Pure Magic

I first became a fan of Bruce Springsteen's back in 1975. About six weeks after he simultaneously appeared on the covers of Time and Newsweek, Bruce and the E Street Band played at my college in upstate New York. It was a night that changed my life. Bruce's music spoke to me in a way that music never had before, and his live performance electrified me.

I saw Bruce and the band again in 1978 on the Darkness on the Edge of Town tour, and twice more on The River tour. The River was a bit of a disappointment as Bruce edged toward commercial viability. I've always thought it would have made a great single album, but there was too much mediocre, commercial filler to fill it out as a double album. The live shows, however, were still as dynamic as ever. Then came Born in the USA, which I have never liked. Seemingly written for commercial success, the album was of course, a blockbuster hit, fueled by the video of "Dancing in the Dark", with Courteny Cox being dragged onstage to dance with Bruce. It was beyond lame. In between, Bruce released a solo album, Nebraska, which was dark and moody. While I found it to be an improvement over Born in the USA, it still lacked something, in my opinion.

The next E Street Band album, Tunnel of Love, was a major disappointment. I didn't even bother seeing a show on that tour, and soon after the tour, Bruce broke up the band. I was devestated. His subsequent output in the 90's, solo albums like Human Touch, Lucky Town, and The Ghost of Tom Joad, were awful. Bruce Springsteen had ceased being relevant.

And then, in 2002, seemingly coming out of nowhere, came The Rising. Bruce had already re-united with the E Street Band in 1999 (and had done sort of a greatest hits tour), and once more wrote and performed with passion and urgency. Most of the songs were a reaction to the horrific events of 9/11, and songs such as "Into the Fire", "Empty Sky" and "You're Missing" were heartbreakingly powerful. My personal passion was re-ignited, and I saw three shows on the tour.

Bruce's next two albums were somewhat disappointing. Devils and Dust, a morose solo output of mediocre songs, was something I listened to a few times when it came out, and have not picked up since. His next was even worse. Titled "We Shall Overcome", it was an over-blown, over-produced, bloated attempt to re-do standard American folk songs, like "John Henry" and "Erie Canal". I hated it, and once again, avoided the subsequent tour. Constructing a monstrocity called the Seeger Sessions Band for the tour, Bruce broke up the E Street Band, and this time it looked like it was for good.

Instead, once again, Bruce has surprised me. In the fall of 2007, Bruce released Magic with the E Street Band, with a major tour to follow. From the very first time I listened to Magic, I felt an excitement that I hadn't felt in a long time. I listened to it again and again, and made sure to catch one of the live shows on the first leg of the tour, in Los Angeles at the old Sports Arena. In my opinion, it's the best thing Bruce has done since Darkness on the Edge of Town.

The album once again displays the political and social commentary that has comprised so much of Bruce's later work, performed with an intensity and vibrance by an obviously re-invigorated E Street Band. "Gypsy Biker" is a brilliant, biting rock song about a soldier coming back home from Iraq. With an infectious beat and searing guitar, it is one of the best songs Bruce has done in many years. "Living in the Future" is Bruce's biting attack on the America that has emerged in the wake of the George W presidency. "Long Walk Home" is a tight, driving song with a tuneful lyric and a solid performance. "Girls in their Summer Clothes" is a throwback to some of Bruce's best songs from The River, a joyous, fun and nostalgiac "summertime" tune that can't help but put a smile on my face every time I hear it. And, of course, it all starts with "Radio Nowhere", one of the best, pure rockers Bruce has ever done.

The concert was, quite simply, fantastic. Coming in at a solid two hours and twenty minutes (unlike the four hour marathons of the mid-80's), the E Street Band is tighter and better than it ever was. The Magic songs sound even better live than on the album, and the old nuggets that Bruce played that night ("She's the One", "Night", and a phenomenal "Kitty's Back) were flawless. It was the second-best concert I've ever seen, trailing only that very first time I saw Bruce and the band at my college in 1975.

The only disappointment is that, for the first time ever, Bruce is not including Arizona on this tour. Phoenix has always been a supportive town for Bruce, going back to the old days of the first two albums, when Bruce was very much a regional act. He always played Phoenix, and I've seen him on three different tours in three different venues. But not this time.

Instead, I had to go out to L.A. last October to see him. And this year, my wife and I will drive out to Anaheim to see him again, the night before my birthday, as a birthday present to both of us. I'm counting the days.