From: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org (LuckyTown Digest) To: luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Subject: LuckyTown Digest V9 #66 Reply-To: luckytown@luckytown.org Sender: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Errors-To: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Precedence: bulk LuckyTown Digest Sunday, August 11 2002 Volume 09 : Number 066 NOTE: Sale/trade posts should be emailed to luckytown-ads, *NOT* to luckytown. That includes tix wanted/tix grovels, post them to luckytown-ads, please. Contents: Washington DC show - getting much better already. ["Magnus Lauglo" ] DC Concert: Take earplugs but it was GREAT !!!!!!!!!! ["Dagi Johnson" ] A DC House party [owner-luckytown@luckytown.org] lyrics to You're Missing and Anthrax? and brief DC show comment ["Dan Hym] Yankees and Springsteen [Lostflood@aol.com] E Street Band R&RHoF nomination??? [Tom Gill ] Bruce Hits the Top 10 in USA radio airplay... sort of. [Tom Gill ] Opening Night: A Maine Perspective (very long) ["amy winston" Subject: Washington DC show - getting much better already. Hi all, Just got back from the DC show! No huge surprises (and still the set lacks Bruce's typical cohesion), but the show is getting noticeably better already in several key areas. The setlist was almost identical to the NJ show, except for a few minor improvements; The far more appropriate Bobby Jean replaced the unremarkable 2 Hearts, and TR and BTR swapped places in the encores, making for a far better strutured encore set. The show was a notch above Jersey, especially the performances of Worlds Apart, Into the Fire, My City of Ruins and Glory Days. I did think the Darkness material seemed better in NJ though. The lighting had been vastly improved over the opening show, using less brightness, and more muted lighting. The sound however seemed much better to me in NJ, although that may have been more to do with where I was sitting than anything else. The DC crowd was a little louder than the NJ audience (and far better than the tame bunch from the 1999 WDC stand), and bordered on the boisterous on the new quiet material. Also, there were a few technical difficulties in NJ which seemed to be evened out. I noticed this time that Patti is singing a lot more this tour than last, which is nice. The sequence of the songs remained almost the same as in NJ, but I think it must only be a matter of time before the end of the main set changes, it really doesn't work very well at all to bring the crowd down after Mary's Place with a bunch of dark and obscure new songs. The encores were much stronger in DC, with a powerful MCOR and an exuberant Glory Days as two highlights of the show. Bruce had so much fun on stage for GD, it had the feel of those post-LoHaD show closers of the last tour, complete with crowd singalong, false endings and endless glorious fooling around. Next stop, NYC! Magnus _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 10:09:30 -0400 From: "Douglas W. Corkhill" Subject: Round two! For me, the major difference between opening night in the Meadowlands and Saturday night in DC can be summed up in three words; location, location, location. Not that I had a bad seat in NJ, fourth row of the upper deck, aisle seat, just to the front of Clarence. Last night I was resting my elbows on the stage in front of the Big Man. Let me tell you, the difference in the concert experience was phenomenal. I had a sensory overload during The Rising, looking from band member to band member, watching them play, watching their faces. So much was going on I missed seeing Bruce holding out his arm with "catfish dancing on the end of my line." What I did see down close was Steve's wink during Glory Days, Clarence's cheeks puffing out during Born To Run, the look of amazement of Danny and Gary's face from the crowd response to Sunny Day. I saw Bruce shaking hands with each band member as they returned to the stage for the first encore, and Patti give him a kiss on the cheek. The show was the exact same length, but seemed longer. The set was identical to the opener with only three changes. Bobby Jean mercifully replaced Two Hearts and worked so much better. The story at the start of Mary's Place was gone. For me, most important was the reversal of Thunder Road and Born To Run in the first encore. The flow was dramatically improved. Empty Sky, World's Apart and Sunny Day remain my show highlights. Bruce sings Empty Sky with his eyes closed. Patti's are open, and she never takes them off Bruce the entire song. The look of love in her eyes was heart wrenching. World's Apart reaches out to me, the sound of the song grips me, the guitars at the end astonish me. And Waiting On A Sunny Day is, simply, a celebration of spirit. The older material seemed to work better last night, but my judgment, I think, is somewhat tempered by my location. I enjoyed Promised Land more than Wednesday; it seemed to go someplace new. Badlands, a crowd-pleasing fist pumping anthem was, well, Badlands. And while I applaud Bruce's political statement about the erosion of civil liberties that preceded BITUSA, the song itself didn't move me. And again, the last three songs of the main set; Counting On A Miracle, 41 Shots and Into the Fire didn't have the same punch as the earlier portion of the show. This three-song segment of the show is still the weakest. All three songs were performed just as they are written, and while I enjoy all three, especially Into The Fire, they still don't deliver the goods. But my-oh-my, how I love to watch the E Street Band. My appreciation for Nils, introduced as "the greatest guitar player in the world" has risen dramatically, and for all Steve's posturing on the stage he can play a mean guitar. Max is just an incredible drummer; his pounding in BITUSA last night still gets me excited. And Clarence? Well, I wrote after New Jersey he didn't have much to do on stage. I take it back. Standing at his feet all show I watched every time he picked up one of the two saxophones. He is an integral part of the band; it wouldn't ~be~ the E Street band without the Big Man. Of course, the main event is Bruce. I may never forget watching the sweat glisten on his arms during the solo in Prove It, or watching his neck muscles bulge out during Born To Run. Last night, most of all, I was thrilled that he came and stood directly over us, looking down at our raised faces in the front, asking us if we were ready for a house party at the start of Mary's Place. Not once, not twice, but three times # "Are you ready?" I'm ready. I'm be going into Bruce remission now; my next show won't be until November. The rest of you going to shows, enjoy. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is still, round for round, pound for pound, the finest band around. Let it rock! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 03:48:52 -0400 From: "Dagi Johnson" Subject: DC Concert: Take earplugs but it was GREAT !!!!!!!!!! Hi all, I am sure there are many people that are going to post setlists and song by song criticisms, so I am not going to go there. I am just going to say it was GREAT!! Empty Sky and You're Missing are amazing, The versatility of the band is shown in World's Apart. All are having incredible fun in Glory Days. Even my husband, who I always have to DRAG to Springsteen concerts said he really like it this time (he saw the reunion tour and Tom Joad). He said that was the best of the three. BUT: It was LOUD !!!! The Reunion Tour was loud, but nothing in comparison to this. My husband came prepared and had tissue paper with him, I was laughing about it. But after 30 seconds of the rising I asked him for some. So I plugged my ears and it was STILL loud, but at least I could understand the words with the paper in my ears. It actually makes it easier to understand. So take some earplugs or tissue paper with you, just in case. And believe me: I can handle loud music, but that was too much. Dagi [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 09:44:10 -0400 From: "Debbie Honick" Subject: DC-August 10. WOW ! WOW ! WOW ! I am refreshing myself from the show last night.......and I can sum the night up in one word. PHENOMENAL !! All you folks out there afraid that Bruce has lost it, or can no longer give his best to his live shows, sit back and relax........this is Bruce as we know him and love him. I will not go song by song with my personal critique of the music, because I am not that kind of a fan. I don't disect every last word the man says..............I enjoy, and learn. Nor do I have a setlist to offer, although they should be posted ad nauseum soon. I do have a few comments however......nothing too deep........: } First of all, Bruce and the band sounded and looked great. Bruce was in a terrific mood, very playful and seemed to really be enjoying the enthusiasm from the crowd. And the crowd was an excellent one. From my vantage point, it didn't look like people were using the more solemn songs for their bathroom and beer breaks..........but really listening to each word in each song. I have to say, the one-two punch of "Empty Sky" and "You're Missing" was incredibly powerful. There was a soft red light that lingered over the audience, and hearing him sing those songs really brought out a lot of emotion from me, and I'm sure many others. The songs were very haunting and powerful. Hearing them live added a whole new dimension to the lyrics, and Bruce sang most of those two songs with his eyes closed. He respectufully asked for silence prior to singing them, and with the exception of a few idiots, the crowd responded. In my opinion, all the songs from "The Rising" were done beautifully, and translated incredibly well in front of a crowd. I would have to say that "The Fuse" was sexy and wonderful !!! That's all I will say about the show..........it was an incredible concert by any standards !! Here is my word of caution for all of you going to future shows. I did not have tickets, and figured I would go and play the scalpers game. There were not too many people selling tickets.....but watch out for the ones that are. What tickets were sold on the streets were primarily counterfeit, and damn good ones at that. Yes, I purchased a counterfeit ticket !! To make a very long story short, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time........right next to an MCI personnel and DC cop. I overheard him talking to someone about fraud tickets, and showed him mine. Sure enough........it was a fake !!! After several hours, and quite a bit of "police work" on my part.......we got our $400 dollars back, and 2 awesome seats. If you buy off the streets, let me make a suggestion. Go with the seller to the box office and let them scan the ticket. If it's real, the seller would not mind......if fake, they will run. The cops busted around 15 guys, all scamming from Ohio with their illegal tickets. We were lucky to have these good cops on our side. They really went out of their way for us to get our money back on the spot. I was even offered VIP seats on the floor...........but declined. Fair is fair to a Springsteen fan. Thanks to the DC police............I owe you guys !! For all you people lucky enough to get to the show, you won't be sorry. It was enjoyable and rocking, an excellent concert !! Enjoy the music. Debbie _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 17:05:11 -0400 From: owner-luckytown@luckytown.org Subject: A DC House party There was a good ol' fashioned HOUSE PARTY in DC last night. I had a GA floor seat and was extremely excited. I'm 44, been a fan since 75, and had never been near the stage to see Bruce. You could say it was a lifelong dream, and I was on the cusp of fulfilling it. I thought of going down to MCI Center first thing in the morning, but my buddy couldn't leave till noon. We got to MCI Center at 1 p.m. Already there was a long line snaking around the building to the entrance. Oh, man. A roll call was in progress, and he wasn't adding names, so we took it upon ourselves to start a connecting line. I was No. 276. Meadowlands reports were the first 300 got into "the pit." So there was some suspense. Fans did a great job of policing the line, and MCI officials set up dividers and yellow tape to mark the line. At 6 they let people in, forming two lines. They checked tickets and led us to the wristband tables. In the excitement, the woman who gave me my wristband fumbled putting it on me. Then we went to the floor, where we waited as they handed out a second, different-colored wristband. It is at this point I realized my wrist band had fallen off. You can imagine my consternation. I told a security guard, and asked if I should go back to get another one. "I wouldn't do that," he said. True: If I had, I probably would have been sent out. Being at the back of this cluster wasn't bad; a woman came to the back of the line to hand out the pit wristbands. So when I got that one, I went to enter the pit, and the security guard wouldn't let me in, since I didn't have 2 wristbands. You can imagine my consternation. By the grace of god a second security guard must have seen what happened because he vouched for me, as did one of my buddies, and he let me in. So some advice: make sure your first wristband is on tight! Front row observations: On the back of Bruce's black t-shirt was some kind of heiroglyphic type design. I didn't recognize it. Live, "You're Missing" is mind-blowing. Clarence nearly knocked little Nils over at the beginning of one song (BIUSA?). Nils was fiddling with his guitar and Clarence backed into him. Has Bruce retired the beat up, wood grain, cracked Fender Esquire, or has he had it -- gasp! -- refinished? The wood grain guitar he used in DC was shiny and perfect and smooth.. Soozie Tyrell is a great addition to the band. She had a big smile all night and man, she looks cool swaying and rocking and playing that violin. Leaving the stage, Clarence and Silvio started for the steps at the same time. They both backed up and made the hand motions as if to say, "after you." Oh, no sir, after you. Back and forth until they finally put their arms around each other and walked down the steps together. One question: Has anybody heard why "Further On (Up the Road)" has been MIA so far? What a great live song, and with so much serious material on this tour, the show could use it. Even without it, Bruce and the band put on a great, great, great show. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 11:51:14 -0400 From: "Dan Hyman" Subject: lyrics to You're Missing and Anthrax? and brief DC show comment I was wondering if others thought that the closing lyrics refer to the anthrax mailings from last fall. My 13 year old son, who generally tolerates without enjoying the constant bruce music in our car was listening to this song and commented that he thought that this was an interesting reference to anthrax. "god's driftin in heaven Devil's in the mailbox got dust on my shoes nothing but teardrops" Clearly, the main song lyrics could be about anyone lost from our lives, but I had not considered these to be anthrax related- had anyone else thought that? BTW- the show in DC last night was tremendous, I thought even better than the opener, though had incredible floor spot just behind the front floor barricade. the band was tighter, bruce seemed looser, and Worlds Apart was simply incredible- what intricate musicianship. The band at its best! And the crowd, IMHO, was actually better than in jersey. how can that be? Dan in (neutral) Philadelphia ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2002 13:39:34 -0400 From: Lostflood@aol.com Subject: Yankees and Springsteen Just thought I'd pass along this information. At Yankee Stadium, before each at bat, each player gets to choose a ten second song clip as he is introduced. As of last night 8/9, Bernie Williams is now coming to bat to the sounds of "Mary's Place" playing over the stadium sound system. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 12:24:39 -0700 From: Tom Gill Subject: E Street Band R&RHoF nomination??? Perhaps I was just hallucinating, or perhaps it's been lost in all the excitement surrounding the new album, but... earlier this summer I read that the "E Street Band" had made the list (ballot) of finalists for consideration for next year's inductees in to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. According to the article, the nomination was considered controversial because (1) they were not nominated under the new "sidemen" category, but as an act unto themselves, and (2) they had never recorded a full album by themselves in their own name only, without Bruce. It will be interesting to see how this turns out. - -Tom Gill tgill@igc.org ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 11:48:48 -0700 From: Tom Gill Subject: Bruce Hits the Top 10 in USA radio airplay... sort of. "Talkers" radio, a publication which follows radio call-in talk shows, compiles a weekly "chart" of the most popular topics/subjects of callers to shows nationwide in the USA. During the week that "The Rising" was released, the #10 topic of calls to radio talk shows in the USA was "Bruce Springsteen's new album/tour." On the main Billboard Hot 100 singles/tracks chart, "The Rising" is #57 with a bullet this week. - - Tom Gill tgill@igc.org ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2002 01:24:47 -0400 From: "Rich Kortz" Subject: BEHIND THE SCENES - The 'Today' Show BEHIND THE SCENES - The 'Today' Show By Rich Kortz - -------------------------- THE SCENE - Rumson, NJ, July 30th, 4:30 AM. Patti attempts to roust Bruce out of bed to prepare for the band's 'Today' show appearance later that morning. - -------------------------- Patti (nudging Bruce): Rise and shine, Scooter... c'mon, baby... let's go. Bruce (half asleep and dreaming): On the edge of the bed yeww slip off yerrr... Patti: (nudging Bruce again): Baby.... Bruce (still dreaming): Yer, uhhh... bittersweet taste on my... Patti: Let's GO, baby. Bruce (still dreaming): C'mon, Katie, let me dooo ya righhh... Patti: BRUCE FREDERICK JOSEPH SPRINGSTEEN!! Bruce: Uhhhhh.... whuuuu... huhhh? Patti: Up 'n' at 'em. Let's go. Bruce (groaning): Damn... what's... what's goin' on? Patti: We've got the 'Today' show this morning, remember? Rise and shine. Bruce (eyes closed and grinning): Seems like... seems like I'm already risin'... in some fashion, if ya know what I mean. Patti: Baby... that is SO played. Bruce: Can't ya crawl back in for, like, ten more minutes? Patti: No. They need us there by 6:30 the latest. Bruce: Damn... I ain't had ta get up this early since, like... since, like... St. Rose. Patti: You're probably right about that. Bruce: I remember, right... like, every mornin' Maw would be callin' us ta come down for Froot Loops, right? And we'd get down inta the kitchen and Maw would have the rock'n'roll goin' on the radio, right? And, like, pop, he'd be out there lyin' on his back under the car. Patti: Your poor father. Sounds like that car never did cooperate with him. Bruce: Huh? Naw... naw... the car was fine... the car was fine. Pop just didn't like Froot Loops OR rock'n'roll. Where else was he gonna go? Patti: Well, I'm getting in the shower. And I'm assuming you WON'T be. Bruce: Hey... it ain't Sunday. I ain't showerin' for nobody today. Patti: What a suprise. Katie Couric will smell you coming a mile away. Bruce (after a reluctant pause): Ya know... maybe I WILL take a quick shower. Want me ta hop in with ya? The fuuuuuuse is burrrrrning..... Patti: NO. And WHAT were you just dreaming about, anyway? Bruce: Huh? Patti (glaring at Bruce): You KNOW what I'm talking about, mister. Bruce: Uhhhhhhh..... so.... uhhhh... think maybe we'll have time for Froot Loops? Patti: No. We'll grab some breakfast burritos on the way. Bruce (swinging out of bed): COOL! That works for me. Hey... what should I be wearin' ta this gig? Patti: What? Bruce: What're people wearin' this early in the mornin' these days? Patti: Just put on your poor man's shirt. I washed it for you yesterday. Wear that. Bruce: Ya sure? Even though I'm, like, a rich man 'n' all? Patti: Yes. Even though you're a rich man. Bruce: Whatever... whatever... hey, ya think all them other clown's are gonna be able ta get up this early? Patti: I think they'll manage. Bruce: Don't be too sure... don't be too sure... Stevie ain't never seen dawn in his whole life. He don't even know there IS a dawn. - ---------------------- Two hours later, backstage with the band: - ---------------------- Bruce: Okay, you guys... we're on in five. Let's do a good show. Let's do it for Katie. You guys all ready?? Nils: You bet, Boss! Danny: Sure thing, man. Roy: Unquestionably! Garry: We're with you, man. Steve: Let's get UNDERGROUND on their mainstream asses! Max: Ready when you are, Boss! Bruce: Big Man, you ready?? Steve (nudging Bruce): Uhhh, Boss... Bruce: Big Man, you been... you been practicin' real hard now? Steve: Boss... Bruce: Hey, Big Man.... what's the hell's the matter with you? You gotta speak when yer spoken to. It's in yer contract. Steve: Boss... Bruce: You ain't lookin' so good, C. What happened ta the diet, man? Steve: Boss.... that's Al Roker. Bruce: Huh?? Steve: We just called Clarence. The dude overslept. His ass is still in bed. *There's an awkward silence backstage* Bruce (stewing): That bum. THAT FRIGGIN' BUM. I just KNEW one'a you clowns was gonna screw this whole morning thing up. Steve: He DID say he'd tape the show if we wanted him to. Bruce (after a long pause): Hey Al... you up for this? Just fake it... we'll cover ya. All them people out there in TV land won't know the damn difference. Al (shrugging his shoulders): Sure thing, Boss. Bruce: Somebody get this guy a saxaphone. The Big Man is IN THE HOUSE!! The End Need an antidote to the 'Rising' publicity blitz? "BEHIND THE SCENES WITH BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - The Parody Collection" is available through 'Backstreets,' 'The Ties That Bind,' 'Bosszine,' and direct from the author at kortzrg@att.net OR www.behindthescenescentral.com - -------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2002 11:49:59 -0400 From: "amy winston" Subject: Opening Night: A Maine Perspective (very long) Here's a (re-)view from Maine. It's long, so unless you're really interested I don't expect too many people to read to much. First, thanks to Paul for my ticket, and for help driving - it's harder than it used to be to drive down (8 hrs), watch the show, turn around and drive back. It takes 8 not 7 hours as it did in 99 because there are that many more cars on the road. All these stores designed to look like temples that sell lots of useless stuff. Makes you forget that we evolved in nature, not up from the asphalt. Does anyone remember Kurt Vonnegut's short story about the "used" appliances lined up in the median b/c society required citizens to replace them every 5 years whether they needed to or not for jobs and prestige - that could have been 287 leading up to the Tappan Zee bridge. :-) ...I'm kidding (sort of). We get plenty of Maine and Appalachia jokes - so I'm entitled to take a few lighthearted potshots at the urban and suburban sprawl. Like others who posted, I found the new material really powerful. They have said it better than I could, so I'll just add: Sunny Day was a fave before the show. It fulfilled all "expectations" (I don't think I have any of anything, but I'm sure I do). For me, just hearing Bruce say everything's gonna be okay...I love his voice in this song. It's soothing and uplifting. I don't care how pop it is. It had my whole gym jamming the other night, too!LOL The Fuse... amazing live. WOW. Worlds Apart - very transcendent - as in, I went into a trance. Literally. In that sense, I have to say that this show fulfilled what is for me its ritual purpose. I always think about these shows as that way - religious as in linking us back to our origins, as well as economic, and political for the obvious reasons. They command many thousands of people to travel long distances to come to an arena, a public gathering and marketplace. That's something the ancient complex civilizations and chiefdoms shared. Linking that to marketing and political activities. I could go on further, but I'm sure most have stopped reading by now anyway. Anyway, I am sure most of yyou know what I mean. It was like Racin in the Streets - completely syngergized the band. neverworldly. out of body experience. I sat in the 200s and LOVED it - I had a clear view to the stage. I had an aisle seat, so I (think I) could stand up and dance when I wanted without disrespecting others or feeling suppressed/oppressed by having to sit down so as not to worry about that. Also, keep in mind that when you are forced to be in a cage for 16 hours that day, you want to stretch. I was around 3:30-4:00 (section 236 I think), so the band members weren't dots (I had to look at the big screen to see their expressions). But I loved the GA from there - it looked ALMOST (not loose enough, and far from dangerous or violent or chaotic) like what a rock concert is supposed to be - the last place that people can freely express themselves - which is why I think people still drink beer and smoke pot there. Even though I don't, and I don't like some of the drunks either, that is what people do, and I think less of the people that moralize on those grounds. If you don't want to deal with drunk people, or people making fools out of themselves, stay home. It's not like people don't make asses of themsleves at snooty sherry parties, either. A concert is not the place to go and think you are better than anyone else. Which segues into my two negative experiences. Which did not spoil my time or anything, but provided commentary on how mean people can be even after all that's happened in that part of the world. It also introduces karma: For instance, I remember during the reunion tour when some guy kept calling me a bullshitter and telling me to leave my seat (obviously he paid too much for his). He attempted (but not succeed) to spoil an acoustic BITUSA-DITD set when he kept heckling me. This was sidestage several rows back . Nobody around mne said anything to get him off my case. I showed him my ticket and asked him to be quiet during the songs. Andy - Bruce's security guy then - happened to glance over - he waved me up after the song ended and put me on an amp with somebody's girlfriend or wife on Patti's side. Bruce looked over surprised when he came over for Thunder Road. But that guy's eyes never went back in his head. Back to 2002 - I'd just arrived and was yelled at: "This isn't a Grateful Dead show!" I guess I look like the Maine hick that I am, but at least I am comfortable emough in my own American skin to live and let live. I wouldn't even dream of saying something like that to a stranger. Defeintely some cultural difference, which explains the urbanization effect as all the droves of city people move up here and supplant local culture. And I'm not even native. Anyone read Wendell Berry's "The Prejudice Against Country People? I guess a lot of things could be substituted for "Country", instructively... Welcome to NJ? I hope not. It brouhgt me back to 92, when I saw Bruce in Philly and we went to an Eagles game - somebody yelled at me: "Get some sneakers bitch!" Forget understanding or respect; how about tolerance? My second negative experience: Two guys standing on the balcony in 235-36. Bruce started into American Skin. They repeatedly yelled (loud), "Not Guilty, Not guilty Bruce." They gestured up to the stands like the guy in 234 who was trying to get everyone to "rise up" by motioning with his arms. They moved in this girl's face and kept yelling, obstructing her view and everyone's ability to listen. It hurt. I just kept thinking First Amendment.Only, they were right in this girl's face. She must have said something finally, b/c they reiterated "Not guilty," and called her what has become a very derogatory expression. I would have politely told them to be quiet but I like to have backup and I was alone. The usher looked too afraid when asked to deal with the situation (much easier though less purposeful to tell people not to dance in the front aisle). Finally, one other thing I have not seen posted. The wait to get in the outer gate while they searched bags - the EMPTY plaza inside. that used to flow freely with people was eerie. Things felt more nervous. Only one door open at each entrance, as well. And lots of cops. This flavor translated inside. When I got to my seat and introduced myself, no one said hi or hi back. A lot less communal. Everyone treated people like suspects. Operation Tips seeping into the culture. That's when I think the bady guys win. Ever since my first concert at age 14, everyone has always been so friendly to me - like we must have some common thread since we both share this in common. No high-fives. No shared smiles. Direct eye contact averted. That much was palpable. A lot of vacuous stares. All in all, I had a great time and felt comforted by the crowd's sound and felt like Bruce played to every one of us one-on-one. I could never leave disappointed. The show did seem short (personally, I think it's the crowd's responsibility to do its part and convey to Bruce/the Band that they can last at least as long as the band - stand, rise up, participate - but a lot of people did not seem to have the attention span that requires (and I've been called undiagnosed ADD!)). Especially because (this is a very special week for me), I saw Dylan in Maine Sunday and we both left impressed but that's not like Bruce, when the length was not that different. Forget about putting seats on the floor - personally I don't think there should be a privileged GA section either, but that probably prevents mayhem. People on the floor need to decide if they 're up to it. I'm sure they could switch with someone in a seat midway through if they really wanted a seat. Despite others' (accurate) reports of a couple older songs seeming "stale" (I don't think that's so noticeable to people that aren't looking for a different setlist), tears genuinely streamed down my cheeks during Darkness, as well as a few other tunes. That's my barometer - do I come i undone at any time? That's why I go to church. What I missed, but which weren't amenable to the setlist here, were the poses, except the one time he went down on the mike. No guitar- slung-over-the-shoulder posterior view, no place for a knee-drop, no place to go down like in Spirit, or jump off the piano after ripping his shirt off and wringing off the sweat, and nobody getting Tom Jonesed. Steven did goive the mandolin to somebody up front to play, though, if I'm not mistaken. Bruce went to the back once nad did that airplane like thing he does with his arms stretched wide. And he did this one where he leaned forward over the mike. I'd love a picture of that. These are my postshow thoughts. Thanks for bearing with me if you got this far. I wish everyone luck on tickets this w/end. Peace, Amy ------------------------------ End of LuckyTown Digest V9 #66 ****************************** ********************************************************************* ** LuckyTown WWW URL ** The LuckyTown FAQ, back issues, web-based subscription/unsubscription, and many other things can be found on the LuckyTown WWW Page: http://www.luckytown.org ** LuckyTown mailing list addresses ** You can send email to go into the next LuckyTown Digest to: luckytown@luckytown.org You can send email to go into the next LuckyTown-Ads Digest to: luckytown-ads@luckytown.org Any questions for the list admin should be emailed to: owner-luckytown@luckytown.org To unsubscribe, send email to majordomo@luckytown.org with message body: unsubscribe luckytown-digest To get further information on how to subscribe/unsubscribe/change your subscription address, as well as the other available commands, send email to majordomo@luckytown.org with message body: help ********************************************************************* The contents of this digest are not necessarily approved by the list admin.