Concerts

Bruce Springsteen in Hartford 2/28/08

Having been out of the country for the fall leg of Bruce Springsteen’s Magic tour, I started making up for lost time with the first show of the spring leg in Hartford. Having opened the tour proper here as well, for whatever reason the city seems to mean something to the Boss, or at least have a strong enough fan base to ensure a good start. After an elaborate lottery system to get close to the stage (I didn’t win), we stood around for a few hours taking in the scene. In a cavernous arena, it was at least small enough that there wasn't a seat in the house. With the crowd made up mostly of white middle-aged guys, it was clear the ticket prices prevent younger fans from checking it out in the same way they do Dylan. After a lot of drinking and, for many, beer-guzzling, the lights went down and to the stage came…a weird player-organ. It cranked out The Man on the Flying Trapeze, a song Bruce himself covered with the Seeger Sessions Band tour in ’06 as the audience screamed, less for what was happening than for what was to come, when the E Street Band took the stage.

...

Read more...