| Author | Message | ||
     Hank Zona Citizen Username: Hankzona Post Number: 676 Registered: 3-2002 |
I saw Jethro Tull and Robin Trower at Shea, but unfortunately, did not see The Beatles or The Clash there. | ||
| buzzsaw Citizen Username: Buzzsaw Post Number: 228 Registered: 5-2001 |
Robin Trower ROXXXXXXXXXXX | ||
| Hank Zona Citizen Username: Hankzona Post Number: 677 Registered: 3-2002 |
Bridge of Sighs had just come out...it was a triple bill..Jethro Tull was the headliner, Robin Trower was the second act and Rory Gallagher opened. | ||
| ml1 Citizen Username: Ml1 Post Number: 1162 Registered: 5-2002  |
Seems like Bruce and the band (especially Clarence) have been eating well on this tour according to his contract rider. | ||
| Chris Dickson Citizen Username: Ironman Post Number: 691 Registered: 8-2001  |
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. - The Boss is coming to town, but he'll have to follow the rules. Mayor Timothy Larson has told concert promoters for Bruce Springsteen (news) and the E Street Band that the town won't grant a waiver of its noise ordinance, The Hartford Courant reported Thursday. Springsteen will perform Sept. 16 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, the new $90 million, 40,000-seat stadium built for the University of Connecticut football team. According to the noise law, the sound outside the stadium parking lot can't rise more than 5 decibels — a fraction of the volume of a ticking watch. ("Now I'm sittin' at a red light I feel somethin' tickin' way down ... Then all I hear's the clock on the dash tick-tocking" ...) "Bruce's sound is very directional, and he will make sure that the sound doesn't break the law," says Jim Koplik, who booked the show for Clear Channel Entertainment. Springsteen's concert will be the first at the new stadium. Koplik said capacity for a concert is about 34,000. | ||
| Hank Zona Citizen Username: Hankzona Post Number: 679 Registered: 3-2002 |
E Street Band Unplugged...and 34,000 not allowed to sing along. | ||
| finnegan Citizen Username: Finnegan Post Number: 20 Registered: 6-2001 |
buzzsaw, Sorry I didn’t see your question about The Rising sooner. When the single was released last summer, The Star Ledger printed the lyrics and my son (then 8) and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what they meant. (WARNING: I tend to see Bruce's lyrics through theological lenses.) Can't see nothin' in front of me Can't see nothin' coming up behind I make my way through this darkness I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me Lost track of how far I've gone How far I've gone, how high I've climbed On my back's a sixty pound stone On my shoulder a half mile of line The first stanza is about a firefighter ascending the stairs (rising) in the Trade Center. Bruce starts the story without using any religious language or imagery. In this stanza it appears to be just a normal day. Left the house this morning Bells ringing filled the air Wearin' the cross of my calling On wheels of fire I come rollin' down here Next stanza we shift backward in time to the morning of the disaster. The firefighter, like many of them, responds to the attacks when he hears the bells. He wears the “cross of my calling,” which is either a firefighter’s cross, or perhaps, metaphorically, simply his turnout coat. This is the beginning of the more explicitly religious imagery in the song. The mention of “wheels of fire” in the next line recalls the first chapter of the book of Ezekiel, where Ezekiel has a vision of God seated on a throne atop a chariot whose wheels are filled with fire – all the vision is encased in fire and the fire is meant to point to the glory of God. (Ezek. 1: 1-29) Ezekiel meets/sees God in the fire, and I think that is what Bruce is suggesting here. Spirits above and behind me Faces gone, black eyes burnin' bright May their precious blood forever bind me Lord as I stand before your fiery light Here the firefighter “sees” the death of all those who have died around him and lost their lives in the attacks. He feels surrounded by the spirits of those who have died in the fire. Bruce reached back to the religious language of his youth to ask that the “precious blood” binds him, makes him stronger, as he too readies himself to stand before the “fiery light” of God. But interestingly, although he uses the term “precious blood” which was commonly used for the (consecrated) wine at communion, he speaks of “their” precious blood – not “his/Jesus’” precious blood. This is, to my mind, classic Springsteen theology – Bruce often uses religious language but in a non-theological manner. Here he uses the religious language of “precious blood,” but he’s referring to the blood of all those who died in the Trade Centers. The narrator/hero of this song draws strength not from the “precious blood” or sacrifice of Christ, but rather from the “precious blood” and sacrifice of the people who died right before him, especially those who sacrificed their lives for others, as the other firefighters did and as this firefighter is doing. It is their very human “precious blood” that the narrator asks to “bind him,” i.e. make him stronger, as he himself prepares to meet God in the fire. I see you Mary in the garden In the garden of a thousand sighs There's holy pictures of our children Dancin' in a sky filled with light May I feel your arms around me May I feel your blood mix with mine A dream of life comes to me Like a catfish dancin' on the end of the line In this stanza, the firefighter/narrator dies. As he is dying he has a vision of Mary in the garden that is sorrowful “a thousand sighs.” Bruce’s religious imagination was formed in the Catholicism of the late 50’s and early 60’s pre-Vatican II Catholic church. In this climate, often both Jesus and God were portrayed as so superior to human beings that they seemed aloof, above mere humans, maybe even judging us in our imperfections. So, Mary became important to people precisely because she seemed more accessible. This was especially true of the image of the “sorrowful mother,” where Mary was portrayed as grieving for her son and all her human children. Think of the Pieta. He asks for her protection, “May I feel your arms around me,” again think of the image of the Pieta, and wants to “Feel your blood mix with mine,” returning to the blood imagery. But in that moment, when embraced by Mary, at the moment of death, “A dream of life comes to me.” In the death of this firefighter, Bruce sees the promise of life. Bruce is suggesting here, I think, that the sacrifice of the firefighter, is the best life has to offer us, a noble gesture that affirms the value of all the living. Sky of blackness and sorrow ( a dream of life) Sky of love, sky of tears (a dream of life) Sky of glory and sadness ( a dream of life) Sky of mercy, sky of fear ( a dream of life) Sky of memory and shadow ( a dream of life) Your burnin' wind fills my arms tonight Sky of longing and emptiness (a dream of life) Sky of fullness, sky of blessed life ( a dream of life) The final stanza is an extended riff on just that juxtaposition of death and life, in our sorrow, we know the value of life, in our love and tears, we attest to the dream of life, etc. Come on up for the rising Come on up, lay your hands in mine Come on up for the rising Come on up for the rising tonight The refrain encourages all of us to join in, “come on up,” for the rising, to join in the active valuing, celebrating of our lives together. Redemption comes in this world when we learn to love others (“lay your hands in mine.”). Bruce takes the theological concept of resurrection and makes sense of it in human terms. Resurrection is what The Rising is about, but we are resurrected here and now, not after death. We are resurrected when we learn from the example of those who sacrificed themselves for others, especially the Trade Center rescuers, to value life and each other. Just my thoughts, (I bet you’re sorry you asked the question….) Finnegan | ||
| buzzsaw Citizen Username: Buzzsaw Post Number: 999 Registered: 5-2001 |
Finnegan ~ Thank you so much for sharing that with me (us). It really opened up my mind a bit and gave me a lot to think about. Also, got me a bit misty. | ||
| Nohero Citizen Username: Nohero Post Number: 1885 Registered: 5-2001  |
I agree, that really is an insightful analysis. I think one aspect of Catholic imagery, and growing up Catholic, is the fact that the symbols themselves stay with us, even if we're not consciously thinking about their meaning. I think that is how religious imagery such as this finds its way into Springsteen's compositions. One thought I've always had about "The Rising" was that the title was a deliberate choice, to contrast with the images of the towers falling. Instead of mourning the loss of buildings, we should remember the people who passed away, and for the religious among us that was a "rising". Thanks, Finnegan. | ||
| finnegan Citizen Username: Finnegan Post Number: 21 Registered: 6-2001 |
Thanks for the kind words of appreciation, buzzsaw and Nohero. (I was kind of afraid to post, in truth.) I also liked your image, Nohero, of "The Rising" being meant to contrast to the falling of the Towers. And I forgot to mention that my son pointed out to me that the very first guitar riff that starts off "The Rising" sounds like the "whoosh" of a fire (think of throwing a match on those charcoal briquets you've soaked with lighter fluid.) Out of the mouths of babes... Finnegan | ||
| Chris Dickson Citizen Username: Ironman Post Number: 695 Registered: 8-2001 |
I don't disagree with Finnegan's thoughtful analysis. I would just like to add that the imagery of "rising" was not necessarily post-9/11 turf for Bruce. "My City of Ruins", which features a chorus of "Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up" was written and performed the summer before 9/11. It was performed for the first time on August 18 at the Clearwater Festival and Springsteen introduced it as "A prayer for my city". No Hero is also 100% in correct in that Catholic/Christian imagery has always been part of Bruce's music ... This is one Bruce recorded for the Hammond demo, but said he would never release. It was recorded by Allan Clarke (The Hollies) on a solo album in 1975 ... IF I WAS THE PRIEST Well there's a light on yonder mountain And it's calling me to shine There's a girl over by the water fountain And she's asking to be mine And ain't that Jesus, he's standing in the doorway With a buckskin jacket, boots and spurs, so really fine He says "We need you up in Dodge City, son 'Cause there's oh so many bad boys (just too many outlaw) Tryin' to work the same line" Well now if Jesus was the sheriff and I were the priest If my lady was an heiress and my mama was a thief Oh and Papa rode shotgun for the Fargo line There's still too many outlaws Tryin' to work the same line Now old sweet Virgin Mary She runs the Holy Grail saloon Where for a nickel they'll give you whisky And the personally blessed balloon And the Holy Ghost, he's the host with the most He runs the burlesque show Where they let you in for free But oh hit you for your soul when you go And Mary serves Mass on Sunday And then she sells her body on Monday To the bootlegger who will pay the highest price But he don't know he got stuck with a loser Mary's a stone junkie, what's more she's a boozer And she's only been made once or twice By some kind of magic | ||
| Nohero Citizen Username: Nohero Post Number: 1893 Registered: 5-2001 |
The imagery of souls rising can be seen in the 1992 song, "Souls of the Departed": On the road to Basra stood young Lieutenant Jimmy BlyMr. Dickson, I think you've pointed out Bruce's most extreme "tweaking" of his religious upbringing. I have his demo of that song on a CD called "Before the Fame", which was out for a while before the lawyers shut down the distributor of that one. | ||
| mayhewdrive Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 323 Registered: 5-2001 |
Chris, For the record, "My City of Ruins" was actually first performed at one of the Asbury Park holiday shows - in Dec 2000, I do believe. | ||
| Chris Dickson Citizen Username: Ironman Post Number: 697 Registered: 8-2001 |
Mayhewdrive: You're RIGHT! Good catch. My bad ... From http://www.backstreets.com/setlists2000.html December 18 / Asbury Park, NJ / Convention Hall Notes: The second of two Springsteen Family Holiday Specials in Asbury Park, and the second-ever performance of the powerful new "My City of Ruins." As on night one, the Max Weinberg 7 and the Redheaded Women (Patti Scialfa, Soozie Tyrell, and Lisa Lowell) acted as the house band, joined as the night went on by Southside Johnny, Bobby Bandiera, and the entire E Street Band. The same main set as night one, with only minor differences in performance (e.g., no Jon Landau onstage; Marah joined in on "Santa Claus"). The big addition on this second night was a brief opening acoustic set, roughly an hour-and-a-half before the main show started at 9:10. This three-song soundcheck set had Bruce running through a couple of Hank Williams tunes and telling the crowd, "Welcome to the Asbury Opry!" For these bonus songs, he was joined here and there by the Redheaded Women, Southside on harp, Garry on bass, and Nils on piano. | ||
| Nohero Citizen Username: Nohero Post Number: 1894 Registered: 5-2001 |
There's a very interesting article in the New Jersey section of the Sunday New York Times this week, about a distinctive "New Jersey voice" in literature. From Walt Whitman in Camden, where he finished "Leaves of Grass", through William Carlos Williams, Allen Ginsberg, and Phillip Roth, through Bruce Springsteen and after - common themes and influences can be traced. Or to put it another way - it's pretty cool. | ||
| duncanrogers Citizen Username: Duncanrogers Post Number: 642 Registered: 12-2001  |
I am fearful of reprisal. But I have to post the thoughts of another rabid Bruce fan regarding the rising.. Her belief is that the song is a bit more from Bruce's imagined perspective of Father Mychal Judge, who was wearing the cross of his calling because he was a priest. Remember, he died when he took off his helmet to administer the last rites to another firefighter and then a piece of building fell on him. But Finnegan, what an amazaing piece of interpretation you and your son did. I am greatly impressed | ||
| Chris Dickson Citizen Username: Ironman Post Number: 698 Registered: 8-2001 |
Duncan: First of all, I admire your bravery for wading back into these waters ... Not sure your friend's analysis makes sense. As Finnegan points out, the protagonist is ascending the steps in the building where they are fighting the fire. Father Mychal Judge never made it off the street ... | ||
| Nohero Citizen Username: Nohero Post Number: 1895 Registered: 5-2001 |
Duncan: That had been my first thought, also - Fr. Mychal was a parish priest in my home town, when I was a kid. Someone then pointed out to me that a firefighter's badge includes a maltese cross.  I realized that this was an inspired way for the character to introduce himself in the song, since he never specifically identifies himself as a firefighter. It also emphasizes that these men viewed firefighting as more than a job; for them it was their calling, and they performed it without hesitation. | ||
| Chris Dickson Citizen Username: Ironman Post Number: 700 Registered: 8-2001 |
'Seven nights to rock' We rate The Boss' Giants Stadium shows Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Where: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford When: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 28, 30 and 31 How much: $55-$75; call (201) 507-8900 Tuesday, July 29, 2003 BY JAY LUSTIG STAR-LEDGER STAFF Maybe you were there on one of the nights when Bruce Springsteen sang in a heavy rain (July 18 and 21). Or when he opened with an acoustic "Born in the USA" (July 15). Maybe you were there when he sang sentimental favorite "Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" (July 24), or started his encores with the boisterous "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" (July 26). Chances are, if you attended any of the seven concerts Springsteen and his E Street Band presented at Giants Stadium over the past two weeks, you have an opinion on whether it was a good or bad night for him. But the only way to get a thorough feel for the ebb and flow of this stand -- the longest series of stadium shows ever for a rock act at one venue -- is to go every night. From our Advertisers So that's what we're doing. And here's what we think. Of the first seven shows (the last three take place at the end of August), the best were July 21 and 27. On the former, Springsteen responded to a prolonged downpour with one of his most energetic performances, and former E Street drummer Vini Lopez jammed with the band for the first time in almost 30 years, keeping the beat for "Spirit in the Night." On July 27, the last of the shows, everything came together. Springsteen and the band played with great intensity from beginning to end, added great versions of songs like "Kitty's Back" and "Backstreets" to the set, and capped the show with a rollicking surprise closer, "Seven Nights To Rock." Using our newly invented Bruce-O-Meter, we've rated the shows in six categories: Musical Performance, Crowd Enthusiasm, Set List, Surprises, Intangibles and Weather. Each show gets an overall rating, too, which doesn't necessarily represent an average of the six numbers. Musical Performance, for instance, carries more weight than Weather. The Musical Performance and overall ratings are high. The band, obviously, was in good form throughout the stand. Some nights it was slightly subpar, but it was never terrible. Crowd Enthusiasm also remained fairly stable, while the biggest night-to-night changes were in Surprises and Weather. Overall ratings ranged from Seven to Nine. So why no Tens? A few reasons. First, stadium concerts are inevitably flawed. The performers are far away, even if Springsteen -- with the help of first-rate sound and video systems -- made the shows seem as intimate as possible. With so many people in attendance, ballads are usually ruined by fan chatter, and the mass exodus to rest rooms and concession stands. Generally, these shows rated low in the "Surprises" category. Springsteen performed a core of 13 songs at every show, while rotating other tunes in and out. Most were songs he has performed fairly frequently or at least occasionally in the past. A true surprise is something that cannot possibly be anticipated. Like Lopez's appearance. Or the cover of garage-rock classic "96 Tears," with guest vocalist Garland Jeffreys, on July 18. While there was no way to predict Springsteen would play, say, "For You" or "My Hometown" (both of which appeared once), they didn't come as shocks, either. Fans didn't necessarily expect him to play "Rosalita" -- absent from most of his recent shows -- all seven nights, as he did. But he has shown a willingness to play this fan favorite at special shows, particularly when they take place in New Jersey, so it was reasonable to expect to hear it some nights. Another reason these shows weren't Tens: While Springsteen's 2002 album "The Rising" is solid, and inspired at times, most of the songs don't have the musical and lyrical depth of his best material. And these shows relied heavily on those songs. While "Lonesome Day" became a powerful group participation number and "Worlds Apart" expanded with hard-hitting guitar solos on a nightly basis, the clichés of "Mary's Place" ("We're gonna have a party") and "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" ("Gonna chase the clouds away") became more annoying each time they were played. Another every-night song, "Land of Hope and Dreams" -- not from "The Rising," but of recent vintage -- is a well-intentioned but musically dull social anthem. A little more spontaneity would have helped these shows. Springsteen duplicated clownish antics on songs like "Ramrod" and "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" from show to show, and made the same canned speeches before "My City of Ruins" and "Land of Hope and Dreams." Granted, he's not playing for the same audience every night, but he has to know that in a stand like this one, many of his fans go to more than one show, or all of them. There's one more reason for not giving him a Ten. Maybe he'll turn it up another notch in August. And the Bruce-O-Meter doesn't go up to Eleven. Copyright 2003 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved. | ||
| buzzsaw Citizen Username: Buzzsaw Post Number: 1011 Registered: 5-2001 |
Has Bruce ever played highway patrolman live? |
