I got the opportunity to go see Bruce Springsteen in concert last night for the sixth time. The first time I went and saw Bruce was December 8th, 1978 in Houston. It was only the second concert I had been to without the parents present (I was only 12). Looking back I can’t believe they let me go, but of course I had my much older, wiser and responsible brother Walt with me so I guess it was okay. I remember the ticket was $9.50 in 1978, the tickets yesterday were over $100 each after service charges. Think about that inflation next time you’re filling your car.

I found this fan’s comments about that concert on a forum about best concerts ever:

–Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band at the Summit, December 1978.
“Darkness on the Edge of Town” tour. Started at 8:30PM. Played until 10PM. Took a half hour break. Played from 10:30PM until two o’clock in the morning. At 1:00AM, they turned the house lights on at the Summit to try to get him offstage, and he still played for another hour. Amazing show.

I personally don’t remember it going on that long but it set the standard for every concert I have seen since. I remember seeing Ted Nugent shortly thereafter and he played a 35 minute set and I was left feeling ripped off and disappointed.

It is strange sometimes how an artist and his music can become so intertwined in one’s life. I could not even begin to estimate the amount of Bruce I have listened to during the good times and the bad. The other strange thing is how songs that meant one thing at 12 or 22 or 32 mean something completely different at 41. Sometimes you don’t even understand a song for years until you experience something to put it in perspective. “Brilliant Disguise” was a song I liked but never understood until a few years ago.

Enough of that, like all my trip reports it started on priceline.com. For only the second time we were rewarded with a 4 star hotel (The other being the Chicago Hilton). We bid $88 and it was accepted for a grand total of $108 after fees. We had a room in the Westin on the 37th floor overlooking Centennial Park. It was also only 4 blocks from Phillips Arena where the show was held. An amazing view from the room as the building is circular with only 20 rooms on a floor. Very nice!

As usual Bruce did not disappoint. As usual he was over an hour late to start the show, which was an advantage for me as I had to drive from Knoxville, Tennessee where I’ve been training. Good thing as we arrived just as he hit the stage. You can find the set list from the show here. We were in the first row of the third level which was great as no one was in front of us, but you had to be a mountain goat to climb the steps back up to get a beverage.  Pictures from show can be found here. The place was absolutely packed and I enjoyed every minute of it. As long as he continues to tour, I’ll continue to go.

Can’t wait for the next time!