Tonight, roughly 50 miles down the road or so, the Boss is about to rock Omaha for all it's worth for what will likely be three-plus hours of rock-and-roll heaven on earth. I'm sitting at my kitchen table in Lincoln, Nebr. writing about it. So close but so far away. If you see tears on this Web page, you'll know why.
What makes this all the worse is that I wanted to go. A lot. But circumstances are what they are and I couldn't buy the ducket. And then a friend offered me his tickets today bless his heart. And yet still, circumstances are what they are, and I had to turn them down. <sniff, sniff>
But alas, not all is bad. The positive spin on this is that I've seen Springsteen before. Twice, in fact. The first time was 28 years ago in November no less. I was a senior in high school, and Springsteen was at an all-time high in terms of popularity when the Born In The USA tour came rolling into Lincoln that night. My girlfriend and sister had camped out all night weeks prior for tickets, God bless them.
I remember pretty much everything from that show, including the 20 minute-plus encore of "Twist and Shout" with the house lights on. Before that there was Springsteen telling us about he recent visit to our fair state while introducing "Nebraska," a song off the album of the same name in which he name-drops Lincoln. And of course, there was Clarence "Big Man" Clemmons taking center stage. God, I miss Clarence.
That night still ranks among the best I've spent at any concert, and I've seen a few in my time. I've seen pretty much seen most of my heroes (sans Van Morrison, Townes Van Zandt, and a few others), but Springsteen was the "it" in my musical world that night and for a long time after. I learned about rock and roll that night. I learned how music can transcend. I learned how it can unite and tear down the fricking house down, and it did, brother.
Not long after that show, I saw Springsteen on the "Tunnel of Love" tour, which had a completely different, less blaring, less bombastic, less going-for-the-kill feel about it, yet that show was just as powerful and just as memorable.
I have a lot of those types of memories associated with Springsteen. His Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speeches are beyond mandatory listening. His scene in "High Fidelity" is one of my favorites ever. His reworking of Pete Seeger's songs are so dead-on glorious that I find myself more in awe and finding something different I love about them with every listen. Springsteen is the real deal. He's among the most charitable men alive, certainly among the most giving of musicians. He's ethical and idealistic. He committed, but he doesn't take himself too seriously. He's humble and honest. Maybe most important to me is that he's a fan of music. He lives for it, and I can appreciate anyone who is of that make-up.
I'm really envious of the scores of friends I know who are reveling in Springsteen's immense and deserved power tonight, but I'll take some solace in knowing he's brought much joy into my musical world already. So, even though I couldn't make the short trip to Omaha tonight, I'll still be thankful for the music. I'll slip on my headphones, push play on "The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle," and let the rock and roll wash all over me.
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