Wire And Wood / Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

In a free spring concert at Swarthmore College while visiting a friend, at an outdoor amphitheater. Completely kismet, coincidental. I had no idea the college had a concert that day. I went to visit my friend, Gary and was totally blown away by the music, the lyrics, the performance. I had never heard of Springsteen. He was struggling, on the ropes with Columbia which was considering cutting him loose because his first two albums did not sell well.

The opening act was a long piano played solo that sounded made up on the spot and great. It lasted about 15 minutes. Played by a young black man, not his E-Street Band piano player.

It was amazing.

Springsteen played with nylon strings on his guitar. Not a great guitar player but great for the emotion he put in the playing, he was so intense he broke a string and restrung the guitar on stage in the middle of the song while his band played on. You can't plan it.

The music is crude Rock and Roll, but I love his lyrics, and the music supports the emption he's putting out. His early stuff was great. He became a victim of success, no longer great, but popular once he became famous. I think he needed the struggling to create art and let the pain come out. Interesting NPR interview of the author who wrote a book about it. Sounds like the book is a good read. Find the NPR interview with Teri Gross. Very good.