot of fun, always is.

5. Girls in Their Summer Clothes

"We're flying by the seat of our pants," Bruce said. "This is for all the superfine Boston women tonight. We don't need everyone to emember, we just need most of the band to remember. Whose got it? Raise your hand. You got it, Garry, bass player's got it. Charlie's got it. We're good."

More of the summer theme, it had a bit of a rough start, as the Bruce and the band have only played it one other time this tour (in Europe), but it sounded nice.

6. We Take Care of Our Own

7. Two Hearts

Nice to see this in the middle. Usually "We Take Care of Our Own" and "Wrecking Ball" are played back-to-back.

8. Wrecking Ball

The Boston fans boo the mention of "Giants." Bruce laughed and said "sorry!"

9. Death To My Hometown

Song has a different start to it than when it was played at the arena leg back in March and April.



10. My City of Ruins

Bruce still introduces the band here. He made mention of the Pesky Pole at Fenway Park and had a spotlight put on it. Red Sox legend Johnny Pesky died at 92 on Monday. Patti Scialfa was not at the show. Bruce said "We're a two-touring family and my daughter has dibs on Mom." Bruce's daughter Jessica is an equestrian.

Bruce then came down and took a bunch of sign requests. This was a regular feature on the 2009 tour but even though he takes signs here or there, this was one of the few times on this tour that he actually took a bunch of them.

11. Knock on Wood (sign request, tour premiere)

Bruce said, "This has never before been performed with the E Street Band, At least I don't remember it, I don't think it has. We're going to take the casualness of the evening. Great song by one of the great great soul singers, Eddie Floyd. Ladies and gentlemen, we want you to knock right now on wood."

It had been played one other time by Bruce and the band with Floyd (who did the original in 1966) at the April 29, 1976 show at the Ellis Auditorium in Memphis, Tenn. It was later that night that Bruce jumped the gate at Graceland and tried to meet Elvis.



A lot of fun. The horns really shined here. One of the better covers I've seen Bruce do.

12. Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street? (sign request)

Has been played a lot on this tour but is always fun to hear. Great drum-off toward the end with Max Weinberg and Everett Bradley on percussion. Really highlights this big band.

13. Thundercrack (request)

Bruce said he heard someone shout this one out. "We're going further back now. Back in the day we were oepning up for a lot of unusual bands. We opened up for Anne Murray, Black Oak Arkansas, Brownsville Station ('Smokin' in the Boys Room') Sha Na Na, the Eagles, opened up for Chicago. But no one knew who you were. So you had to have something to catch people's ears right away. This was our first show-stopper."



And before starting the song, Bruce said, "Where are they selling those hot dogs? And those cold beers?

"We hope we get through this. This is Boston, you guys will know this one!"

This was an great version, very hot. It was always one of my favorite songs from early bootlegs and I was thrilled to see Bruce start playing it with the E Street Band again in 2007. Only played a handful of times. It was rocking Fenway Park on Wednesday. Bruce has several fans sing the "all night" parts.



14. Frankie (sign request)

"Got another unusual one here," Bruce said. "Played it once this tour, but it's a song people ask for a lot. "

Has only been played four times with the E Street Band since 1977. Was played at one of the Fenway Park shows in 2003 and played in Gothenburg, Sweden on July 28.



In the middle, Bruce spoke to the crowd: "This is a song I wrote in the summer of 1978. I was living on a farm, I would sit out on the front porch and watch the fireflies as they would light up the field. We got any fireflies out there? Oh there they are. Let me see.

"Light 'em up!" he said over and over as most of the crowd in Fenway Park held up their cellphones. "Looks good!" Yes it did.

15. Prove It All Night (with the 1978 Intro / sign request)

When Bruce played this song on the Darkness Tour, it had a very powerful opening featuring Roy Bittan on piano and Max Weinberg on the drums, and then Bruce on the guitar before going into the main song.

Bruce hadn't played that opening since 1978 before doing it a few times that way in Europe. It was the first time it was played that way in the U.S. Very powerful.

16. Darkness On the Edge of Town

More from the 1970s.

17. Working On the Highway

As he came down to the microphone on the edge of the center extension, a fan handed Bruce a hot dog which he took a bite of and then gave the rest to a young fan. He then was handed a beer and chugged that down.

18. Shackled & Drawn



Another fun song which features all the parts of the big band, especially backup singer Cindy Mizelle

19. Waitin' On a Sunny Day

Still gets the crowd going

20. Backstreets

Another part of the 1978 shows that fans have been hoping to one day see again is the interlude in Backstreets (when Bruce would sing parts of "Drive All Night" and what his fans call "Sad Eyes").

This was about the closest Bruce has come to doing it, when he kept singing "Dream Baby Dream" in the middle of it. Very intense. One of the reasons this show was over the top.

21. Badlands

I like seeing this toward the end of the show. Always powerful wherever it is played.

22. Land of Hope and Dreams

Once a staple of the set list, it's now played here and there. Good to hear it. Nice way to close the main set.

ENCORES

23. Who'll Stop the Rain?

(solo acoustic)

A steady rain had been falling since "Waiting on a Sunny Day" so Bruce began the encores with this. Nice to hear an acoustic version.

24. Rocky Ground

Another staple that was dropped a lot in Europe. Good to hear again.

25. Born To Run

As I always say: Houselights turned on, crowd goes crazy for Bruce's signature song.

26. Detroit Medley

This was an audible. Worked very well. Again, another song that was played in 1978 (but really took off on the River tour). Bruce's manger Jon Landau came out on the side of the stage, near where I was watching the show from, and was really into this. A few of us clapped for him as he was singing along. About 10 minutes later, Jon came down to along the rail where I was and came up and shook my hand. "That's what it's all about, my friend." Yes Mr. Landau, I agree.

27. Dancing in the Dark

Another one of the hits that has to be played. Girl in her teens I would guess was the dance partner and she did a nice job.

28. Quarter to Three (tour premiere)

Another WOW! moment of the evening. This was the closer for many of the 1978 shows and I had a feeling we might get it tonight. Fit in perfectly with the evening's theme. Bruce had the crowd singalong on the beginning

Only the fifth time it has been played at an E Street Band shows since 1981.

And just like 1978 Bruce closed it by yelling out: "I'm just a prisoner of Rock 'n' Roll!"

29. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

Bruce comes out to a platform on the back of the pit and again there's a video tribute to Clarence Clemons.

30. American Land

Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys joined in.

Show over at 11:02 p.m. for a 3:26 show.

The end to a spectacular two nights in Boston. My friend Rich Russo tweeted late Wednesday night: Rich Russo ‏@DJRichRusso: With the exception of maybe night 3 2003 Philly stadium show, tonight is possibly best American stadium show by e street

I agree, this was one of the better stadium shows, and I've been seeing Bruce since 1976 and it was one of the better shows I've seen.

Yes Mr. Landau, "This is what it's all about."

Next show: Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

My laptop died in Boston, so I didn't get to write about Tuesday's Fenway show. Here's the set list:

The Promised Land/ Out in the Street/ We Take Care of Our Own/ Wrecking Ball/ Death to My Hometown/ My City of Ruins/ Spirit in the Night/ The E Street Shuffle/ Jack of All Trades/ Atlantic City/ Because The Night/ Johnny 99/ Darlington County/ Working on a Highway/ Shackled and Drawn/ Waitin' on a Sunny Day/ Boom Boom/ Drive All Night/ The Rising/ Badlands/ Thunder Road/ We Are Alive/ Born To Run/ Rosalita/ Glory Days/ Dancing in the Dark/ Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out/ Dirty Water/ Twist and Shout.

Follow Stan Goldstein on Twitter @Stan_Goldstein