57 Channels and Hitting the Road

Sunday, April 7, 2024 Entry #93

With the concert over, and a Bar Mitzvah to officiate the following weekend, it was time was basically time to start the long trek back home, but I had a hankering to go a little bit further south first. When you travel by car, less bound by timetables and planned itineraries, such “audibles” are eminently more doable. So, off I went toward Tijuana, Mexico, a place I had never visited but one that had long loomed large in my imagination as an exotic road trip destination. Tijuana excursions were the topic of many adventurous stories among my friends on the West Coast, and being so close with my own transportation, I was eager to experience the border city for myself. Fortuitously, Amy had sent me my passport, not so I could go into Mexico, but for the identification I needed between the time that I lost my wallet in Oklahoma, “found” it in New Mexico, and finally took ownership of it again in California (see Entries #74 and #75 for the full story). I took the fact that I was now inadvertently set to leave the United States and re-enter as a sign to go for it. Though it was late, I wanted to at least move beyond LA city limits, so I drove a few dozen miles, getting close to (but not too close, saving on hotel costs) to San Diego.

To recreate what was going on in my mind as I drove (reliving the concerts, of course!), here are some of the video snippets I recorded during the two Los Angeles shows that I haven’t yet posted:

“Prove It All Night” from Springsteen’s 1978 release Darkness On The Edge Of Town now serves as a mission statement for all of Springsteen’s live performances. Hence, it is a perennial pick for his concert setlists.

At one point during the first LA show, a few fans unfurled a handwritten banner in the upper level to left side of the stage. When Springsteen made his way over there (he moves around a lot on stage), in between songs he pointed to the sign and said, “This sign is impossible to read…Can anyone read this thing? What is it?” Fans yelled out “Jole Blon!” (a traditional Cajun waltz that Springsteen plays as a joyful romp) Springsteen responded, “We haven’t played this in many years (since 2017), but we’re going to play it right now!

“Because The Night,” an early Springsteen song he gave to Patti Smith to cover long before releasing a studio version himself (Smith also added music and lyrics to Springsteen’s original which the Boss readily adopted), has been performed at almost every single show on this 2023-2024 tour. Part of the reason for that is it is one of the numbers which showcases guitarist Nils Lofgren, who rips a wild solo while whirling in circles like a Sufi mystic. I had never recorded that captivating moment until LA.

“Trapped” is a song by reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff that Springsteen remade in his own image- slow, brooding, and passionate verses followed by a straight-up rock anthem chorus.

Next is a bit of the awesome audience sing-a-long part of “Badlands,” proving once again that “It ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive!”

The last video is of the newest Springsteen song in this batch, the powerful “Ghosts” from the 2020 album Letter To You. I included a very brief moment of this song on Entry #80, but here is a lengthier segment, complete with plentiful examples of Springsteen’s generous custom of giving out his guitar picks (he must have dozens in every pocket) to fans.

I leave you with a few more pictures that I most definitely did not take. Springsteen’s website, brucespringsteen.net, posts a cache of photos taken by tour photographers at each concert, complete with identifiable branding. I definitely save the best of these onto my computer, but I have refrained from posting any here, preferring to lean into my admittedly more amateur, I-Phone photography. The pictures and videos that I take are documents from the perspective of what I am taking in from my particular chosen viewpoint (geographical and emotional), and this blog is nothing if not a very personal expression of how I experience all things Bruce Springsteen. However, some of the photos posted from the Los Angeles shows I attended really stood out to me, so I am breaking my self-imposed restriction. Enjoy!

Next: Tijuana and a total eclipse of the sun!

Day 7