For You...

For years, I have read and saved various articles about Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, but I have never written my own thoughts about a show and shared them publicly. Tonight, it's time to write.

Last night's show at Hartford's XL Center was my eighth show, and I was blessed to have my family and two close friends surrounding me for this one. During any E Street Band show, there will be moments where you will feel compelled to close your eyes, to sway, to grab the person next to you, to reflect on a time long gone, or a time in only the very recent past. Springsteen concerts are designed for this. There will be no judgement in these venues. We all "get it." Take it in. Make it yours. That's what Bruce wants. He never wrote these songs for himself. It's always been for us.

There are standouts at every show... those little moments that humble you, that floor you, that chill you. Last month, at Friday night's MetLife show, it was a powerful and gritty "Lost in the Flood." The next night, at Bruce's birthday show, it was a transcendent "Jungleland " into a nostalgic "Thunder Road."

Last night, there were more than a few standouts. "Point Blank" gave me goosebumps. "Because The Night" reminded me what absolute madness sounds like. "Pink Cadillac" took an entire crowd back to a time that was less complicated and more rockin'. And then there was "For You." Words fall short on how this moment sounded and felt, so here it is:



I shot this video. Our seats were up high. There are better videos of this song at this show on YouTube, but this is and will remain my favorite version, because every word is audible, and because while Bruce was singing, my dad's best friend, Mike (who just lost his beautiful wife to brain cancer last month after a long and heroic battle) was sitting next to me at this same vantage point, having his own private moment. In that arena, as tears fell softly down Mike's cheeks, Bruce was singing only to him. For a few minutes, the rest of the crowd faded away, and it was only the music and the memories. As "For You" ended and "The Rising" began, my family and I embraced Mike... a support system, fueled by a life-long friendship and Bruce's evocative words set to music. 

Although Mike is a music buff and knows more about music than most people I know, this was his first Springsteen show, so I was waiting in anticipation of his final verdict. At the end of the concert, when the lights came up, I looked to Mike and he was just standing and staring straight ahead, shaking his head. For a moment, I actually wondered if he was disappointed. I was quickly reassured when he turned to me and quietly said, "If music is meant to move you... then that moved me." 

This is why we keep buying the tickets. This is why we keep pumping our fists in the air. This is why we keep dragging people that aren't fans to the shows. This is why those people then start dragging other people. This is why we do believe we take care of our own... because we do. During these shows, the outside world fades away. For three to four hours, we are enraptured. This is why we keep coming back, Bruce. Because as much as you do it for us, we do it FOR YOU.

Thank you, once again, for the memories. Thank you for the moments of healing, the moments of strength, the moments of love, the moments of madness. And thank you, as always, for giving us a reason to believe.