75 years ago today, in Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey, Douglas Frederick and Adele Ann Springsteen brought their son, Bruce, into a world that had no idea of the rock and roll wildstorm that would be coming onto the music scene of a generation when, as a young teen, he picked up a guitar and began rewriting the course of music history.
And last weekend, some of us who have been the Disciples in the Church of Bruce Springsteen were fortunate enough to be standing on the sands of Asbury Park - six miles from his birthplace - when the Boss returned to his songwriting roots, and rolled out some of the greatest songs he penned in 1972 for his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. released in January, 1973.
Fellow E Streeter acolyte Barry Scanlon and I made the pilgrimage to the Jersey Shore and both stood in awe as Springsteen rolled out some of his greatest Jersey songs to commemorate his participation in the Sea, Hear, Now festival. Between us, Barry and I have seen Bruce nearly 200 times. And yet we both agreed, this experience, played out on the real estate where it all began for Bruce, tops the list of those shows with a once-in-a-lifetime night of nostalgic memories steeped in the Springsteen soundtrack of our lives.
Sea, Hear, Now featured three stages on the boardwalk and beach at Asbury Park, spanned two days, and spotlighted more than a dozen performers, including others like Norah Jones, the Black Crowes, Kool and the Gang, and many more. Jersey's favored son was the closing act on Sunday night.
For many Springsteen followers, the general admission pit is the ONLY way they'll go for a show. It's not usually the first go-to for us E Streeters proper, though it was the path of participation for many fellow friends at their first show in Saratoga, 1984. For Sea, Hear, Now, the pit experience was just about the ONLY choice, with three tiers - Platinum, VIP, and General Admission. Barry and I were lucky enough to score VIP tix, putting us about 16 "rows" away from the stage, and giving us an up-front viewing to rock history in the making.
In one of the day's first surprises, Springsteen took to the stage to join Phish's Trey Anastasio for a rocking rendition of Kitty's Back, performing under cloudless, blue skies. Thousands of Springsteen's fans weren't even in place yet, and many could be seen scrambling for a spot on the sand when they realized the Boss had taken to the stage hours ahead of his 7:30 scheduled set. For his part, Anastasio announced that a Springsteen show had been his first concert decades ago, and his fanboy zeal shone through his accomplished guitar work throughout the 10 minute plus version of Kitty's Back.
“Greetings, Asbury Park!” Springsteen announced to the packed beach when he and the E Street Band took to the stage of the festival at about 7:30 p.m. The event, now in its sixth year, is the creative child of photographer Danny Clinch, who's captured more than his fair share of iconic Springsteen pics over the years, many of which are spotlighted in local galleries along the Jersey Shore.
After opening with Lonesome Day from the Rising album, and a song that's been a frequent flier from his recent setlists, Springsteen threw the mortality-themed playbook that has framed his tour of late into the nearby crashing surf.
“I wrote this song about 500 yards north of here on Loch Arbor Beach. We haven’t played it in a long fucking time. We got a lot of stuff we haven’t played in a long fucking time. Let’s see how we do.” And with that, he and the band were off, racing through a trio of songs straight from Greetings - Blinded by the Light, Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street, (neither of which has been played live in seven years), and Growin' Up.
The trio of early greats were part of the 30-song, three-hour, fifteen minute set under the end-of-summer skies.
For this writer, there's a handful of songs that claim space in my Top 5 Springsteen songs, and this night, the Boss delivered three of them. Truth be told, knowing the venue, there was only one song I silently sought, knowing it would yield an unforgettable and indelible memory for the rest of my life.
And sure enough, with an opening dedication to late E Street band keyboardist/accordionist Danny Federici, Bruce and the band, for the first time in eight years, launched into 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy). Indescribable chills.
Well the cops finally busted Madame Marie for tellin’ fortunes better than they do
This boardwalk life for me is through
You know you ought to quit this scene too
Sandy the aurora’s rising behind us, the pier lights our carnival life forever
Oh love me tonight and I promise I’ll love you forever
The actual number of fans in attendance has varied from report to report, ranging between 35,000 to 55,000 concert-goers. This aerial drone photo via People magazine helps put things into perspective.
True confession time: for some of the emotional throwbacks of the evening, eyes were closed more than once, and it felt as though Bruce was belting out a classic for just one set of ears that was listening and feeding an internal flashback to more than four decades of memories tied to particular songs or lyrics. And it wasn't just me feeling emotional under that Jersey sky either. I saw multiple fans wiping away tears during specific highpoints of the night.
The night also featured the return of Thundercrack (first time performed live in eight years and a Martin Brewer favorite), and then in what was unquestionably the emotional one-two gut punch of the night, Meeting Across the River directly into Jungleland, much like their pairing on the iconic Born to Run third album from Bruce.
Outside the street's on fire in a real death waltz
Between what's flesh and what's fantasy
And the poets down here don't write nothing at all
They just stand back and let it all be
And in the quick of the night
They reach for their moment and try to make an honest stand
But they wind up wounded, not even dead
Tonight in Jungleland
Throughout the night, the wind breezed in from our right, coming off the ocean, where the waves constantly crashed onto the shoreline.
Happy to confirm, after three-quarters of a century, there is still Magic in the Night.
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