#sept52016

I Felt The Electricity, I Felt The Spirit, I Felt Alive

Where do I start? OK well, the show was originally supposed to be on September 3, which would have been awesome for me being it was a Saturday and I could stay out late and sleep in the next morning, not having to worry about work. But no, that would have made my life way too easy. So in comes hurricane/tropical depression Hermine. She made sure to come in not Thursday, not Friday, but SATURDAY. So the show was postponed and set for Monday night. OK that's great at least he didn't cancel and just moved on to Philly. Bruce actually cares about his fans. Plus I had Monday off being it's a holiday here, so it still worked out.

So Monday comes, my sister and I make sure we got our Bruce shirts on, get into my car that's decorated in Springsteen decals -- hell even my license plate is Springsteen related -- and we head for the venue. We arrived around 6pm, entered the gate, I bought us each a shirt, and I paid $15 for one of those cards to redeem on Bruce's site to buy the mp3s of the show later (still waiting on those mp3s to go on sale). Then we got some popcorn and soda, sat down and patiently waited for the show to start. Now mind you I bought seats, there was no way I was sitting on the fucking lawn. This is BRUCE we're talking about. I wanted to be as close as possible. We were seated around a lot of older folks who had already seen him a million times. They were surprised to see my sister and I there. And of course they assumed that we knew nothing about Bruce and that we were new fans. I made sure to make it clear I've been in love for 7 years now.

There were a few false starts, the lights went down and there were a lot of people walking around the stage, checking the mics, the instruments, etc. When one of them came into the light we all thought it was Bruce and started freaking out, only to realize it wasn't him yet. This happened 2 or 3 more times. Until finally THERE HE WAS. He walked out, waved to the crowd, he immediately went to the piano and started the show with For You. I can't tell you what a rush it was to see him come out, to see his face on that screen, and to finally know what it was like to be in his presence. To be breathing the same air as him!! There he was in front of me! Though he looked a bit bigger than an ant from where I was sitting, I saw him. His body language was the same as all the videos I've watched over and over, the same hand gestures, the same way he rocks his head back and forth as he sings into the mic, the same poses he takes like when he rests a foot on Max's drums with his back to the crowd, etc. There it was in front of my very eyes. His voice the same as it is in all the audio and video I listen to, to hear him sigh and breath as he sang; at times I had to wonder if it was real, was I really there?? Is this happening for real?? And then the thankfulness, and the wonder... here I am finally... fulfilling a dream I had dreamed for so very long.

I heard pretty much every song I wanted to hear: Spirit in the Night, E Street Shuffle, Rosalita, THUNDER ROAD, THE PROMISED LAND, HUNGRY HEART, OUT IN THE STREET, Land of Hope and Dreams, BORN TO RUN, DANCING IN THE DARK, Backstreets. I finally got to know what it feels like to be in the crowd during Promised Land shouting 'OHHHHHHHHHHHH OHH OHH OHHHHHHH OH', and the classic 'OH-OH, OH-OH, OH-OH' during Out in The Street. At times the show was almost like a religious experience, especially during The Rising my hands were up, my head was down, and I recieved the good news from Preacher Man Bruce.

Truthfully, honest to God, I have never felt so alive in all my life. I'm usually a very rigid person, I don't let loose, I don't really relax. During this show I pounded my fist in the air as I sang terribly along to lyrics that mean so much to me, I wiggled my hips and danced my ass off, I clapped and jumped, I just totally let myself go and in front of so many people. For the first time it didn't matter how I looked, it didn't matter that I couldn't sing, all that mattered was the moment.

I can't get over that night, even now days later as I type this I am still starstruck and in awe. I wish I could re-live the entire night over and over again like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. I know that sounds silly, but you have to understand that I have struggled with mild to moderate depression for a long time now. It's something I struggle with, and it's something I hide very well when I'm out in the world. But one thing I know that helps me through the blah days, and the very dark days, is Bruce and his music. It truly is therapeutic for me, he has helped me get through a lot, I've found so much hope and strength in his words and melodies. So when I went to that show Monday night, that was the first time probably since I was a child, that I felt true unbridled happiness. I wish so very much I could go back and experience it again.

I hope he keeps touring for a while more, I want to make sure I see him even if he's playing 4 hours away, I want to see him. I don't want to wait for him to come to my neck of the woods again. If he's close enough to drive to, I'll be there.