Songs from
The Rising played a key role in the structure of the tour's shows. Concerts typically began with "
The Rising" followed by "
Lonesome Day", both songs about the
September 11 attacks. New touring musician
Soozie Tyrell's
violin played a prominent role in establishing the texture of these numbers, as it would throughout the concert. Two more September 11-themed songs, "Empty Sky" and "You're Missing", appeared soon after, to continue the mood; the latter featured an extended instrumental coda from the band, led by
Danny Federici's organ. Typically seven or eight songs into the show, "
Waitin' on a Sunny Day" provided the first buoyant, upbeat moments. Springsteen's first-ever use of recorded backing music took place on the mid-show "Worlds Apart", where Middle Eastern vocals were applied. The role of elongated band introductions song for this tour was taken by "Mary's Place", which also usually included interpolations of
R&B classics. The main set closer was a final September 11 number, "Into the Fire", which, relevant to the new album's themes, emphasized togetherness and praise for sacrifice rather than the pure exuberance of previous tours' closers such as "
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" and "
Light of Day". A few
Rising songs were almost never played during the tour, including "Nothing Man", "Paradise", and "Let's Be Friends". For the rest of the main set, a mixture of songs from throughout Springsteen's catalog would emerge.
Set lists were unusually static during the barnstorming (perhaps due to not having to play multiple shows in a venue, although plenty of the faithful were traveling to multiple cities to see the tour), but gradually loosened up. One consistent mid-show mainstay was "
Badlands", which never failed to bring audiences to their feet. The next-to-last spot in the main set was often reserved for Springsteen playing a heretofore unusual solo piano spot, running through an old classic such as "
For You" or "
Incident on 57th Street". First encores of shows were typically upbeat, featuring the return after a long absence of Springsteen's biggest hit single, "
Dancing in the Dark" (in a more rock-oriented arrangement), humorous numbers such as "Ramrod", and concluding with his
signature song, "
Born to Run". Second encores were typically more thematic, centered around "
My City of Ruins", the return of the full-band version of "
Born in the U.S.A.", and the benedictory "
Land of Hope and Dreams". Some of the second leg shows took place during the run-up to, and March 20, 2003, start of, the
Iraq War. Springsteen took note of this, reviving his 1980s hit rendition of
Edwin Starr's protest song "
War" and opening the March 2 show in President
George W. Bush's former hometown of
Austin, Texas with it. All four Australian shows opened with an acoustic "Born in the U.S.A." before the band kicked in with "War". The March 22 show at the
Sydney Cricket Ground featured three
power blackouts, the first of which came after the opening chords of "War", but the crowd led Springsteen through mass sing-alongs to Max Weinberg's unamplified drums nonetheless. 's
RDS Arena. on July 21, 2003 During the European stadium concerts, the solo piano spot gave way to a rotating epic slot for "
Jungleland", "
Racing in the Street", and the like, and a new high-energy cover, "
Seven Nights to Rock", became a regular in the encores, as did extended
boogie piano solos by
Roy Bittan. The final European show in Milan's Stadio San Siro was said by some fans, as well as by Springsteen manager
Jon Landau, to be "one of the four or five best Bruce shows of all time." By the time summer 2003 rolled around and the United States multiple night stadium dates were being played, the feel of the show became somewhat looser. As each show was about to begin, the stage video screens would show Springsteen and the band relaxedly walking in from backstage, while
Frank Sinatra's recording of "
Summer Wind" was aired. The second encores also brought a treat for audiences, as "
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)", a longtime fan favorite, made fully regular appearances for the first time since 1988. During the ten Giants Stadium shows, Springsteen thanked the fans who were attending multiple shows and those coming from long distances or out of the country; the advent of robust Springsteen-oriented
online communities had made these practices easier. The final Giants Stadium show concluded with a performance of the
Tom Waits song "
Jersey Girl". In the two shows immediately following the September 12, 2003, death of
Johnny Cash, Springsteen paid tribute by opening each show with an acoustic rendition of Cash's "
I Walk the Line". The Rising Tour came to a conclusion in the early autumn with three nights in
Shea Stadium, where a controversy emerged. The
New York Police Department had given Springsteen a personal boat escort for the first show (in addition to giving E Streeter
Max Weinberg an escort because he was running late). But then Springsteen had made a rare performance of "
American Skin (41 Shots)", a song about the NYPD shooting of
Amadou Diallo, in that show. The NYPD took revenge by removing Springsteen's escort for the second show. They were criticized by Mayor
Michael Bloomberg and others for doing this, and the escort was restored for the third and final night. [http://www.nydailynews.com/10-09-2003/news/story/125064p-112189c.html
Bob Dylan was a surprise guest on that last night, with Springsteen saying, "We have my great friend and inspiration with us tonight, Mr. Bob Dylan ... we wouldn't be here tonight without him." The two performed Dylan's "
Highway 61 Revisited" together. ==Songs performed==