by William Wayland
Given the audience at the show on Sunday, I almost feel like I need to explain who Bruce Springsteen is and the significance he had to a generation of Americans, something I’m not even qualified to do but I have to give it a shot.
Bruce Springsteen is like The Grateful Dead . . .
Shush!
Hear me out!
This is a uniquely San Francisco comparison.
Neither of these bands attained the kind of commercial success that anyone would expect given their legendary status, but they (or their later incarnations in the case of The Grateful Dead) have played to capacity crowds for decades.
Their longevity comes without blockbuster hits like Beyonce or Taylor Swift, although it would be fair to argue that “Born in the U.S.A.” or “Touch of Grey” are the exceptions.
If The Grateful Dead is for hippies embracing the counterculture, Bruce Springsteen is for alienated working class people desperately trying to make their way in the world. What they have in common is that fans of each artist view themselves as outsiders united by legendary live performances that foster a devoted following. Bruce played in the rain for four hours!
For me (because this is supposed to be about Bruce Springsteen) he produced the soundtrack to my growing up. Not always in a good way. Songs like “Born to Run” and “Badlands” are about people I knew – still know – and I think that’s why I had a love/hate relationship with the artist for a long time. Sometimes his music felt a little too personal.
It wasn’t until I got a little older and got some distance that I could appreciate those memories because listening to Bruce is like flipping through a photo album or maybe that’s just how nostalgia works.
And maybe that’s why Bruce Springsteen is a bucket list show for people of a certain generation.
If you missed him this tour, I hope you catch the next one.
Leave a reply