Bruuuuce!

[eaglesvet]

(Mission accomplished. Expando purchased, have already run through it twice. Can't wait until tomorrow night!)

Back to my main man, Bruce.

Sue and I staked out our piece of territory towards the back center of the Pit. Because it had taken quite awhile for me to realize that the only way we were getting into the Pit was the random sheer luck of the manager's generosity, we were actually quite late in arriving there. There was no way we were up for fighting our way to the very front, and I'm sure we would've been pushed around there all night. Our current location was comfy and closer than my wildest dreams! Plus, I had heard that Bruce had been traveling around the Pit during the show by walking on the barriers, which put him on the pathway directly toward us.

At 8:15, Bruce and the E Street Band walked onto the stage to a deafening roar. With the house lights all the way up, he opened with the new song written just for this series of shows, Wrecking Ball. The stage backdrop screen rolled the lyrics so that the crowd could sing along, although it seemed like many of them already knew it. That stage backdrop was used so effectively the entire night, alternating within each song between video of the band, the crowd, and images relating to the song lyrics themselves. Kudos to the graphic designers and photo crew!

Next came a really fun song from the album The River called Out in the Street. Here Bruce ran back and forth from one side of the stage to the other to play to all sides of the crowd, and came out a bit into the front of the Pit on the stage extensions--so I was able to get a few closer-up pix that I will try to post when I figure out what to do about their sizing.
Next, one from the new album called Outlaw Pete, where the backdrop showed some of the Western sites we saw on our vacation...beautiful! Then, it happened. On Hungry Heart, Bruce started dancing around the perimeter of the Pit, along the tops of the barriers. Of course, he started on the side opposite us , and made it all the way to the very back, where he then played to the rest of the field. At this point, he was about 30 - 40 ft away from us, and ready to head our way! All of the fans in our section were poised, cameras in one hand, other hand up to shake or high-five or just side-swipe him as he came by. I couldn't believe our luck! But then, instead of continuing around the entire pit as expected, Bruce decides to turn, face the stage, and dive into the crowd at that point. The fans crowd-surf the Boss in a horizontal position all the way from there back to the stage, while he finishes up the song! I mean, it was an exciting thing to see and all that-- but it meant not only that he never came any closer to me, but also that I was not in that portion of the crowd involved in propelling him forward (how touching would that have been! )

After a few more songs, the highlight of the night...the Born to Run album from start to finish. Bruce introduced it by saying, "This is the one that really kind of brought us here tonight. I remember when I wrote it--I was trying to create this picture of one long summer day...and night." And what followed was about 45 minutes of one of the most perfect record albums ever--24 hours of a NJ summer, brought to life. I had never heard him (or anyone, for that matter) say this about BTR before, and so had never actually thought of the album in this way before. I'll never think of it the same again, that's for sure!

(More to come, but I'm getting there...)

[sodascouts]

I am loving this, Evet. What an amazing experience! Like everyone else, I'm dying to hear more!

[eaglesvet]

Nice new av and sig, Soda.

[eaglesvet]

Now, on with the show...

BTR opens with the slow sweet harmonica strains of Thunder Road, the key that opens the door to this bright summer morning. One of Bruce's best...nah, one of THE best songs of all time (IMO). Next comes 10th Avenue Freeze-Out, the song that tells the story of how the members of the E Street Band met and joined together. The full horn section at the Stadium here tonight gives the song all the soul and power found on the album, and then some. It's during this song that Bruce shows off an athletic skill that I first noticed on a TV special about the making of the Super Bowl half-time show. As he is singing (sans guitar) at the mike, he goes up on his toes a bit, bends his knees, and then leans back and goes all the way down so that his head,torso, and hips are parallel to the ground about 6 inches above it. And then he stays that way for about 30 seconds or so, just looking up at the sky! (The thought of me trying to accomplish that makes my abdominals want to collapse into the floor, never mind that I wouldn't be able to make my back get there in the first place!) On the TV special, Bruce actually says that while he is in that position, he is able to tune out everything that is going on around him during the show, and just think about the stars above him, and compose himself for a moment. When he is ready, he grabs the mike stand and pulls himself up to standing, and goes right on singing!

As the album continues, 10th thunders into Night, then Backstreets, and then the overplayed but always well-received title track. I mean, you can count on hearing BTR at just about every concert he does. Bruce has said that where 10th is the band's story, BTR is his story. And no matter where it's played in the show (most often the encore, unlike tonight), it's always the same anthemic celebration: house lights up, thousands of pairs of arms in the air pumping to "tramps like us" and trying to time that 1-2-3-4 countdown before the last verse. Tonight, though, the lights shut off almost immediately-- the stage goes dark for the quieter She's the One. Next, one of a few real rarities in this show--in the words of one of my brother's friends, the song worth the whole price of admission--piano notes leading into the trumpet introduction of the intimate Meeting Across the River (the Hudson, that is.) Before the show, I couldn't even remember how this song went (having not had time to play the album recently). However, as soon as Bruce sang the first words, all of the lyrics tumbled back into my memory as if I was still a freshman in high school. It's amazing where some songs can take you in time. And then finally, the closing cut...the fireworks that is Jungleland. I was conscious of several runs of tingles down my spine near the end, watching Mighty Max Weinberg (now also of Conan O'Brien's Tonight Show Band) drum away while Bruce let out his mournful wails to finish out the song and the album. The summer night has come to an end.

[eaglesvet]

At the album's end, Bruce calls up the five 'early' E Street Band members who are playing tonight, references "Phantom Danny Federici" (his organ player who died last year of melanoma), and they take a bow to thunderous applause. The rest of the musicians hang in the backdrop. I look at my watch and realize that "only" 2 hours have passed, and we probably have at least another hour of music to go. I wonder what could possibly top what I have just witnessed.

Next up is Waiting on a Sunny Day, a song from a more recent album called The Rising. True to form for this series of concerts (and I'm pretty sure at least some of the Magic shows last year), Bruce finds a cute young kid on his parent's shoulders in the front of the pit, and has him sing the chorus. Since the rest of the crowd is singing along, too (as has been the case with almost every song), Bruce actually hushes the 70,000 of us so that you could hear a pin drop. The little boy, about 5 or 6 years old and surprisingly in tune, then has the whole stadium to himself as he sings into Bruce's mike, face on the big screens and everything. Would make any NJ parent proud!

Finally, another moment I (and many many others) have been waiting for...the instrumental of Raise Your Hand, where the fans get to 'raise their hands' in the form of their signs! Every night, this is the signal to wave your signs and hoot and holler, as Bruce runs around the stage and out onto the stage extensions, scanning the crowd and pulling out about 20 signs or so. He makes a big deal as he brings them, a few at a time, up to the stage---showing some of them to the band, some to the audience, making piles that mean something to him and his band mates. I, of course, am wildly waving mine; but, alas, he does not pick mine to go up front to the stage with him. His first choice is our next real rarity, and a song I actually didn't even like, from his very first album back in '73...he chose It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City. It's definitely one that only a pure hard-core Bruce fan would appreciate hearing in concert, if only to be complete and to be able to say that you indeed did hear it in concert in your lifetime. But enjoy it? Not really, at least not me. Next, an uptempo and less old song (late 90's, I think) called My Love Will Not Let You Down; and finally, the last request being the best (for me), Because the Night (a song he originally wrote for Patti Smith, but does every once in awhile in concert.) All in all, an eclectic sign request trio, but disappointingly, one that did not include the best song released back in '73... Sandy.

FYI, Willie posted videos of both Thunder Road and 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) in the "Bruuuuce" thread for me, on the occasion of his 60th birthday on Sept. 23...in case you needed to enjoy them right now. Or later.

(In the home stretch now...)

[eaglesvet]

Tonight's show marked the return of Bruce's wife Patti Scialfa to the tour after a lengthy absence; and their duo on the not-oft played Human Touch was the next highlight of the night, allowing her vocals to shine. A few more songs, and then the band waved as they left the stage. Everyone there knew, however, that we could expect a 45-minute encore...and in moments, the band returned to the stage amid cheers and cell phone lights.

It was then I saw it. 'Professor' Roy Bittan, the keyboardist, on the front corner of the stage with an accordian. I was pretty sure it could only mean one thing...one song. I nudged Sue, but she didn't get the significance. Bruce: "We're gonna send this one out to Danny!" and then I knew it! It had been Danny Federici's song, his accordian in Sandy...my song request to open the encore!! I was in heaven! It was perfect---slow and romantic, that beautiful melody welling up in the chorus ...happiness!

After Bobby Jean, the band broke into a Celtic-style song from the Seeger Sessions called American Land. Bruce introduced the rest of his band members here, including some guest horn players that had really rounded out the Jersey shore sound tonight. Next up, Dancing in the Dark--where I witnessed a pretty blonde in a bright gold sequined tank top up on someone's shoulders just begging to play the Courteney Cox role...I was rather surprised Bruce didn't take her up on it. He certainly seemed to be looking at her more than once, and it would have fit in perfectly with the spontaneity of the rest of the night!

Afterwards, Bruce went back out into the Pit and grabbed one more sign...for what?!? Rosalita? A great fun song, but why waste the posterboard? It's like asking Don to close a show with Desperado! Anyway, Bruce and the boys give Rosie all they've got---the ultimate sing-along anthem to close a show! Oh, but wait, we're not done yet...let's pull out one more...how about Twist and Shout to keep this party going just a little longer?

[eaglesvet]

I forgot to mention that at some point during the encore, I think after the band intros in American Land, fireworks went off above the stage...first time I've ever seen pyrotechnics at at Springsteen concert!

As the band waved their final goodbyes and left the stage, no one made a move to leave at first. We were standing in the bright lights, soaking it all in---the crowd, the music, the experience, the light drizzle that had just started during the last song (after an unseasonably warm day and night, thankfully!) When we did start to walk down the football field, Sue and I both realized how much our leg muscles were 'feeling it' from all the dancing and jumping, and how hoarse our voices were. How does a man of 60 do infinitely more exercise and singing for 3 hours straight, night after night? Personal trainer, no doubt.

It took ages to walk to our car, but as expected, little time to pull out of our nifty parking space and hit the highway home. On our hike through the parking lots, I got lots more compliments and thanks for my sign...I guess they had been waiting to here Sandy for a long time too! We had never actually run into my brother and his friends the entire night, so I wasn't surprised when he called me on the way home and asked, "So do you think he played it for you?" "I am always going to think so!" "Yeah, I know." Now, believe it or not, that very question had crossed my mind. Maybe it had been a planned song on the set list all along. Did he really even see my sign? Or maybe Little Steven had given him my message from the lounge. Possibly my client might have tipped him off. Did I want to know? Kind of...

There's a Springsteen website where copies of his hand-written set lists are posted for all of his shows. I've since checked it... 4th of July's not on there..great, so it definitely was a last-minute addition. The day after the concert, I emailed my client to thank her profusely, mentioned something about the song, and I could tell by the excited tone of her answer that she was completely uninvolved in its playing. Will I ever know if Bruce loved my sign, or if Steven relayed the personal request I made in the heat of the moment when our eyes met in his lounge? Nope, probably not. But it's all good.

But I do know I will NEVER forget this night as long as I shall live! (I can always reread this! )

--Pix to follow--


The End

[sodascouts]

Oh my gosh, I got chills just READING this! What a wonderful night! Amazing - thank you so much for sharing all of this with us, and in such detail, too! Now I'm on a hunt for some bootlegs of these shows.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Eva - What an amazing experience you had here. I was so excited for you as I read this and I already knew the outcome. It was such fun sharing the experience with you. You are right - this is a night that will always be a very special one for you. Hard to top these kinds of memories, isn't it?

[TimothyBFan]

Oh Eva--how exciting for you! I loved reading all about it and your passion and enthusiasm sure added to it. A night you will never forget. How cool about Little Steven. I just bet that Bruce & Co. played that song just for you and it almost sounds like he might of been asked to from several sources, including your sign. Just hold tight to that belief!