 "Photo: Photo Courtesy of MCT Campus")
New Jersey has provided its fair share of entertainment to our country by bestowing it with countless music icons. With natives such as Bon Jovi, Whitney Huston, Paul Simon, and Frank Sinatra, Jersey is justifiably proud to share the talent. But there is one artist who epitomizes why New Jersey natives show excessive pride for one of their own: The front man of the E Street Band. The Boss. The legendary Bruce Springsteen. And Bruce did not let down his proud state when kicking off his five-night series of shows at Giant's Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey last Wednesday evening. With howls that initially sound like "Booooooooos!", a chorus of "Bruuuuuuuce!" shouts filled the sold out stadium as the Boss took the stage for what would turn into a memorable evening. "Nice to be in my back yard," Bruce announced to a the cheering crowd us he stepped on stage. The Boss started the show by playing "Wrecking Ball", a new song, in honor of the upcoming demolition of Giant's Stadium. "Join us tonight to shut the old lady down!" he told the crowd as lyrics scrolled on a massive screen behind the E Street Band. "My home is here in the Meadowlands, where mosquitos grow big as airplanes... where the blood is spilled, the arena's filled, and Giants play the game" he sang to approving fans. Bruce followed the crowd-pleasing song with fan favorites that included Johnny 99, Atlantic City, and Hungry Heart. He then explained a special treat for the evening, which was previously announced on his website. "We were trying to think of a way to make the last nights at Giant's Stadium special," he said. "Friday we're gonna play Darkness on the Edge of Town. Saturday we're gonna play Born in the USA. But tonight..." And the sounds of harmonica filled the stadium as Thunder Road caused men to hi-five and women to tear up. What followed, of course, was a live rendition of Bruce's entire album Born to Run. Bruce kept the energy high throughout the entire show, captivating the audience hour after hour. He swung his guitar around his neck as if it were still the '80's. He laid down on stage, straddling the microphone. He chugged a fan's beer, sloshing most of it down the front of his black vest. He ran the length of the stage multiple times, often winding up in the audience, where fans touched him as if he were the Messiah. Around 10:00, an hour and a half after the concert had commenced, a silence suggested the show might be coming to a pause. "These are the guys who make the music," he told the crowd, introducing the members of the E Street Band. "Alright, back to work! Get your asses back to those instruments!" he jokingly instructed his band, who would up playing another hour and a half of exciting music. Bruce made sure to include several moments like this, speaking directly to the fans who cheered him on during every moment of the show.
"It feels good to be home," he said. "The E Street Band has been on tour practicing, practicing, practicing just for this moment... to build this house out of spirit and music and Jersey soul. And out of noise!" Following Born to Run, seven songs kept the electricity going before the E Street Band took its actual first departure from the stage. But audience members did not need to worry, for the band came back quickly with the intention of taking requests written on posters held throughout the crowd. Placing a glittering, fan-made sign that said "It's Boss Time", on the ground in front of his mic stand, Bruce led the E Street Band into a set of another seven songs. This lengthy encore included E Street Shuffle, Dancin' in the Dark, and Growing Up.
During Growing Up, Bruce shared a dream he had with the audience. In this dream, he wound up in a house with all of his friends of family, in front of a cake that had "60 f****** candles!" The laughing crowd then burst into a loud, echoing round of Happy Birthday for the Boss. But anyone present would agree: this 60-year-old man proved that he had more energy then most 20-something-year-olds today. After over three hours from the concert's starting point, Bruce performed his last song of the evening. Seven minutes of pure joy commenced as Rosalita (Come Out Tonight), another fan favorite, ended the evening on a high note. Fireworks shot of of Giant's Stadium as chilly fans cheered for their hero one last time before the E Street Band exited the stage. The excited exchanges and shouts from the crowd when shuffling to the cars said it all: three hours of live Bruce Sringsteen was an experience unlike any other, and three hours more would have certainly been welcome.
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