Saturday, October 10, 2009














These were taken Thursday evening on the midtown subway platform, the E train and at Penn Station.

I attended a great Springsteen concert last night - the last show in Giants Stadium which is to be demolished after this year's football season. Greg and I got home at 3 AM....a memorable night indeed.

Bruce is quite a showman and a concert is as much about the music as about community. It is almost a sermon or a religious revival. One time Springsteen went into the audience singing and then took a swig from a guy's beer. Another time he went to down to the front row and he let a five ear old girl sing the chorus to a song. The wildest moment was when he lowered himself into the audience on his back and let them carry him in the mosh pit for five minutes as he continued to sing into his cordless microphone. Someone passed him a sign and some romantic fan used the occasion for a wedding proposal delivered by Bruce in front of 60,000 people.

Towards the end of the show they shot off fireworks and he finished the show with Jersey Girl. There was a couple siting next to us that had come for the weekend from Sweden just to see Bruce. Before the show the man told me what he really wanted to hear was "Jersey Girl."

He got his wish. All night it had threatened to rain. It did not rain until close to midnight, five minutes after the E Street Band had stopped playing.

"I got no time for the corner boys
Down in the street making all that noise
Or the girls out on the avenue
`cause tonight i wanna be with you
Tonight i'm gonna
take that ride
Across the river to the jersey side
Take my baby to the
carnival
And i'll
take her on all the rides

`cause down the shore everything's all right
You and your baby on a saturday night
You know all my dreams come true
When i'm walking
down the street with you

Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la
la la
Sha la la
la i'm in love with a
jersey girl

You know she thrills me with all her charms
When i'm wrapped up in my
baby's arms
My little girl gives me everything
I know that some day
she'll wear my ring
So don't bother me man i ain't got no time
I'm on my
way to see that girl of mine
`cause nothing matters in this whole wide world
When you're in love with a jersey girl"


It is a Tom Waits song.

5 comments:

The Artful Eye said...

Sounds like you two had a great time. Father and son, digging the scene, what better moments. Great son.
Groovy pics. Happy days. waves to all.

Mick said...

Lotta Jersey Girls in this set, John, headed for the shore I bet.

layers said...

Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits (sort of) and wonderful images all in one.

Leslie Avon Miller said...

Great story. I love the way you weave the soundtracks of our lives into your blog. It fits with the images, and together they evoke emotion about being alive in this time. Our next concert is Mark Knopfler in the spring.

shayndel said...

Wow, wonderful to read this post of your notes from the concert.
Like Lelslie says, I also love the way you bring music into your posts. Little by little I "hear" it in different ways. Today I was at an outdoor concert and a Japanese singer was playing Neil Young songs with a passion. I thought of you and your BB listening to songs through your days and sharing them with us.
Also sounds like a great father-son moment, a great gift to Greg.
Best,