It is the rare artist that is able to remain relevant for 29 years. Bruce Springsteen is just such an artist. I bought Springsteen's "Born to Run" album in 1978, my freshman year in college. The music was unlike anything I'd ever heard before, and it touched me in a way that I couldn't adequately describe then or now. There was something in the message and the music that made me look beyond myself and see things and people differently (what the Chinese refer to as "seeing with new eyes). My "Born to Run" LP was played loud and often, and I still have it- though I no longer have a turntable to play it on.
I first saw Springsteen and his E Street Band in concert in February, 1981 at the old Civic Center in St. Paul, MN. The closest thing I can compare it to would be a religious experience, as trite as that may sound. The concert lasted 3 1/2 hours with no opening act; I thought it was the most amazing, energetic thing I'd ever seen.
Eleven years later, on Halloween, 1992, I saw Springsteen and his new band at the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. The show, while not as long, frenetic, or mesmerizing, was still a lot of fun. Springsteen was older, and had obviously been working out to keep himself in concert condition. He was as energetic as ever, but at 42, the manic pace from earlier days had clearly eased a bit. That is the natural course of things, I suppose.
Fast forward to April 18, 2000. It was my 40th birthday, and Springsteen was playing in concert THAT VERY NIGHT at Compaq Center in Houston. My dream for years had been to go skydiving on my 40th birthday, but that went straight out the window when I learned that Bruce would be in town. My beautiful and long-suffering wife accompanied me to the show, though she knows and cares nothing for Springsteen's music. She endured the 3 hour show with the patience of a saint, and for that alone I owe her- big time.
A better birthday has been had by no man fortunate enough to walk this Earth. For 3 hours, I was 20 years old. The memories and feelings were as clear as when I'd first been there. When the band finally struck up the first chords of "Born to Run", I began to cry. Susan, bless her heart, thought I was losing my marbles.
Last week, Springsteen and the E Street Band came out with their latest album, The Rising. I've listened to it several times now, and I can honestly say that it is an amazing piece of work. While bands like The Who and The Rolling Stones live largely off what they did in the 60s, 70, and 80s, Bruce Springsteen has found a way to be as artistically relevant now as he was in the mid-70s. By addressing themes that change as much as they remain constant- pain, loss, joy, disillusionment, love, broken dreams- Springsteen reflects the fact that he is 52 without being irrelevant and out of touch.
How many of us are the same person now that we were 29 years ago? I thought so. Change is a part of the human condition, and experience is the measure of how time changes and molds all of us. The challenge is to speak with the same voice and have the same impact as the years pass. Few artists are able to accomplish that with any degree of success. Springsteen has been masterful in adapting and changing with the passage of time. We should all be so fortunate.
What is truly amazing about "The Rising" is Springsteen's addressing of 9.11 and it's aftermath without being exploitative or silly. Unlike some of the jingoistic, militaristic musical crap that has been thrust upon a more-than-willing public since 9.11 (Toby Keith, anyone??), Springsteen has managed to be thoughtful and poignant without threatening to "put a boot in your ass".
I would highly recommed "The Rising" to anyone who enjoys good, meaningful music well done. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go out to my truck and drive around for awhile so I can listen to the album again....
