There’s an old adage among diehard fans of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that goes something like this: there are two types of people in the world, those who love The Boss and those who have never seen him perform live.

Okay, okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a big Springsteen fan. I have seen him 16 times since 1978. My devotion to his music has taken me to Montreal, Detroit, Denver and just about every venue he has played in New England. I have a mint-green ipod shuffle that stores 250 songs. I’d have to guess that at least 225 are from the Springsteen collection that dates back more than three decades.

Sure, at age 58, Springsteen has slowed down, but not as much as the rest of us. He still races around and slides across the stage. He pours his heart and soul into each performance as if he’s trying to convince each ticket holder that this is an event that he is going to make you remember the rest of your life. If you didn’t like the last song, well, he’s going to play the next one even HARDER!

In a time of mortgage foreclosures, layoffs, and $4-per-gallon gas prices, Springsteen makes sure that each of the 60,000-plus fans in football stadiums isgetting their money’s worth.

Last night, the hardest workingman in rock-n-roll came to Gillette Stadium for something like his 95th-concert since last fall’s release of Magic, his latest CD. The tour kicked off in October in Hartford and has taken the band across the United States and Canada and twice to Europe.

Unlike most performers, Springsteen’s set list changes every night and sometimes every few minutes. Band members have to stay on their toes as The Boss often calls an audible and changes up the set list during the show. Even they don’t know what’s up next.

That’s one of the great things about a Springsteen concert. The Boss and the band strolled on stage at 9:18 p.m., about an hour after a torrential rain, complete with thunder and lightning, exploded over the darkened stadium.

The explosion continued with a pounding intro from drummer Max Weinberg and the band busted into a rocking version of the Eddie Cochran classic, “Summertime Blues.”

Next up was what Springsteen called, “A New Jersey fairytale,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out,” from Born to Run. He skipped across the lower ramp of the stage and slapped hands with his adoring fans in the front rows.

Springsteen and the band jumped from the ’70s classic back to the present with a powerful version of “Radio Nowhere,” the first single released from Magic.

Without missing a beat, Springsteen switched guitars and blasted into a powerful version of “Lonesome Day” from The Rising, the classic CD that paid tribute to those who perished and their survivors in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Then it was back to 1978 with Springsteen breaking into “The Promised Land,” from Darkness On The Edge of Town. The entire band had this classic going on all cylinders — Nils Lofgren and Steve van Zandt on weeping guitars; Weinberg pounding the bass drum; Roy Bittan, hammering the piano keys and Clarence Clemons blasting away the saxophone. And, of course, Spingsteen was at his best, reaching deep into his lungs to blow on the harmonica. This might have been the best version of the song that I’ve heard him and the band play in concert.

Springsteen, always the consummate showman, next launched into “Spirit in the Night,” the bluesy favorite from Greetings from Asbury Park. He sat against the microphone stand, climbed into the crowd and later collapsed on stage to finish the last few frames of the song. Thirty minutes into the show, which would last more than three hours. Springsteen was drenched in sweat. He looked as though he had just ran the Boston Marathon instead of playing rock n’ roll in a stadium 30 miles away.

A personal favorite came next: “Tunnel of Love,” the title song from the late ’80s CD. Again, Springsteen and the band nailed it. Nils Lofgren’s solo riffs and extended solos were a highlight giving the fans plenty to remember.

I’d never seen the song performed live, and it was well worth the 20-year wait. Springsteen took a break while Weinberg pounded the drums to visit the crowd and take requests. This has become a new twist for The Boss and the band. For several months, fans have brought signs requesting what hits, or little known songs, they want to hear.

“We can always use a little help!” he hollered. The practice gives the huge concert venue a feeling of intimacy. Springsteen picked a poster with a song that the band rarely plans: “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street,” also off Greetings From Asbury Park, back when The Boss was just a skinny kid in his early 20s.

Springsteen’s soulful voice sounded great alongside Clemons’ melodic saxophone and Bittan’s piano solo. Despite the ominous weather and late start, the crowd was eating it up. Everyone was looking to settle in till long after midnight.

bmalinow@projo.com