The best Bruce Springsteen concert I’ve seen is normally the one I just came out of. Tonight that is ScotiaBank Arena on Sunday November 3. Me, Bruce, Brittany, The E-Street Band and around 20,000 others.
I’ve seen Bruce live I think 13 or 14 times. Not really sure. Twice in LA, twice in Tampa, twice in Cincinnati, Copenhagen, San Diego, Amsterdam, Columbus, Dallas, Seattle and Toronto. I might be missing one but perhaps not.
It’s sorta hard to describe a Springsteen concert to someone who has never been, particularly if they are not an avid fan. It can still be fun, Brittany said she really enjoyed it, but I think it’s different. Sort of like watching a rugby game if you’ve never played before. Bruce concerts are very participatory. It’s helpful to know the lyrics. But not critical.
Part of a Springsteen concert, at least for me, is less about the immediacy of the moment and more about the history of each song relative to my life. Where I was living when that album came out and what I was doing the first time I heard those songs. Driving down the road in San Diego or on the on the ship when I was in the Navy or at a party and someone put on the new LP. Bruce has meant so much to me because I identify so much with his worldview and by extension his writing. It’s a trip down memory lane for me.
As the timeline of his life told by his songs rolls out, I followed my own timeline associated with those same songs.
This concert was pretty subdued by Boss standards. Exactly 3 hours with no breaks and no long talks. Just two solo acoustic songs — ‘Last Man Standing’, which is a reflection about the reality that he is the last person alive from his first band when he was 15 years old, and ‘I’ll See You In My Dreams’. The songlist was heavily tilted to his early songs. He left out a lot of his biggest hits and instead sang more about reflection and looking back and remembering people and places and times. He spoke a bit about Clarence and Danny Federici, both members of the E-Street Band for more than 40 years but who died young.
He very briefly mentioned the pending US Presidential Election and just asked everyone to pray for the US.
Like all Springsteen shows, he makes sure if you don’t have a good time, then that’s on you. It is loud and massive energy from a band of 15. Constant song changes and showcasing every member of the band to make sure they get some time in the spotlight. It’s a long night of singing along, dancing & clapping. The audience was full of love and positive energy. It’s what a concert should be. A gathering.
Bruce sings a lot of songs about the plight of the poor, the disenfranchised, the factory and other blue collar workers whose livelihoods are dependent on the whims of bankers and executives far removed from the difficulties of day-to-day living on a laborer’s salary. I would guess about 50% of Springsteen voters will support Kamala Harris and probably about the same Trump. The Trumpers may like Bruce’s songs and his sentiments but I guess they think he is confused on politics or perhaps should stay out of politics completely. He used to stay out, but after Bush he realized the stakes are too high to remain silent.
The road is long and seeming without end
The days go on, I remember you my friend
And though you’re gone and my heart’s been emptied it seems
I’ll see you in my dreamsI got the old guitar here by the bed
All your favorite records and all the books that you read
And though my soul feels like it’s been split at the seams
I’ll see you in my dreamsI’ll see you in my dreams, when all our summers have come to an end
I’ll see you in my dreams, we’ll meet and live and laugh again
I’ll see you in my dreams, yeah, around the river bend
For death is not the еnd
And I’ll see you in my dreamsI’ll see you in my dreams when all our summеrs have come to an end
I’ll see you in my dreams, we’ll meet and live and laugh again
I’ll see you in my dreams, yeah, around the river bend
For death is not the end
And I’ll see you in my dreams
See you in my dreams
See you in my dreams
Brittany and I made the most of our weekend in Toronto, culminating Sunday night in the concert. We had some lovely meals and a lot of miles walked around the city. We bought some Turkish sweets to eat on Tuesday while we watch election results come in.
Yesterday we drove home straight through. Brittany did most of the driving so I could take a few calls and nap a little. After the concert and long weekend, and faced with the reality of Election Day and that aftermath and the uncertainty and anxiety of current work situation, I was a little bluesy. I think Brittany was too.
But this morning I woke to a beautiful, unseasonably warm and sunny day and Marti and I had a long walk through the cemetery and around town. And it seemed like maybe everything would be all right.
These days it seems every election is the most important ever. Long gone are the days when we felt that if our candidate lost it would not be a catastrophic outcome. I’m saddened by the reality that so many of our countrymen will go cast a vote to support a man who has no compassion for anyone; who is so narcissistic and vile that if elected he will create massive hardship and sadness for so many. He will hasten the planet’s death by setting back environmental programs. The list goes on. No need to keep writing it down — acknowledging it does not lessen the severity.
I stood in line with my farmer and rural neighbors and voted. No question our county will be full-on Trump but I did my part to hold the link on the statewide tally.
Humbly Submitted
Robert Myres – Flanker (ret.), Portneuf Valley Rugby Football Club
The Martini Tales 