Maybe I wasn't paying attention back when The Rising came out, but there appears to be an insane pre-release buzz going on with Bruce Springsteen's Magic. Whether the "leak" of the "Radio Nowhere" single was truly that, or another piece of the plan, there's no denying that there's some crazy rock and roll entropy building.
The pre-tour rehearsal shows have been the subject of much Internet yakkery. I'll admit that I did read the live updates of the setlists as they were born, texted out a song at a time from the Asbury Park Convention Hall floor. There were so many people following that thread that the server crashed several times during the show. Crazy. There were also hilarious and pathetic complaints about the setlists. What the heck is wrong with these people?!
Yes, I did purchase Magic on vinyl a week early. Yes, I did spend the better part of an evening up in my insanely hot listening room allowing the music to soak into me. Yes, I did make an analog to digital conversion because there was no way in heck I was going to wait another week to hear this stuff in my car.
As I'm typing this, Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera are interviewing members of the E Street Band on a stage set out in Rockefeller Center. Good gawd, that Lofgren fella is short! Sorry Nils, you are a fabulous guitar player. Steve is his usual cuttin'-up-in-the-back-of-the-classroom self. Patti looks great. Max is his usual classy self. And Clarence, always good to see the big man. Anyway, previous to these conversations, Bruce and the band had been warming up with what Josh Hathaway sez is "God's favorite song" — "The Promised Land". Woo!
Matt got Meredith to step up to the mic and say "Hello New York City... are you ready to rock and roll?" (or something like that). It was kinda silly. I laughed anyway, bein' in this giddy mood.
Now, as the weather guy (sorry, I don't watch the Today Show often so I don't know his name... what happened to Willard Scott?) is interviewing some of the crazies in the crowd. You know, one of those crazies should be BC's own Lisa McKay, who said to me in an email just a few minutes ago, "Since I'm home from work today, I'm wondering why the hell I didn't drive down. Geesh."
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Ive got this DVRed for viewing later tonight. So a three song setlist huh? I was so hoping for "Gypsy Biker" -- that song kicks my ass but good (love the harmonica and the ripping guitar solo).
Giddy Mark? That only begins to describe it.
Off to work now, but I'm sure we'll exchanging messages later tonight...
-Glen
2 - Glen Boyd
Damn Mark! You didn't mention that he did "Night"! (not to mention "My Hometown")...shame on you!
-Glen
3 - Glen Boyd
Geez! ...and "Last To Die" sequed into "Long Walk Home." And have you ever seen so many people with shit-eating ear to ear grins? It was like New Years Eve in the daylight.
Man, I think were in for a great next twelve months or so...
-Glen
4 - Ray Ellis
It's official! Glen liked it, surprisingly enough.
5 - Glen Boyd
LOL Ray...
Look, you BC guys have only seen one side of my personality so far, which is the deadly earnest, ultra-serious rock critic guy. But we have just entered a period where I really can't be responsible for my behaviour for probably the next twelve months or so. My friends have known about it for years: steer clear of Glen when it's "Boss time."
And Springsteen has just put out (correction: is about to put out) the flat out rockingest thing he has done in like twenty years. Magic is really that good.
So get used to it folks. Say goodbye to objective critic guy Glen for probably the next twelve months. You are about to meet diehard fan Glen. The guy who believes in Santa Claus in Christmas time. The guy who has seen Bruce 32 times, travelling as far as from Seattle to Jersey and Orlando, FL. to do so. The guy for whom few things in life hold as much joy as the "big noise."
All you have to do is look into all those wall to wall shit eating grins in the audience on the Today show to understand.
Anyway, diehard fan Glen is harmless enough (as my friends will tell you), just a little wound up when it's "Boss time."
Kinda like that kid at Christamas...
-Glen
6 - Mark Saleski
i didn't see the second segment. it came on an hour later and i had stuff to do. oh well. man, it sounds cool tho...