Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band @ Citizens Bank Park.

Our Brittney Bowers was among the masses at Citizens Bank Park on Monday to see the second show of Bruce Sprinsgteen‘s two-day visit to Philadelphia. Here’s what she experienced …

Labor Day in Philadelphia may have been tortured by rain but by night, it was as if the clouds parted and storms paused for one purpose – The Boss.  Citizens Bank Park was alive with faithful fans undeterred of the threat of severe storms to see Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band.

“Bruuuuuce” chants echoed throughout the ballpark in anticipation for the show. The crowd was wildly captivated the moment Springsteen stepped onstage decked out in a vest and tie, sporting his guitar. The second night on the Philadelphia stop of the Wrecking Ball Tour began with a solo and acoustic performance of “Factory” off of Darkness on the Edge of Town.

Instantly, the crowd jumped to their feet and stayed there for the next three hours and forty minutes of the show.

The rhythmic flow of the songs made it impossible not to dance to. Fans sang in unison to great classics such as “Spirit in the Night,” “Atlantic City,” “The River” and “Thunder Road.”  During “My City of Ruins,” a song Springsteen explained to be about ghosts, he stopped halfway through to do a role-call with The E Street Band. At the end, he asked if anyone was missing and the crowd erupted in shouts of “YES!”

The missing member is the late saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who passed away in 2011. Springsteen then made a bone-chilling, tear-evoking statement, “If you’re here, and we’re here, then they’re here.”

Before the encore, Springsteen sat on stage, took off his shoes and dumped out all of the sweat that had collected inside.

The Boss, along with the members of The E Street Band, poured their hearts and souls into the show, and it could be felt within the concertgoers. The encore included “We Are Alive,” “Born To Run” and “Dancing In The Dark.”

The band then performed “Jungleland,” leaving fans with goose bumps.  Jake Clemons magnificently took over the saxophone solo of the song.  The show ended with fans dancing and clapping along to “Tenth Avenue Freeze-out” and “American Land.”

There isn’t a simple way to explain experiencing a Springsteen show. The only way to know is to experience it first hand. Seeing Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band is a musical revival. It’s a way to free yourself. Every lyric and note being played can be felt not only inside your bones, but your soul.

After a set of almost four hours, if your body is dripping with sweat, if your throat burns from singing and screaming, if your legs are on the verge of giving out from dancing, and if your hands are chapped from clapping, you’ve experienced the legendary Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band.