Michael Gravel Edmonton Writer

Tramps Like Us...

…get floor seats for Springsteen in Vancouver on March 31, 2008. Too bad Bruce and the band aren’t making a stop in ragged ‘ol E-Town on this tour. Ah well. A trip to lotusland never hurt anyone. Myself, the wife, and a good pal are going to be making the trip. I must say that I’m quite pumped about it. The new album (Magic) is great and by all accounts the tour is rocking faces everywhere.

I try my best to keep my hopes in check for big shows like this, but inevitably I go knee-deep into expectation. A few new songs are givens – he’ll open with Radio Nowhere, and Gypsy Biker usually makes an appearance. Born to Run is a staple, but beyond that it seems like the setlist can vary quite a bit from night to night. It would be a fuckuva thing to hear Jungleland and see Clemons up there on stage blowing his face off. It’s Hard to be a Saint In The City would also be exceedingly cool. The big one for me, and for many others, would be Thunder Road. That song embodies every “might have been” and every embellished, romantic, drinkin’-in-the-streets memory I’ve got. Clemons’ sax blast in the coda is a religious expression – triumphant yet heartbreaking. As cool as the grandiose epics are, it’d be excellent to hear some stuff from Nebraska, one of my favorite albums ever and definitely one of Springsteen’s best records. A collection of demos, the album just might be the most depressing slab of vinyl out there. It’s stirring, though. And beautiful.

This will mark the fourth time that I’ve traveled to Vancouver to see a concert. Did it in ’89 for The Who and in ’92 for both U2 on the ZooTv tour, and for the notorious Guns N’ Roses / Metallica tour (the Vancouver date of the tour got canceled but we went there anyway – I still have the unused ticket). Those shows were killer, and I’m sure Bruce and The E-Street Band will kick similar amounts of ass. Can’t wait.

Entry #61 · December 3, 2007 in