Happy Birthday, Bruce!

Bruce Springsteen turns 71 today. Hard to believe.

For a lot of reasons, he’s been my favorite musician since I became a fan in the midst of the frenzy over Born in the USA in 1984. He’d been a rock superstar for nearly a decade, but I was only nine years old when his magnum opus, Born to Run, was released in August of 1975. It wasn’t until I was just out of high school that I began to connect with the stories Bruce was telling through his music.

Thirty-six years later I’m still a big fan.

I love music. Been to plenty of concerts. Enjoy a variety of genres. But no one’s art ever appealed to me the way Bruce’s does. Hearing Born in the USA made me want to hear more. So, once I got to college at Michigan State, I bought all of his previously released studio albums. I also stumbled upon a couple record stores in East Lansing that sold “imported” or “rare” Springsteen albums.

Those “imported” recordings gave me a glimpse into the magic of a live Springsteen show. The more I heard of performances from mysterious places like the Agora Ballroom, the Roxy, Winterland and the Capitol Theatre, the more I wanted to see one myself. I got the chance late in the summer of 1985.

Along with dozens of newfound friends, I slept out overnight on the sidewalk outside of State Discount, a sort of local convenience store in East Lansing that also sold records and concert tickets. My effort paid off with a seat on the floor (17th row) of the Pontiac Silverdome. It was the first of 19 times I’ve seen Springsteen live.

Since that show in 1985, I’ve been lucky enough to see him in Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Indianapolis, East Rutherford and New York City. The show in Giants Stadium on July 15, 2003 was the first of 10 that he played that summer in that venue. It was a perfect evening.

The last time I saw Bruce live was in March of 2018. I was in New York City for the Big Ten basketball tournament. We lost to Michigan State on Friday afternoon and headed for the airport late in the day only to return to our hotel due to bad weather. We were stuck in the city until Sunday night. I jumped on a computer in the hotel business office, found a single on Stub Hub for more money than I should pay for a concert ticket and ran a few blocks over to the Walter Kerr Theatre for a performance of Springsteen on Broadway. Not surprisingly, it was everything I’d hoped it would be. Bruce never disappoints.

The hallmark of his live shows, aside from the fun and great music, is the community he creates with his performances. For a few hours, thousands of mostly strangers are connected to each other by not only the magic, power, mystery and ministry of rock ‘n roll, but by Bruce’s own energy, passion and commitment to his audience. It’s something to see.

Here’s hoping there’s more to come. Happy Birthday, Bruce!