June 6, 2006: Special Bruce Springsteen Edition: The Seeger Sessions

Concord, CA
Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord

Wow, whatta night! Bruce always puts on an amazing show, and last night was no exception! Before I get into the show though, a little background. When my mother was in high school in the late 1950s, she was a big fan of the early folk music scene. Subsequently when I was growing up in the early 1970s I was constantly hearing The Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul & Mary, The Limelighters, and many other folk albums of the '50s and '60s. It became part of my musical fabric. Leap forward in time to the early '80s when I first hear "Hungry Heart" and "Atlantic City" and file them in my memory bank as great songs with out really paying attention to who performed them. 1984/85 -- Born in the USA hits and like pretty much everyone else that year the phenomenon that is Bruce Springsteen is burned on my brain. I eventually worked my way to the back catalog and realized more and more what a truly amazing songwriter Springsteen is, or perhaps more accurately, what an amazing storyteller he is. His songs always capture such a slice of life and have vivid characters and images, it's no wonder that his music has become the subject of college courses around the country. His songs are folk songs to a rock and roll beat.

So, with all of that hodgepodge, when it was announced that Bruce was releasing an album in tribute to the legendary folk singer, Pete Seeger, I was eager with anticipation. The album did not disappoint -- my first impression stayed true through repeated listenings. It is a joyful album, even when you realize that some of the subject matter isn't all that joyful. It is very celebratory and I can't help but to dance and sing along as I listen to it.

Mercifully, the gods were with me this year and among a spate of shows in June the Springsteen show got scheduled for a date BEFORE I leave the country. I think I probably would have jumped off a bridge if I'd missed this show in addition to the 5-6 other shows happening in June that I won't be seeing. Of course, conversely the timing wasn't that great either since I had a training class yesterday morning which meant I didn't arrive at work until 11:30 and with the show in Concord AND the tickets being Will Call Only it meant leaving work at 4:15. So much for getting the To Do list crossed off before vacation.

Two hours and 15 minutes after I left work, I arrived in Concord (ugh -- traffic!), picked up my ticket, and headed inside to wait for the show to start. While I was waiting, I did a little crowd watching and imagine my surprise when I turned my head to see Joan Baez walking past me to her seat in the next section (just 4 rows in front of my seat -- oh yeah, did I mention this was the best seat I've EVER had to see Springsteen?! WOO HOO!) She got in unrecognized until about a half hour later when she returned to her seat from a different direction (I think she was coming from the back stage area as she joined Bruce on stage during the encore) when people saw her walking along and started applauding and cheering. I'm sure the folks up on the lawn were wondering what the hell was going on as it was quite obvious the show hadn't started yet!

The show was scheduled for 7:30, but Bruce and his 16-piece band didn't hit the stage until after 8:00. The band was absolutely unbelievable and, with one exception at the end of the show, all the instruments were acoustic. And if you think a show that featured solos on banjo, violin, accordian, and tuba (or possibly a sousaphone) can't possibly be a rock show, well I'm here to tell ya to think again! This band was incredible and, like the album, the music was joyful.

The show opened up with "John Henry" and people were on their feet in an instant singing along. For the most part, the crowd in the lower section (where I was) was on their feet for about 75% of the show, but I will say I did enjoy it when, towards the end of the show, Bruce said "Get your Concordian asses out of those Bay Arean seats! I can see you!" and pretty much hassled the crowd in the upper section to move!

Most of the songs were from the Seeger Sessions album, with a few other folk songs thrown in ("Bring Them Home (If You Love Your Uncle Sam)", the first song of the encore, got a HUGE response from the crowd and is the featured downloadable video at AOL Music.) There were also reworked versions of Springsteen originals -- "Atlantic City" appeared early in the set and was a much more up tempo kind of song than the quiet of the original (and definitely one of my favorite songs!) The title track from Devils & Dust worked perfectly in the set. "Ramrod" was totally unrecognizable as a funked up reggae flavored tune. (Completely unexplainable what it sounded like.) And then there was the guy playing, I kid you not, a washboard (strapped to his chest) with what appeared to be spoons for "You Can Look, But You Better Not Touch", definitely Springsteen as you've never heard before!

There were many sing-along parts and songs that had multiple false endings as Bruce egged the audience on for more and more participation. He was going to keep us there and singing the same song over and over until we were singing loud enough for his satisfaction. One of his biggest talents has always been the ability to work the audience into a frenzy and keep that energy running for hours at a time. Last night was no exception. Though there were points where the show slowed down for quieter songs, the energy ramped back up pretty quickly. You know performing is something he loves and it shows.

I only had a couple of quibbles with the whole night. When Bruce sang "We Shall Overcome" it was a quiet part of the show. That's a song that cries for singing along, but the way it was presented did not allow for that. While I'm far too young to remember the civil rights movement, that song is very powerful and has, for as long as I can remember, put a lump in my throat. Bruce alluded to that power when he introduced the song, and it was disappointing that it wasn't incorporated into the show better.

A similar situation arose when he sang "When the Saints Go Marching In." This is a song that EVERYONE knows, but he slowed the tempo down and stretched out the chorus which made it difficult to sing along.

And then there was Tweedledee and Tweedledum -- drunken twin brothers sitting a few rows behind me who found it necessary to shout "Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce" in the middle of virtually every song!! I wanted to smack the shit out of 'em.

The show finally wound down around 11:00 and I left hearing comments like "that was awesome for an acoustic show." Yeah, it may have been acoustic, but it wasn't quiet! The songs may have been folk songs, but the show was pure rock and roll. This is probably the 4th or 5th Springsteen show I've seen and as with every previous show I left exhausted and renewed. Hands down, he puts on the most consistently excellent shows I've ever seen. While it wasn't quite that musical nirvana when all things align for that "one true show" of ultimate perfection, it came pretty darned close.