That other Bruce....The E Street Band and "Magic"

[SSJunkie68-69]

It was the summer of 78 when I first saw him in concert. I had been following his music for a couple of years already and really liked it. He sang about Camaro's, cars, girls and having fun. I now had my license and went to the summer show with my high school sweetheart. His songs were the sound track of my teenage years. Since that summer nearly 30 years ago, ouch, I have seen him 36 times. The raw energy he puts into his music and into his live shows is incrediable. As he got older, he turned away from what made him famous, he and the E Streeters started doing their own things. He branched out in his creativity and tried new things and new ways to express himself. After 9/11 he and the boys got back together again and they released "The Rising" which helped with the healing process of many Americans.

For as long as I could remember he always kept a distance between himself and the American Political Process. He and his Dad didn't have the best relationship and he vowed he would never turn into his "old man". But in 2003 he became more vocal about politics and to me, turned into what he most disliked about his old man and that was pushing his view/ideas on to others. For me I respect "celebrities" who don't use their spotlight to push their agenda regardless of if it's Left or Right. To me, in 2003 and the years that followed, the part of him that I grew up and liked the most no longer existed. I told myself the man has sold out and no longer will I pay my hard earned money to attend a show of his just soI could hear him push his agenda. I don't go to a concert to listen about politics. It's all about listening to the music and feeling good. I felt that was taken away from me and I, as an individual have the right to chose for myself and from that point on I was going to excercise that right. I put all the albums, tapes and CD's away as that part of my life was closed. The guy that wrote and sung about his "69 Chevy with a 396" was history to me.

This summer I came across a tape I had a of Jersey show I was at back in '85. It was bootleg from the Born in the USA tour and I played it for my daughters who really liked what they heard. But that was as far as I got. I still kept all the other stuff up in a box in the closet. Today I had a chance to listen to this new album that will be released sometime next week. To all you gear heads out there that have listened to his music in the past and feel the same thing about his music being the sound track of our teenage years, here's a link where you can listen to that Other Bruce and The E Street Band's new album "Magic" in it's entirety, for free no less,

www.q1043.com/cc-common/news/sections/special/springsteen_bruce.html

Hope you all enjoy and thanks for reading through all of my crap to get to this point. To me the album sounds great and it's nice to see him and the band return to their roots.

Maybe it's time to take that box out of the closet......

Don't know if I will attend anymore shows but you never say never "no" now do you? That is unless of course I get some comp tickets~~~

Enjoy the Music
Tom

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SS Junkie 68-69

1968 SS L34 Conv.
1968 SS/RS L34 Conv.
1969 SS L89 Coupe Vintage Certified

[BARNFOUND YENKO]

Tivo the today show on Sept. 28th, He will be performing a few of his songs.