The irony is that another band that shared his 1970s spotlight, and not the Grand Master of words himself, was the one to make this statement, a proclamation that is so simple, but so true. The New Boss has not changed at all, or at least when it really matters. Bruce Springsteen is, still, The Boss. Tickets for his November 20 show at First Mariner Arena (or FDIC arena, as my dad calls it) in Baltimore sold out in a mere 20 minutes last Friday, a period fifteen minutes shorter than that which it took to sell out Miley Cyrus. Some things are better left unchanged. Since 1972, Bruce and the E Street Band have been turning words into magic, weaving tales of the American Dream, of youth, of change. In Robert Santelli's compelling and beautifully edited coffee table book, "Greetings from E Street," he captures the essence of the band in a single quotation, taken from Springsteen himself. "I want you to put your hands together, your arms together, your asses together for the houserocking, pants dropping, brain-shocking, earthquaking, booty-shaking, viagra-taking, lovemaking, sexifying, electrifying, women shrieking, grown men crying, legendary E Street Band!" So okay, The Who may have put things more succinctly in their line, but as usual, Bruce captures the movement, the emotion, the power of the moment.
But the point is, the magic never dies, and coming off what I previously proclaimed the "best year ever," Bruce seems to be in store for the best consecutive years ever. After a bewitching Super Bowl performance, and a successful new album, Springsteen & Co. have hit the road on tour. They've sold out everywhere. They've sold out quickly. Chris Christie, the Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey, has done more than endorse his fellow Jerseyman. Apparently, he's attended 120 E Street Concerts, too. In fact, Christie is expected to belt out "Thunder Road" with thousands of other devotees this very night, during The Boss's concert at the Meadowlands. Not that Chris Christie's fandom dictates a good year, but anyone should feel good who has one man go to 120 of his concerts. Still waiting on Obama to invite the band to the White House, though- they did provide the soundtrack for his historical presidential campaign.
After their nineties hiatus, luckily the band came to their senses, or more like Bruce came to his, and reunited in 1999 after nearly a decade of being split up. And now, after 30 years, Bruce is returning to Baltimore, after he seemingly "went out for a ride and never came back." It seems preposterous that he has only played in the city once before (when he opened for Chicago in the 1970s), especially when "Hungry Heart" mentions beloved Charm City in its first line. And anyone attending the groundbreaking Nov 20 concert is in for a delightful show, as the band plans to play its "Born to Run" album in entirety.
Last week Bruce turned the big 6-0 and while no one has announced how he spent the night, I'm sure he spent it well. And two nights before, at a show in Iowa, the band led its captive audience in a rendition of "Happy Birthday." Imagine, Clarence singing you "Happy Birthday!" But E Street's expanding its label. The band was recently nominated for four Emmys, and now has developed a line of, might I say, fashion forward apparel. But that's not all, you can drink out of Bruce mugs, write your root canal appt. on a Bruce calendar, and even deck your kids out in Bruce (that is, if you're bringing your children up the right way, as mine did.) So, judging by Bruce's sheer mastery of all he attempts, I'd wager that if he wishes to pursue the fashion design/marketing track, he could soon make a mean joke of Anna Wintour, if he wanted to.
If only I had satellite radio in my car. He has his own channel. So what is it that makes this music so universal, so emotive, so beautiful? Is it that Bruce's clairvoyant mind allows him to approach subjects we all understand with an innate ability, one that we mortals don't have, to express deeper truths about these subjects? Is it the emotion and heat his music creates? Or is it something far more elementary? Maybe it is all these things, and for each person, something different resonates with them whether it be the form, the intonations, the pauses, the lyrics, or maybe just the man singing the words or that cool saxophone player?
Bruce and the band make things change. Literally, their music is used for political campaigns running on platforms of change. But more than this, they remind us of people we love, places we've been, things we've felt. The lyrics and the men behind them restore our faith in humanity, and listening to them, it is clear that their expressions are so genuine, so sincere, that they are significantly more beautiful, and more meaningful than the words that spew from other artists' mouths. They are not the only ones to discover this key to humanity, but they are some of the men who have done so most effectively.
The band uses a unique consciousness, captures those quintessential and transformative moments in our lives. It speaks of dreams, American pride, exceptionalism, values. It speaks to persistence and resolve, of struggle and of overcoming challenges. Their music is American, but even more so, their music is human, in the same way that the most essential parts of the American ethos actually reflect mankind on a whole. Thus, the band has received worldwide renown, respect, and patronage. The band speaks to unity. Most of all, nearly every song speaks of love. Making love, falling in love, keeping love, losing your grip on it, but refusing to lose it for good. Unconditional love that brings boy and girl, parent and child, Americans, people at bus stops, citizens of the world, couples on the Jersey Shore together. Love beneath the stars, in cars, and on endless summer nights. Love is that universal language, the metric system of emotions that everyone understands. Love is that aforementioned magic that never dies. Bruce and the E Street Band know this, and that is the key to being legend. The legendary E Street Band. 'Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.'
photo courtesy t.klick @ flickr.com
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