Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen reminds me of November. There is something stark yet rich about his music. It's rock n' roll underlaid by longing and sometimes a tinge of sadness. There is gratitude in his embodiment and celebration of the moments and events of life. 

So gratefully, I've started a subscription to Sirius Radio, an early Christmas present from my husband John. Sirius has an E Street Band Channel (20) and I've been listening to it almost exclusively since my subscription began. 

I would call myself a slightly above average Springsteen fan. I caught the magic, as so many people do, when I saw him live. I became a fan at the L.A. Sports Arena sometime in August 1981 on the River tour. Before that I mainly knew Bruce as the guy who improbably was on the cover of Time and Newsweek at the same time. In high school, my tastes ran more toward America and the Eagles. One of my tennis-playing friends told me those were too mellow and even though Bruce wasn't played much on the radio, especially in Peoria in the 70's, she was already a fan. 

In my junior year at the University of Southern California, I went with some fellow RA's to the concert. Befitting our college budgets, we had terrible seats behind the stage. No matter. It was one of my first rock concerts and even though the only song I probably knew at the time was "Born to Run," the Boss spoiled me for life. The legendary three hour performance; the energy and great sound of the band; the sense that this was more than a concert. Bruce would turn around and play to the cheap seats. My only specific memory was my friend, Larry, along with the rest of the crowd, shouting out the chorus to "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out." 

I gradually began buying tapes: Born to Run, the River, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Born in the USA, Live 1975-85. As Bruce became more popular, I followed him in the media. I read an interview in Rolling Stone. I followed the controversy over Born in the USA. Patriotic or ironic? Bruce buffed up for his tour. 

I loved that my name was in the song Highway Patrolman off the Nebraska album.

                Me and Frankie laughin' and drinkin'

                Nothin' feels better than blood on blood

                Taking turns dancin' with Maria

                As the band plays Night of the Johnstown Flood

And of course my favorite song on the Devils & Dust album is "Maria's Bed." 

Probably the biggest Bruce rabbit hole I went down were the three albums Brilliant Disguise, Human Touch, and Lucky Town. I bought them, liked them, listened to them a lot, even though they weren't typical Bruce records. Brilliant Disguise is a quieter album about quieter moments. Human Touch and Lucky Town were released on the same day, without his beloved E-street band. I think I remember reading that Human Touch took a while to write and record while Lucky Town was finished quickly. Writing is like that too. Some pieces are laboriously constructed and others just flow. The reader can't always tell the difference. These three albums were released from 1987-1992. I was ages 26-31, during this time period, mostly working a job I didn't like and trying to find my place in the world. 

Another mini-rabbit hole occurred with the Magic album, released in 2007. This was the year we brought our son Luke home from Haiti, where we had adopted him. As I drove around with Luke in the car, I frequently put on the Magic CD. Luke liked the song Radio Nowhere. I liked "I'll Work for Your Love," with its popish tune and religious imagery. Plus, it had the name of my sister Theresa in the song. 

Besides seeing the Boss on the River Tour in L.A., I was fortunate to attend five other concerts:

Sept 1992 outdoors at Tinley Park, Illinois. The two songs I remember from this performance were "Trapped" and "Light of Day." Bruce didn't write Trapped and the Joan Jett and the Blackhearts first recorded the song, which is the most well known version. 

On November 3, 1992, Election Day, I saw him in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I don't remember any of the songs he played but I do remember that after the band's intermission he came out on stage and said, "We have a new president," as Bill Clinton had defeated the incumbent president, the first George Bush.

I went with my sister Theresa to the Springsteen show at the Rosemont Horizen in Rosemont Illinois on December 3, 1995 during the Ghost of Tom Joad tour. The show was sold out and I bought the tickets so late that Theresa and I weren't able to sit together. This was an acoustic tour and while I don't have specific memories of any songs, it was the first time I realized what an amazing guitar player Bruce is. At times, when he was playing it sounded like there were two guitars going. 

On December 5, 1996, I saw another show from the Ghost of Tom Joad Tour at Braden Auditorium on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal. The only thing I remember about this show is shortly after Bruce came out on the stage he made a joke about being in a normal town.

After a long hiatus from the E-street band, Bruce reconvened them for the Reunion Tour. On either September 28 or 30, 1999, I along with a few others including my sister Theresa and cousin Dennis saw them at the United Center where we sat in the last row. Don't remember anything specific about this concert except how in the pre-internet day, I persevered in calling Ticketmaster to score the tickets.

As I stated frequently, I don't remember much from these concerts. If we don't remember something, what does that mean for our lives and ourselves? Does it still matter? How much of our lives do we forget? Questions for another post, perhaps.

I realize that it has been more than a quarter of a century since I've seen Bruce Springsteen perform. Going forward, I would like to see him at least one more time. I also would love to somehow get him to Peoria. A girl can dream can't she? In the meantime, I've gotten a good dose of Bruce this November and I plan to continue. Rock on!