Bruuuuuuuce Springsteen and the E Street Band

photo by Daniel Kramer

Growing up on Long Island, going to a Bruce Springsteen concert was a right of passage, like going to the prom or getting a bad perm. It was part of being a teenager. But I was a pathetic outcast because I went off to college without having had that experience. (The concert thing, I mean. I went to the prom WITH a bad perm.)

I was like that strict catholic girl who still hadn't enjoyed her first beer. Well, I popped the tab on that brewski last night! I finally got to see The Boss live and in concert at the Toyota Center in Houston.



The second that tickets went on sale (literally!), I clicked in online and got two of the "best available" seats. They were described as "Floor, general admission." I didn't know exactly what that meant. Would there be chairs? Would we be in some mad scramble to be up front? Were we in a mosh pit? (haha)

I found out right before we left that our tickets were on the floor, general admission and STANDING ROOM ONLY. I wasn't too crazy about that, but there was nothing we could do at that point. I pictured us being pushed and shoved in some sweaty, drunken crowd. (Maybe I've been to too many Taylor Hicks concerts?)

When we got to the Toyota Center, there were different lines for different types of tickets. Even though we were early, one line was especially long and curved around the front of the arena. Of course, that was our's. By the looks of it, I assumed we'd be standing in the back for the show.

We were swept away into the Toyota Center, asked to show our tickets in exchange for a wristband and found ourselves walking on to the cement floor of the arena. We walked past the sound engineers and right up to a barrier, which separated us from VIP.

This photo was taken looking back from where we came. You're looking at the sound guys and some security walking around. The VIP section and the stage is behind me. By showtime this whole area was full of people:



The "X" in the gray area below is where we were standing:



We waited impatiently for an hour for the show to start. Finally, at 8:15, the lights dimmed. I heard a woman behind me say, "Why are they booing?" Actually the crowd was yelling, "Bruuuuuuuuuce!!!"



First of all, let me get this out of the way. I thought Bruce looked great. Very fit, very masculine, very much like a rock icon. He and everyone on stage wore black. He's very intense- lots of power behind every belted-out note and every strum of the guitar. He often banged the floor with his boot heel as he worked at the mic.


photo by Daniel Kramer

The crowd ate it up. Most of them knew the parts Bruce wanted them to sing or when to throw their arms up in the air. The energy in the place was amazing!


photo by Daniel Kramer

Early on in the show Bruce said they were there to build a house: "We're gonna build a house right here, right now! We're gonna build a house of music, a house of noise, a house of joy! And we've got the tools right here on this stage! But we can't do it without you! We'll bring the music and you'll bring the NOISE!!"

And we certainly did.





There was lots and lots of interaction with the crowd-especially with those lucky folks up against the stage. He handed his harmonica to a young girl, he let some little boys strum his guitar, he held out the mic for various people to sing into and once he sat on the edge of the stage, turned round and leaned on the audience while he sang.

For those of us not close enough to touch him, he prompted us to sing along with wild waves of his arms and he strutted around smiling up at the very last rows of seats.

By the way, we weren't the only ones in the audience standing for the show. Everyone was up on their feet. He worked us like a master.

Maybe those of you more familiar with his shows know about this, but I was surprised by the amount of small signs people held up. Somewhere during the middle of the show, Bruce walked along the edge of the stage, reading them and grabbing some.

Then he riffled through the signs, picked one and propped it up against his mic stand. They were song requests.



By the time the band came back to do an encore, I was feeling like I needed to walk around a little. We'd been standing in one spot for hours. We headed for the back of the crowd where there was a wide open area. I turned around and took it all in.

There was the E-Street Band up ahead, bathed in light, still rocking the house. Rising up all around me was the appreciative crowd, on their feet and singing along. What a great moment. But it got even better.

When the first few notes of the last song filled the air, the arena exploded into applause. And then we all danced in the dark.


That's why you buy a ticket on the floor, standing room only. It felt like we were in a club. People danced, fell, laughed, got up and danced some more. But in this club (or House of Joy?) the music was provided by Bruce effing Springsteen!

When the lights came up, it was 10:45. Two and a half hours. Damn! they put on a good show. I want to go again! But-hey! How do you get those VIP tickets?


Setlist:
Badlands
Outlaw Pete
No Surrender
Out in the Street
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Working on the Highway
Cadillac Ranch
It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
The Wrestler
Kingdom of Days
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
* * *
Hard Times
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Rosalita
Land of Hope and Dreams
American Land
Dancing in the Dark