The Boss

When you go to a Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band show, you expect certain things. You expect Bruce to give it everything he has, you expect the band to cook, you expect to hear a few old nuggets that blow you away, you expect to lose all your inhibitions as you sing and dance with a few thousand strangers, and you expect to feel exhilirated afterward. The difference between your standard, run-of-the-mill fantastic E Street show, and the absolutely amazing thing I witnessed tonight is what I call the "Holy shit" factor. That is, when you suddenly realize that Bruce and the band are playing something you never expected to hear again live, and you can't help yourself from sitting up and saying "Holy shit!" And that's what makes tonight's show one of the best I've ever seen, and maybe the best of all time.

In fact, the show started with a "Holy shit" moment. When you're an insane Springsteen nut like I am, you follow the shows of a particular tour, checking out all the setlists on the Bruce websites. For months on this tour, Bruce has begun just about every show with "Radio Nowhere" from the new album, a great song and one of the best rockers Bruce has ever written. I was ready and waiting for it. What I wasn't ready for was "Light of Day". "Light of Day", are you kidding me? Where the hell did that come from? And almost from the very first notes of the song, I found myself saying, "Holy shit!" To put it simply, it knocked my socks off, and it set the tone for the whole night.

"Radio Nowhere" was next, and that song is simply lights out when you see it performed live. That song segued into a blistering version of "Lonesome Day", and then "Gypsy Biker", which I still maintain is the best song from "Magic." And that led into "Murder Incorporated." "Murder Incorporated," how in the world did that get into the setlist? Five songs into the show, I've now had two "Holy shit" moments, and Bruce had yet to do a song written prior to the '90's, which is pretty much unprecedented.

Next came a hilarious monologue from Bruce. Now, it wasn't one of those rambling monologues from the old days, about Bruce's father and his guitar, or anything like that, but Bruce pointed out that Patti wasn't with the band tonight. He reminded us that he and Patti now have three teenagers at home, and there was some sort of teenage toga party going on, so Patti had to be home to supervise. According to Bruce, it gave a whole new meaning to the term "homeland security." I guess it sounds lame now, but it was pretty hilarious at the time, especially when he joked about the kids ordering a thousand pizzas and baking pot brownies. All the old fogies like me had a pretty good laugh over that. The band then segued into "Magic", and then "Reason to Believe", and while both were great, they are pretty much staples of this tour.

Then came the next three "Holy shit" moments. The first was "Trapped," which is not really a Bruce song, but a reggae song that Bruce had made his own back in the early 80's. He played it at the "We are the World" concerts, and it was sensational. The live album from that show is the only official recording of the E Street Band doing "Trapped", but it soon became a staple on "The River" tour, and it was one of the highlights of those shows. Tonight, it was simply jaw-dropping. Bruce is 58 years old, yet he performed this amazingly difficult and strenous vocal as if it was 1981 all over again. I do believe I had tears in my eyes, it was that much of a joyful shock.

Next came "Because the Night." Why Bruce never officially released a performance of this song is one of the great Springsteen-related mysteries, because he blows away the generic version by Patti Smith. To be fair, Patti did a great job with the song, but she is not Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. And if Bruce's vocal performance wasn't enough, Nils Lofgren's blistering guitar solo was simply unbelieveable. And if all that wasn't enough, the song segued right into "She's the One", which has been played pretty steadily on the tour, but is nonetheless a highlight every night, as the band absolutely cooks on this 33 year-old masterpiece. After singing my lungs out and gyrating like an idiot, I fell back exhausted, and all I could say was, "Holy shit."

Bruce then introduced Tommy Morello (I think that's the guy's name) from the band Rage Against the Machine, which I have heard about only because it is one of my sixteen year-old stepson's favorite bands. Morello came out to join Bruce on "Ghost of Tom Joad", which was my next "Holy shit" moment, as in Holy shit, why is he doing this lame song from that putrid album? Shame on me, because what sprung forth was one of the most powerful and emotional songs of the night, with an absolutely unbelieveable guitar solo from this Morello kid. I will never disparage "The Ghost of Tom Joad" again. It was a "Holy shit" moment for the ages.

The main set on the tour has usually ended with "Badlands", which is one of Bruce's best songs from the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" album, but has been played to death. But instead of ending the set with that tune, Bruce and the band launched into "Out in the Street", one of the best songs from "The River" album. I'm not quite sure it qualifies as a "Holy shit" moment, but it was a surprise, and it sure was great.

The final "Holy shit" moment came with the second song of the encores. Night after night, Bruce has stuck a wonderful old nugget into this slot. Sometimes it's "Jungleland", sometimes it's "Incident on 57th Street" (which I have yet to experience live), and when I saw the band in Los Angeles last October, it was a joyous rendition of "Kitty's Back." Tonight, it was "Rosalita". Yes, Rosie came out tonight in Anaheim, and it was so much fun that nobody cared that Bruce actually forgot the words at one point. Hell, we knew all the words, and we were more than happy to help him out.

As I sit here now in my hotel room in Anaheim, with my ears ringing and my throat sore, it is past midnight, which means I am now officially 50 years old. The first time I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, I was 17, and my whole life was ahead of me. I am 33 years older, a whole lot slower and heavier (weight-wise), a respected member of the legal profession, a husband, a father, and a stepfather. But in a lot of ways, I feel just like I did that night 33 years ago. I saw a legendary performance by my favorite band, I had the time of my life, and I feel absolutely drained and exhilirated. Just like I did that December night in 1975. Thanks for a great birthday present, Bruce. There's no doubt in my mind that you are still The Boss.