Friday, September 13, 2024 Entry #101
As I begin this review of some of my favorite past Spirit In The Night blog posts, I want to point out that one change that has occurred over time is that I decided at some point that I wanted to title every single post with a related Springsteen song title or lyrical phrase (apart from one “Showtime” post per concert). Obviously, in this instance, “Don’t Look Back” is an ironic choice, as looking back is precisely what I am doing. However, though Springsteen did write a song with that title, he also does quite a lot of revisiting his past (his “Growing Up” years, if you will) in his songwriting, sometimes nostalgically, and at other times more cynically. I believe, therefore, that I am on solid ground. Furthermore, once I complete these entries-in-review, I have another surprise time jump to cover an exciting and iconic Springsteen adventure I am about to experience in the here and now. But, for now, I’m looking back.
Entry #9 is about some of the Springsteen superfans I met waiting in the GA pit line for the first concert of the tour in Tampa. One of those people was Cassie, who is featured in a YouTube video (included in my post) jamming with The Boss when she was a teenager.
Next up is Entry #11, my review of the Tampa concert, flush with pictures I excitedly took from my prime spot standing just a few rows from the stage.
With two concerts under my belt, in Entry #22, I wrote about friendships, one of the themes that seemed to be threaded through Springsteen’s setlists.
Entry #30 was the first of three reports I posted about the relationship between two of my biggest heroes, Bruce Springsteen and President Barack Obama.
At my last stop, in Hollywood, Florida, my lineup number was low enough for me to score the pinnacle of GA spots, “on the rail,” right up against the stage. I write about how it felt in Entry #34.
In Entry #39, I wrote about another important arc on the tour-from despair to redemption, “Wrecking Ball to The Rising.”
My meditation on Springsteen and summer in Entry #41; I absolutely loved writing this piece.
As I was driving home from the Florida trip, I had a true epiphany. It was about the 1981 version of me and the present day version, as well as the 1981 Bruce Springsteen and the present day incarnation. In Entry #45, I wrote about the differences and similarities.