I can’t say my relationship with Bruce Springsteen a.k.a The Boss is as intimate as some of the other performers in The Summer of Music but it was definitely one of if not the greatest event I have been to so far in my life, with 40,000 people showing up to see him rock. All ages, sizes and forms were present, and the mood was generally good. They had beer, coffee & hotdog stands, and since none of them took VISA they had a banking tent allowing cash-outs for the "small fee" of 10%. They also had the biggest beer tank I have seen in a setting like this:
Now THAT’s what I call a barrel o’beer
Tickets were sold out so people had to be creative.. Yes, the small figures are people
During the concert they showed a couple of guys sitting up in a tree to get a view
Crowds gathering before the show
The Boss in concert
Sometimes it’s hard to decide where to look – scene or screen?
Doing great for a 58 (almost 59) year old!
Must be all the sex, drugs and rock & roll
The Big Man from E Street Band
Steve Van Zandt a.k.a Silvio Dante singing
More pictures can be found at my photostream. Here are some live videos:
Waiting on a Sunny Day
Born in the USA
Twist and Shout
The concert was really rocking for the three (yes 3!) hours that it lasted, and it didn’t seem to be an end to Springsteen’s energy. There was also room for kids at the concert, and Bruce even dedicated a song "to my little friend", that is a young girl held up by her mother just in front of the stage that got some serious attention from the cameras. Shoulder to shoulder were the regular Hell’s Angels type equally moved by the music:)
Since I didn’t knew any other songs than Born in the USA and Born to run it was fun to hear a lot of well-known material that apparently was his. Twist and Shout however, which was the final encore, was originally made by Phil Medley and Bert Russell in 1962. A great bonus for me was recognizing Van Zandt, which for me is a household name due to my Sopranos obsession. I knew he could play, but he also has a great voice. So does the Big Man Clemons. This concert would’ve been too one-sided without the great performance of the E Street Band.
They also had nice facilities at Valle Hovin, countless latrines and a big ramp for wheelchair users (including guarded handicap toilets) that seemed to have a lot better view than the rest of us. Next time I’ll be going in a wheelchair, since I’m not the kind of guy to voluntarily head into the mosh pit anyway.