March 24, 2008

Having grown up in the Philadelphia area in the 1970’s, it was unavoidable that I would end up a lifelong, major fan of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. I have always found his blue-collar anthems and political rants incredibly compelling, I love the complex characters he creates, and I have found him to be the greatest voice of my generation.

I first saw The Boss (yes, I know he hates that name) in concert in 1978 in support of his fourth album, Darkness on the Edge of Town. He played a 4+ hour marathon concert at The Spectrum. His shows were known for their energy, their duration, and for being a celebration of all that is the overblown glory of rock & roll.

The second time was December 8, 1980, again at the Spectrum. After a racuous, great concert of more than four hours that highlighted my favorite Springsteen album, The River, we learned that John Lennon had been murdered in cold blood that night. I next saw him in August of 1984, this time at the Capital Center in Landover, Maryland. We had 12th row seats for the Born in the USA Tour. The problem was that the show was the night before my first day of law school, on a Sunday night. I spent all night driving back to Pittsburgh, got two hours’ sleep and then started law school. I never did get caught up on my rest until after taking the bar exam.

I saw him again in Pittsburgh about eight weeks later, this time on Bruce’s 35th birthday. Of all the shows I’ve seen, that one clearly was the highest energy. He was rockin’ that night, and the crowd genuinely touched him by interrupting him to sing happy birthday. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen him at a loss for words. I then saw him at the nasty old Richfield Coliseum outside Cleveland on the Tunnel of Love tour in 1988. Little did I know it would be more than ten years before I would see him perform with the E Streeters again.

Susan and I traveled to the Gund Arena in Cleveland to see them on the 2000 reunion tour, and it was another great night that chilly November. We caught the band here in Columbus during The Rising Tour in the fall of 2002. This time we were on the floor of OSU’s Schottenstein Center, standing room only. Susan was just coming off ACL reconstruction surgery, and it made for a difficult night for her being on her feet all night on the hard concrete, but it was another great show.

This morning, tickets went on sale for the E Streeters’ March 24, 2008 show at Nationwide Arena here in Columbus, and I got a pair (for face value, too cool). Since my birthday is two days later, I can’t think of a better birthday present to myself. I know that Bruce is now 58 years old and that Clarence is in his 60’s and not in the greatest of health. I know that Danny Federici had to leave the tour to receive treatment for cancer. I know that the days of the incredible four hour marathon shows are long over and that today’s shows last “only” 2.5 hours, but it will be worth it. It will be my eighth time seeing Bruce and the band in concert, and I can’t wait. It’s going to be another great night of the music of my life.

It is, however, the first time I had to buy my own birthday present……