It’s nigh on impossible to speak objectively of a Bruce Springsteen concert, simply because they’re deeply emotional experiences. The Boss takes the stage and everyone goes wild; he puts a finger to his lips and a whole stadium of fans goes dead silent; he puts particular vigor into a lyric and whole swaths of people begin to sob in anger, triumph, sadness or some other, unnamable emotion. When he played the Xcel Energy center on Sunday, he brought all this power to the floor.

While this is nominally a tour promoting the new album Wrecking Ball, Springsteen pulled out all the stops on his decades-long career. Despite the death of a dear friend and longtime coworker in saxophonist Clarence Clemons, Springsteen and his E Street Band had no trouble dipping deep into even his earliest songs, the oldest being “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City,” from his 1973 debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J..

Of course, Clemons, known as the Big Man, has been a major focus for fans and the band in the months since his death. The questions at hand have been how to honor his legacy and to fill his shoes. Bruce and the band did both, with tributes to the Big Man in his signature “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” and a stunning performance by his replacement, nephew Jake Clemons. Little Jake, barely more than twenty, still shows great talent and the potential even to surpass his uncle in skill. He may never replace Clarence, but he can sure as hell play like him.

The concert let out with nobody disappointed. From the two retired teachers who sat on my left to the drunken thirty-something I briefly chatted with after the show, a good time was had by all. And though I could bore you with the deep political and social themes Bruce touched on throughout the show or the powerful, crazed presence that filled the room all night, the drunk summed up the show best: “AWWWWW YEAAAAHHHH!”