From: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org (LuckyTown Digest) To: luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Subject: LuckyTown Digest V9 #71 Reply-To: luckytown@luckytown.org Sender: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Errors-To: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Precedence: bulk LuckyTown Digest Sunday, August 18 2002 Volume 09 : Number 071 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: Cleveland Rocks! ["Jason Crowley" ] Violins, a banjo and some ice cream (Auburn Hills, August 15, 2002) [Matt] Re: Chicago tickets [EStBand@aol.com] Cleveland Plain Dealer Review [ABIT2SHORT@aol.com] Bruce isn't the only one [billellenconlon@webtv.net (William Conlon)] May your strength give us strength [ABIT2SHORT@aol.com] Two questions ["McMullan" ] Random thoughts and ideas [Jim McCullough ] Chicago Tickets ["Justin Doherty" ] MSG 8/12 - my biggest disappointment [Gary Dunaier ] From Tucson to Phoenix [WENDYBLUE@aol.com] THE BOSS ZINE - THE RISING READERS POLL - AUGUST 16, 2002 ["Tonny" ] PDX and The Experience Music Project ["garry koop" ] San Jose Post show? [Tanna ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 11:17:36 -0400 From: "Jason Crowley" Subject: Cleveland Rocks! Just one word....Outstanding.... How any fan can be of the opinion that this show is anything but fabulous, is beyond me. The new material was unbelievable and powerful. Now that the setlist has remained the same for three shows, it is quite clear that there is a message to send. The highlights were many, and include Worlds Apart, Sunny Day and MCOR. The older material was reborn...Prove It All Night, Promised Land and BitUSA sounded fresh. The band was great and I thought the sound was very good, much improved from the reunion tour, although I thought from where I was sitting, Max did not appear loud enough in the mix.... Clarence played better than I have ever seen...he sounded great!!...and of course, Bruce was on top of his game. Right after Steven's mandolin solo in Glory Days....He and Bruce got a bit tangled up and Bruce dropped his microphone to a big thud...Bruce picked it up and said "testing..testing..." Two notes about last night....was it just me or did anyone else get the impression that the band just didn't seem interested in Thunder Road? It was the only song that I got this from.... Secondly...haven't seen anyone mention it or if it's a new addition to LOHAD...but at the end of it, the band moved into a chorus of People Get Ready .... a la Two Hearts/It Takes Two....just thought it was fitting with all the people making references to the song re MCOR The show was great and as usual, Bruce and the band does not dissapoint here...Can't wait for Detroit tonight.... Enjoy...Jay [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 23:20:54 -0400 From: Matthew Orel Subject: Violins, a banjo and some ice cream (Auburn Hills, August 15, 2002) Bruce and the band were playing "Lonesome Day," thousands of arms were flying into the air every time Bruce said "yeah," and a dozen or so rows above the back of the stage I held my 5-year old son Aaron as he stood on the top of the chair in fron of us, taking it all in. A moment, a remembrance, and a thought: I'm with my son at a Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert. Springsteen performed what has become basically a static setlist, with only a few lines from "Dancing in the Street" (as a lead-in to "Mary's Place") and a band introduction joke at Danny Federici's expense (he is now the product of 3 complete strangers from Jersey City) separating it from the previous 3 shows of the tour. The song performances, though, were strong and fresh nearly throughout, and with a revved up -- if somewhat less than capacity -- crowd helping out, the results were generally superb. Empty Sky/You're Missing is, for me, the show highlight and the emotional core. Around us we could hear people talking during the songs - -- about the songs. We were seated directly above Soozie's instruments. This was a bonus because Aaron recently started violin lessons, and I could point out the viola and all of the violins, and he could watch her play. He liked what he saw, she played "soft and smooth," he said, but he was disappointed that he couldn't he her over Bruce's guitar. As "The Promised Land" was ending, Aaron became very excited: "I see a banjo!" Unfortunately, the banjo playing gave way to the rest of "Worlds Apart," which lasted several minutes too long. There are a few other items in the setlist that I think could be tweaked: "Counting on a Miracle," in particular, seemed to be out of place and lifeless; seems to me "Streets of Philadelphia" and/or "Let's Be Friends" would work better there. I could also do without most of the Darkness songs -- for that matter, without most of the oldies. With an album at #1 and an audience that has obviously familiarized itself with the new material, many of the older songs are no longer necessary or even helpful to the set. "Waiting on a Sunny Day" is a hit, it seems. Just 10 days back in New Jersey it was a train wreck with a bi-tonal sax solo and a crowd that refused to dance or sing; at The Palace the music was crisp and the crowd happily went along for the ride. Virtually all of the new material went over well; I saw people standing at attention for "Into the Fire," which closed the main set. The first set of encores featured 3 of the "classic" Bruce tunes -- "Thunder Road," "Glory Days" and "Born to Run." Far from sounding old as they sometimes have on past tours, this night they were fresh, fun, and a welcome change of pace from the set, and they blew the roof off the joint. This led into "My City of Ruins," and from where we were able to watch Bruce's hands on the piano as he played; the song just continues to improve. The show ended, and right above us the monitors went in to a black and white video of Bruce singing "Counting on a Miracle" solo acoustic, hair slicked back and singing in a yodelly falsetto. Let's just say the camera work was nice. Soon, familiar faces surrounded us; we took Aaron - -- who managed to stay awake until the end -- to the food stand, where it wasn't too late for an ice cream bar. - --Matt ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 09:45:29 EDT From: EStBand@aol.com Subject: Re: Chicago tickets In a message dated 08/17/02 11:07:56 PM CDT, owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org writes: > Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2002 17:11:00 -0500 > From: "Patricia D. Lydon" > Subject: Chicago tickets > > If you (or anyone you know) were able to get more than one ticket through > Ticketmaster for the 100 or 200 levels of the United Center would you kindly > email me at pdl@hmltd.com? Here's the deal with Chicago... the United Center caters to their season ticket holders for the Bulls and Blackhawks. I know from experience. My uncle is a season ticket holder for the Blackhawks (section 205 - row 4 - seats 5 and 6) since 1984... back in the days of playing in Chicago Stadium. Season ticket holders may elect to buy a "premium" package with their tickets that entitles them to first priority for their seats at other events. I had his seats for one of the Sept 99 shows. Here's how it works: Within weeks of an event going on sale, they fax the ticketholders. They must return the fax by a deadline to secure their seats. If there is only one night for an event (e.g., this concert), then the first fax back - from either the Blackhawks or Bulls ticketholder - gets those seats. The other ticketholder is provided different seats - however, the point here is they are provided "comparable" seats... 200 levels for 200 levels... 100 levels for 100 levels. If there is more than one night, they distribute the assigned season seats to different nights to each ticketholder - - at the limit of only 1 night. In the case of Chicago 1999 - there were 3 nights... plenty of tickets to go around. This time out - there is just the one night... plenty of demand... little on supply. Nonetheless, I am sure this policy severly hampers our chances at tickets in Chicago IF Bruce is going to continue to play the United Center instead of the Rosemont Horizon (oops! I mean Allstate Arena). By the way, this time out, my uncle missed the deadline for me. I'm shut out of tix as well. Looking for a pair if anyone has a set to spare. "may your faith bring us faith" - -Joseph. www.michael-mcdermott.com [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 15:34:56 EDT From: ABIT2SHORT@aol.com Subject: Cleveland Plain Dealer Review Here you go, guys. For more about Bruce and to see video of him arriving in Cleveland, just click on www.plaindealer.com. If you were standing in line you just may see yourself. http://www.cleveland.com/music/plaindealer/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_stand ard.xsl?/base/entertainment/102940391341950.xml Hope everyone enjoyed the show and that visitors ennjoyed being in Cleveland - -- sorry about that rain, though ... Linda ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 12:14:31 -0400 (EDT) From: billellenconlon@webtv.net (William Conlon) Subject: Bruce isn't the only one Johnny S. opines that "Bruce Springsteen is alone among his peers in making a deliberate effort to remain an honest, relevant and viable artist." I'm happy to report that this is untrue. Off the top of my head, I can think of several of Bruce's contemporaries who have released vital new CDs during the past few years, and who have concentrated on that material in concert: Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Patti Smith. I saw all of these artists in the last year or two, and it's been great to see that they're all so forward-looking. I do agree with Johnny in regard to the reaction to Bruce's recent setlist. What a shame that so many people want Bruce to concentrate on the past. I'm so thankful that he has ignored the wishes of these fans-- not just recently, but all through his career. One more thing: I got a big laugh from the TIME article, where the author described mass reactions from Bruce's fans over the years: "the faithful reacted with a shrug....," for example. That guy obviously never explored fan sites like this one. Say what you want about Springsteen fans, but we don't all think alike, that's for sure. Good luck to everyone, tix-wise. Bill C. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 06:32:56 EDT From: ABIT2SHORT@aol.com Subject: May your strength give us strength I'm not big on reviews and critiques; I couldn't tell you last night's setlist if you begged me. You know - the old 'I may not know art but I know what I like' theory of appreciation. And all I know is that last night in Cleveland, for 2 1/2 hours, all that existed for me was a safe and familiar connection to a unique individual we need very badly right now -- and some damn fine music. Linda in Cleveland ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 18:23:52 -0500 From: "McMullan" Subject: Two questions Two questions that I haven't seen discussed: 1. In St. Paul/Minneapolis, the largest "classic rock" station (KQRS) keeps playing an abbreviated version of "The Rising". They play the first two verses, then cut to the "Li li..." chorus and close out the song, skipping the last two verses. Is this common in other markets? Is this something Bruce released, or is it an edit the radio station did? I can hear right where they inserted the extra chorus that ends the song. I hope it isn't something Bruce did... The Rising is a fabulous song, but seems pretty schlocky with only two verses. 2. On the floor w/GA, how far back does the crowd go? I am curious as to how far back from the stage one is if they are in the back of the floor. Middle red-line? Far blue line? Far goal line? Looking forward to Milwaukee/Fargo/St. Paul!!! Stewart McMullan - ------ http://USFamily.Net/info - Unlimited Internet - From $8.99/mo! ------ [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 13:59:57 -0400 From: Jim McCullough Subject: Random thoughts and ideas It is the morning after the Cleveland show. Last night as we traveled home from Cleveland to Zanesville, the thoughts raced through my head. What is wrong with the show? I must concur with some of the analysis of the earlier shows; something is out of sorts. It is so unlike Bruce to play the same setlist three shows in a row. During my 20 plus years of seeing Bruce in concert, this was the weakest show I have seen. Most of the Bruce community is not comfortable with it, and I sense that Bruce is not comfortable with it. I see the problem as Bruce having a difficult time finding material that works well with the new material. The Rising is so much unlike anything Bruce has done before. It is great stuff but songs such as Prove It All Night, Promised Land, and Badlands just don't mesh well musically with it. Bobby Jean seemed to fit in, though. Perhaps Bruce needs to stop looking into the Born to Run/Darkness on the Edge of Town/The River era (an incredible era!), and, instead, look toward more recent material that may hold something more in common with the new material. I feel that this album has more in common with Tunnel of Love, Luckytown, Human Touch, and some parts of Born in the USA. I am speaking only of the first set. I thought the first encore stands on it's own and was great! Maybe alternate some other rockers with Glory Days to mix it up. Speaking of the first encore, wouldn't it work better as the second encore? The second encore seems too low key for ending the show. I like Land of Hope and Dreams but not as a closing number. Other random thoughts: Would cover songs of other artists be an answer to finding material that meshes with The Rising material? Not the standard Trapped but something that echoes the essence of The Rising. Bruce used to have an uncanny sense of picking the perfect cover songs. Maybe this tour needs a return to the days of doing a first set, taking an intermission, and playing the second set. The first set would be primarily The Rising material and the second set would consist of Bruce's other work (but not a min-version of the last tour). That way all the jerks who won't shut up during songs like Empty Sky can go out to the lobby until the second set. The dropping of the microphone and Bruce saying "Testing" was hilarious! Is Bruce struggling because he is trying to appease fans with older material? If so, stop! I do not want to dictate what you are playing. You're the artist. Go with the instincts that have served you so well. You have always been the master of the setlist. The guy in Section 200, Row 12. I'm glad you weren't hurt but it was funny when you tripped and fell into Row 11. Not as funny as when my sister saw a guy accidently catch himself on fire at a Pink Floyd concert though. Mary's Place does not cut it as a tune for introducing the band members. Try something else. Why doesn't WMMS play Bruce music after the shows like they used to? I had heard they were a shadow of their former selves. Thank goodness for the Akron station that did play some. The Allen Theater bootleg material was great! When it was time to rock, Cleveland... you ROCKED! I miss Richfield Coliseum. Anyone remember the restrooms at intermission. People peeing in the sinks, the trash cans, even just on the floor because of the crowd. Pee about 1 to 2 inches deep on the floor, rolling out the entrance to the restroom. Girls in the boys restroom because their restroom was too crowded. The good old days. What would happen to Apple's marketshare if Bruce were to do a Mac commercial? Has the "man in black" ever been to Cleveland? I've never seen him. If he has, what does it take to get his attention... a Jenna Jameson lookalike as your date? Did anyone else think Bruce might slip in an Elvis tune for the 25th anniversary of Elvis's death? Doesn't $35.00 for a t-shirt seem a bit expensive? Wouldn't it be cool if everyone raised their hands and joined them during the chorus of The Rising? I thought I saw an old classmate from 30 years ago. Was it really not her or was she ignoring me? Okay, let the rebuttals begin! Jim McCullough Zanesville, Ohio ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 11:51:42 -0500 From: "Justin Doherty" Subject: Chicago Tickets Regarding the mention about Chicago tickets in Digest #69, I was on-line and into the Ticketmaster system at about 10:00:30 and, after getting four in Section 316, was highly annoyed when the system seemed to jam and I lost the tickets. But I was surprised to have gotten in that quickly and only be able to get level 300 tickets. Justin in Madison ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2002 16:01:08 -0700 (PDT) From: Gary Dunaier Subject: MSG 8/12 - my biggest disappointment I generally don't complain about Springsteen's setlists... he plays whatever he wants to play. For every person in the crowd bitching because he either didn't play this long-lost rarity, or because he had the gall to play this other song ~again~ for the millionth time, I'm sure there are at least 100 others who were ~not~ in the crowd at that show, who wish they were, and would be grateful to have the opportunity to just be ~in the building~ while Springsteen reads off a list of items on a take-out menu from the Hong Kong Gardens. So if I go to see Springsteen in concert and for whatever reason I'm not happy, I blame it on ~me~. Be that as it may... I really do wish that he had played "Darlington County" at the Garden Monday night, as a special treat for those of us in New York. Given that "The Rising" was inspired by the events of September 11th here in New York, even if not all of the songs are necessarily ~about~ 9/11, I would have liked to have gotten to hear that reference. You know the one I'm talking about. Incidentally, if he ~had~ performed "Darlington County", after he finished the now-important line, "Our pa's each own one of the World Trade Centers", I would have cheered, and hopefully others would have done the same. Gary Dunaier =============================The 1933 double eagle. How high did it fly? Would you believe $7,590,000? Well, you better believe! http://www.coinworld.com/news/081202/News_bulletin1.asp __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search Thousands of New Jobs http://www.hotjobs.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 10:48:00 EDT From: WENDYBLUE@aol.com Subject: From Tucson to Phoenix Broke my leg and am not allowed to drive. Rabid long time fan needs ride from Tucson to Phoenix show. Will pay for gas and parking. Have seen Bruce every tour since mid 70s and would die if I had to miss this one. Please help if you can. email me privately. Thanks Wendyblue@aol.com Wendy [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 00:00:02 +0200 From: "Tonny" Subject: THE BOSS ZINE - THE RISING READERS POLL - AUGUST 16, 2002 Hello, Fellow Fans, Our man is back out in the street! We've put together a little poll on THE RISING for the THE BOSS ZINE readers. If you go to www.bosszine.com you can share your opinion of Bruce's newest album. The results will be published in our next issue, in September. You can also, among other things, expect several concert reviews, Tonny's album review, "Trapped Alive," and Sarah's account of the trip she won to the July 30 Today Show. But right now, we hope you'll go to www.bosszine.com and cast your vote !! Greetings, THE BOSS ZINE TEAM PS Support BOSSZINE.com, buy from THE BOSS SHOP, www.bosszine.com/shop.html [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 11:11:14 -0700 (PDT) From: cindy yale Subject: Portland 8/20 I feel like I finally caught a break! I live in CT and have gotten shut out for all local shows, most recently Philly and Boston. I'm going to visit a friend in Portland, OR and checked for tickets and got 2! Good seats to boot. I'm wondering if there are going to be any pre-show get togethers and if so where? I'd love to meet some Bruce fans out west as I've only seen him on the east coast..... Thanks...see you in Portland! __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search Thousands of New Jobs http://www.hotjobs.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 08:03:49 -0700 From: "garry koop" Subject: PDX and The Experience Music Project Two years ago when the reunion tour came through Portland, OR I was interviewed by folks at The Experience Music Project in Seattle. They said that there were doing a piece on fans for the museum. Does anyone know what came of these interviews? Thanks _________________________________________________________________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 13:55:29 -0600 From: john_lewis@agilent.com Subject: Cleveland & "extra" tickets The spare tickets for sale scene outside the GUND arena in Cleveland last evening was pretty amazing. Directly across the street from the GUND box office there were so many people walking around trying to sell tickets that the prices dropped well below face value. A few had handful's of tickets they were selling but only the best seats went for face value. Everything else was far below $75. I watched one woman who tried unsuccessfully to sell 3 tickets for over 1/2 hour. When she finally had a buyer for one, she took $20 for it and gave the buyer the other two as well - average price $6.33 each. With the number of "extra's" around, it's hard to believe that all of them were legitimate. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 22:15:45 -0400 From: Scott Greene Subject: Boss-ton Pre-Show Gathering 10/4/02 Hi again everyone! I haven't posted recently but wanted to let everybody know that I'm already putting together plans for our pre-show party at The Harp before the big show on October 4th. You may recall, The Harp was our pre-show gathering spot for all 5 FleetCenter shows back in August 1999. Two of my good friends manage the place, and I've told them I'd like to once again host our friends from Boss-ton, LuckyTown and RMAS. The Harp is on Causeway St. right across from the FleetCenter. If you attended a few years ago, you know how much fun it was. We had most of The Harp's back bar area set as our meeting place, we had Springsteen music playing on the sound system (they even threw some Bruce-legs on too), and it was also a good place to unload or pickup last minute tickets. We even had our friend (and Bruce lookalike) Mike Wurtele come up from the Philly area and perform some tunes acoustically onstage. If you didn't attend, well now you have another chance! I want to prep my buddies as much as possible, so if you plan on coming by and joining us, shoot me an email (sgreene0310@attbi.com) sometime over the next few weeks so I can get an idea of how many Boss-ton, LuckyTowners and RMAS members we can expect. There's a slim chance that I may have to be traveling for work and unfortunately may not be in Boston on October 4th, but there will be a pre-show party at The Harp nonetheless. I'm just counting my blessings that I'm in town. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I'll send another posting out at least a few weeks before the show to update everyone on the details. Can't wait to catch up with everybody again and celebrate the Music and the Ministry! Scott Greene Nashua, NH ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 18:32:38 -0700 (PDT) From: Tanna Subject: San Jose Post show? Are there many folks from the board hittin' the Silicon valley for the 27th? Flyin' in from way outta town. Hopin' to hook up with some folks for some singing and dancin afterwards. Let's party!! Any going ons? Enjoy the show and hope you see ya'll on that train! skassi@yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search Thousands of New Jobs http://www.hotjobs.com ------------------------------ End of LuckyTown Digest V9 #71 ****************************** ********************************************************************* ** 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.