Joe, what a column - you are heck of a writer and I'm glad I'm a subscriber.
Saw him the first time in late 1980 in St. Louis on The River tour. Seen him in both Wrigley and White Sox Park. Probably have seen him 12-13 times. Should have seen him this past winter here in Dallas, but I didn't go. My niece saw him for the first time Friday at Wrigley, and she loved it. He's my Presley, Sinatra, and Guthrie rolled up into one human being.
Nice. Part of his magic is he’s a poet who decided to do rock and roll.
“The screen door slams,
Mary’s dress sways
Like a vision she dances
across the porch
as the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing, ‘For the Lonely’”
Reportedly Shakespeare heard Springsteen’s “Thunder Road” and wanted to go back and rewrite ‘Romeo and Juliet’. LMK if you find a better a better stanza encapsulating what it means to be young.
I remember listening to a few (awful) live recordings of the first leg of the Born In The USA tour. He always did "No Surrender" solo on acoustic guitar. And he altered the lyrics of the final verse: "It's good to see your smiling face/and to hear your voice again." And so on.
How/why... Has the actual album original ever been performed? Nobody I knew with a passing interest in Springsteen noticed or cared...
It has taken me all day to get through this article because I keep having to stop when I can't see the words through the tears. But I finally made it. What an amazing article.
Life, Music and Baseball are all part of what makes Day to Day Life & Living, so very special! My Daughter is in the Entertainment Industry and I try to see Her perform several times a year. Both My Wife and I really enjoy those moments, but the connection between My Daughter and I is certainly very unique and I treasure the moments, especially as She becomes more & more adult, beyond Her young 22 years of age . . .
This made me tear up and hit home. My oldest daughter is 22, and I don't see her much anymore, but over the last six years, we've gone and seen AC/DC, Metallica, Def Leppard, and last summer I took her to Joan Jett, Poison, and Motley Crue (and Def Leppard) at Kaufmann Stadium. Unforgettable experiences. And, my youngest daughter is almost 17 and will be out of the house a year from August, so I know exactly how you feel!
Isn't it amazing how quiet it gets when they leave. I felt lucky that when my girls went away to school, 2 years apart they chose the same College. Brought some comfort. I had chills as I read this.
Every time you write about your daughters I end up crying. Thank you so much for letting us get these glimpses into your life and giving us your beautiful writing.
Great essay, and a subject dear to my heart. Though I live in Los Angeles, I traveled to Tulsa to see him in February. Hardly my first time traveling for Bruce, and every time I do, I am so thankful that I can. NYC/NJ, Phoenix, SF/Oakland, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Orlando and Nashville account for probably a third of the shows I've seen. The Tulsa show was my 68th...been at it since '84-'85. Sadly he didn't play in CA or AZ on this leg, but I already have tickets for San Diego, LA and SF for December and will probably add Phoenix. People who don't know me well always seem so surprised at how many Bruce shows I've been to. I try a simple explanation: you love what you love. People who know me well have asked why I'm still at it with the Bruce shows after so many decades: you love what you love. And maybe it's genetic as well, my brother and I share the Bruce gene and have seen many shows together, with SF coming up in December to add to our list.
Amazing story! I saw Bruce for the third and fourth time when he stopped in Houston and Austin earlier in the tour. These two were definitely more energetic and amazing than the previous two.
Joe, what a column - you are heck of a writer and I'm glad I'm a subscriber.
Saw him the first time in late 1980 in St. Louis on The River tour. Seen him in both Wrigley and White Sox Park. Probably have seen him 12-13 times. Should have seen him this past winter here in Dallas, but I didn't go. My niece saw him for the first time Friday at Wrigley, and she loved it. He's my Presley, Sinatra, and Guthrie rolled up into one human being.
Nice. Part of his magic is he’s a poet who decided to do rock and roll.
“The screen door slams,
Mary’s dress sways
Like a vision she dances
across the porch
as the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing, ‘For the Lonely’”
Reportedly Shakespeare heard Springsteen’s “Thunder Road” and wanted to go back and rewrite ‘Romeo and Juliet’. LMK if you find a better a better stanza encapsulating what it means to be young.
I remember listening to a few (awful) live recordings of the first leg of the Born In The USA tour. He always did "No Surrender" solo on acoustic guitar. And he altered the lyrics of the final verse: "It's good to see your smiling face/and to hear your voice again." And so on.
How/why... Has the actual album original ever been performed? Nobody I knew with a passing interest in Springsteen noticed or cared...
It has taken me all day to get through this article because I keep having to stop when I can't see the words through the tears. But I finally made it. What an amazing article.
OOOOF. This is just the best.
Life, Music and Baseball are all part of what makes Day to Day Life & Living, so very special! My Daughter is in the Entertainment Industry and I try to see Her perform several times a year. Both My Wife and I really enjoy those moments, but the connection between My Daughter and I is certainly very unique and I treasure the moments, especially as She becomes more & more adult, beyond Her young 22 years of age . . .
This made me tear up and hit home. My oldest daughter is 22, and I don't see her much anymore, but over the last six years, we've gone and seen AC/DC, Metallica, Def Leppard, and last summer I took her to Joan Jett, Poison, and Motley Crue (and Def Leppard) at Kaufmann Stadium. Unforgettable experiences. And, my youngest daughter is almost 17 and will be out of the house a year from August, so I know exactly how you feel!
Isn't it amazing how quiet it gets when they leave. I felt lucky that when my girls went away to school, 2 years apart they chose the same College. Brought some comfort. I had chills as I read this.
Every time you write about your daughters I end up crying. Thank you so much for letting us get these glimpses into your life and giving us your beautiful writing.
I'm not much of a Springsteen fan. But, every time Joe writes about him it makes me want to go see Bruce at least once.
The ones you write about your daughters...man, they get me every time!
Thank you
Great essay, and a subject dear to my heart. Though I live in Los Angeles, I traveled to Tulsa to see him in February. Hardly my first time traveling for Bruce, and every time I do, I am so thankful that I can. NYC/NJ, Phoenix, SF/Oakland, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Orlando and Nashville account for probably a third of the shows I've seen. The Tulsa show was my 68th...been at it since '84-'85. Sadly he didn't play in CA or AZ on this leg, but I already have tickets for San Diego, LA and SF for December and will probably add Phoenix. People who don't know me well always seem so surprised at how many Bruce shows I've been to. I try a simple explanation: you love what you love. People who know me well have asked why I'm still at it with the Bruce shows after so many decades: you love what you love. And maybe it's genetic as well, my brother and I share the Bruce gene and have seen many shows together, with SF coming up in December to add to our list.
Dammit Joe. Been a while since you got me like this.
Amazing story! I saw Bruce for the third and fourth time when he stopped in Houston and Austin earlier in the tour. These two were definitely more energetic and amazing than the previous two.
No daughter, only a son. Still crying.