At the spry age of 66 years old, Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band prove that they can still put on one hell of a show. This year, Springsteen and his band went on tour to celebrate the 35th anniversary of their album, "The River."
"We spent everything we had, literally, to make that record. When the record came out, we were down to peanuts. But I wanted it to have scope, to appeal to the different parts of what we did. I wanted it to be fun. I wanted it to be crushing," said Springsteen when commenting on the making of "The River."
I was lucky enough to attend his show in Buffalo, New York, with my parents. Looking around at the range of ages in the crowd, it reminded me that you're never too young or too old to be a fan of The Boss.
Springsteen and The E-Street Band took the stage shortly after 8:00 p.m. They played the entire "The River" album without any breaks, then hit everyone with the real surprise. We all expected an encore, but we most definitely did not expect his encore to be the length of an entire concert in itself. Since they already played all of "The River," his encore consisted of everyone's favorite classics such as "Born to Run," "Dancing in the Dark," "Rosalita," "Thunder Road," and several others. He finally walked off the stage around 11:30 p.m. At 66 years-old, I have never been so jealous of someone's stamina and endurance.
Another element of a Bruce Springsteen concert that makes it unforgettable is his personality and friendly demeanor. Even on stage when performing for thousands of people, he still seems like that personable guy who you would grab a beer with at some dive bar downtown. He talks to the audience in a way that shows that he really wanted to share what "The River" was all about. His stage was designed with catwalks so that during "Hungry Heart" he was able to interact with more of the audience who were lucky enough to have floor seats. Speaking of, during his show at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, in January, he ever so casually sang "Hungry Heart" with a friend of mine while she was recording him and then paused for a selfie.
During the show that I attended, he pulled a woman from the floor onto the stage and slow danced with her while the band continued to play. It's gestures like that that make a concert memorable and a musician so lovable.
Here's to The Boss and congratulations on the 35th anniversary of "The River!"
