Bruce Springsteen leans into 'Darkness' during 2nd night in Pittsburgh

Going to see Bruce Springsteen is something that at least one member of my family has been doing for a literal half-century now.

My father was going to see him in the early 1970s, before Max Weinberg took his well-known place behind the drums and more than a decade before the “Born in the U.S.A.” album would turn him into a household name.

And well into his 70s, Springsteen still knows how to put on a show.

On his second night at PPG Paints Arena, The Boss played a lot of the same tunes, but certainly not all. Opening with Weinberg’s frantic hi-hat cymbals, they kicked off the show differently with “Candy’s Room,” followed by a booming “Adam Raised A Cain.” Both are from his “Darkness on the Edge of Town” record, which figured heavily in Sunday’s set.

The E Street Band has always been a powerhouse, with three guitars and two keyboards. But it’s a full wall of sound these days with a horn section, fiddler Soozie Tyrell, percussionist Anthony Almonte, saxophonist Jake Clemons and four female backup singers who help truly transform the concert into a sort of rock ’n’ roll church at times.

And Springsteen knows just how to play the rock reverend, keeping the energy up through a three-hour show with no set break.

Following the two “Darkness” openers, the band dipped into more-recent material with 2020’s “Ghost” and “Death to My Hometown” from 2012’s “Wrecking Ball,” before diving back into “Darkness” with the title track along with “The Promised Land” and “Spirit in the Night.”

My father was going to see Springsteen when he was still a young hungry rocker in a knit cap playing the old Stanley Theater. I’ve gone to several shows with him, but this is the first time my son has tagged along, making three generations of Boss fans. (Note: It might be premature to call my son a fan just yet; his main impression was “Man, this is real loud , Dad.” He wasn’t wrong. Advancements in audio technology haven’t made indoor arena rock any less punishing on the ears.)

The middle section of the show was similar to Thursday — the hard-rocking doom of “Youngstown”… the already-funky “E Street Shuffle” topped off by an even funkier cover of the Commodores’ “Nightshift”… a spare, acoustic “Last Man Standing” — but instead of going back to “Darkness” with “Racing in the Streets,” the PPG crowd got a raucous, joyous “Mary’s Place.”

The five-song sequence ending the main set was just like Thursday night, and it’s a strong one to round out shows on this tour, starting with the pounding “She’s the One” and culminating in the sing-along one-two punch of “Badlands” and “Thunder Road.”

Sunday’s audience got mostly the same encore as well, but with “Glory Days” subbed in for Thursday’s performance of “Bobby Jean.” And Springsteen brought out Pittsburgh’s own Joe Grushecky to finish the full-band encore of “Twist and Shout” before closing with a solo “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”

My dad, who’s a few years older than Springsteen, had a certain twinkle in his eye during a few songs that I know are favorites. After 50 years of seeing this guy onstage in Pittsburgh (and Cleveland, and Atlanta one time), he knows that one of these times is going to end up being the last one.

Playing music for three hours straight is no easy feat for anyone. For a 74-year-old who spends the whole time running from one end of the stage to the other, it’s sometimes hard to believe what you’re seeing. One thing is clear — everyone in the band is still having a lot of fun doing it.

And as Springsteen turned on all the house lights for the encore, it was easy to tell that 19,000 people at PPG Paints Arena were having plenty fun of their own.