It’s A Good Thing I Wasn’t There

Or I would have had to kill myself. My ole pal Andy* called me last night to gloat over the fact that he'd gone, not once, but twice, to see Springsteen at Shea Stadium. And he had his regular Mets seats, which means he was just off home plate on the first base line, down in the boxes. Bastard.

This is retribution for not getting him in to Madison Square Garden when I was up for the Reunion Tour.

But the thing that I would have had to kill myself over was this:

Shea Stadium October 4, 03

1. CODE OF SILENCE
2. The Rising
3. Lonesome Day
4. Roulette
5. Night
6. I WISH I WERE BLIND
7. Empty Sky
8. You're Missing
9. Waitin on a Sunny Day
10. Johnny 99
11. Another Thin Line
12. Tunnel of Love
13. Because the Night
14. Badlands
15. Prove it all night
16. Mary's place
17. BACK IN YOUR ARMS
18. Into the fire

First encore:
19. LIGHT OF DAY
20. Bobby Jean
21. Born to Run
22. Seven nights to rock

Second encore:
23. HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED(Bob Dylan)
24. My city of ruins
25. Land of hopes and dreams
26. Rosalita(Willie Nile)
27. Dancing in the dark
28. Quarter to three
29. Twist and Shout(Soozie on lead)
30. BLOOD BROTHERS

Two encores, 30 songs, and THE BOB. The Bob, she says with a cry and a whimper. On the same stage as The Boss. Singing, as Andy put it "For Yom Kippur", Highway 61 Revisited.

For those of you who don't know, on Yom Kippur, the torah reading is the story of Abraham and Isaac. Or, as The Bob puts it, and I mutter under my breath, every single fucking year:

"Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"
God say, "No." Abe say, "What?"
God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin' you better run"
Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killin' done?"
God says, "Out on Highway 61."

Well, just bite me. I would have had to kill myself after such a peak experience as that. And what if, by some amazing freak of good luck, my girlfriend with the all-area access had me backstage and introduced me to The Bob?

Well, my head would have spontaneously combusted, and there'd be no more Girlyshoes. So I repeat, it's a good thing that I wasn't there. Or so I tell myself.

* Andy and I have been pals since college. We went to see "A Boy and His Dog" together at a midnight movie. And loved it. When I married Marc, Andy looked around and figured out that he was the only person on the bride's side not related by blood. So for the rest of the day, he walked around introducing himself as my "only friend." And I refuse to give my name when I call his business, saying only that I'm HIS only friend. The secretaries all know who I am, and put me through.