Bruce is Back - What Do I Want to Hear?

So Bruce is coming back on tour. Currently, I’ve got tickets to 3 of his 5 shows in the greater New York Area – including floor seats at the Garden, where I may spontaneously combust. I’m likely headed for 4, and the last one depends on how crazy I get. I’m guessing that I’m going to get crazy enough to do it. But I’m on a fixed income. But it’s Bruce. I digress.

Obviously, these shows are going to be unlike the other four I’ve been to (and the 100s I’ve bootlegged onto my overwhelmed hard-drive) because there’s a Big Hole on E Street – the Big Man.

You don’t realize how powerful something is until it’s gone. I’ve been listening to some of the shows since The Rising Tour lately, and I’ve come to really appreciate (even further than I realized) how much the Big Man changed the band. His horn would make songs come alive, and he’d get the bigger cheers. Bruce would always go “Come on C!” before Clarence would chime in. While Clarence’s role haven’t been truly instrumental in Bruce’s music since Darkness, it’s always a welcome addition, creating the sound that very few other bands possess – from a man that no other band ever had.

It makes me upset to think about the shows without him. Maybe I’m just obsessed. Obviously you can replace the sound (C’s nephew, Jake, has been picked to play the horn on tour with the big boys) and it will sound great, but it won’t be the same. Depending on how many beers I have before the show, and if I hear Jungleland, I bet I’ll tear up. I teared up when I heard Jungleland the first time, so it only seems fitting to do it when Big Man’s not there.

The sound will live on. It isn’t going anywhere. We have YouTube and bootlegs and audio recording to carry us for all of our lifetimes. It’s just sad that the sound won’t be the same.

On a lighter note, I’d like to do a countdown of my top ten songs I hope (but really, I’m praying) that I hear live on this set of shows. I’ve been fortunate enough to hear some rarities (Sandy, E Street Shuffle, Kitty’s Back, Darkness, and more) but there’s always those songs that have eluded me (or his playing are so rare that you get mad when you read his set list from another show and are furious that he played THAT song. That’s basically what this list is about). Also included are my expectations for hearing them played. Since I’ve seen so many already, most of them are low.

1) Dancing in the Dark

You’d think this would be an easy one – he plays the damn thing enough, but not once at the shows I’m at! If he’s playing this on a regular basis, I’ve got a good shot.

2) Incident on 57^th Street

I have zero shot in hell. He only plays this in Europe and once in a blue moon. But I have to dream. Working on a dream. This song is actually so great, it’s a shame it doesn’t get the credit it deserves amongst the casual Bruce fan.

3) Racing in the Street

Same deal as Incident. I’d think I’d have a better shot of hearing this than Incident. Either would be great, but my expectations are sadly low – which will make it a great surprise when he plays it from the Garden and I explode!

4) Streets of Philadelphia

My only shot is to see this in Philly. Unfortunately (for me, but not for my bank account), Bruce is playing in Philly during the week. If he comes back to Philly after Europe, count it.

5) Jersey Girl

Seeing 2 (maybe 3) shows in Jersey gives me a chance. Please Bruce!

6) My City of Ruins

For 10 years since The Rising?? Please Bruce!!!!

7) Janey Don’t You Lose Heart
8) My Love Will Not Let You Down

I bunched these two together because they’re both off Tracks, which decreases the chances even further. Both great concert staples – would be great.

9) Backstreets

Such a beautiful beautiful song. When I heard Bruce was playing the Born to Run album in 2009 I almost went on a cross country tour to see it – for the whole album, but because this is the one song off that album that I hadn’t seen live. I’ve seen Jungleland twice. Thunder Road twice. She’s the One four times. JUST LET ME HEAR THE WHOLE ALBUM

10) The Price You Pay

Just for the record, this song was far from my radar until Bruce played it to open his last show at the Philly Spectrum, and ever since I’ve loved it. It’s been 2.5 years. Can’t get enough.

Bonus songs that would be awesome but I’ve given up:

Bobby Jean
Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town
The Ties That Bind
Jackson Cage
Hungry Heart
New York City Serenade
My Hometown

The Big Man

Took me a few days to gather my thoughts on this, plus I wasn't around a computer to write. Sorry I'm late to the party.

Obviously I'm a Bruce fan. But when people talk about Bruce, it's not just him. It's the band. And who is the soul of the band? The Big Man, without a doubt.

Something that makes E Street classic is the saxophone. You don't see it in many rock bands. You don't see it much in "mainstream" because it's associated with a different genre. Yet Bruce took a chance with it and it worked beautifully. Think about every hook of every song. It relies on Clarence's sound, working harmoniously with Bruce's chords and moans. It was the noise.

What's great about Clarence was his larger-than-life stature. He was massive. He seemed mysterious. There was something special about how he was presented. The story of lore of how they met was a large black man walked into a Jersey bar on a stormy night and played his saxophone with a young rocker trying to make it. The rest as they say, is history.

I'm obviously very partisan here. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is the best show I've ever seen. I was lucky to see them four times. It angers me that I didn't see them more times with the core intact. The thing is I could have. I heavily considered it several times, but if it wasn't the money/distance/friends, it never came to fruition. Even in those four shows, including one with my father, it was a gift to see them. I have every show in bootleg (along with 100+ others) and enjoy every one.

It's sad because I knew it was coming. I know this sounds morbid, but it's real: everyone passes. It was going to happen. I didn't have the luxury of knowing Big Man in his youth. I only knew him from when he was 60+. He couldn't move well. He was out of breath after every time he did Jungleland. He couldn't stand the whole show. It's hell getting old, and it's sad to see that his time has come. It reminds you to take advantage of all the time that you have here on this Earth.

When I try to pick my favorite song involving The Big Man? Everyone points to Jungleland. I would argue it's The Promised Land. Thunder Road is also another beautiful option. I could also change favorite songs every day. Right now it's that, because you know it's coming in Jungleland, but it's somewhat forgotten in some of the other songs. You forget that they happened until you really think about it. People go nuts when Big Man plays a solo on Bruce's songs. Or when he sings ANYTHING. He gets bigger ovations than Bruce. He was the key crutch of the band. He was Santa Claus in Santa Claus in Coming to Town. What more needs to be said.

It's possible that I've listened to every Bruce song since Saturday night. I've tried imagining a song without him. Would Bruce have been so successful? So catchy? I don't know. I believe so, but you never know. Bruce's songs were still intact, still focused on the American Dream of making it on your own, being your own man, finding your Jersey Girl, etc. The message would have stayed the same, but who knows where it would of ended up without the Big Man in the picture. Yet he was. So it doesn't matter to waste time on it.

It was a blessing. It has touched so many lives and emotions. And now we carry on. It's great that we live in a YouTube / MP3 / DVD era, where they can truly live on for as long as Google's servers can hold them. I love that I could watch almost any show from the past 10 years online. And I could download even more of them. (I just looked, I have 114 bootlegs albums. One day I'm going to count how many times I've listened to Born to Run. I'm going to guess over 200. Does anyone think I'm cool?)

What I can't wait for is the next tour Bruce goes on. You know it's coming. How does it work? How will it start? What happens when the piano starts on Jungleland? Who is the heir apparent? I pray it's Clarence's nephew, who came out a few times on tour and covered well. I'm excited to see how it plays out, and see what's next for E Street. Next for me: I'm going to read Big Man's book. It's probably not great, but I'll eat up every word. I've been trying to read every article and tribute online in the past few days. I won't get enough. It's really not fair, but that's just me being selfish.

The world was never the same when the Big Man joined the band.

My Favorite Non-Traditional Christmas Music

Okay, so now that Thanksgiving is over it's the official start of Christmas music. Some radio stations (like B101 in Philly) start it after Halloween. I think that's absurd. Cut us some slack. These songs are fun, but only for so long. I used to HATE the idea of Holiday albums, because I thought it was just your favorite artist trying to milk you for more money during the holidays. Most of the time the songs aren't original, just the typical run of the mill Christmas song.

Anyway, these are my favorite Christmas songs that are "outside the norm" - except for a few "norms" that I love. I don't know why I'm writing this post. Enjoy?

1) Merry Christmas Happy Holiday - NSYNC

Well, this might be the norm these days. But who doesn't LOVE this song? The whole holiday album is awesome, but this song is clearly the best. Is it possible that this album will be their longest lasting? Since they don't seem keen on the comeback that BSB (which isn't really a comeback) and NKOTB are doing, this might be their biggest contribution. Every now and then I get my boy band fix, but to me this is the most frequent NSync song. My biggest problem is that the radios seem to cut out the bridge part (the part where the background chorus is clapping). How can you bastardize a song like that? Radio pisses me off enough just for cutting out Lil' Wayne's part in every song he's featured in. Okay, well that sidetracked.

2) I Won't Be Home For Christmas - Blink-182
This song is so ridiculous, but if your a Blink fan (or nut like I am) how could you hate it? Also add in Blink's "Happy Holiday's You Bastard" which is even more stupid, but it mentions Christmas, so it counts. They're idiots hahah.

3) Great White Sled & Don't Shoot Me Santa - Killers

4) The theme from Merry Christmas Charlie Brown
I don't know why this song isn't more popular. It's a classic. It's no words and just such a soothing sound, it's like a Christmas Eve Hot Chocolate song. I don't really know what that means. I'm losing my mind.

5) I want an Alien for Christmas - Fountains of Wayne

I really lost my mind.

6) All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

Any guy who says they hate this song is a liar. I used to get depressed listening to this song, now I'm just happy. It's just a festive (almost wrote Festivus) little tune that would probably sound a lot better if I was one of those "in love" people. But I'm alright where I am. And I know that's not the album cover, I just wanted an attractive looking picture of her. Sorry. At least it's Santa related?

7) The Transiberian Orchestra - The Holiday Album

I honestly have been a bad person and know NOTHING about this band except their holiday music. Do they do normal music? I know I sound like an idiot - whatever. Obviously "Carol Of The Bells" is their best, but the songs are great. Do they even have an album? I don't know. I sound like an idiot. Next please (Josh)

8) Ho Ho Ho And A Bottle of Rhum
There's debate over weather it's Rum or Rhum. iTunes says Rhum. So it's not a typo. This song really isn't really related to Christmas at all, but I love Jimmy, so it was a slam dunk.

9) Last Christmas - Taylor Swift
Well, that's really just because Taylor Swift is awesome. Did you hear that Colin? Do you still read this Colin? "you know Colin"

10) Santa Claus is Comin' To Town - Bruce Springsteen
You didn't expect me to write a post about music and avoid Bruce, did you? Child Please. This song is classic and I think has replaced the typical "Santa Claus is Comin to Town" version. I don't even know what that is. In doing the YouTube search, the first result is Mariah, and the rest are Bruce. Maybe he wrote it, who knows. Either way, Big Man kills it with the vocals and the horn. Love it.

RIP Philadelphia Spectrum

Today marks the day that the Spectrum will fall. After over 40 years of service to the Philadelphia area, the building that housed Dr. J, The Broad Street Bullies, and many other historical events, will be torn down in favor of "Philly Live" (which I will forever call "Philly Fail").

I can't say that I have such significant memories of the Spectrum as hardcore Philadelphians - mainly because the building was only functional for my first 8 years of life - so I'm allowed a reprieve. HOWEVER, The Spectrum is where I saw my first professional hockey game, saw several Phantoms games, saw Green Day and I really appreciated the old-school feel of the building. All the new arenas are so much more corporate don't feel like a sporting event so much as a hang out. The old arenas were so much smaller and the fans were really on top of the players - the sound in a building like that was truly deafening.

It was one of the first areans to be multipurpose for basketball and hockey, and to have a functional video screen and scoreboard overhead.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Pat Wentling post without mentioning the Bruce Springsteen connection; this was the first big stage for Bruce and the E Streeters. Being from nearby Jersey, Philly was like a second home, and Bruce never forgot that. Before the Spectrum's closing, Bruce played 6 more concerts there - rather than the larger capacity Philly Center - to honor the roots that helped him grow. And the shows were legendary - playing songs that he hasn't played in decades.

In the Wells Fargo Center (I hate that name by the way, it's only changed like 25 times in 14 years) they have a banner honoring the amount of sell-outs that Bruce has had in Philadelphia. After his most recent tour, he's up to 51 consecutive sell-outs between the two arenas - most of them at the Spectrum. It might be my favorite banner in the arena - until the Flyers win the Cup in my lifetime.

Anyways, this isn't totally about Bruce's relation to the Spectrum, it's about the building itself. Comcast Spectacor is tearing it down in favor of a hotel and a few hotels, restaurants, and shops. I don't know anyone in favor of what they are doing, it's just another opportunity for Comcast to make more money - but I do know that the Spectrum cannot stand forever. Eventually the building will deteriorate and it must come down. The reasoning behind tearing it down now is what bothers me. We'll never see an arena like it again, because the current arenas are made to maximze revenue, not about the best-possible fan experience. It's a sad day for the true sports fans in Philadelphia.

To close, I'll end with a (surprise) Springsteen song. Written specifically for the two stadiums that helped boost his career yet were being torn down within the year (Spectrum and Giants Stadium. The song is aptly called Wrecking Ball. You can watch the recording here - obviously a YouTube from his Spectrum show.

Bring on your Wrecking Ball.

This photo was taken Novemeber 22nd, the last night the Spectrum stood.

My Obsession with Bruce Springsteen

This post has been a long time coming. I've written it a few times and then deleted it and re-wrote it and re-wrote. I think I'm finally comfortable with this version. I think. I've tightened it so it's not a rambling mess or me trying to academically break down his music (believe me that was brutal), but just a short honest answer. I don't know why I'm taking the time to tell you this.

I don't know if it's been established how Bruce Springsteen is probably my favorite artist. I know I've written a lot about Kanye and Green Day lately, but Bruce is the favorite. I spent most of today trying to figure out why I love Bruce's music so much. I listened to it him day. I think I figured it out. The song/stories are about what I/we/everyone is chasing: The American Dream.

Think about what the American Dream means: the opportunity to succeed. To do whatever you want. It's the promise of prosperity. It's Working On A Dream (Bruce Pun counter: 1).


More specifically for a man, to find a woman, fall in love, start a family, provide for that family, and so on. Isn't that the typical male instinct?

That's what Bruce Springsteen's music is. Very simple. I know, I know, I'm not the first person to come up with this idea. It's so true though. Songs about dreams, work, love, success, failure, a somewhat blind optimism, etc. The thing I love the most is that he has written songs that I feel like I could apply to every emotion or feeling in my life. I may not be unemployed (well, eh, okay, sort of), in love, have my own family, and so on, but I still feel like I relate, and will be able to relate all my life. I love his optimism. Every day is a new opportunity to grow.


What else is amazing about Bruce is his longevity. At 61 he's still writing new music, and his music written almost over 40 years ago now are still relevant today. He hasn't forgotten who he is - a Jersey boy. He just wanted to get out of Jersey - doesn't everybody? I (thank god) don't come from Jersey, but I spent a lot of my free time there with my friends and spent time down the shore. I get it, sort of. I'm not from it at all, since South Jersey is like a Philly suburb, but I understand the idea when you're from a nowhere town. Doesn't almost everyone feel like they've got to get out of their hometown? That's the whole premise of Born to Run. Get out of the swamps of Jersey. Yet he's still in Jersey. And he fell for a Jersey Girl (pun counter: 2) and is still kicking ass as much as he was 30 years ago, playing for 3 hour sets when most bands can barely stay on stage for 90 minutes.

Bruce Springsteen represents the American ideal that this country stands for. It's changed quite a bit since he took over the world, but at it's core, he expresses everything that our country talks about. Especially after 9/11, no other album seemed to capture a sense of the nation than The Rising. It was what we needed at the time. I was also 14 when that came out, so I might be biased. Okay I'm most likely biased.

If you asked me to pick a favorite Bruce song, I don't think I could. It depends on my mood. And since he only has about 300+ songs to choose from, every day is a different answer. That's part of the beauty of it. One day I could be in a Tunnel of Love mood, but the next it's Rosalita. Either way it's from the same artist/storyteller/writer/etc. I'll probably write a post one day counting down my favorite 100 Bruce songs - things to look forward to! The sound is also different - how many popular bands have a saxophone as one of the band's key sounds? Only ones I could think of are Dave and OAR. Regardless, the band wouldn't be the same without Big Man's horn.
To capture my obsession, let me put it in numbers: I've downloaded over 100 live concerts from his shows. That's over 3600 songs. Andddd most of them are the same song. That's over 100 versions of Born to Run. I literally cannot get enough. I've been to four shows, and if I had better planning/money/friends/transportation, could of easily gone to at least four more. Hands down my favorite show I've been to.

I've had the cursor blinking on this line now for 20 minutes. I can't think of a way to close this post. I typically like to do stupid cheesy lines that humor me, but I can't think of it. So I'll end with a lyric. And PS I could of picked any lyric here and I would of been satisfied.

Meet Me In A Land Of Hope And Dreams.

How Excited Am I For LOST?

This isn't a OMG WTF LOST IS OVER post. I woke up this morning feeling SO EXCITED for tonight. I was trying to think the last time I was this excited when I woke up (and it wasn't Christmas). I came up with a few. I'll share them with you, because I still have seven hours to go and this blog is supposed to be fun?

1) October 27, 2004 - Red Sox were up 3-0 on the St. Louis Cardinals and were going to win

2) February 6, 2005 - Super Bowl XXIX - Unfortunately the Eagles didn't win

3) October 28, 2007 - Red Sox were up 3-0 on the Colorado Rockies and were going to win

4) November 19, 2007 - My first Bruce Springsteen concert

5) August 19, 2008 - My next Bruce Springsteen concert (first time I heard Jungleland and Thunder Road and first time I cried at a non-funeral)

6) April 19-20 2009 - The next (and last two) Bruce Springsteen concerts (notice a trend?)

7) April 19, 2010 - My last Boston Marathon

and

8) May 23, 2010 - The Lost Finale.

Isn't it great when you can look back and remember those things that made you SO excited for life? Sure, I have bunch more, but those were great. Maybe they all have to do with sports and Bruce, so what! Those are the things I'm passionate for.

Can't wait for tonight!

OMG WHAT IS GOING ON IN LOST

It's starting to get serious. Really really serious. There's only like 300 some minutes left, and we still have SO MUCH TO FIND OUT.

Let's get started gang!!! (True Life - I'm Peter Klaven)

1) Flash sideways SLASH Desmond

Can't really figure out what is the deal here. The OT Desmond seems to be calm, collected, and care-free. He knows Locke isn't Locke.

I think (but it's a stab) is that Desmond is "aware" of the flash sideways timeline. He knows that something else is going on - and that he's the key to merging the two or some how affecting the outcome. So far, we've only seen people realize their alternate realities via near-death experiences, love, or constants.

Desmond is trying to help everyone realize their other selves. He helped Hurley follow Libby (which was such a corny storyline) and is doing something to Locke.

1.5) WHY DID DESMOND HIT LOCKE

There's a few potential reasons that I'm pondering.

a) My original thought was that the timelines are connected. If Locke dies in the flash, he dies in the original. That doesn't sync up though, because Locke is already dead. Smokie has only taken his shape, not his body. So that doesn't totally work.

b) Locke in Flash Sideways needs to remember the island, so he can become "self aware" - the best way to make that happen is to have something traumatic happen to him, similar to when his father threw him out of the building.

c) Locke will have surgery from Jack, and their touch/interaction will spark the memories of them on the island - which will then lead Jack to become Jacob, and preserve the Island.

2) The Boy

WTF. Seriously. This was a different kid than we saw in The Candidate, but imdb says it's the same actor. The hair is definitely different for a reason though. Makes me think of a young Jacob/Smokie. But Desmond saw him too - is Desmond a candidate? Or is he just special?

The boy could be Aaron, or a young Desmond. Or maybe it's the higher power that Jacob and Smokie adhere to. More on that in another post.

3) The Well

Before I talk about the well, how the hell are we seeing all these things this year that the losties never found before? The lighthouse, Smokies cave, the Temple, this new well. How does that happen? I thought Sayid was some kind of explorer.

The Well HAS to be something, but what? Smokie mentioned the electromagnetism - similar to that in the Hatch/Orchid? Can Desmond move the Island or dig deeper to find the pocket to kill Smokey? (PS - Smokey or Smokie? I can't decide. Smoke is a strange word to say. Try it.) WHICH BRINGS ME TO ANOTHER IDEA ---> When the hatch detonated, shouldn't that have done something to Smokey? It's clear he can't get past the fence, so if a large pocket of electromagnetic energy is emitted, I would think this would do something to him.

random unimportant point - can Jack Bauer just come and drop an EMP ? Wouldn't that do it?

The well has some purpose. It's not just to hold Desmond until he's out. That's foolish. I don't think it's another donkey wheel - how many of those can we have? I think it's just a temporary prison until next week.

4) The Whispers

I'm REALLY unsure about this whole thing. It supposedly can't be Smokie - so far as Ilana knows - because he's supposedly stuck in his current form. Some questions I have:
Why is Hurley the only one that can see the dead people on the island?
Why wouldn't Libby come around to talk to Hurley?
They aren't just stuck on the Island - Hurley saw Ana Lucia off the Island.
It doesn't explain Yemi.
How is Isabella on the Island?
Why was Walt able to do the same things? Where is Walt?
Where/How do these spirits determine when to come out and be visible and where do they go?
Charlie was off the island playing checkers with Hurley. How.

So I don't know what Michael is doing, but I feel like it's not legitimate. I'm not convinced the plane is the way off the Island. Last I remember, it was broken in the cockpit, probably doesn't have enough fuel, and the runway most likely isn't long enough. ALSO HOW DID BEN KNOW TO MAKE A RUNWAY IN THE FIRST PLACE - INTERESTING STUFF.

Maybe if Smokie were to leave, the dead spirits would be free as well. OR another thought - maybe Desmond ignites an electromagnetic release that would stop the plane from crashing - bringing his purpose full circle. He brought 815 here, now he would bring the plane that would destroy the world down.

So what's the point of Michael coming out now? Hurley's been back on the island for a little bit now, but then again I don't know how you count the "being in 1977" thing on the time line.

Lastly I was so souped by the Bruce references - Spanish Johnny's and Rosalita. Good work by the writers - as if I need another reason to love the show.

Top 5 Albums of the Decade (according to me)

So I saw Rolling Stone's Top 100 Albums of the Decade, and found myself agreeing on some points, but clueless on some others (I really don't understand Radiohead, and never really liked Wilco.) That doesn't mean they're wrong, I bet they have better expertise than me, but I just thought it would be a perfect opportunity for my first real post. But I only picked 5 albums. They aren't necessarily my favorites, but what I think are the best.

Also, something I think to keep in mind, at the start of 2000, I was 11 years old. My music selection was pretty limited to Blink-182 and Sum41. I still listen to them today, but I was hypnotized by them.

5) The College Dropout - Kanye West

I don't claim to be much of a hip-hopper, but Kanye's first album was awesome. Previously he was behind the tracks producing Jay-Z and other's tracks. But his own album really blew everyone else's out of the water. It was the start of him on his way to becoming one of the biggest players in the game. He's featured on alot of other people's songs, and although he's REAL cocky (yo but this was the best album of ALL TIME) he's really talented, and we saw that in The College Dropout.



4) A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay


I struggle to pick my favorite Coldplay album, but when you look at the track listing, how can anyone argue against "Clocks", "The Scientist" (their best song ever in my opinion), "In My Place", among others. This album not only proved that Coldplay was better than just a one hit album, and became a phenomenon with X&Y and Vida La Vida. They're really something special, and this album really showed their brilliance.

3) American Idiot - Green Day


Okay, so if you knew me in 2004, you know that this album was the only one in my car, and no other CD was going to be played. There were so many levels of the album that appealed. The rock opera format is difficult to pull off, yet they did it brilliantly. The story summed up an American teenager from a broken home growing up in a war-torn, politically inept, country. While I don't consider myself political towards the left or the right, I really appreciate the commentary the band made on the choices the government made regarding war, and at the same time threading it into a magnificent story. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" was one of the best songs of the 2005 (it was hard to compete with Kelly Clarkson that year.) Both "Boulevard" and the album won Grammy's. It was even made into a musical play, which last time I checked is a play in LA. Really a great story and a bold concept that many artists don't dare to take.

2) All You Can't Leave Behind - U2

I wasn't sold on this album when it came out (see above regarding listening to Blink and Sum41 in 2000) but over time I realized how huge this album was. Although it came out in 2000, I think everyone remembers their Super Bowl performance in February 2002, with the 9/11 Memorial featured. It was powerful and inspirational, and looking back nine years later, it's really grown to become one of their best, and swept the country with it's catchy songs, especially Elevation. Who wasn't addicted to that song?

1) The Rising - Bruce Springsteen

So again, if you know me, you know my obsession with Bruce Springsteen. It's taken over my life. But this album captured the soul of America post-9/11. For my generation, September 11, 2001 was the day that everything changed. It was our loss of innocence and freedom. For the first time in a long time, America felt vulnerable. It was a game-changer. The country needed to rebound, and Bruce provided that sense of hope that he always has, but this time America needed it. The songs were so powerful, motivating, and inspirational, it's hard to listen to it and not smile, especially for "Waitin' On A Sunny Day", and "Mary's Place." It isn't Bruce's best album, but it was definitely the most timely (of the three I've been alive for anyway)


And now the debate ensues (for the four people that read this blog)