Friday, July 31, 2009

Jul 30 -- Estadio Municipal de Foietes, Benidorm, Spain

1. Badlands
2. Working On The Highway
3. Hungry Heart
4. Outlaw Pete
5. Be True
6. Working On A Dream
7. Seeds
8. Johnny 99
9. I Fought The Law
10. Youngstown
11. Cadillac Ranch
12. Prove It All Night
13. JANEY DON'T YOU LOSE HEART
14. My Love Will Not Let You Down
15. The Promised Land
16. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
17. GIRLS IN THEIR SUMMER CLOTHES
18. IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND
19. Radio Nowhere
20. Lonesome Day
21. The Rising
22. Born To Run

23. Jungleland
24. Land Of Hope And Dreams
25. American Land
26. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
27. Dancing In The Dark
28. Twist And Shout

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Jul 28 -- Estadio Olimpico de la Cartuja, Sevilla, Spain

1. Badlands
2. My Love Will Not Let You Down
3. Hungry Heart
4. Outlaw Pete
5. Out In The Street
6. Working On A Dream
7. Seeds
8. Johnny 99
9. Youngstown
10. QUARTER TO THREE
11. The E Street Shuffle
12. Loose Ends
13. Darlington County
14. She's The One
15. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
16. The Promised Land
17. I'm On Fire
18. American Skin (41 Shots)
19. Lonesome Day
20. The Rising
21. Born To run

22. Glory Days
23. Seven Nights To Rock
24. American Land
25. Bobby Jean
26. Dancing In The Dark
27. Twist And Shout

Monday, July 27, 2009

Jul 26 -- San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao, Spain

The first of the final five Spanish shows of the European leg.

1. The Ties That Bind
2. Badlands
3. Hungry Heart
4. Outlaw Pete
5. Working On The Highway
6. Working On A Dream
7. Murder Incorporated
8. Johnny 99
9. Because The Night
10. Factory
11. This Hard Land
12. Raise Your Hand
13. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
14. Thunder Road
15. DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET?
16. My Love Will Not Let You Down
17. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
18. The Promised Land
19. The River
20. Radio Nowhere
21. Lonesome Day
22. The Rising
23. Born To Run

24. YOU NEVER CAN TELL (they finally play a Chuck Berry song!!)
25. Jungleland
26. American Land
27. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
28. Dancing In The Dark
29. Twist And Shout

Friday, July 24, 2009

Jul 23 -- Stadio Friuli, Undine, Italy

Looks like another great setlist. The tour's just getting started!

1. SHERRY DARLING
2. Badlands
3. Hungry Heart
4. Outlaw Pete
5. Darlington County
6. Something In The Night
7. Working On A Dream
8. Murder Incorporated
9. Johnny 99
10. No Surrender
11. SUMMERTIME BLUES
12. BE TRUE
13. STREETS OF FIRE
14. My Love Will Not Let You Down
15. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
16. The Promised Land
17. American Skin (41 Shots)
18. Lonesome Day
19. The Rising
20. Born To Run

21. BORN IN THE U.S.A.
22. American Land
23. Bobby Jean
24. Dancing In The Dark
25. Twist And Shout

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Jul 21 -- Olimpico di Torino, Torino, Italy

Wow, six tour premieres!!

1. LOOSE ENDS
2. Badlands
3. Hungry Heart
4. Outlaw Pete
5. Working On The Highway
6. Working On A Dream
7. MURDER INCORPORATED
8. Johnny 99
9. American Skin (41 Shots)
10. Raise Your Hand
11. TRAVELIN' BAND
12. DRIVE ALL NIGHT
13. Two Hearts
14. MY LOVE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN
15. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
16. The Promised Land
17. MY HOMETOWN
18. Backstreets
19. Lonesome Day
20. The Rising
21. Born To Run

22. Land Of Hope And Dreams
23. American Land
24. Glory Days
25. Dancing In The Dark
26. Twist And Shout

Monday, July 20, 2009

Jul 19 -- Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy

1. Badlands
2. Out In The Street
3. Outlaw Pete
4. No Surrender
5. She's The One
6. Working On A Dream
7. Seeds
8. Johnny 99
9. Atlantic City
10. Raise Your Hand
11. Hungry Heart
12. Pink Cadillac
13. I'm On Fire
14, Surprise, Surprise
15. Prove It All Night
16. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
17. The Promised Land
18. American Skin (41 Shots)
19. Lonesome Day
20. The Rising
21. Born To Run

22. MY CITY OF RUINS
23. Thunder Road
24. YOU CAN'T SIT DOWN
25. American Land
26. Bobby Jean
27. Dancing In The Dark
28. Twist And Shout

Friday, July 17, 2009

Jul 16 -- Carhaix, France, Festival des Vielles Charrues

1. Badlands
2. No Surrender
3. My Lucky Day
4. Outlaw Pete
5. Out In The Street
6. Working On A Dream
7. Seeds
8. Johnny 99
9. Youngstown
10. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
11. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
12. I'm Goin' Down
13. Because The Night
14. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
15. The Promised Land
16. The River
17. Radio Nowhere
18. Lonesome Day
19. The Rising
20. Born To Run

21. Glory Days
22. American Land
23. Bobby Jean
24. Dancing In The Dark
25. Twist And Shout

Thursday, July 16, 2009

The 10 Commandments of Concert-going

Picked it off an article from a Massachusetts website. It's funny, but it's also very true. But hey, it happens all time, and there's no escaping it. I've seen fuckers who weren't into the music at all, and I've seen (and heard) those who were too much into the music.

I can clearly remember the drunk giant next to me at the Hyde Park Springsteen show singing along so loudly that it got me quite pissed off after a while. But luckily, it was only during the last 1/2 hr of the show, from Born To Run onwards. At least during the last verse of Jungleland, he kept his volume down. But he fucked up the last part, trying to keep up with Bruce in singing the final lines. Still, it was pretty amusing, and most of us around him started laughing.

Looking at this list, I also remember the comment someone made behind me, while standing in line for Dave Matthews Band at the Brixton Academy: "This is the first DMB show I've attended where I don't smell any pot."

The Ten Commandments:

1. Thou Shalt Not Get Drunk or High and Stupid Before the Show

2. Thou Shalt Not Arrive Late at a Concert and Rudely Demand People to Get Out of "My Seat!"

3. Thou Shalt Not Covet the Souvenir Tables More than the Concert

4. Thou Shalt Not Get Angry at Artists Who Fail to Play Note-by-Note Versions of their Greatest Hits in Concert

5. Thou Shalt Not Scream Out Requests

6. Thou Shalt Not Use Cell Phones to Text Your Friends During Concerts, to Talk on the Phone During Quiet Moments or to Take Countless Goofy Pictures of You and Your Date with the Performers on stage in the Background

7. Thou Shalt Not Make Out with Date During the Concert

8. Thou Shalt Not Stand and Dance at a Show When No One Else is Standing and Dancing.

9. Thou Shalt Not Walk Out of the Concert to make a Bathroom Run or a Food Run whenever the band plays something new or different

10. Thou Shalt Not Sing Louder Than the Person On Stage

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Jul 14 -- Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland

1. Badlands
2. Out In The Street
3. My Lucky Day
4. She's The One
5. Outlaw Pete
6. Working On The Highway
7. Working On A Dream
8. Seeds
9. Johnny 99
10. Atlantic City
11. Raise Your Hand
12. Incident On 57th Street (sign request)
13. PINK CADILLAC (sign request)
14. Cover Me (sign request)
15. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
16. The Promised Land
17. The River
18. Kingdom Of Days
19. Radio Nowhere
20. Lonesome Day
21. The Rising
22. Born To Run

23. Hard Times
24. Thunder Road
25. American Land
26. Bobby Jean
27. Dancing In The Dark
28. Twist And Shout

Monday, July 13, 2009

Jul 12 -- RDS, Dublin, Ireland

1. No Surrender
2. Badlands
3. Night
4. My Lucky Day
5. Outlaw Pete
6. Hungry Heart
7. Working On A Dream
8. Seeds
9. Johnny 99
10. Youngstown
11. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
12. Spirit In The Night (sign request)
13. Sherry Darling (sign request)
14. Proud Mary (sign request)
15. Prove It All Night
16. Trapped
17. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
18. The Promised Land
19. Radio Nowhere
20. AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS)
21. Lonesome Day
22. The Rising
23. Born To Run

24. Jungleland
25. American Land
26. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
27. Glory Days
28. Dancing In The Dark
29. Twist And Shout

Sunday, July 12, 2009

London Calling @ Hyde Park, London -- Jun 28


Courtesy of brucespringsteen.net

Fucking awesome video. So glad I was there :)

Jul 11 -- RDS, Dublin, Ireland

1. Who'll Stop The Rain
2. Badlands
3. Cover Me
4. My Lucky Day
5. Outlaw Pete
6. Out In The Street
7. Working On A Dream
8. Seeds
9. Johnny 99
10. The Ghost Of Tom Joad
11. Raise Your Hand
12. The E Street Shuffle (sign request)
13. YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH) (sign request)
14. Seven Nights To Rock
15. For You
16. Thunder Road
17. Because The Night
18. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
19. The Promised Land
20. The River
21. Kingdom Of Days
22. Lonesome Day
23. The Rising
24. Born To Run

25. Hard Times
26. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
27. American Land
28. Bobby Jean
29. Dancing In The Dark
30. Ramrod
31. Twist And Shout

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Jul 8 -- Herning MCH, Herning, Denmark

1. Badlands
2. No Surrender
3. My Lucky Day
4. Out In The Street
5. Outlaw Pete
6. Working On A Dream
7. Candy's Room
8. Seeds
9. Johnny 99
10. Atlantic City
11. Hungry Heart (sign request)
12. Rendevous (sign request)
13. Mony Mony (sign request)
14. Thunder Road (sign request)
15. Prove It All Night
16. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
17. The Promised Land
18. The River (sign request)
19. I'm On Fire (sign request)
20. Surprise Surprise (sign request)
21. Lonesome Day
22. The Rising
23. Born To Run

24. Hard Times
25. Bobby Jean
26. American Land
27. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
28. Dancing In The Dark
29. Twist And Shout

Monday, July 6, 2009

Jul 5 -- Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna, Austria

Wow, this is a very interesting setlist.

1. Jackson Cage
2. Badlands
3. Cover Me
4. My Lucky Day
5. Outlaw Pete
6. Darlington County
7. Working On A Dream
8. Seeds
9. Johnny 99
10. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
11. Growin' Up (sign request)
12. Rendezvous (sign request)
13. Proud Mary (sign request)
14. 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (sign request)
15. Because The Night
16. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
17. The Promised Land
18. The River
19. INTO THE FIRE
20. Lonesome Day
21. The Rising
22. Born To Run

23. Cadillac Ranch
24. JERSEY GIRL (sign request!!)
25. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
26. American Land
27. Bobby Jean
28. Dancing In The Dark
29. Twist And Shout

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Jul 3 -- Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt, Germany

1. Badlands
2. Adam Raised A Cain
3. The Ties The Bind
4. My Lucky Day
5. Outlaw Pete
6. Hungry Heart
7. Working On A Dream
8. Seeds
9. Johnny 99
10. FACTORY
11. Something In The Night
12. I'm Goin' Down (sign request)
13. Ramrod (sign request)
14. Trapped (sign request)
15. Because The Night
16. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
17. The Promised Land
18. POINT BLANK
19. Kingdom Of Days
20. Lonesome Day
21. The Rising
22. Born To Run

23. Hard Times
24. Jungleland
25. American Land
26. Bobby Jean
27. Dancing In The Dark
28. Twist And Shout

Friday, July 3, 2009

Jul 2 -- Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany


A very happy 60th birthday to Roy Bittan :D

1. Badlands
2. My Lucky Day
3. No Surrender
4. Outlaw Pete
5. Spirit In The Night
6. Working On A Dream
7. Seeds
8. Johnny 99
9. Atlantic City
10. Seven Nights To Rock
11. THIS HARD LAND
12. OH, PRETTY WOMAN (!!!)
13. Because The Night
14. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
15. The Promised Land
16. The River
17. Kingdom Of Days
18. Lonesome Day
19. The Rising
20. Born To Run
21. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

22. Bobby Jean
23. American Land
24. Detroit Medley
25. Glory Days
26. Dancing In The Dark

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

MY FIRST BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN CONCERT REVIEW








Despite being a rabid music fan, I never in my life thought that someone like me would travel halfway cross the world just to see a concert. But it ain't just a concert. As Bruce Springsteen used to say, it's a Roll & Roll baptism, a Rock & Roll exorcism, a Rock & Roll barmitzva. Being able to see the Greatest Show on Earth was truly a 'out of the body' religious experience; kinda like going to church, but a million times better. You read the thousands of amazing stories about the band's live shows, hear the bootlegs, watch the videos; but to actually be there and see 'em play right in front of you is a TOTALLY DIFFERENT THING, and it can never be recreated on the big screen, even using the best 3D High-Definition technology. No matter how far away you are from the stage, you can still feel IT.

I clearly remember how I got into Bruce Springsteen's music. The first song that really hooked me wasn't a hit song at all. It was My Love Will Not Let You Down from the Live In New York City record. Then I heard the live version of Jungleland, and I never looked back. Seven years later, I'm standing in a crowd of 50,000 people, in the middle of a hot summer day in Hyde Park, London, waiting for the man they call The Boss, and the greatest band in the land to come onstage. The wait is intolerable, though it was rather exciting to see the crew set up the equipment--Max Weinberg's drum kit, Clarence Clemon's saxophones and his 'royal' throne, Roy Bittan's grand piano, and Bruce's mic stand and teleprompters.

And then without warning, the band members slowly appear from the sides of the stage, all of them dressed in black, taking their positions, ready to go into battle. Bruce plays the first chord; a minor chord, followed by another minor chord. The crowd suddenly erupts. We all know what it is -- London Calling. The E Street version was a wonderful homage to not only Joe Strummer and The Clash, but also to the city of London. Bruce sang with a passion and fury I had never seen in any performer before, and this was only the first song! Of course, we all knew the words to it, and we sang along. After a great start, the band goes straight into Badlands. Everyone's hands are up, fists start pumping -- what a sight to behold. I was so overwhelmed with joy that the tears started to flow. It's like being possessed and you can't control yourself.

Next two songs are a double-shot from my favorite album: Night and She's The One. They were supposed to play My Lucky Day (according to the handwritten setlist), but Bruce called for an audible in order to maintain the high level of energy from the crowd. During She's The One, Bruce tosses his guitar to his technician, whips out the harmonica, and starts playing it to the Bo Diddley beat. Fucking incredible. Outlaw Pete is one song from the new album I could do without, but this live version killed. No surprise at all that almost everyone knew the lyrics. Out In The Street was another crowd favorite, and fuck all those people who say that it has been overplayed.

Taking things down a notch, the band plays the title song from the new album. I actually enjoyed Working On A Dream. Quite funny to see Clarence doing the whistling solo, but he managed to nail it. Bruce goes into his usual rap about using the power of the E Street Band, mixing in the good news with the bad news, the good wood with the bad wood to build a house of hope, music and sexual healing. Then comes the 'recession three-pack' -- Seeds, Johnny 99 and Youngstown, though I was hoping they'd play The Ghost Of Tom Joad. It was unbelievable -- the band sounded real fucking tight.

The middle portion of the show was the sign request portion. Bruce decides to play The Rascals' Good Lovin' (instead of Raise Your Hand) this time. He goes down to the crowd and starts collecting signs, many of them coming in different shapes and sizes. It was cool to see the different songs people wanted to hear: Lost In The Flood, Lucky Town, Better Days, Leah (!), Queen Of The Supermarket, Kitty's Back. Bruce decides to play Bobby Jean and Trapped, which was kinda surprising, because I thought he'd choose more rare stuff, rather than playing it safe. But nevertheless, the band delivered, and the songs were great to sing along to. I know Bobby Jean sounds very cheesy and dated, but I still enjoy the hell out of it.

After that, Bruce invites Brian Fallon onstage to duet with him on No Surrender. Waitin' On A Sunny Day had Bruce putting his mic out for a young boy to sing the chorus. The look on the boy's face was priceless. The Promised Land was another tour staple, and this being one of my favorite songs, I enjoyed it immensely. The harp intro always gives me goosebumps. Bruce obviously couldn't get enough of the signs, so he put a large one in front of his mic stand, and it said Racing In The Street! OMG, I thought I died and went to heaven :) Bruce's singing was just beautiful, as was Roy's solo, which seemed to go on forever. (link)

The band then played their usual, Radio Nowhere, Lonesome Day and The Rising before launching into the showstopper: Born To Run. It's still pretty bright, but the crowd starts going absolutely wild. At some points, all of us were singing so loudly that Bruce's voice was entirely drowned out! BTR usually ends the main set, but Bruce shouted "We can't stop now!!", and launches into Rosalita (Come Out Tonight), another showstopper. After the song, the band didn't leave the stage. Bruce decides to continue on with Hard Times, a cover of a 100+ year old old traditional song, with the help of his backup singers. Then came the final sign request of the night. It took me a while to make out the words of the sign as Bruce was unfolding it and laying it against the mic stand. Jungleland!!

The Big Man, though hardly able to move, manages to nail his sax solo. I was amazed at how fucking quiet the audience was, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, especially when Bruce sang the last verse. The final 'crowd pleasing' portion of the show had Bruce skipping over Land Of Hope And Dreams, and going straight into American Land, where he introduced the E Street Band. His last songs were Glory Days and Dancing In The Dark. I'm not a big fan of those songs, but the live versions were very very good.

Finally, after almost three hours, it's all over. It ended slightly after 10pm. Apparently, they played past the curfew, which is weird, because the official schedule stated 10:15pm as the ending time. I was a bit sad that they never played Thunder Road. That would have really made my day. But at that point, I was already emotionally and physically exhausted from all the jumping and singing and shouting and screaming. My head was spinning for a few hours after the show. Not the best setlist I was expecting, but nevertheless, greatest night of my life and greatest concert ever. I'm still suffering from post-concert depression and it'll probably take me a while before I fully recover.

Thank you Little Steven, Nils Lofgren, Soozie Tyrell, Charles Giordano, Max Weinberg, Garry Tallent, Clarence Clemons, and of course Bruce Springsteen for changing my life.

1. London Calling
2. Badlands
3. Night
4. She's The One
5. Outlaw Pete
6. Out In The Street
7. Working On A Dream
8. Seeds
9. Johnny 99
10. Youngstown
11. Good Lovin'
12. Bobby Jean
13. Trapped
14. No Surrender
15. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
16. The Promised Land
17. Racing In The Street
18. Radio Nowhere
19. Lonesome Day
20. The Rising
21. Born To Run
22. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
23. Hard Times
24. Jungleland
25. American Land
26. Glory Days
27. Dancing In The Dark

I really enjoyed Hard Rock Calling. Really well organized, great sound system, and a generally polite crowd. And mark my words, this won't be the last time I'll be seeing Bruce Springsteen.

Jun 28 -- Hard Rock Calling Day 2 Review











Jun 28 - Sunday: I decided to get to the venue slightly earlier, at 12pm. The queues were much longer this time. I reckon many people had started queuing up early in the morning. Saw A LOT of fans wearing Bruce Springsteen t-shirts from all the different tours, including the current one of course. Even saw one dude who printed all the shows he attended at the back! I felt right at home. As soon as the gates opened, people started sprinting right for the front. Those are your hardcore Springsteen fans, the ones who obviously brought their own sign requests. We managed to get a good spot, directly facing the left stack of speakers, but closer to the stage this time.

The opening band was much better than Saturday's. Not too sure of their name though, but it comprised of two black dudes (looked like that infamous Milli lip-synching duo) playing classic rock, AC/DC-esque tunes, including one face-melting cover of Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Child (Slight Return).

At about 3pm, The Gaslight Anthem, hailing from New Jersey, came onstage to surprisingly rapturous applause. I've heard good stuff about their live shows, and they didn't disappoint at all. Despite only playing for about 30mins, they still managed to fuckin' rock the house. It is quite obvious that Brian Fallon, the lead singer, is really inspired by Bruce, and at the same time, he manages to inject a youthful passion and enthusiasm to his performances. The band opened with a strong version of High Lonesome and kept a high energy throughout their entire set. Halfway through, Brian asked the crowd who they were here for. Obviously all of us started "Bruuuuccing"very loudly. All of a sudden, he replied "Ask and ye shall receive." And surprise surprise, Bruce Springsteen walks out on stage with his Fender telecaster strapped on. I couldn't believe what I was seeing!! They played The '59 Sound with Bruce taking the solo. I wasn't paying too much attention to the song, and it took me a while to register the fact that I actually finally seen The Boss in the flesh, from a mere 100metres away!! I knew that Bruce did the same thing with Gaslight on Saturday at Glastonbury, but I never expected it to happen again. But the day was only getting better...

James Morrison--can't say much about this bloke, cause I've never heard his stuff before. I wasn't expecting much from him. But I have to give him credit for putting on a pretty good performance. He was really trying to get the crowd moving, which he did manage eventually, but with little success. It was a pity many people around me wasn't really into him.

Dave Matthews Band comes on just after 5pm. By then, the sky had cleared already. This was the second time I was seeing them. Just on Friday, they played a 2.5hr show at the Brixton Academy. That was one of the best (and loudest) concerts I've seen, and it was fucking amazing to finally hear them play #41 live, for almost 30mins!

This time at Hyde Park, they only played close to 1.5 hrs. Most of the songs (from Friday night) were repeated, but I managed to get Ants Marching and Two Step (with a fantastic drum solo from Carter Beauford), and it was great to hear Tim Reynolds belting out the Stairway To Heaven solo (and Dave doing his best Robert Plant voice) during the final song, All Along The Watchtower :D

Here's the DMB setlist for Friday night and Sunday:

Jun 26 -- Friday, O2 Academy Brixton
1. Don’t Drink The Water
2. Squirm
3. So Damn Lucky
4. Shake Me Like A Monkey
5. Crash Into Me
6. Funny The Way It Is
7. So Much To Say
8. Anyone Seen The Bridge
9. Too Much (Fake)
10. Lie In Our Graves
11. Seven
12. Why I Am
13. #41
14. You & Me
15. I'll Be There (tribute to Michael Jackson)
16. Lying In The Hands Of God
17. All Along The Watchtower

18. Gravedigger
19. Alligator Pie
20. Tripping Billies

Jun 28 -- Sunday, Hyde Park
1. Pantala Naga Pampa
2. Rapunzel
3. Don’t Drink The Water
4. Why I Am
5. Funny The Way It Is
6. Crash Into Me
7. You Might Die Trying
8. Alligator Pie
9. Two Step
10. Ants Marching
11. All Along The Watchtower

Jun 30 -- Stade de Suisse, Bern, Switzerland

1. Badlands
2. No Surrender
3. She's The One
4. Outlaw Pete
5. Out In The Street
6. Working On A Dream
7. Seeds
8. Johnny 99
9. ATLANTIC CITY
10. Hungry Heart
11. I FOUGHT THE LAW
12. Downbound Train
13. Because The Night
14. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
15. The Promised Land
16. The River
17. Radio Nowhere
18. Lonesome Day
19. The Rising
20. Born To Run
21. Thunder Road

22. Hard Times
23. Bobby Jean
24. American Land
25. Glory Days
26. Dancing In The Dark
27. ROCKIN' ALL OVER THE WORLD