On April 29th, my wife and I put an end to one of the longest bad luck streaks in my musical history. We arrived at the BB&T Center at 3;15, having just grabbed her from the Ft Lauderdale airport. After some shuffling, we found the wristband location- we were lucky numbers 390 and 391. We mostly milled around the arena until the drawing- chatting to other fans and people watching. We hadn't seen each other in a week but we were both so absorbed in the environment that we didn't talk much.
It was nearly 6pm when we realized that our numbers - despite having better than 50% odds- would not gain us entrance to the pit. I started to think that my luck had not turned and that I was going to end up with a bad view and equally bad attitude. I shook it off and remembered the email advice that I had gotten and we stayed put online.
When we finally gained entrance, I had shifted my focus to finding a spot where Dana would be comfortable. I think that the adrenaline had worn off and I had returned to being a worried husband who wanted his exhausted wife to be comfortable. My wife, in the mean time, muscled her way to the barricade and called me over. We stood with a family who had a luxury suite but wanted to experience the show from the floor as well.
The lights went down and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took the stage. My head was on a swivel as I strained my eyes to see what some of these heroes of mine looked like in person. There was Max! Nils looks so nuts in that hat! Jesus, Jake Clemmons is a truck of a man. I was vibrating on the inside. It was at least thirty seconds before I realized that they were opening with a Clash cover. My vision shifted over to Tom Morello. I have seen Tom almost a dozen times over the years so seeing him alongside Bruce was like having a friend return from the dead and tell you what a kick ass card player God was.
When Badlands started, I remembered someone that day telling me they hoped that I would get it. We were five or six songs in before Bruce made his way to our side of the barricade. He was literally singing three feet from me and I have the pictures to prove it. Well, actually what my pictures prove is that I was shaking like a freak. Not a one came out well because I was alternately reaching out to The Boss and trying to snap pictures. Over the course of the evening he spent more time in front of us and I did manage to get a grip on the man's arm and a smile. And my thoughtful wife got it all on film. I don't know why I give a shit about having touched him. Or having a record of it. But I wanted it.
There were too many highlights to name. I have included the setlist below. I just wanted to make sure that yesterday's post wasn't the final word on the subject. I saw something last night that I have never seen in my life. I saw thousands upon thousands of people crammed into tight spaces without a one complaining to another. I saw friends and strangers drinking alongside one another but not one shove, fight or cross word. I saw fifteen thousand people raise their hands to the sky at one man's behest. I don't typically think about human nature or, for that matter, how it could be better. But I did last night. I thought ' why can't we always act like this'. I guess it takes something that transcends ourselves- something that is bigger than our social anxiety, the shitty day we had at work, the way we feel about the traffic in town, our bosses, the kids, stress etc etc. to allow us to let all of that go and just commune. If you watch closely that sure seems like what the band does. The unfiltered joy that comes across from what they are doing and how they feel about it pours off the stage, through the pit and splashes around the thousands that have chosen to be a part of it. The folks who get it, who open their heart to it- those people are baptized by song. And, just like it says in those old books, baptism makes you pure. Daryl Brothers was right- the rock and roll gods do take care of their owns.
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(The Clash cover)
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(The Havalinas cover)
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(Tour premiere, solo acoustic, sign request)
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(World premiere)
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(John Lee Hooker cover) (Tour premiere)
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(Tour premiere, first time … more)
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(Sign request)
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('78 intro)
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(W/ Tom Morello on shared vocals)
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- Encore:
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(AC/DC cover)
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(The Isley Brothers cover)
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