Concert Review: 8/25/16, Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford

So the summer of 2016, I had really only cared about one concert...and for once it wasn't Bruce!  I had been so obsessed about the Guns N' Roses reunion that I kinda forgot that Bruce was coming back to Metlife Stadium this summer.  Shame on me.  Maybe it was because I had already been to the Prudential Center show, and the Barclays Center with Rory, but I just didn't have the same enthusiasm that I usually did in the weeks leading up to this show.  Which to say my excitement was at like an 8 or a 9 instead of the usual 10.  Like I said, shame on me.  And it's almost as if Bruce knew that he was kind of flying in under the radar and wanted to pull out all the stops to really show his fans why he was, is, and always will be the greatest live musician you can possibly see.

I went to this concert with my wonderful girlfriend, whom I had gotten the tickets for her birthday.  Alright, the tickets were more a gift for me, but she was a Bruce fan prior to us dating and had been to about half a dozen concerts before, but this would be our first concert together.  And my God, was it a memorable show.  Four hours!  We had General Admission tickets on the floor, and I was exhausted at the end from just standing there.  I know we at LoS marvel at Bruce's energy and showmanship all the time, but it's really getting ridiculous.  Bruce is older than my parents, and he's not just "not slowing down", he's raising his game and playing some of the longest shows of his life.  And as much credit as we give to Bruce, The E Street Band needs credit too.  They are all close to Bruce, if not older, in age and keep up with him every step of the way.  I noticed a few times Bruce's interaction with Max, Nils, Garry, and everyone else in the band.  Bruce had a look in his eyes like he was almost challenging them to keep up with him.  And they absolutely did, and made it look easy.

So the night started out a little bit rough, as after our tailgate, we went into the concert and were met by enormous lines to get into the stadium.  It was just as I was about to go through the metal detectors that I heard the worst sound I could possibly hear, "Good Evening, New Jersey".  I had never missed the beginning of a concert, especially a Bruce show.  And as I heard the opening chords to "New York City Serenade", I finally got through security and had my ticket scanned.  It'll be ok, I can still catch the end of the song, and see the whole concert.  Nope, we hit another enormous line for getting on to the floor of the General Admission section.  The good news is I can hear the concert, but I was starting to get cranky at the drunks on the line, and the jerks who tried to cut the line, but were caught by the security staff.  Bruce was finishing up "Prove It All Night", when we finally were allowed into the stadium.  But now we have to stop and get wrist bands to get on to the floor.  Alright, now it's getting ridiculous.  I hear the familiar drum intro to "Night" as I finally am walking on to the floor of Metlife Stadium.  It was really only two songs that I missed, and considering the amount of time Bruce played for, it's just a drop in the bucket, but man I couldn't helped but feel somewhat bummed.  The feeling lasted all of two minutes, and by the time Bruce played "No Surrender" I had totally forgotten about those security lines.  And it's nothing I can be mad at Metlife Stadium at.  They're doing their job and security is a real issue.  But if you're going to any of his other shows this summer, allow yourself plenty of time to get into the venue.  Especially if you have GA tickets.

Even though this is The River tour, there were only a handful of songs played from that album, not including concert staples for every tour like "Hungry Heart" and "Out In The Street".  And since he's not touring for a new album, that leaves the setlist wide open for songs from Bruce's entire career, which for a hardcore fan was really exciting.  Like Rory said about Tuesday's show, the setlist last night was kind of somber at times.  And I think the songs he chose to play definitely were speaking for Bruce, especially this close to the election, without him having to make political statements.  I don't think it's a coincidence that "Ghost of Tom Joad", "Jack of All Trades", "Youngstown", "Death To My Hometown", and "41 Shots" were all played.  And Tom Morello being there for guest spots on certain songs certainly added to the political message.  But it wasn't beaten over your head, and it wasn't in your face.  Bruce was simply doing what he does best and expressing his thoughts through his song catalog.  And trust me, there were plenty of rocking tunes that kept people dancing in East Rutherford til after midnight, when they finally called it a night and said good night to an exhausted but thoroughly satisfied crowd.

Concert Review: 1/31/2016, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

"Good Evening New Jersey!"

It's one of the greatest sounds a Bruce fan can hear.  There's nothing quite like that moment when the house lights go out, the stage lights go on and Bruce takes the stage.  And you know for the next 3+ hours, you're about to see a legend in concert, and he won't disappoint.  He never has before, and he isn't going to tonight.  And man, was Bruce ON tonight.

I almost didn't make it to this concert, as tickets were incredibly difficult to get when they went on sale.  Fortunately, my good buddy Kyle called me a few minutes after they went on sale while I was still trying to get them and told me he had gotten tickets.  So off I went to the lovely Prudential Center in downtown Newark, NJ with Kyle, his girlfriend, and brother.  This was the first time in a long time I was going to see Bruce without my fellow Legends Of Springsteen contributors.  I was a little nervous that perhaps my fandom might be a little much for the others in my group, but they kept up right along with me belting out the lyrics to "Out In The Street", dancing on the floor of the Prudential Center to "Cadillac Ranch", and chugging beers like we were still in college to "Sherry Darling".  We also met a really nice father and son on the floor who had been to countless shows together and were huge fans.  I suggested that they visit this site later, so Matt and Joe if you see this, we had a blast rocking out with you!

The first thing I noticed about this show, was that the E Street Band was much smaller than it's been on the past few tours.  That's actually a good thing, as I specifically remember thinking the last time I saw Bruce that the band had gotten comically large.  Gone is the horns section, save Jake Clemons of course, and gone are the background singers, and back up percussionists.  This is the lineup from the original River tour, except for the members who have passed away and been replaced, and plus Patti and Soozi Tyrell.

Also, this is kind of a strange tour.  The River is a classic Bruce album, no doubt about it.  But it's not one of his most classic.  And 35 isn't exactly a milestone year.  Put it this way, I'll be turning 35 in a few short years, and I don't in any way see it as a milestone.  What did I care though?  If it meant going to see Bruce live, I didn't care how strange the touring circumstances were.

But of course, Bruce explained it perfectly.  This wasn't his  introduction to rock and roll like Greetings From Asbury Park or his masterpiece Born To Run.  And he was still a few years away from the height of his popularity with Born In The USA.  This was him proving he still had "it".  It was the album Bruce wrote in his 30s, way past the point where he can say he was the new guy, the up and comer.  He had been around for too long and had way too much success.  But he wasn't done, so he wasn't at the point where he could just rest on his laurels, and call it a career.  Hell, I don't even think he's at that point now, nor does he want to be.  Bruce proved tonight what he's proved to me every night that I've gone to see him: that he wants to be better than he was the last time he played.

And of course, after he played The River  in it's entirety he played a setlist that would rival any of his other previous ones.  Non-stop crowd pleasers, including having the house lights on for his entire encore.  By the end of the night, there wasn't a disappointed fan in all of the Prudential Center.  I would write more, but I'm exhausted and need to go to bed now.  Bottom line: if you're debating on whether or not to go see Bruce on this tour, don't.  It's 100% worth every penny, and for the first time in a long time, I left a Bruce concert without thinking "This might be the last tour I get to see him on."  He's looks and sounds better than any performer half his age and shows absolutely no desire to slow down any time soon.

Click here for the entire setlist.

Song Spotlight - "She's The One"

Key Live Performance:



If I could time travel I would absolutely love to see Bruce on the Darkness tour.  He'd put out enough classic material that you'd still get a killer setlist, but it was prior to Born In The USA so Bruce was playing theaters and smaller venues where you could still feel like you were in on something that everyone else who wasn't there was missing out on.  I love listening to and watching shows from this era, and "She's The One" is a great example of why.  For over 13 mins Bruce and The E Street band have fun jamming on the classic Bo Diddley Riff that makes up the intro, including covers of Van Morrison and Buddy Holly, respectively, and then the song builds up to a perfect crescendo at the end.  It's no wonder this song has been a staple of Bruce setlists since 1975, but this era seems to be where he's having the most fun with it.

Key Lyrics:

"With her long hair falling,
And eyes that shine like the midnight sun
Oh, she's the one."

I know it's a bit easy to go for the chorus, but man do these lyrics just stick out for me.  When I reviewed the book "Tietam Brown", I wrote about how Bruce's lyrics may not seem to make the most sense literally, but there's something about Bruce's genius way of phrasing it that it makes perfect sense.  I think I can speak for just about every guy out there that when they read that lyric a certain special girl pops into their mind.  I don't even know what a midnight sun would look like, but I know exactly what Bruce meant when he said her eyes shine like one.

Overall:

"She's The One" is a strange song that is revered by Springsteen fans, that I never think I'm that big a fan of it.  But whenever I am at a Springsteen concert and hear that distinct organ intro, I start clapping and dancing along and really getting into it.  When I wrote about "Night" last week I wrote about how it was an oddity in the sense that Bruce never seems to capture the spirit of the song live as he did in the studio.  "She's The One" is the exact opposite.  I usually skip the studio version of this song when it pops up randomly when listening to music but I will spend hours seeking out different live versions on YouTube.

Song Spotlight - "Night"

Key Live Performance:



Taken from the The Today Show when Bruce and The E Street Band played on the release day of Magic.  They played a bunch of their classics, like "Night", as well as songs songs from the excellent Magic album.  After the monster success of The Rising, Bruce threw his fans for a loop by putting out Devils and Dust and The Seeger Sessions.  Both great albums, but us fans were dying for some E Steet!   Magic and, in particular, this performance was Bruce and The E Street Band's triumphant return to prove that The Rising wasn't just a fluke.  They were back, and they were back to rock.  "Night" was a perfect choice.  It's by far the most upbeat rock song on Born To Run, even more so than the titular song.  Unfortunately though, I don't think any live performance has come off as great as the album version, which is insanely rare for Bruce.

Key Lyrics: 

"And the world is busting at its seams
And the you're just a prisoner of your dreams
Holding on for your life, 'cause you work all day
to blow 'em away at night."

While Bruce writing songs about blue collar values, fast cars, and overly romantic notions towards women may seem like old hat now, in 1975 it wasn't as much a staple on his first two albums.  He would certainly do it on other songs on this album, and really follow up on those themes on future albums.  I mean just reading these lyrics without knowing anything else about the song or album and it's still pretty easy to identify as Springsteen's lyrical work.  The song is filled with lyrics like the one above, that really any of them could have been used for the "Key Lyrics", but there's something about that particular line that really stands out to me and made me pick it.

Overall:

I love this song.  I love this album.  I put this song on my Bruce For Beginners playlist.  Like I said, this is one of the rare occasions where the studio version surpasses the live versions.  It's impossible not to hear that opening drum, Clarence's signature sax sound, and Bruce's lyrics and not get yourself all pumped up for your next big night out.

Concert for Valor: 7 PM Tonight on HBO!

Just a reminder that tonight at 7pm LIVE on HBO, Bruce will be performing at the Concert For Valor.  The concert is a very much well deserved tribute to our men and women of service, both veterans and active duty, and their families.  The concert is expected to draw close to 1 million people at The National Mall in Washington DC.

Bruce is just one of the many acts playing.  It truly is a "something for everyone" with Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Rhianna, Zac Brown Band, Carrie Underwood, Eminem, and the Black Keys, just to name a few.

More information can be found at www.concertforvalor.com.  Check back later this week for a review of the event!

Video Spotlight: "The River" - Passenger

Passenger had his big break last year when his song "Let Her Go" was used in the insanely popular Budweiser commercial "Best Buds".  I've listened to that album a few times and he's quite a talented singer and songwriter.  So it's no shock at all to figure out that he's a Bruce fan and covered one of his greatest songs.  I haven't heard much from him since that commercial, although admittedly I know so little about current pop music, he could be the most popular musician out there and I would have no idea.

"The River" is one of my top five favorite Springsteen songs of all time.  For awhile it was my favorite, and every now and then I still consider it my favorite, depending on my mood.  It's a perfect song for an acoustic guitar, that really sets the tone for it's somber lyrics.  One quick search of YouTube confirms that by the sheer number of videos on there.  Although Passenger's version is clearly the best cover I have heard of "The River".  Enjoy!

Great Moments in Springsteen Television History: The Sopranos

We have been doing this blog for nearly 3 years, and The Sopranos is my all-time favorite TV Drama.  How did it take me this long to do a tribute to Stevie Van Zandt's role as Silvio Dante on HBO's The Sopranos?!?

According to Van Zandt, Sopranos creator David Chase decided to cast him in the show after seeing Stevie induct The Rascals into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1997, despite him having no acting experience at all.

It should go without saying that the clips I will show in this post are not even remotely safe for work.  And there will also be spoilers.  But the show has been off the air for seven years, so if you haven't seen it by now, what are you waiting for?

Silvio starts off as just a regular mafia soldier with very little to make him standout from the others. He keeps a low profile, runs a legitimate(ish) business in the infamous "Bada Bing" strip club, and is fiercely loyal to his family and his boss.

However, slowly throughout the show, he starts showing more and more personality, such as when he's annoyed with the officiating at his daughter's soccer game.

But perhaps what he would be most noted for was his Michael Corleone from The Godfather impressions, as seen below and would become one of his character's trademark.



His loyalty to his crime family was abundantly clear when he whacked several FBI informants seen here, here, and especially here.  That's in addition to all the other murders he committed on the show.  He may have been a soft-spoken guy, but he was an absolute bad-ass, cold-blooded, brutal mobster.

But, my all time favorite scene is when he's playing poker.  As an avid gambler, I absolutely know the frustration he felt of losing money and taking that frustration out on the nearest person.

Video Spotlight - SNL Dress Rehearsal 2002 "You're Missing"

I came across this video while meticulous researching my Joe Piscopo posts for this blog.  Both of them.  I remember this episode of Saturday Night Live airing, it was the season premiere with Matt Damon hosting.  Bruce sang this song, as well as "Lonesome Day".  There's actually a great skit of Matt Damon and Jimmy Fallon as drunk guys with strong Boston accents at a Springsteen concert who keep fighting the people around them for ruining the concert. Specifically the line "I did nawt pay $200 for flawr seats and hear you singing Thundah Road in my ear!  So shut up!"  I can't find that skit anywhere, so this will have to do for now.

This was the beginning of Bruce's comeback.  It's not really fair to call it a comeback, when he never really went away, but he was about to reclaim his title as "The Boss", just in case anyone had forgotten.   The Rising had just been released, and Bruce was about to make his first appearance on SNL in approximately a decade.  I'm pretty sure these two appearances were Bruce's only  times on the show.  Pretty crazy to think they didn't have him on during the Born To Run or Born In The USA phases of his career when he was arguably the biggest name in pop and rock music.  Actually even now, he'd do great on the show.  But this show was to prove to the audience, he wasn't back to just play his greatest hits.  "Lonesome Day" showed Bruce and The E Street band still knew how to rock, while this piano solo ballad, showed Bruce was still the foremost songwriter out there.  And this dress rehearsal just shows Bruce at his most raw and concentrated, and must have been amazing for the cast and crew to watch.

Even More Joe Piscopo

I'm not through with Joe Piscopo.  Not by a long shot,  Remember when I said he was obsessed with New Jersey?  Well, this video pretty much cements it.  And it's not even his only song about New Jersey.

There's not much more I can say about my man Joe Piscopo.  I know I was kind of rough on him last time, but it came from a place of love and admiration.  And just to show no hard feelings, I'll also throw in this video from  The Dolly Show where he does his Springsteen impression to do a duet with Dolly Parton of "I'm On Fire".  It's actually, pretty good.  Wait, scratch that, he actually catches on fire at  the 3:30 mark.  Oh Joe, I'd hate you if I didn't love you so much.

Lyrics Spotlight: "Worlds Apart"

Author's note:  The views and opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone, and do not necessarily reflect the other writers at Legends of Springsteen,  or the website as a whole.  Thank you.

"Sometimes the truth just ain't enough,
But it's too much in times likes this."- "Worlds Apart", The Rising




Last week, Bill Maher and Ben Affleck made headlines on Maher's HBO show "Real Time With Bill Maher", when they got into a heated debate on the Islamic faith.  Even though I'm fairly conservative, and Maher is staunchly liberal, I do watch his show every week.  Part of the reason is the intellectual reward of wanting to broaden my horizons and hear the counter-thoughts to my views so I can fully understand issues.  However another part, and major part at that, is because I like how angry shows like this make me and strengthen my own conservative arguments.

However, even though I usually can't stand Maher, I absolutely agreed with him on this issue.  It got me thinking about the Springsteen song "Worlds Apart", which musically and lyrically compare and contrast Eastern and Western cultures.  Maher is an unapologetic critic of all organized religion, but has said "All religion is disease.  But Christianity is herpes, and Islam is cancer."  I thought about the above Springsteen lyrics during this debate, when Maher and author Sam Harris plead for fellow liberals to stand up for their liberal values and face the ugly truth that sometimes criticizing someone other than White Christian Males, which liberals are always fine with criticizing, is sometimes acceptable.  But notice, even before they get to that point that Ben Affleck, another staunch liberal, seems to sense where this conversation is going.  Before Harris is even finished with his point, Affleck is combative and dismissive of his credentials.  When Harris confirms that he has studied Islamic culture extensively, Affleck give him an incredibly passive-aggressive comment of "I was just asking."   And the whole debate is downhill from that point, and neither really seems to listen to one another.  Maher asks his fellow liberals to examine the facts and not just label criticism of Islam as bigoted.  Affleck, overwhelmed by anger and emotion, lashes out and calls Maher a bigot.  "Sometimes the truth just ain't enough,  But it's too much in times likes this."  Worlds Apart, indeed.

Joe Piscopo

Now, some of you may be saying, "Who the hell is Joe Piscopo?"  That's a fair question, however, most will remember this Jersey-born, not-so-iconic comedian.  But in the dark days of Saturday Night Live, from 1980-1985, Joe Piscopo was kind of the man.  Really.  He was only eclipsed by Eddie Murphy, who at that time was probably the most revolutionary thing in comedy since George Carlin.  But then Piscopo left SNL, and went promptly into the "Where Are They Now?" fame.  But don't tell Joe that.  No, Joe still thinks he's the man.  And it'd almost be admirable if it wasn't so sad.  I'm sorry, I don't want this to come off as mean, but he might be the most delusional man about his own talent and stardom that I ever heard.

My fascination with Joe Piscopo started a few years ago when I was listening to my favorite radio show, Opie and Anthony (I really miss the show), and co-host Anthony Cumia started bashing Joe Piscopo's recent Showtime special "Club Piscopo".  For the next 3 hours, Opie and Anthony proceeded to watch Joe Piscopo clips on YouTube and absolutely destroy Piscopo.  It was hysterically funny (NSFW).  Then things only got better, when Piscopo called in and took his beating like a good sport, and won over the audience.  Since then, watching Joe Piscopo clips on YouTube is one of my favorite things.  Some of his impressions are cringe inducing, and his singing is downright laughable (but not as bad as his rapping).  And yet, in the end, I love the guy.

I have to admit, his Sinatra impression is very good.  However, when Phil Hartman came along to SNL, he blew it Piscopo's impression out of the water.  And Joe's Bruce impression is kind of hacky.  Oh yeah, another thing about Piscopo, he's obsessed with being from Jersey.  Listen, I've lived in NYC for the past 4 years, but in my heart I still am a Jersey guy.  I get it.  It's in the blood, and hard to let go of.  But Joe takes it to a new level.  So I was not shocked at all to see this video from Joe's mid 80's comedy special.  Piscopo's most famous impression from SNL, the biggest rock star at the time, and it's all in Jersey?  It's the Joe Piscopo Holy Trinity.

Tom Morello - "Marching On Ferguson"

So I promised Rory and Steve I would keep my political rantings to a minimum on this blog.  I saw this video a few weeks back, and decided not to immediately post about it, because I still was so enraged by what I saw happening in Ferguson, that I don't think I could have kept my political thoughts in check.  Now that the situation has died down, I feel I can share this video.

I won't get into my own personal feelings about Ferguson.  Whether or not it was a young, unarmed man gunned down by prejudice and trigger-happy cop, or whether or not this was a criminal, who attacked a cop and was justly killed by a cop doing his job, this blog is neither the time or place to discuss it, and no one here knows for sure, so let's just let the grand jury do their job with the evidence that's presented.

So, Tom Morello and his band the Night Watchmen wrote this song about the situation in Ferguson, and this was the best copy I can find.  The lyrics are pretty hard to understand, and even still the song barely clocks in at 2 minutes with a large part of that being instrumental.  But it's not a shocker at all to see that Morello sides with the rioters in Ferguson and their cause.  He has a history of taking part in political causes that seem to start with good intentions, but then are just taken over by opportunists who don't care about the cause and ruin the message (most notably Occupy Wall St.).  And, of course, his signature guitar, with his "arm the homeless" written on it.  Until you remember that most homeless people are mentally ill, and the exact people we should keep guns out of the hands of.

I'm still torn about how I feel about Tom Morello in the E Street band.  Musically he's been great, and a breath of fresh air.  He's fit in very well, and been very well received by the Bruce's fans.  However, personally I still think he's kind of a jackass, and get annoyed every time I hear him talk.  Unless he's inducting Kiss into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.  Then he's awesome.

Video Spotlight - "Down By The River"- Neil Young feat. Bruce Springsteen

There's not much to say about this video.  It's Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young, what more do you need to know?  It's my favorite Neil Young song, and when searching for cool versions of this on YouTube, I found this version.  It's from Young's solo acoustic tour in 1989, and Bruce really didn't add too much to the song except for the fact that it added Bruce Springsteen to an already great song.  It seemed to be the only night that the song was played on the tour, and obviously the only night Bruce played along with him.  Strangely, this show was from Jones Beach, on Long Island, New York, when the previous week Young was in New Jersey for two nights.  But as my great, great grandfather always said..."Bruce in Long Island instead of Jersey is always better than no Bruce at all."

Rock and Roll, Rebellion, and Bruce Springsteen

As always, when it comes to my political rants, these views are mine alone.  They do not reflect the other posters, or LegendsOfSpringsteen.com as a whole.  You know the deal, by this point...

Earlier this year Macklemore and Ryan Lewis made headlines when he did a mass marriage of same-sex couples at the Grammy awards.  The next day the mainstream media praised this huge step forward for same-sex couples and talked about how "brave" Macklemore was.  Brave?  Really?  After years of being against same-sex marriage, I am happy to say that I now support what really seems like a no-brainer.  But is it really brave for a celebrity to support same-sex marriage?  Especially in front of a liberal-Hollywood crowd.  Everyone there supported it is as well, so how is it brave?  Ten years ago, it would be brave.  Now it's not only safe, it's downright predictable.

It got me to thinking about the sorry state of rock music today.  The genre has basically died.  It's a shame because I still love it so much, and I would love to see it make it comeback.  But I don't even know where to hear new bands anymore.  But, back in it's hey-day, rock music was all about rebellion.  It was about stating what you believe, no matter how unpopular it is.  I remember Guns N' Roses getting in all sorts of trouble for their song "One In A Million".  It was deemed racist, homophobic, insulting to cops and immigrants.  Axl Rose simply defended it by saying it was how he felt.  They had plenty of other incidents where their lyrics and content would cause trouble.  In the late 80's when Bono was trying to help AIDS research, Skid Row's Sebastian Bach infamously wore a shirt that said "AIDS Kills Fags Dead".  Bodycount got in trouble for their song "Cop Killer".  2 Live Crew's album was deemed too offensive to even sell!  Now I don't really support any of those ideas, but I absolutely support their right to express it.  My point is, even though most of these bands would probably say now that they wouldn't do it, at the time that's how they felt.  That's bravery.  That's what made rock and roll music.  I would love to a return to this.  It would be so cool to see someone support the second amendment, come out supporting fracking, or something else totally radical.  But in today's corporate sponsored environment, I just don't see it happening.  I'm sure we will just get the same hypocritical comments from musicians who try to support laws that deny citizens their right to guns while being followed by armed security guards.  Perform concerts for "climate change awareness", while touring with a monstrosity stage set up that is putting forth an enormous carbon footprint.  Predictability is what killed rock and roll.  And just so I don't sound completely like a right-winged nutjob, Ted Nugent's conservative predictability is every bit as tiresome as its liberal counterpart.

It got me thinking about Bruce Sprinsteen and his Born In The USA era, expertly covered by this blog last month.  After President Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan brought the country back to conservative values.  While some tend to look back at this era with rose colored glasses, the truth is, for many, this was when the gap between the haves and the have-nots got larger.  Bruce Springsteen didn't like what he saw and wrote albums like Nebraska and Born In The USA to highlight the struggles of the American dream that Bruce thought Reagan was ignoring.  That's true rebellion.  When Reagan campaigned in New Jersey in September of 1984 he said "America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts; it rests in the message of hope in songs so many young Americans admire: New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen. And helping you make those dreams come true is what this job of mine is all about."  A few days later Bruce responded "The President was mentioning my name the other day, and I kinda got to wondering what his favorite album musta been. I don't think it was the Nebraska album. I don't think he's been listening to this one."  Now that's a rebel!  Bruce would later return to these rebellious roots, 20 years later when George W. Bush was president.  But by that point, it wasn't rebellion, it was simply the norm in rock music, and therefore it didn't carry the same weight.  But as long as their is someone out there fed up with what they see in the world, and willing to pick up a guitar and fight against it, rock and roll will never die.  For now though, it's just very very quiet.

Song Spotlight - "Dancing In The Dark"

Key Live Performance



While there was certainly no shortage of live performances to choose from, it's been a staple of every live show since 1984, I was strongly tempted to just pick the music video.  It's not only Bruce's most iconic music video, it's one of the most iconic music videos ever.  But in the end I decided to pick a live performance because really no other shows how fun a Bruce concert can be.  All the house lights come up, and the crowd dances while singing along with every word.

Key Lyrics

"They say ya gotta stay hungry.  Hey baby, I'm just about starving tonight!"

When I wrote about John Legend's cover of this song, I pointed out how changing it from a synthesized pop song to a piano ballad put the attention on the lyrics.  And the lyrics to this song, aren't as happy as the music would have you believe.  They speak of a sad, and desperate man.  That said, no matter what version of the song is played, the lyrics are the strongest part of the song.

Overall

Much like the other six singles from this album, "Dancing In The Dark", is a staple of 80's pop and rock music.  It's Bruce's biggest single, and probably his most recognizable song.  Instinct says to go with "Born To Run" or "Born In The USA", but that music video might just nudge this song ahead.  His dance with Courtney Cox is what turned Bruce Springsteen from rock star into cross-over, pop culture icon.  Thank God he went with that version of the song instead of the original version of the video.

Song Spotlight- "Bobby Jean"

Key Live Performance



Taken from Bruce's iconic show at Hyde Park in 2012.  I've often said that "Bobby Jean" is Clarence Clemon's best solo, so it's ironic that I picked a performance without Clarence for the key performance.  I picked this one just because I love how into it the crowd gets with their choreographed wave side to side.  Jake Clemons does a great job honoring his uncle's legendary sax solo, and it shows just how beloved this song is.  More on that later.

Key Lyrics

"And I'm just calling one last time not to change your mind
But just to say 'I miss you, baby'.  Good luck, goodbye, Bobby Jean."

One of Springsteen's most iconic lines.  It's something every guy fantasizes about saying, to some girl.  It just sounds so cool, but no one could ever pull it off.  You'd sound like a total jackass if you did say it.  Don't believe me?  Ask Rory.  It's the basis for the entire movie High Fidelity.  Much like I said in my review of "Downbound Train", that very few guys wants to admit a girl broke his heart, and very few guys want to admit that there is a girl that immediately comes to mind when they hear this line.  It's what makes this album so special.  Bruce built his career by connecting with audience, but never more than he has with this album.  And perhaps, never more than with this lyric.

Overall

Shockingly, this was not one of the seven singles from this album.  I say shockingly, because when Bruce plays this live it's one of the biggest crowd-pleasers of the night.  It's the only song Bruce sings with it's own signature dance move.  I don't know when it started as it's not seen in any of the 80's performances, the song was mostly ignored during 90's when Bruce was away from the E Street Band, but when Bruce and the E Street Band reunited everyone just seemed to do it.  Like Rory said about "No Surrender", the fact that this song wasn't a huge single is a blessing.  It's not overplayed, and it keeps the songs special.

Song Spotlight - "Downbound Train"

Key Live Performance


I'm not sure when this video is from, which is a shame because it captures this song perfectly.  Judging by the look of Bruce here, I'd put it at circa 2002-3, during The Rising Tour.  Last week, I bemoaned about how much I disliked "Cover Me".  It was my least favorite song on the album, and in my bottom five of all time for Springsteen songs.  Well, this week, it's the exact opposite.  This is my favorite song on the album, and in my top five Springsteen songs ever written.  It's one of the best examples of Springsteen's storytelling; a depressing downward spiral all set to the tune of a great guitar riff that perfectly catches the melancholy lyrics.  

Key Lyrics

"She just said 'Joe, I gotta go.
We had it once, we ain't got it anymore.'"

There were so many choices for lyrics in this song, as lyrically this is some of the best work in Bruce's career.  I went with these lyrics because the song is written in a first person perspective, and there's something so universal about this line.  We all have been in these relationships, whether they've lasted one date or years, where it seemingly comes out of nowhere that one person just doesn't seem to feel the same way.  It's a punch in the gut, and is usually accompanied by the rest of your life crumbling at your feet.  Bruce captures this perfectly in this song and the result is a beautiful, introspective song.  Most guys won't admit it, because they haven't literally lost their job and their significant other back to back, but there's something relatable to these lyrics.  They don't want to sound like drama queens, but every guy has had some girl break his heart and then the rest of their life seems to go to hell too.  Guys just nod their head along thinking to themselves with their body language saying "I hear you, brother."  

Overall

Well as much as I love this song, I was shocked to find out that Springsteen biographer, Dave Marsh, did not like it at all.  Marsh called it "incredibly sloppy": "the weakest song [Springsteen]'s released since the second album, ... incredibly sloppy ... The protagonist's three jobs in five verses are only symptomatic of its problems."  Well, he's certainly entitled to his opinion, but I couldn't disagree more.  As far as the song is "sloppy", it's not at all.  It's unique sound, gives the song it's urgency to the protagonist's feelings.  And I'm not alone, I've been lucky enough to hear this song live a few times and it always is a huge crowd-pleaser.

Like many other songs from this era, it's roots are in Nebraska.  The demo version  of this song doesn't come close to doing the song justice, and I'm so glad Bruce took the time to perfect the music to go along with these lyrics.  I just cant imagine hearing this song any other way.  

I think part of the reason I love this song goes back to my roots as a fan of metal and hard rock music.  I could easily see this song being covered by a metal band, specifically Metallica.  I would love to see James Hetfield playing the opening guitar chords, with a little more distortion, maybe sped up just a little bit, and then hearing Lars and the rest of the band kicking in and rocking out.  Much like they did when they covered Bob Seger's "Turn The Page".  And as much as I would love that, no matter how unlikely it is, it will never top the original.  It's that good.  

Song Spotlight- "Cover Me"

Key Live Performance:



Just a few quick thoughts before I begin.  Born In The USA is my favorite Bruce album.  It's not even close.  Besides Guns N' Roses' Appetite For Destruction, it's probably my favorite album of all time. It's what introduced me to Bruce, and laid the ground work for my fanaticism today.

So it's ironic, for my first foray into Born In The USA month, I will be tackling my least favorite song on the album, and one of my least favorite Springsteen songs ever, "Cover Me".  The song is not played too terribly often, but not completely unheard of for Bruce to put it on a setlist.  Live videos on YouTube were easy enough to find, but there was not too much variety.  I went with this video, because it was professionally shot in HD, and I didn't want to use the 1985 Paris edition because I will be going to that concert a lot in future posts this month.  The crowd reaction seems to be exactly what mine would be if I was there, "Awesome, Bruce is playing a song he doesn't play that often!  Crap, it's 'Cover Me'."

Key Lyrics:

"This whole world is out there looking to score,
I've seen enough, I don't want to see anymore."

I never really noticed how repetitive the lyrics were in this song.  The song isn't terribly complex, it's just about Bruce looking for an ideal girl.  For some reason this girl needs to offer constant protection and Bruce just repeatedly asks for someone to cover him.  I mean what girl wouldn't be turned on by that proposition?  I do somewhat like the above lyrics, and think it would work better in another song.  There seems to be a sincerity in that line, that the rest of the song lacks.  He's not just trying to act like a victim to attract a girl to his bad boy persona.  He's not in it just for a cheap thrill or a one night stand.  He really needs to be covered.  For what?  I have no idea.  But consider this line the one silver lining, in a rather abysmal song.

Overall:

One of the seven Top-10 hit singles from Born In The USA, "Cover Me" peaked at #7 on the charts in the summer of 1984.  Shockingly, there is no music video for this song, which is pretty insane for a Top-10 hit in 1984.  Music videos were essential to popularity, and the fact that Bruce had a Top-10 hit without the aid of music video really speaks volumes about how huge Bruce really was in the summer of 1984.

I guess what I hate the most about this song, is that it sounds like with minimal tweaking this could easily have been a disco song.  I HATE DISCO!  It wasn't until researching this song for this post, that I realized Bruce wrote the song for Donna Summer.  So the disco-esque beats are somewhat understandable.  Springsteen's manager, Jon Landau, convinced him the song was a hit and he should hold on to it.  It's hard to argue with Landau considering the song was a big hit, but I really wish Springsteen would have followed his instinct and just let Summer have the song.  There's so many great songs from this writing era that I would have rather seen on this album, including "Cynthia", "Shut Out The Light" and my personal favorite unreleased Sprinsteen song, "Unsatisfied Heart".  There are plenty of others too, but you get the point.  I promise the rest of my posts for this month will be much, MUCH more positive.

Under The Influence of Springsteen: Kiss - "Shandi"

Friends who know me know I am an absolute Kiss fanatic.  Granted, no one will ever top Bruce, and Kiss isn't even my second or third favorite.  I don't know where they land on the list of my top ten bands, but they are definitely on there.  But because of their cartoonish makeup and Gene Simmons' awful reputation as someone who is just in it for the money, Kiss is usually the band I spend the most time defending.

All my other favorite bands need no defense.  Bruce has a 40+ year career that speaks for itself, Guns N' Roses have the greatest debut album of all-time, Metallica, AC/DC, and Ozzy Osbourne are all heavy metal icons that are well respected outside of their genre for their longevity and worshiped in the heavy metal community.

But Kiss fans only have each other.  The Kiss Army was really born out of necessity more than any other reason.  Rock and roll purists disregard Kiss as a novelty act never to be taken seriously, while heavy metal fans see them as soft and phonies.  Pardon the pretentiousness, but it really takes something special for Kiss fans to realize that not only is the band not a novelty act, the band is beyond talented, but the music really is something special.  Author and essayist, and fellow Kiss Army Member, Chuck Klosterman, put it much better, and more detailed, than I ever could.

But this past year, Kiss was vindicated by taking their rightful, long-overdue spot in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame alongside the E Street Band in the class of 2014.  I thought that would be where the similarities between the two bands ended, but I recently read in an interview with Paul Stanley that their 1980 hit "Shandi" from their album Unmasked was heavily influenced by "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" from The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle.

I can't believe I never noticed this before, as one listen of the chorus to "Shandi" and it sounds practically identical to "Sandy".  Also, "Sandy" and "Shandi"?  Come on, it's basically the same name.  And for the record, outside of the Kiss song, I have never heard the name "Shandi" before or since.  Except of course for the delightful Summer Shandy beer.  So crack open a Shandy, pump some "Shandi" and compare it to "Sandy".

Great Moments in Springsteen Fandom: The Orchard Grill Incident

This story goes back to my college days at Niagara University. Go Purple Eagles!  During my senior year, my roommate Sean and I had a bit of a tradition. After our last class on Thursday (of course we designed our schedule to give us Fridays off) we would get absolutely annihilated drunk. That's not fair, we did it a lot more often then once a week, but Thursdays were special.

Every Thursday we would meet our friends Cara and Kate at The Orchard Grill. Most students at NU never even heard of this place. While most of the campus was out at the clubs or overpriced bars, we spent our time at Orchard Grill because it was so cheap and we loved the people who worked there. There were rarely other customers there, and if there were other customers, they didn't stay for long. This was like our own private bar. At the end of the night we got our tab, which was always something stupidly cheap like $20.  How could life be any grander?

They also had one of those old fashioned jukeboxes with the full albums on it, including Springsteen's Greetings From Asbury Park. Usually at some point during the night, I would put a few bucks in the machine and play the full album, much to the annoyance of my friends and the one or two other patrons in the bar.

But on one night in mid September of 2007 something "magical" happened. Somewhere during "Spirit in the Night", this big guy came up to me and said "Are you the guy who keeps playing Springsteen?" I assured him I was and he then asked me to come outside with him. Being chock full of whiskey and cheap beer I gladly did, but looking back on it now I can't believe I did this. This bar was in a crappy area of an even crappier city. You don't just follow strange men by yourself in the dark.  But I did, and as we approached his car, he gave me a copy of the new Springsteen CD, Magic!

I couldn't believe it, the album wasn't due out for a few more weeks!  I thought for sure it was hoax, but he assured me it wasn't. All he asked was that I buy him a beer back at the bar. Ah, that's what he wanted all along!  Well, beers were so cheap there I figured why not?  This was the most clever scam I had ever seen to get a beer. But it wasn't a scam. When I got home and put the CD on heard the opening chords of "Radio Nowhere" I realized this guy was for real. I don't know how he got it, I don't know who he was, as I never saw him again, and I don't know why he gave it to me. But I was sure glad he had, as it's one of my favorite Springsteen albums ever.