Thursday, October 04, 2007

The Greatest Ever?


By Sunday morning I will have seen Bruce Springsteen in concert 55 times (yes I’m an obsessive nerd and I keep a list of every show I’ve ever seen). Currently I am listening to a pristine, mind-blowing bootleg of the first Bruce Springsteen concert I ever attended – a life changing evening at The Tower Theater in December 1975. It’s an astonishing document of a band at its creative peak – just after the release of Born to Run and the Time and Newsweek covers and just before the leap to arena shows.

His lethal cocktail of unbridled passion, everyman camaraderie, PT Barnum showmanship, vivid storytelling, cocky swagger, ace chops, that burly, booming yowl and most of all… an incredible sense of the healing and celebratory power of rock and roll have combined to make Bruce Springsteen the single greatest live performer in the history of rock roll. And it might not even be close. It’s doesn’t diminish other concert heavyweights like Elvis, The Stones, Led Zep, Otis Redding, The Clash, U2, The Replacements, Radiohead, The White Stripes or current torchbearers The Hold Steady to make this statement. Nobody has done it this well, this long. Nobody.

So here's a majestic solo version of “For You” from that night because it’s just about perfect and I know you’ll dig it. And cause it's Friday, a tribute from The Boss to one of his heroes.

I swear, every show I’ve seen since December 28, 1975 has been an attempt to recapture the magic of that night.

Bruce Springsteen - For You

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

By Sunday morning I will have hit number 175. Starting with a first 10 no more than 3 miles from my house in Bryn Mawr and Villanova a trip to SP is always welcomed to see the Band. While the tour shows become the same they all have a different approach to them which makes them all a magical night

Scott McClatchy said...

re: Bruce Springsteen

TKid asks: The greatest ever?

Satch answers: Yes.