Tramps Like Us . . .

In all the years I have been an avid and enthusiastic music fan, all the countless hours and days I've sat listening to the greatest music from the last 50 years, whether it's been trawling through my Dad's vinyl, from my own collection or in more recent years, the music-lovers dream tool that is the Internet; Bruce Springsteen aka 'The Boss' is somebody I seemed to have passed over. Giving a brief nod to his more mainstram hits from the 80s such as 'Born In The USA' and Dancing in the Dark' (which I must admit, has always been a "dancing in front of the mirror" fave of mine), I had always thought of him as a dated, middle-of-the-road, American Rock dinosaur. Perhaps a little arrogant and narrow-minded of me, considering as it turns out, how little I knew about him, and it also turns out, how sometimes, perceptions can be so very wrong . . .

Considering how devoted my better half Nick is to him, it was inevitable that I would be making a trip to see the man himself at some point, and this turned out to be last Friday the 22nd June at The Etihad stadium in Manchester. As I was already apprehensive about leaving Charlie Jack for the first time, the day didn't start well at all with the skies pouring an incessant dull, pounding rain that didn't look as though it was going to let up. Nick assured me the weather report predicted it was to pass later on in the afternoon, and I simply retorted "Two words - Michael Fish" . . .

Having got completely drenched in the rather large queue outside, discovering that my parka is NOT waterproof and purchasing 2 bottles of warm cider and being relieved of £8 for the privelidge; we then then proceeded to find some seats which, depending on your point of view were good and bad. Good - as they really were quite close to the stage and bad - due to the fact that we were missing the roof covering by several feet. Hood up and feeling the onset of what I imagined to be the first known modern case of Trenchfoot, I settled down, anxious in the knowledge that Springsteen is known for his lengthly stage performances, sometimes in excess of 3 and a half hours . . .

As the impatient and excited crowd erupted into cheers, Bruce and his E-Street Band came on stage and exploded into the opening chords of 'Badlands' and I found myself on my feet, cheering and clapping at his infectious on-stage enthusiasm and, well, sheer bloody talent. The man and his loyal and diverse band are truly amazing musicians, gifted and at the forefront of their art and I recall thinking to myself "I think I'm actually going to really enjoy this".

Well, cut to the scene 2 hours later and I was delirious with happiness, admiration and emotion. I had danced to 'The E-Street Shuffle' and 'Out In The Street', clapped along to rousing, political stompers 'Wrecking Ball' and 'Death To My Hometown' and listened with baited breath to an eerie yet beautiful 'Jack Of All Trades' amongst others, the rain forgotten, my glasses steamed up and my cheeks physically aching from grinning. Despite the absence of sax supremo and The Boss' sidekick Clarence Clemons aka 'The Big Man' who sadly passed away last year, the E-Street band were terrific with the addition of Clarence's nephew Jake on sax, giving the music the sort of power and emotion that has tiny shivers dripping down your spine, yet at the same time making you feel warm inside. A tribute to The Big Man from Bruce with a montage of photos on the big screen brought fans old and new to a heartfelt applause as he remembered his absent friend, ensuring that he remained a part of the legendary E-Street show, as he was for so many years . . .

By the encore, that included a run of songs (according to fans, one of the best he's ever done) such as 'Thunder Road', 'Born To Run', 'Bobby Jean', 'Dancing in the Dark' and 'Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out', I was unashamedly converted; worshipping at the altar of Springsteen along with his thousands of other loyal and dedicated fans that were there with me. And when he finished with an awe-inspiring cover of The Isley Brothers' 'Twist and Shout' (I've never heard it played like THAT before!) I had a few things on my mind, namely; Could this man get any better?, How on Earth does he do this at 62?, Where have the last 3 and a half hours gone? and more importantly - although somewhat worryingly - How has ALL of this passed me by for so long and how many others are out there, blissfully unaware of the greatness that is Bruce Springsteen and his E-Street Band?!!! . . .

So fortunately now, I am one of the lucky ones. I am now a converted 'Tramp' I am proud to say, and will be first in line for tickets when The Boss tours again. But in the meantime, I look forward in anticipation to my own personal journey in discovering the rest of his music, which continued even today with me and Charlie having an impromptu dance to 'Bobby Jean' where the meaning of the lyrics will be noticed slightly more, and that bar here or that note there will literally strike a chord within us, the way that music does with us all. And that is why I continue to love it so much, just now with the very welcome addition of The Boss and his legendary E-Street Band.

Because tramps like us, baby we were born to run . . . . . . .

Jenne xx