I clocked in my half-century on this planet
(at least for this go-around) at the end of April. When my close friends asked
me how I wanted to celebrate this auspicious occasion, I was quick with my
answer. It was time to visit Mecca. No, not the birthplace of Muhammed, instead
the birthplace of the leader of my church – the church of Rock and Roll. It was
time for this Tramp to take that pilgrimage to the great state of New Jersey.
I have been a Bruce Springsteen fan for as
long as I can remember. Unlike some fans, I don’t have one clear pivotal memory
capturing the genesis of my fandom. It’s just always been. The words to songs
like, “Racing in the Street” and “The River” are firmly embedded in my memory,
and at 50, there really isn’t much firmly embedded in there now! I had to have
learned those lyrics at a young age. Perusing my Springsteen memorabilia
provides a few more clues. I still have my Darkness
on the Edge of Town and The River cassettes plus sheet music for
“Hungry Heart” so I know I must have discovered his music in the late ‘70s.
Regardless of when I discovered Bruce, his
music has contributed significantly to the soundtrack of my life. I can’t think
back to high school without remembering “Cadillac Ranch” screaming from the
speakers at one of our parties. I also recall discovering his first few albums
a few years later, wanting to be Crazy Janey, and loving the raw voice, horns
and piano that dominated Greetings
and TWIESS.
I grew up in a small town in the Ottawa
Valley and never did the concert thing. Consequently, I didn’t experience my
first Bruce concert until the reunion tour hit Toronto in 2000. Since then I’ve
seen him 15 times, sometimes travelling over 10 hours for a show – hello
Hershey, PA! My friends and co-workers think I’m some kind of stalker for
seeing him that many times (often multiple shows during one tour) but I tell
them I wouldn’t even crack the top 100 as a fan. Hell, probably not even the
top 1,000.
So, at the end of March, I headed to Jersey
with two close friends and fellow Springsteen fans. We planned our trip to
coincide with his Izod shows in East Rutherford, but first on the agenda were
visits to the hallowed Springsteen sites – our own personal stations of the
cross.
Our first two nights were spent in Asbury
Park at the Empress Hotel; our sojourn there (totally enjoyable) is another
story altogether, to be told at a future time perhaps. The first night of our
visit was timed perfectly with a Tramps Like Us concert at The Stone Pony. They
played Bruce’s first four albums in their entirety and the place was packed
with Springsteen fans – screaming, dancing and singing as if it truly was Bruce
and the E Street band on that fabled stage. It was strangely surreal to be
there, actually listening to Bruce
. . . well, at least a version of Bruce, at a
place where he has played so often.
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| Outside the fabled Stony Pony waiting for the Tramps Like Us show to start. Myself (far right) with Laura Cornish (far left) and Kimberly Wright. A lovely fellow from Wales took this photo. |
The next day was spent touring Asbury Park,
the boardwalk, Belmar and Freehold. We took the requisite photos posing by the
big Fender guitar at the corner of E Street and 10th Avenue. We
stopped by St. Rose of Lima school and the two childhood homes of Bruce that
still remain. We ate supper at Federici’s Restaurant, which strangely enough
has no connection to Danny at all, but Bruce and the band have eaten there on
many occasions. We purchased candy in the drug store where Bruce saw a picture
of himself in the window providing the inspiration for “Local Hero.”
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| No captain required :) |
Everyone we met on our journey was
incredibly friendly and helpful. We spent over an hour in Greetings from Geralyn, a wonderful store on the boardwalk that
repurposes record albums. Glenn, one of the owners and our new best friend,
introduced us to J.J. (whose actual job title on the boardwalk eluded us) who
gave us a backstage tour of Convention Hall and the Paramount Theatre as well
as a brief history lesson on Asbury Park.
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With our new friend Glenn in front of the great wall of Bruce.
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We were also fortunate enough to meet
Madame Marie’s son Stephen. There wasn’t anyone in the in the historic booth on
the boardwalk when we walked by, but we took a chance and called the number on
the sign. We were invited to Stephen’s apartment that evening where we each had
our fortune told. Yes, we went to a complete stranger’s house, but it was all
part of our Bruce adventure.
In Freehold, Ed, who now owns Bruce’s
former home on Institute Street, was kind enough to tell us we were posing by
the wrong tree (“Sorry to disappoint you girls”) and took our photo by the
correct one. In fact, any time we asked a complete stranger to take a photo of
the three of us, no one looked at us strangely or turned us down. It seemed
perfectly natural in this part of the world to find people wanting to have
their picture taken in front of a street sign or a non-descript little house.
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| Ed, the owner of Bruce's former home on Institute Street. |
Our journey also included a quick side trip
to New York to watch a live taping of The
Daily Show with Jon Stewart. After that, it was back through the tunnel to
see Bruce and the band at the Izod Centre on April 2. We normally purchase
general admission tickets in order to participate in the frenzied camaraderie
of the pit, but we were just as happy to have seats this time. It was a
religious enough experience to partake in the “romp in the swamp” with the
hometown crowd. They didn’t disappoint. From the opening chords backing Bruce’s
quirky Vegas-style self-introduction to the final notes of a foot-stomping,
booty-shaking “10TH Avenue Freeze-out” the crowd was on their feet,
dancing, singing and clapping.
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| Wearing our new matching Stony Pony hoodies at the Izod show! |
The
new songs from The Wrecking Ball fit
seamlessly into Bruce’s extensive canon of music, and I loved the addition of
the horn section. They added a new layer of energy – as if more energy could
even be possible – to the show. It was also heart-warming to see the fans
welcome Jake Clemons into the E Street fold. I don’t think anyone expects him
to replace Clarence – no one ever can – but his presence on stage seemed
natural and provided a cosmic symmetry between this show and the last tour.
The interplay between Bruce and Jake was
fun to watch as well. It wasn’t quite Scooter and the Big Man busting the city
in half, but rather an older and wiser version of Scooter placing a fatherly
arm around the new young saint in the city and showing him where all the good
bars are located. It also must be an
incredible experience for Jake to bear witness to the outpouring of love for
Clarence that has occurred every show on this tour during “My City of Ruins”
and “10th Avenue.” What a gift.
Speaking of “10th Avenue,”
Bruce’s move in the introduction where he grabs the mic stand, drops to his
knees and then proceeds to grip the mic with his legs, bending backwards until
he’s completely horizontal: sexiest move in Rock and Roll. Gets me every time.
Every single time. That drop is a rocket shot directly to . . . well, I think
you get the idea. When Bruce promises you’ll leave his show with your voice
aching, back aching, hands aching and sexual organs tingling, he delivers on
that promise. Night after night, after night, after night.
Our only regret from the trip was not
taking in the second Izod show. But there were families and jobs to attend to;
and besides, we got to see him again in Buffalo on April 13.
There is nothing like seeing Bruce in
Buffalo. This town always delivers a quality, fun experience – from the
pre-show activities right to the post-show commentary and breakdown in whatever
watering hole tickles your taste buds.
In Buffalo we were able to hook up with
some people we met at previous shows. That’s another cool thing about heading
out on the road to see a Springsteen show – the friendships you forge along the
way. My friend Kathy and I joke that we’ve really only
known each other for 10 minutes . . . long enough to share a conversation about
Bruce over breakfast in a Cleveland hotel. We were both in town to see the
Springsteen exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and his concert at the
Quicken Loans Arena. I happened to admire her bag that featured the November
2007 Rolling Stones magazine cover
with Bruce. The bag wasn’t available in Canada so she offered to purchase one
in her home town of Rehoboth, MA, and send it to me. We’ve been e-mail and Facebook buddies ever
since.
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| Tramps from all over! My Rehoboth friend Kathy (second from left), Kimberly and two other Bruce fans that Kathy has met on the road at another show! |
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| Me and my friend Caroline. We met at the 2009 Buffalo show. |
The Buffalo show was poignant in that this
was the site of Clarence’s last show with Bruce and the E Street Band – the
last stop on the Working on a Dream tour, November 22, 2009. That 2009 show was truly a love fest between
Bruce and the fans. It was almost as if everyone knew things would never be the
same again. Bruce didn’t seem to want the night to end; neither did we.
The 2012 show didn’t disappoint either. Although
we had general admission tickets, the train to the land of hope and glory
carries losers and winners, and we were not fortunate enough to win a trip into
the main pit this night. However, we didn’t allow this to dampen our spirits;
we were in the building. The set list
differed from Jersey with “Rendezvous,” “Mountain of Love” and “Point Blank” as
tour premieres, along with a few other variations. We also got to celebrate
Max’s birthday. Coincidentally, we celebrated Stevie’s birthday at the 2009
Buffalo show. Bruce must like to schedule the Buffalo shows around the band’s respective
birthdays.
All-in-all, a very rewarding and spiritual
April for this pilgrim. I would truly recommend that any Springsteen fan make
the trip to Jersey. It was worth every second. Driving between Asbury Park and
Freehold we were intensely aware of being in his hood – roads that he has
driven and continues to drive, and enjoying the scenery with which he is so
familiar. Places, buildings, streets and roads featured prominently in his
lyrics were given a face, and for a few days we were those fuel-injected Tramps
sprung from cages on highway 9.
I feel truly blessed as I embark into this
new decade and welcome the adventures the next half-century will bring. I know
it will definitely include more Bruce. How do I know this? Well, I have tickets
for the August shows in Boston and Toronto and I JUST KNOW there will be more
shows added along the line . . . perhaps another fall tour finale in Buffalo.
