Bruce Springsteen - Bruce Springsteen Blasts The Bankers In Berlin

Speaking in fluent German, Springsteen told the 58,000 fans, "In America, a lot of people have lost their jobs.But also in Europe and in Berlin, times are tough.This song is for all those who are struggling", before crashing into 'Jack of All Trades', which includes the lyrics, "banker man grows fat, working man grows thin". As always, the Boss delivered a lengthy set clocking in at over three hours, though the financial crisis was clearly the subject of the evening. Berlin - largely a working class city - has been an important stop on Springsteen's touring schedule since his concert in July 1988, from the behind the old Iron Curtain in East Berlin. It was one of the biggest rock shows in the country's history, with some cultural historians citing it as a catalyst for the tearing down of the wall some 16 months later. Addressing the crowd on Wednesday evening (May 30, 2012), a pumped up Springsteen said, "Once in a while you play a place, a show that ends up staying inside of you, living with you for the rest of your life.East Berlin in 1988 was certainly one of them".

Clearly some of Springsteen's newest lyrics struck a chord with the gathered crowd in Berlin. In 'Shackled and Drawn', he sings, "Gambling man rolls the dice, working man pays the bill. It's still fat and easy up on banker's hill. Up on banker's hill the party's going strong, down here below we're shackled and drawn". The 'Wrecking Ball' tour runs for two-and-half-months featuring 33 stops in 15 different countries. It concludes in Helsinki on July 31, 2012.