Arenas are not made for rock bands or rock fans.
I followed a 16-hour work day with a trip to Toronto for my last arena show, and two and three rows ahead of me were eight people, all standing. The one directly in my line of sight for the stage was a full head taller, singing and pumping his fist at the stage. Good for him! I just leaned into the people in front of me, who were doing more talking than listening. Soon enough, everyone would be standing.
It was Nov. 6, the day after the U.S. election, and Bruce Springsteen was sending out "a fighting prayer for my country."
- Last night I stood at your doorstep
- Trying to figure out what went wrong
- You just slipped something into my palm and you were gone
"Long Walk Home" opened Springsteen's set. He goes home to visit family, but the diner is boarded up and the residents are "rank strangers." Still, Dad is consoling:
- "It's a beautiful place to be born.
- It just wraps its arms around you,
- Nobody crowds you and nobody goes it alone
- Your flag flyin' over the courthouse
- Means certain things are set in stone.
- Who we are, what we'll do and what we won't"
A concession from the Boss. The American dream is a mirage, yet we dare to dream. It's why we stay in the arena.
