The Second Half

All My Rock Heroes Are Aging...and So Am I.

lschmoopie

lschmoopie
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February 22
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I qualify for AARP....now what? Twitter: @lschmoopie Putting this here for the OS editor.

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SEPTEMBER 22, 2010 8:32AM

Bruce Springsteen-Born in the USA...61 Years Ago

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20 Grammy Awards, 2 Golden Globes, 1 Academy Award, 1 Emmy Award, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, winner of a Kennedy Center Honor,  more than 65 million albums sold in the United States and 120 million sold worldwide. No one can dispute the success that is Bruce Springsteen. It seems though, where the public is concerned, it’s either a love/hate relationship with The Boss. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground, which is ironic since the themes of his songs are of middle class life and the working man. The Jersey boy will be 61 on September 23rd and I want to take a look back at some of the great memories I have of him.

MY HOMETOWN

I saw Bruce in concert September 18, 1985 on the Born in the USA tour at the Oakland Colesium in Oakland, California. We bought tickets in the nosebleed section from a scalper, 2 tickets for $100. which seemed outrageous at the time. But we were so determined to see him it was worth it. Bruce is known for his philanthropic attitude in every city he plays, and that night fans were asked to bring canned food, which would go to a local food bank.  We gladly carried in our contributions. The night was a marathon show-close to 4 hours long. Amazing. Bruce is a storyteller, both musically and verbally. Each song had a verbal introduction and we all hung on every word.

Setlist from the September 18, 1985 Oakland, CA show 
  1. Born in the U.S.A.
  2. Badlands
  3. Out In the Street
  4. Johnny 99
  5. Seeds
  6. Atlantic City
  7. The River
  8. Working on the Highway
  9. Trapped
  10. I'm Goin' Down
  11. Glory Days
  12. The Promised Land
  13. My Hometown
  14. Thunder Road
  15. Cover Me
  16. Dancing In The Dark
  17. Hungry Heart
  18. Cadillac Ranch
  19. Downbound Train
  20. Stolen Car
  21. I'm On Fire
  22. Pink Cadillac
  23. Bobby Jean
  24. This Land Is Your Land
  25. Born to Run
  26. Ramrod
  27. Twist and Shout 
  28. Do You Love Me?
  29. Stand On It
  30. Travelin' Band  

STOLEN CAR- a live performance from the concert I attended.

FIRE- He definitely knows how to generate heat in his female fans. Tall, dark and handsome...well, 1 out of 3 is not bad, but his charisma is off the charts.

MY CITY OF RUINS- Post September 11th, when all the networks joined together to raise money for the families of those left behind, Bruce had the perfect performance. It brought tears to my eyes with the intimate lyrics that took on a whole new meaning and the intensity of emotion in the performance.
  Fun facts about The Boss:
*A true fan of his own fans he does not sell all the front row seats to his shows, opting to send out his “Man in Black” into the crowd looking for the people with the worst seats in the house and bringing them down to the front row. I love that about him.
*He once went home with some fans to meet their parents after seeing a movie in Denver.

*He was on the covers of Time and Newsweek magazines on October 27, 1975 simultaneously, something that was only granted to world leaders at the time.

The energy Bruce Springsteen exudes in a live performance could power a small nation. The epitome of giving 100% in a performance. This final video does a great job of giving you the total Bruce experience.
And now, say it with me: BRUUUUUUUUUUUCE!
 BORN TO RUN

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I was a fan of the early Bruce.. my steve here is a huge fan period..
I cannot believe how old we are getting.
rated with hugs
Happy birthday to the Boss. Thanks for posting on this.
Hey, I was at that same amazing show! Except I missed the last song because I had to run & catch BART before it stopped running. Bruce is eternally cool. When my brother gave me the Born To Run album -- I think it was like 1976 -- I thought, What's this? And then I played it over & over & over, & then the next album, & the next, & the next... Happy birthday, Bruce!
61? Holy crap. I'm with Linda re: age. That's a shocker. I too was a Bruce fan back in the 70s.
Linda: The older I get, the younger those older than me seem to be. I prefer early Bruce, too, but I really enjoyed The Rising album.
Damon: You're welcome!

Suzie: Well, hello there neighbor! I've been a victim of the last BART train myself. Almost didn't make it from a show at The Fillmore one night--the conductor held the train as my husband went flying down the stairs.

VA: We're not just getting older, we're getting better, right?
There's nothing like a Bruce concert. I wrote a couple of pieces some time ago about his last shows at Giants Stadium here in Jersey. The man is the consummate showman. Nobody else even comes close. Great post - thanks for sharing.