White Plains’ 4th Best Personal Blog

If there was one show that I had realistic hopes of making it to in the immediate aftermath of my recent car accident, it was Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on the first night of a two-night stand in Chicago. I had been fortunate to pull up two general admission tickets during the onsale and I had an eager concert companion in Sooz, who had never seen Springsteen before. Fortunately, everything worked out for me to attend my first show in exactly a month. Things worked out even better than we could have expected, as it turned out.

We arrived at a little past 3 p.m. and got on a fairly lengthy line to pick up the wristband that we had been told would be distributed between 2 and 5. We actually got two wristbands — and later, a third — but all that really mattered was the last few numbers on one of the wristbands. At a few minutes past 5, a number was drawn and the first 500 people starting with that number got the coveted spots in the pit area in front of the stage. On this night, the lucky number was 418; Sooz and I had 491 and 492. We could hardly believe our luck! Eventually the blessed 500 were lined up and let into the arena. We found a cozy spot in the second row to Springsteen’s left (looking at the stage). It’s hard to explain, but it was just unbelievable how close we were. I’ve been close to the stage for quite a few (non-Bruce) shows, but you just don’t expect to be right there for a show like that — not when you’ve seen the performer before from one of the upper tiers of a massive football stadium.

But there we were.

The show itself was vintage Bruce, even though nearly half of the main set was made up of songs off of the new record, Magic. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t had a chance to listen to the album at all before the show, with the exception of the single “Radio Nowhere,” so I was getting my first exposure to a lot of the new material. I liked a lot of it, but of course the highlights of the show for me were mostly older songs. I had taken a glance at a few of the setlists from recent shows, so I had some idea what to expect, but it was still a treat to hear a drastically rearranged “Reason to Believe” and the 1-2 punch of “Backstreets” and “Cadillac Ranch.”

As the show went on, Bruce seemed to loosen up more and more. Perhaps that had something to do with the absence of his wife, Patti Scialfa, who had to attend to “a kid thing.” I don’t know. He definitely developed a fondness for a small group of teenage girls who were right next to us, pointing to one of them at least seven or eight times over the course of the night and coming down from the upper part of the stage to play in front of them a couple of times. This all came to a head during “Thundercrack,” my personal highlight. What can I say? I love those epic, early Bruce songs, and the band just tore through this one. Drummer Max Weinberg always looks so determined to keep that beat and the three-guitar attack of Nils Lofgren, Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt really realizes its potential on this one. At one point, Bruce came down right in front of us, almost inviting us to reach up and touch his guitar (which we, of course, did). Sooz was somehow simultaneously snapping photos with her new iPhone — thanks for letting me use a couple of them! — and I swear Bruce even mugged for the camera for a second or two.

While I can’t say it’s the best setlist I’ve ever heard at a Springsteen show, it was an unforgettable night because of our vantage point and the energy of the band. I’m well aware of the rule of thumb that on a two-night stand, the second night is always a better show — and hearing that Bruce played “Thunder Road” and a several other rarities the following night made me a tiny bit disappointed that I couldn’t see both shows — but I’m also a strong proponent of the mentality that sometimes it’s not what you play but how well you play it. And ultimately, I wouldn’t trade the experience that we had for anything. For a comeback show, it really was perfect.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band//10-21-07//United Center, Chicago, IL//support: none

Radio Nowhere/No Surrender/Lonesome Day/Gypsy Biker/Magic/Reason to Believe/Adam Raised a Cain/She’s the One/Livin’ in the Future/The Promised Land/Your Own Worst Enemy/Backstreets/Cadillac Ranch/Devil’s Arcade/The Rising/Last to Die/Long Walk Home/Badlands//e: Girls in Their Summer Clothes/Thundercrack/Born to Run/Dancing in the Dark/American Land