Last Tuesday I drove 250 miles from Dayton, Ohio to Pittsburgh for a Bruce Springsteen concert. I got out of class at noon and then got in my car and drove east. I got to Pittsburgh around 5 in the afternoon. The concert was sold out and I didn't have a ticket, but I drove there anyway hoping I could buy one from someone. My GPS led me to the arena and I was listening to my XM sattelitte radio for most of the drive. There is a channel called "E Street Radio." It is a channel dedicated entirely to the music of Bruce Springsteen. I payed $14 to park near the arena. I then went walking around to find someone selling tickets. Fortunately I found someone and bought a ticket for $120. I went back to the parking lot and met my cousin who I had contacted on the phone the night before. She has been a huge Springsteen fan for many years and was there with three friends. They had driven there from eastern Pennsylvannia. We had a tailgating party in the parking lot for two hours before the show. I had a chair and my guitar with me and played a few Bruce songs.
As I went into the arena, I bought a tour program and a t-shirt for $50. For dinner I bought a hot dog for $4.50 and a beer for $6.75. I made my way to my seat and at around 8:20, the lights went down. The show was starting.

I was so excited as Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band took the stage. They opened with an explosive version of the 1978 classic "Badlands" from the album 'Darkness on the Edge of Town,' one of my favorites. After that was "Candy's Room" from the same album. Then came the 8-minute western epic "Outlaw Pete" from the new album 'Working on a Dream." A few songs later, they played the heart-wrenching song "Youngstown" about the steel mills in Youngstown, Ohio, many of which closed down in the 70s and 80s. Pittsburgh has long been a big steel-producing town as well, so the song fit very well.

After about an hour, came a part of the show which Bruce and the band call the "Stump the E Street Band challenge." It is a staged trick in which fans in the front rows hold up signs requesting particular covers. Some recent ones have included "Wild Thing" and "I Wanna Be Sedated." I couldn't believe it when they played Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone." The second-to-last song of the first set was "The Rising," a song that came out in 2002 which was written about a firefighter who dies on 9/11. The song gave me goosebumps. I belive it is THE best song of this decade. It is hard-rocking, heartbreaking, and inspiring all at once.

After that came the 1975 classic "Born to Run." With this song, they turned the house lights all the way up as they always do. It is one hell of a sight to see 20,000 Bruce Springsteen fans jumping and cheering and pumping their fists in the air as we all sang along at the top of our lungs.

After BtR came a brief break followed by the encore. Bruce and the band began their sencond set with their own rendition of a 150-year-old folk song called "Hard Times." Then they played another classic, "Thunder Road," regarded by many as one of the greatest songs ever written. Then came the incredibly inspiring "Land of Hope and Dreams." After that one, they played a song called "American Land," an Irish folk-sounding rock song that Bruce wrote a few years ago. Then came the hit "Glory Days," which I regard as my personal drinking song! They ended the show with a cover of "Mony Mony."

I then made my way out of the arena and back to the parking lot. I met my cousin and her friends again and we hung out and waited for the traffic to clear. Then we said goodbye and got in our cars and left. As I drove back I listened to "E Street Radio" on the XM some more. They were broadcasting a concert from 2003. I also listened to some Bruce and R.E.M. on the iPod as I drove accross Ohio through the night. I got back shortly past 4 AM after driving 500 miles round trip. The total cost of the trip was about $200, but it was worth it. Bruce Springsteen concerts are fucking EPIC! I then got up the next morning and went to class. Bruce Springsteen will be touring Europe this summer, but there is already talk that there will be more U.S. concerts this fall. I can't wait!


In other news, I am graduating from college on Saturday, June 13! I've had some mixed feelings, but I've been here since 2004 and after some trouble I got in a few weeks ago (I might talk about it more some other time! ) I'm kind of ready to get the hell out of Wright State! As Bruce would say: "It's a town full of losers, and we're pulling out of here to win!"