The Church of Rock & Roll

I took communion on Saturday night with a few friends... few thousand friends. It was the High Holy Day of the Church of Rock & Roll, and we were there to see the Highest of the High Priests: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. My husband has endured our religious difference with amazing tolerance for the past 12 years, and allowed me to drag him to previous tours.

Bruce & the NOT the E Street Band
Him: That was a good show.
Me: No, it was a good rock and roll show, but it was a lousy Bruce show.

Bruce solo on the Ghost of Tom Joad Tour
Him: That was an OK show.
Me: That was a good Bruce solo accoustic show, but it wasn't a BRUCE show.

The Reunion Tour of 2000
Him (day 1 of 2 shows): How come everybody knows all the words to all the songs? How do they know when to put their hands in the air like that?
Me: (Screaming in unison with a few thousand others) IT AIN'T NO SIN TO BE GLAD YOU'RE ALIVE!!!

Him (day 2 of 2): OOOOOhhhh, I think I get it.
Me: OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHmigod, they're playing Thunder Road.

The Rising Barnstorm Tour
Him (somewhere in the intro to the second song): BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN KICKS MAJOR ROCK AND ROLL ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me: Well, duh. You finally got it.

And he does. He finally gets it. He'll never get it about BOB, but that's OK.

So here's the set list from Saturday night in Miami...

The Rising
Lonesome Day
Promised Land
The Fuse
Candy's Room
Empty Sky
You're Missing
Waiting on a Sunny Day
Out in the Street
Worlds Apart
Badlands
She's The One
Mary's Place (and yes, this is the barn burner live that I thought it would be when I heard the cd. Damn. Damn)
Then Bono (yes THAT Bono) and Dave Stewart (from the Eurythmics) came out and joined in on
Because The Night
For You (with Bruce solo on the piano)
Into the Fire

(First Encore)
So Young & In Love
Glory Days
If I Should Fall Behind (a duet with the great, great Dion -- Dion and the Belmonts, not Celine Dion)
Born To Run

(Second Encore)
My City in Ruins
Born in the USA (back to being something of a rocker, not the high lonesome sound of recent years, performed on a 12 string steel)
Land of Hopes and Dreams
Dancing in the Dark

and if the freaking Miami crowd had arrived on time, instead of late or 10 minutes to curtain, the show would have started on time and we could have had three encores, OK?

As it was, it was the cure I needed for these days of loathing and fear.