The River Tour, Toronto

Bruce Springsteen fans are the best. Last night at the Air Canada Centre, a packed audience remained almost continuously on their feet for a dopamine-inducing performance. Hands waving in the air, fans sang and danced like I’ve never seen before. Wherever I looked, there were smiling, happy faces. Springsteen evokes a response from his audience similar to that of a Baptist preacher before his congregation. The energy and spirit of his performances with the E Street band are exhilarating and transformative.

Some Highlights
The title track “The River” was made memorable by smart phone flashlights that lit up the ACC like stars. (The modern equivalent to lighters.) I have an aversion to cell phones, but I don’t think anyone would deny that it was a beautiful phenomenon to see all those lights shimmering along with the music.

Springsteen crowd surfing at the ACC.

“Point Blank” live: The intro to this gorgeously arranged version was mesmerizing—the piano, the cymbals. Bruce’s emotional delivery of the lyrics and the harmonies of the band gave me the chills. There was a beautiful organ solo in the middle, too. It may have been the best song of the evening.

“Because the Night”: The song that Bruce gave to Patti Smith. I read Smith’s memoir M Train a couple of months ago so it was synchronistic to hear the song last night. It was empowering to dance and sing along passionately with Bruce, the E Street band, and all the ecstatic fans. “Because the night belongs to lovers / Because the night belongs to us”!

The Encore: My secret wish for this concert was to hear “Badlands.” Check. Another special moment was when Bruce graciously danced with an octogenarian fan to “Dancing in the Dark.”

Final Thoughts: Time is passing, which was made evident by Bruce’s weathered face up on the big screen (as it is from my own middle-aged reflection in the mirror). This humble reminder makes me deeply grateful for magical, music-filled nights such as these.

“The subtext of The River was time, time entering your life and slipping away. And how once you entered your adult life, your clock starts ticking, you have a limited time to do your work, raise your family, and try and do something good.” —Bruce Springsteen

Road Trip Songs (Continued)

Recently, I signed out a book called Walk Like a Man: Coming of Age With the Music of Bruce Springsteen. Its memoir-like style with ample and often humorous footnotes makes it an entertaining read. Hope and I were talking about Walk Like a Man and she asked to hear “Radio Nowhere” from Springsteen’s 2007 album Magic. I wasn’t into Magic when it first came out. I remember Hope was in her car seat as I impatiently peeled the plastic off the CD cover and inserted the disc into our car’s CD player. We drove around until we had listened to the entire album. If I felt anything at all, it was irritation. But as often is the case with Springsteen CDs, Magic grew on me. “Radio Nowhere,” for example, was played at high volume many, many times.^[1] Today, I felt that familiar rush of nostalgia while listening to Magic. “You’ll Be Comin’ Down,” “Your Own Worst Enemy,” and “Last to Die” are all catchy tunes with lyrics that leave you feeling somewhat uneasy. In particular though, “Last to Die”^[2] is on repeat as it just happens to be another contemplative song from the perspective of a driver behind the wheel.^[3]

Oh, and today I heard a fine new release called “Way It Is, Way It Could Be” by The Weather Station.  Mentioned here because it’s another pensive road trip song. Hmmm, this mental playlist is expanding.

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^[1] Before Hope was even two years old she could sing “Radio Nowhere” word for word. Well, kind of. She called the song “Nobody Right There.”

^[2] Did you know that the Pet Shop Boys covered “The Last to Die” on their 2013 album Electric? What?!

^[3] Read my blog post “Valentine’s Day.”

Valentine’s Day

I realize that I’m early for Valentine’s Day, but it’s on my mind and it’s sneaking up anyway. To treat myself, I picked up some variegated sweetheart roses and mixed them with Yoko Ono button poms that are a lovely apple green colour. I’ve also selected two tender, overlooked songs... Both are about longing and lonely car rides and would be perfect for a moody, winter road-trip playlist.

In Bruce Springsteen’s “Valentine’s Day,” a thoughtful, homesick man is travelling along a “spooky” highway in a “big lazy car.” The solitary drive seems to provide the clarity that his active mind seeks. I’ve liked this song since the first time I heard it. I have a memory from my early 20s of heading north on some dark Ontario highway listening to “Valentine’s Day” on cassette tape. There were snowflakes hitting the windshield and I had a feeling of excitement in my chest.

“Life Short Call Now” by Bruce Cockburn is a song that I only recently started obsessing about. The music’s almost relentless rhythm is like a long car drive and the lyrics capture that universal feeling of yearning so perfectly. The driver is passing by a depressing landscape of billboards and signs that “promise paradise” and more. He stops at some lonely hotel where the walls are too thin and sadly ruminates about the one that he loves. (An added bonus is that it’s easy to play on the guitar—D, Dmaj7, E, A, I think.) I like the song’s telegram-like refrain, as well. It’s urgent, desperate, and true.

"Dream Baby Dream" (Suicide Cover) by Bruce Springsteen

The first time I saw Springsteen in concert I was 22 years old. It was an intimate solo acoustic concert at Massey Hall (The Ghost of Tom Joad tour). He was beyond charismatic. He revealed that he enjoys a fine bourbon after performing and at one point, he even told an over-zealous and annoying  fan to “Fuck off.” It was very cool. I was on a euphoric high for days after that concert! Springsteen is a poet and one of the best entertainers I have ever seen.

This video is an accurate visualization of what it’s like to see Bruce Springsteen live. It’s truly transcendent.

Badlands

I believe in the love that you gave me
I believe in the faith that can save me
I believe in the hope and I pray
That some day it may raise me
Above these badlands

~ Bruce Springsteen