Club Q Update #94 - BRUUUUUUUUCE

My mother-in-law bought tickets for us all to go and see Bruce Springsteen at Wrigley Field in Chicago a few years ago, and at that point I had been a selective Bruce fan. Once synths crept in during his Dancing In The Dark era, my interest waned a little.

Then I saw that concert. For 3 hours it was a rollercoaster. Just hang on and try to keep up. The energy was incredible - he made every single one of those people in that stadium feel like he was singing and playing just for them, while collectively we all felt like we were part of a movement. It was incendiary.

And the songs… There was no pause, no break. He’d yell “ 1, 2, 3, 4!!!!!” and launch into the next onslaught, and the whole audience would gasp “I FUCKING LOVE THIS SONG!”, and we genuinely did. It’s just incredible the volume of incredible music he has put out.

I left elated, but exhausted, inspired, but intimidated. That is the bar right there, and it’s really bloody high.

So. Here’s my favourite Bruce tune. The lyrics make me tense up and want to cry in rage. It’s dark, angst-ridden, but so beautifully eloquent and poetic, with the undeniable stamp of Springsteen Americana. The music is visceral, powerful. If you can, check out a live version he did at The Paramount on Youtube. It’s unbelievable.

Bruce fan or not, you can’t deny that he means every damn word he says. He’s the definition of conviction.