From: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org (LuckyTown Digest) To: luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Subject: LuckyTown Digest V9 #110 Reply-To: luckytown@luckytown.org Sender: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Errors-To: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Precedence: bulk LuckyTown Digest Friday, November 22 2002 Volume 09 : Number 110 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: Greensboro show/Pit experience ["Myers, Wes" ] My Greensboro Review [Chris Allen ] Bruce and Harry Potter [Sharon Dynek ] GA Advice ["Garmise, Stuart D H08C" ] re: too much order in the setlist? [jt ] E Street Canada Auction ["Cindy Galbraith" ] shn format [COVRC@aol.com] Bruce Writes Song for Harry Potter.....errr Hogwarts Road [William.Blaik] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 15:19:08 -0500 From: "Myers, Wes" Subject: Greensboro show/Pit experience Five days have passed now since the Greensboro show but today some sort of higher power has motivated me to post some thoughts on the show. Or maybe it was just an allergic reaction to the marker used by the list organizers. Either way my hand itched this morning and I looked down and written in big red welts is 184, my number from the GA line. My wife and I were disappointed in hearing such a high number when we arrived at the coliseum at 6AM. I took a two hour nap before the six hour drive from Baltimore and figured that would at least get us in the first 100. I couldn't believe it at six PM when we got a spot behind just one row of people right in front of the Big Man. It seems most people want to be dead center as that spot was lined 12 deep or so. If it was 1992 I could see that being worth a premium but with the E Streeters I'd cherish a spot anywhere along the stage. I've heard concerns from others about wasting a whole day in line and the aches and pains of being without our normal comforts for so long. Well, after spending the day in a steady rain and temperatures in the 40's you might think I can see that point of view now. It actually had the opposite effect. We loved spending the day talking with fellow Springsteen fans. We don't have any friends who don't think we're nuts to have traveled 400 miles to spend all day waiting for a concert. The common response is, "Didn't you see him in DC 3 months ago?" In the GA line we felt quite normal. We chatted with 186 and 187, Vince and Vince Jr from South Carolina, and the ladies in front of us from Atlanta. The final two hours were spent waiting in the pit with a different group of people and more stories were told. The only other time I've spent more than 30 seconds talking to the people in seats around me was at the DC show this year. We talked with Katie (or Kathy, I'm not sure) who was sitting by herself looking for her friends on the floor. We told her we had gotten GA tickets to the Greensboro show that morning. It's only a 6 hour drive and it's a Saturday we told her. Well, we saw her in the GA line, too. The show was absolutely awesome. Is my view skewed by standing 3 feet from the stage and my wife being close enough to squeeze Bruce's hand? I'm sure. But how can you argue with a tour debut in Cadillac Ranch, an amazing She's the One, and Incident on 57th street in a solo piano version better that those from 1975? Bruce's piano playing has become more intricate. I thought You're Missing on SNL was great, too. He played a nice version of the ending piano part from the album that links to Rosalita. This, of course, brought cries for Rosie (were they looking for a solo piano version of that since the band wasn't even on stage?) but that was not to be. Several times during the show a roadie came out to adjust the mouthpiece on Clarence's sax. When they started Bobby Jean I thought "What a great song to sit in front of the Big Man for" since it has such a great sax solo. But as it started Clarence looked concerned and the roadie came out again. I thought I was going to witness the worst instrument catastrophe in E Street history, but the solo came off without a hitch. I was also impressed watching Clarence's work on the tambourine and the other percussion instruments he plays when not blowing on the sax. He obviously takes it very seriously. What was even cooler was that at times he was away from the mike and we could still hear it because we were so close. Nils also is very into his work. He seemed to have his eyes closed in deep concentration through much of the set. His guitar work on The Fuse is great. Not just the solo but playing quietly throughout the song. We also watched Danny a great deal but it's hard to see what he's doing instrumentally since we couldn't see his hands. He does spend a lot of energy leading the crowd to clap along when he's not playing the organ. You've probably heard about Bruce wiping out by now. When he went behind the stage during Waiting on a Sunny Day he was hard to see from where we were, only his head was barely visible. I think I was the only one in our area who even noticed. I was watching Bruce's head and the next second I saw his arms fly up. About 3 or 4 seconds later he stood back up. It kind of looked like he was just hamming it up but the next time he came in front of us you could see a big bloody gash on his arm. A few songs later when he was out of the spotlight, maybe during the organ solo on You're Missing, I could see him holding the arm up a pointing to the cut to show Steve. She's the One was great, the ending is always killer. This was my favorite song from my first Bruce show in 88 so that made it extra nice to see it again. The new intro to Mary's Place helps get that going with Bruce singing the "I've been missing you" refrain. Nils' intro into Countin' On a Miracle is phenomenal. I remember in DC the whole crowd sitting as soon as they started the slow intro to that (another great thing about GA, I'm standing and nobody complains). The new version of Dancing in the Dark is great. I can't wait to get that on a disc. My elbow hurt the next two days from excessive fist pumping during Born to Run. I could never get sick of that. It took me until I got home to realize what song was left out of the encores from the DC show. Thunder Road wasn't played. I hate hearing people complain that he plays this too much and I would've loved to have seen it, but the show was fine without it. On that note, I'm still waiting after 5 shows since being married and having a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack, to hear Hungry Heart. Maybe next time. As for the rest of the encores, not enough can be said about Ramrod. It had to have lasted 15 minutes, including 3 minutes of just Roy on stage jamming on the piano. Bruce and Clarence finally snuck out (I really couldn't see them until they turned the flash light on.) It rocked, it was funny, it made me laugh, and almost made me cry when the concert was over. There were some Santa Clause caps up front but they couldn't get them to do one more. If you're still reading this then I hope you do what you can to make it to the pit. Bruce & Co have done a wonderful thing to get the best seats to the die hards. Some will complain they don't have the time but I think this is a better solution than charging more money for an Inner Circle and it thwarts the scalpers. Wes [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2002 11:12:02 -0800 (PST) From: Chris Allen Subject: My Greensboro Review This was my first show of The Rising Tour. Traveled from Wilmington, Delaware to Greensboro and was not the least bit disappointed. The Greensboro crowd was absolutely fabulous. I was 10 rows up behind the stage directly in line with Roy. Was there with my wife, my sister and my brother-in-law. The whole crowd stood nearly the whole show and were really into it. Bruce thanks the audience every night, but this time you got the feeling that he truly meant it. He seemed to feed off the energy of the crowd and gave us outstanding versions of every song. I read somewhere that someone thought he and the band looked bored during Dancing In The Dark and Born In The USA. I'm not sure what this person saw, but it was not boredom. The entire band was into every moment of this show. And we behind the stage were given quite a treat. Bruce came back so often, it was unbelievable. And during Dancing, he turned his microphone around and sang an entire verse and chorus to us. Most of the other band members turned around as well - even Max! The crowd was into it from the start, even though it was a wet and dreary day. The first surprise to me was hearing The Promised Land after Lonesome Day. It was a wonderful pairing and gave me the same chills as when it was paired with American Skin the last tour in MSG. The Fuse was awesome and great to see back in the setlist. I think The Rising is a spectacular CD, and the more songs he plays from it in concert, the better. Empty Sky was great, and the awesome Greensboro crowd was so polite that there was quiet and no stupid shouts (at least that I could hear) during the "eye for an eye" line. You're Missing might be the best song on the CD, but last night it was so powerful it was unbelievable. My wife was brought to tears and I was left speechless. Waitin' On A Sunny Day was a giant sing-along. Bruce came along the back riser to us behind the stage and was kind of skipping along acting goofy when he got to this ramp next to Max's drums to go back down to the main stage. Well, he misplaced his left foot and fell. I couldn't believe it. One second he was right there, and the next, poof, gone. From my vantage point I couldn't tell if he was hurt or not, but then I saw him bounding back to the front of the stage. Later on you could see the cut on his arm and the blood. At one point during the show he was showing it off to some of the band. I can't believe how much he moves around the stage at 53. If there are better performers out there, I've never seen them. Cadillac Ranch was awesome. This song is played too infrequently. The crowd was in a frenzy at this point and it continued for the rest of the show. She's the One simply smoked. Bruce audibled Bobby Jean next. Not sure if he replaced something in the setlist, or if BJ was one possible song (you know how he sometimes has two songs in a slot separated with a slash). I heard the other choice was Night. Anybody know for sure? Personally, I'd take Night over BJ any day, but the version was loose and fun and the crowd was really into it. I thought Mary's Place was excellent. Bruce seemed to put a lot of energy into this one. And I liked it paired with Countin' On A Miracle. Some have commented that Miracle should be moved to elsewhere in the setlist, but I don't think so. It fits very nicely where it is. Not to say it wouldn't work somewhere else, but I really like that 1-2 pairing. Then came the moment I was hoping for. Little Steven was hustling everybody off stage. I assumed this was because this had become the standard "solo piano" slot, but later found out that River / Full Band My Hometown was actually on the setlist. I couldn't be happier that we didn't get either of those two songs. I had seen Incident open the show in Philly on September 25, '99, and was hoping to see a solo piano version here. And got it! Being 10 rows in direct view of Bruce at the piano was an experience I won't forget. I've never been a fan of Into The Fire, but it was performed powerfully in concert. This one I'd expected to be some kind of sing-along ala Hey Jude, but it's not. I'd like to see it placed elsewhere in the set. I understand why Bruce puts it as the set closer, but that doesn't mean I have to like it :-) The encores were so full of energy it was amazing. Bruce spoke to the band after My City of Ruins. Not sure if he was telling them, yes, it was going to be Born In The USA or not. I believe Thunder Road may have been on the setlist in its place. Again, anybody know for sure? I'm very glad he did BITUSA over TR. I love TR, but the current versions have seemed kind of tired. BITUSA hasn't been played full band in years (not counting that 1/2 hybrid in Barcelona last tour). The song was fantastic. Ramrod is a great way to end the show. It went on forever. The numerous false endings are a lot of fun. And the Little Steven / Bruce routine of, "Steve, it's time to go." Steve shakes his head "Steve, it's time to go back to the hotel." Steve shakes his head "Steve, it's time to go back to the hotel and watch some pooooooornographic movies!" Steve shakes his head "Well, Steve, what time is it?" Steve takes 10 seconds or so and shouts "It's Boss Time!" certainly adds to the fun. Bruce even asked the crowd twice "What time is it?" to joyous shouts of "Boss Time!!". And then the band leaves, except for Roy who stays for approximately 2 minutes alone on stage and hammers those piano keys. Amazing! The band then sneaks back on stage in darkness and the fun starts all over again. We left the concert sweaty, horse, and dog tired. Just the way you are supposed to leave a Bruce show. It's rock 'n roll afterall, not sit 'n listen. And thanks to Bruce and the band being in fine form, and the awesome Greensboro crowd, we rocked for 2 hours and 40 minutes. Who could ask for anything more? On to Charlotte for my next show! Another long drive, but no doubt it'll be worth it. Would love to see Night or Jackson Cage plus Racing In The Street for my sister. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site http://webhosting.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 11:37:11 -0800 (PST) From: Sharon Dynek Subject: Bruce and Harry Potter Found the following details regarding the Bruce/Harry Potter story on grammy.com: Saying No To "The Boss" The terrain was especially lonely last year with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The first movie from the best-selling books was a sure hit with a young, music-buying audience. Yet author J.K. Rowling didn't want her creation overly commercialized and nixed including a pop song in the movie. Composer John Williams, who wrote the score and also had say over all music in the film, agreed. ''We got criticized a lot, especially by our own record companies,'' LeMel says. They pleaded: ''Couldn't you twist somebody's arm?'' The cries grew deafening when Warner got an offer that seemed impossible to refuse. Bruce Springsteen (a.k.a. The Boss), inspired by reading Potter to his child, wrote "Stand By You Always" and offered it for the movie. Rowling stood firm then, and she didn't soften for the sequel, due next month. Some at Warner still hold out hope she'll let the Springsteen tune into the third Potter film next year. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site http://webhosting.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 12:46:35 -0500 From: "Garmise, Stuart D H08C" Subject: GA Advice I'm thinking of trading my Albany seat for a GA. Does anyone have any advice regarding getting into the pit, specifically how early do you need to get in line? If I get there early Friday say 8 or 9 AM would that work, or do I need to get there on Thursday night? Can anyone tell me what time did the last person get in line for the pit for a comparable show (like Boston, MSG or CAA)? How has positioning varied based upon your number in line? Has the line procedure been fairly standard at all shows (get your name on the list and then show up for periodic check-ins during the day)? Any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Stu Garmise - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify the sender by e-mail at the address shown. This e-mail transmission may contain confidential information. This information is intended only for the use of the individual(s) or entity to whom it is intended even if addressed incorrectly. Please delete it from your files if you are not the intended recipient. Thank you for your compliance. Copyright (c) 2002 CIGNA ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 13:26:27 -0800 (PST) From: jt Subject: re: too much order in the setlist? I agree with Eric Douglas' assertion about the setlists. All one has to do is look (and listen) to the end of the River tour for a great example of how he just went for it, playing a core list of songs in nearly a different order every night. I recently found a copy of December 18, 1980, the night before my first show, and was amazed at how different it 'feels' than the night I went. You can look at the setlists and see that some songs are played in the same order, but little changes here and there and major changes throughout gave each night it's own unique experience. Recent boots don't have this same unique feel. Different songs fill certain 'slots' but the shows lack significant originality from venue to venue. The same can be said about band intros and the stories/comments that used to spice up the show. His stories were relatively the same from night to night in earlier tours, but they were rarely word for word recitations. Now they are fewer and further between and the only one really is the "I need some quiet for the next couple of songs" and "Now it is sung for peace" blurb before BITUSA. Both of which seem to be read from the teleprompter. This is more of an observation than a complaint, although I would love to go to a show and have him open with Born to Run. :-) jt __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site http://webhosting.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 16:19:23 -0500 From: "Cindy Galbraith" Subject: E Street Canada Auction This is reminder that the E Street Canada Auction for the Daily Bread Food Bank closes at 10:00 p.m. on Monday, November 25th. The link to the site is: www.thefirsttoymakertotheking.com/cgi-bin/auctionEstreetCanada.pl Cindy Galbraith ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 18:13:42 EST From: COVRC@aol.com Subject: shn format Compliments of Stone pony London...... shn is a lossless compression format, which allows you to get a complete copy of a cd which is as good as the original (if the ripper / poster is careful). Quick overview: - - shns can be decompressed into wavs without any loss of data, so they are complete copies of the original cd. shns can also be copied more reliably than cd audio. - - The files are 60-75% of the size of the wavs (for this kind of music) - - You'll want to check the "md5" sums after you download to make sure you got a good copy of the file. Download bad tracks again if not. - - You can also play shns directly using the shnamp plugin for WinAmp. In case you need it, Greg and Diana Hamilton have written an excellent faq on shns with links to software downloads, at http://research.umbc.edu/~hamilton/shnfaq.html For Windows users, the key piece of software is mkwACT, which will verify the files you downloaded and decompress shn into wav. It's freeware. There's also good info at http://www.etree.org/ - see the Software page there, which has a Good faq on installing mkwACT - you'll want to change some of the defaults! MD5 FILES MD5s are fairly simple and small files - they are just a list of the file names, with a "check sum" that is just the result of mathematically adding up the bytes in the file. If your copy verifies against that, you know you have a good copy. It is a really good idea to verify the shns you have downloaded using the md5s. It only takes a few minutes to do; there are some notes below. - - The whole point of shns is to get an exact copy of the original. If you don't verify, you may not have that - files don't always download right. Some software will convert a bad shn into a bad wav without warning you. - - If you are sharing files, you don't want to pass on a bad file. - - If you verify the file right away, and find you have a bad one, you can try DLing it again right away (before it rolls off the server). That will fix the problem most of the time. Otherwise, if you don't get around to burning, converting, or checking out the shns until later, it might be too late to get a good one off the server. That's also why the shns should be posted disk by disk, *before* the shns are posted. If it's done that way, you can verify the files and start sharing them immediately. HOW TO USE MD5 FILES If you have mkw installed, you can probably just right-click on the md5 file and choose Verify. The md5 file has to be in the same directory as the shns. If you don't have another program installed for md5s, go to www.md5summer.org and get md5 summer, a nice little program with a graphical interface. Note that md5 files are just text files with a .md5 extension. You can open them with any text editor. Also, if you rename any of the shn files you dl, you have to edit the md5 so the file names match. SEEK TABLES One suggestions, if you are creating shns - append the seek tables to the files. Seek tables allow you to use the slider in WinAmp (or other programs) to go to any point in the song. Without the seek tables, you can only play from the beginning forward, you can't go directly to a point in the middle of a track. In mkwACT, go to Options, Shorten and check the line "Append seek table to end of shorten file" It adds minimal time to the encode and minimal size to the file, but gives a more usable shn (you can listen to it without decoding it, and if you are trying to check out the songs it's more useful). ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2002 09:30:14 +0000 From: William.Blaik@plym.xfab.de Subject: Bruce Writes Song for Harry Potter.....errr Hogwarts Road maybe, just maybe Screen door slams, Hermione's school uniform sways.. As the radio plays Hagrid's singing for the lonely Hey that's me and I want you only Don't turn me home again I just can't face myself under the stairs again Don't run back inside chum you know just what I'm here for So you're scared and you're thinking That maybe we ain't that young anymore Show a little faith, there's magic in the night You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright Oh and that's alright with me..... You can hide in your school books And study your pain Make crosses from your broomsticks Throw frogs in the rain Waste your semester praying in vain For a wizard to rise from these streets Well now I'm no hero That's understood All the redemption I can offer, girl Is beneath this dirty cape With a chance to make it good somehow Hey what else can we do now? Except extend the franchise And let the wind blow Back your hair Well the night's busting open Our class ridden society will take us anywhere We got one last chance to make it real To trade in these wings on some wheels Climb in back Avalon's waiting on down the tracks Oh-oh come take my hand Riding out tonight to case Slytherin Oh-oh Hogwarts Road, oh Hogwarts Road oh Hogwarts Road Lying out there like a Snape in the sun Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run Oh Hermoine, sit tight take hold Hogwarts School Well I got this wand And I learned how to make it talk And my Nimbus is out back If you're ready to take that long walk From your front dorm to my front seat The door's open but the ride it ain't free And I know you're lonely For words that I ain't spoken But tonight we'll be free All the promises'll be broken There were neraly headless Nick's in the eyes Of all the boys you sent away They haunt this damp school path In the skeleton frames of burned out Ford Anglias They screamers have your name on the front Your graduation gown lies in rags in the font And in the lonely cool before dawn You hear their broomsticks roar on But when you get to the gate they're gone On the wind, so Hermoine climb in It's a school full of losers And I'm pulling out of here to win. will with so many apologies to Bruce ------------------------------ End of LuckyTown Digest V9 #110 ******************************* ********************************************************************* ** 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.