I Finally Get The Whole Springsteen Thing
While I was obsessing over Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and AC/DC in high school, many of my buddies worshipped Bruce Springsteen.
I didn't get it.
I found his music boring and undynamic. It didn't speak to me. I wanted the roar of an expertly played guitar and high-pitched screaming vocals, the kind of eardrum-pounding energetic rock that made me want to drive my car into a wall.
So when some buddies came up with a batch of tickets to see Springsteen in Houston on "The River" tour, I declined.
And I've regretted it ever since.
My buddies came back changed people, holding up that Springsteen concert as the greatest ever, a life-changing experience.
At first, I didn't buy it, but almost 30 years later, having heard countless times about Springsteen concerts, I finally realized that maybe I'd really missed out on something special.
I vowed to go see him the next time he came around - and I did.
Springsteen more than lived up to the hype last week at a concert in Houston.
With no opening act, Springsteen and the E Street band marched out on staged and blew the place away one song at a time for almost three hours. The new songs blended right in with the classics. Another impressive thing was when, 5 minutes before Springsteen came out, someone went on stage and changed out the set lists. I get the impression he really thinks about the night's audience - even on the fly as folks are filing in.
Few, if any, rock acts can match the power, energy and enthusiasm of Springsteen and his band. And just when you think things can't get better, he takes it up a notch. A highlight for me was when Texas music legend Joe Ely joined him on stage during the encore.
Springsteen is kind of like the Grand Canyon. You really can't understand and appreciate it unless you're there. Photos and videos don't do it justice.
Anyway, if you get a chance, just go.
Here's the set list, which I lifted off http://www.brucespringsteen.net/ :
Cadillac Ranch
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
Atlantic City
Magic
Because The Night
Candy's Room
She's The One
Out In The Street
Livin' In The Future
The Promised Land
Girls In Their Summer Clothes
The E Street Shuffle
Terry's Song
Devil's Arcade (Tour premier!)
The Rising
Last To Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
Thunder Road
Always A Friend (with Alejandro Escovedo)
All Just To Get To You (with Joe Ely) (Tour premier!)
Rosalita (Tour premiere!)
Born To Run
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
American Land
I didn't get it.
I found his music boring and undynamic. It didn't speak to me. I wanted the roar of an expertly played guitar and high-pitched screaming vocals, the kind of eardrum-pounding energetic rock that made me want to drive my car into a wall.
So when some buddies came up with a batch of tickets to see Springsteen in Houston on "The River" tour, I declined.
And I've regretted it ever since.
My buddies came back changed people, holding up that Springsteen concert as the greatest ever, a life-changing experience.
At first, I didn't buy it, but almost 30 years later, having heard countless times about Springsteen concerts, I finally realized that maybe I'd really missed out on something special.
I vowed to go see him the next time he came around - and I did.
Springsteen more than lived up to the hype last week at a concert in Houston.
With no opening act, Springsteen and the E Street band marched out on staged and blew the place away one song at a time for almost three hours. The new songs blended right in with the classics. Another impressive thing was when, 5 minutes before Springsteen came out, someone went on stage and changed out the set lists. I get the impression he really thinks about the night's audience - even on the fly as folks are filing in.
Few, if any, rock acts can match the power, energy and enthusiasm of Springsteen and his band. And just when you think things can't get better, he takes it up a notch. A highlight for me was when Texas music legend Joe Ely joined him on stage during the encore.
Springsteen is kind of like the Grand Canyon. You really can't understand and appreciate it unless you're there. Photos and videos don't do it justice.
Anyway, if you get a chance, just go.
Here's the set list, which I lifted off http://www.brucespringsteen.net/ :
Cadillac Ranch
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
Atlantic City
Magic
Because The Night
Candy's Room
She's The One
Out In The Street
Livin' In The Future
The Promised Land
Girls In Their Summer Clothes
The E Street Shuffle
Terry's Song
Devil's Arcade (Tour premier!)
The Rising
Last To Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
Thunder Road
Always A Friend (with Alejandro Escovedo)
All Just To Get To You (with Joe Ely) (Tour premier!)
Rosalita (Tour premiere!)
Born To Run
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
American Land
posted by Brian Pearson at 11:28 AM
3 Comments:
I watched an old Austin City Limits about a year ago and loved him singing backup for Roy Orbison
along with KD Lang
& Bonnie Raitt.
I am also NOT a big Springsteen fan.
So I guess I had better catch a concert, huh!?
Just FYI:
I read you via an RSS feed.
I'm still not a HUGE fan of his recorded stuff, but he definitely made my Top 5 all-time concert list, alongside:
Stevie Ray Vaughan at Fitzgerald's in Houston in 1981.
The Police at The Summit in 1982.
Tripping Daisy and Centromatic at the Dessau Dance Hall near Austin around 1999.
The Replacements at Power Tools around 1986
Bruce bumped out Jon Spencer Blues Explosion up in Dallas earlier this decade.
My last concert was Deep Purple at the Summit, I think in 80. I stopped going after that.
I'm a bit older than you though.;-)
I'm definitely a Stevie & Police fan, but I've never heard of the other groups. Showing my age I suppose.
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