Summertime Bruce

There are certain things that, for me, are just right. My daughter taking a nap on my lap, October baseball in the Bronx, Friday night dinners at my parents' house, and Bruce in the summertime. Some would argue that for me, any time is a good time for Bruce. However, there is something special about the summertime. Bruce played Giants Stadium three times this week, perhaps for the last time.

First, let me talk about the tailgate. Because of the construction of the new Giants Stadium, the parking lots have been reconfigured in the last year, forcing us to move our tailgate from Lot 17A to Lot 18C for Giants games, and for Bruce shows also. We tailgated Sunday and Thursday...and took Monday off. I have to work sometimes...right? The attendance for the tailgates was stellar. It was a great mix of people I see often, people I don't see enough, people I just see at Bruce shows, and people I haven't seen in a long time. The roll call for both Sunday and Thursday included my sister Sari, brother-in-law Jeffrey, Dave and Jodi Katz, Spider, Fresh, Greg S, Jeff Koko, and my partner in crime for Bruce...Sammy. It was also great to see Greg V. and his new wife, the rest of the Koko Family, the Nugget King Rob Fisher, Gordon, Greg, Jen C and her 8+ month pregnant sister Adrienne, Back Nine Schein, and of course, Beckerman. If I missed anyone...I am sorry...but I am typing pretty late. The menu was WindMill hot dogs, burgers, a special recipe of bites of a steaks that Spider likes to call Steak Tips, and of course....a lot of cold beer.

The tailgates started at 3:30 both days and lasted until about 8. Great weather, great food, great friends, and great music. Oh by the way...afterwards, there were concerts.

As for the shows, they were tremendous. I can't really judge which of the three I enjoyed more. One didn't stand out from the rest like some of the other epic stands. Of the 55,000 people there each night, I am confident that no one had a better time than me. Some might have had an equally good time, like my sister Sari on Thursday, but no one had a better time. Over the course of the three nights, Bruce played 53 different songs. Each show was over 3 hours, and there was a great mix of hits, old, new, obscure, etc. I always say when I head in to a show that I want to hear something I have never heard before. This stand, I heard four songs I have never heard before: Held Up Without A Gun (played for only the third time ever), I'll Work For Your Love (one of my favorites off of the new album), Summertime Blues (a great cover), and Drive All Night (I had heard it solo, but never with the band...amazing).

The musical highlights were many. Jungleland (twice), Drive All Night, Incident, Held Up Without A Gun, Cadillac Ranch, Badlands, etc. As good as the music was, Bruce was better. He was working the crowd, taking sign requests, and connecting with people. Sitting near the front all three nights, it was great to see Bruce interacting with the fans, especially the small children. Being a father now, that stuff really hits home for me. The first night, he played Growin Up for a 10 year old fan named Rosie. Also that night, he sang a verse of Girls in their Summer Clothes to a young fan in the front row while holding her hand and looking right at her. Monday night he gave his harmonica from Promised Land to a 7 year old fan with a sign asking for the harmonica. He was great.

There was a lot of anticipation for these shows since they went on sale in December, and it lived up to everything we hoped it would be. If you were there with me, thanks for contributing to a great time. If you weren't...I hope you can join us next time.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive..."

JN