My Lucky Day

Bruce Springsteen concert = most amazing night of my life to date!!!

WARNING: Shameless manic post-concert excitement ahead. Plan your timing accordingly! (And don't forget the popcorn!)

Friday, April 3, 2009:
6:15pm - the time we were supposed to leave for the concert (the concert was at the Jobing.com arena in Glendale, the concert started at 7:30).

6:35pm - the time we actually left. Delayed departures are common in my family, so this was not unexpected.

7:15pm - We get to the arena, park across the street (we opted out of the $20 valet).

7:35pm - after braving an over-crowded elevator and navigating treacherously-steep aisle steps, we get to our seats. True to performance-venue form, the show has not started on time!

7:45pm - still no sign of the Boss. The crowd is enthusiastic, energetic, and ready for a show!! Raucous cheering and applause starts erupting continually, a unified voice of our excitement! We’re not impatient yet, just eager!

8:00pm - by now, the raucous cheering episodes have become slightly more urgent, and include chants of “We Want Bruce” and other such cat-callings to get the Boss man on the stage! A number of entertaining minutes pass when the entire stadium manages to coordinate 6 or 7 rounds of The Wave. But interest starts to wane as more and more people start checking their watches and using their hands to clap encouragingly instead of lift them up into the air.

8:15pm - out of nowhere, two beach balls start bouncing around the stadium. This works as a diversion for a little bit...

8:20pm - The raucous cheering resumes with new vigor, though a few disgruntled fans (including my dad) are still checking their watches with disapproval. My own enthusiasm is loosing steam...

8:25pm - did I say loosing steam? Well, that was BEFORE the lights went out and you could see the BOSS MAN HIMSELF and the rest of the E-STREET BAND traipsing out onto the stage!!! And the CROWD WENT WILD!!!

8:30pm - And so starts a truly amazing concert.
Bruce Springsteen is an incredible performer. Watching him strut around the stage, smile into the microphone, and engage with the audience (which he did A LOT, he even let the standing crowd touch his guitar!! *jealous swoon*), you can see that his love for performing has never waned. And he’s SO handsome! Every time he smiled I nearly melted. I knew only a handful of songs, but Bruce is such an engaging performer that I had as much fun watching him move as I did hearing him sing! I loved watching him connect with his band mates, smiling and engaging with them as they all played. He even made a show out of his actions that were unrelated to his singing: tossing guitars back and forth with stagehands, squeezing a wet sponge onto his neck, sliding across the stage on his knees (and NOT colliding with the camera!), even doing a backbend while holding onto the microphone stand!! Oh wait, did I mention the poster-sign song requests? How cool is that??!!

Part of what made his concert so amazing was that it ran on PURE TALENT alone. Bruce didn’t need any huge, expensive stage props, vocal “guide tracks” (or whatever Ashlee Simpson is calling them), or a dancer-crowded stage to make his show a success, because he has *gasp* real talent! There's a reason Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band can play a 2 hour concert and then play an HOUR encore, and keep the audience on it’s feet, clapping, fist-pumping, and cheering the entire time... because of the soul behind the performance. *DISCLAIMER, IF YOU’RE A BRITNEY SPEARS FAN, READ ON AT OWN RISK* When you look at the differences between Bruce Springsteen concerts and, say, Britney Spears concerts, you see what I mean. My brother, who has been to a Britney Spears concert, even admitted it: after an overly flashy, lip-synched, over-danced and under-clad performance, Britney's concert only lasted something like an hour. Why? Because Britney is on that stage physically, but not in spirit. Anything that lacks spirit dies quickly, that’s true of anything in life: relationships, musical productions, concerts, etc. EVERYONE on that stage last night was into what they were doing, from Max Weinberg (the drummer- who has severe arthritis in his fingers and still rocked it hardcore!), to Patti Scialfa (Bruce's wife/guitar accompanist), and of course the Boss Man himself. That is what makes a concert successful, what makes your fans love you for 30+ years!!

There is a quote that talks about "giving of yourself" as the one true way to truly give. Bruce gives himself in his performances, in a way that Britney does not. Maybe it has to do with today's technology-age. Entertainment these days is so rooted in what's seen on a screen, and the focus on inter-personal interactions has faded to the wayside. Before tonight I had never really given much thought to the concept of the "electronic babysitter" being extended to attention-keeping in general. The attention spans of today's adolescents are alarmingly shortened due to prolonged exposure to short-term entertainment provided by electronic media... ironic that it now takes technology to also keep today's younger concert goers entertained.

Ok, in case you haven't noticed, I have a bit of a tangent-habit... you'll get used to it. lol. I have just one more thing to say...

YAY BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE!!!!