Bruce Springsteen - Anaheim Honda Center - April 8 2008

It's day two of Springsteen at the Pond... ahh, I mean Honda Center... and I'm doubly excited for I am taking Jessie to her first Springsteen show. We got there around 3:30 and decided to get our wrist bands right away; 269/270 a nice medium number. Anything below it and we're in the pit. Almost anything above it and we're screwed. After a quick dinner across the street we met up with old friends in the parking lot. I was quick to point out that this was my daughter's first show. Everyone was excited for her. At 5pm they herded us into stalls based on our numbers and waited. Finally, the time came. I've never heard a 1000 concert goers get so quiet as he called out the numbers: "1... 1... 4". And then a third of the crowd started cheering wildly! Jessie's first Springsteen show and she's in the pit! I am not only a happy guy, I'm a happy dad. :-)

Inside the arena we decided to shoot over to the far left so that we could lean on the side rail. There was only one row in front of us and they were hanging on the front rail. It was an excellent location with only one annoying person near us (and for only a few songs... he was ayell-er who loved to yell it up at the wrong times). Jessie stood in front of me the whole show, which meant that she probably heard me singing as much as she heard the other Bruce.

The lights went out and Bruce whipped out his harmonica. Thunder Road! What a great opener. This was not going to be a rocker like the night before, but there were going to be plenty of treats. Overall Bruce changed out 7 songs (I believe) from the night before. Highlights included "Candy's Room" and "Atlantic City". But there were tears in the eyes of a few friends of mine when, to open the encore, he played "Meeting Across the River". The song ended and there was no piano as we clapped. I guess no "Jungleland" then. Wrong! For some reason they just didn't start it right away, but we got "Jungleland". For "Dancing in the Dark" he brought up a 6 year old girl who was front and center. What a treat. Jessie ask me how come I didn't take her to these shows when she was younger.Uhmmm, 'cause the E Street band had stopped touring.

Tom Morello, from Rage Against the Machine, came out again. I suppose it was to prove that his amazing guitar solo during "Ghost of Tom Jode" wasn't a fluke. It wasn't. We watched as Clarence walked very very slowly across stage all night. It is tough watching your heroes get old. I believe he has had a couple of hip surgeries. They set up a throne like chair for him when he wasn't playing the sax.

A couple of star sitings to report. We saw, and had it confirmed by security, Kristen Dunst. Jessie thinks she was with Ryan Gosling. Apparently on evening number one, Bruce Willis was there and someone got thrown out of the arena for bugging him too much. Can you believe that? You're there for a great show and you let the an infatuation with the wrong Bruce get you kicked out.

Weirdness: We saw a woman who looks just like Deb. Jessie, who has seen her picture a lot couldn't believe it. And then we saw a double of my friend Kim, who probably wouldn't be caught dead at a Bruce show. I saw TomMorello going in and out of the pit several times. He is really a big fan I guess.

While standing in line I heard someone yelling, "Bruce! Bruce!" I never turn around at Bruce shows. Then she yells, "The Other Bruce!". That got my attention. It was Judy. She ended up right next to us in the pit. Didn't get a chance to see Annie, but heard she was there. Overall it was a great night. Jessie had a lot of fun. She was bragging to her friends, who actually were jealous and it kept up until she got home and found out thatPixar had announced its releases for the next, I don't know, 20 years. She suddenly forgot about the show. Oh well. Still, she was spoiled by what one friend called "The best show on the coast this tour" (he saw both shows up north too), and in the pit too! As I write this, Thursday during my lunch hour, I am still waiting for the effects and the hoarseness to wear off. Below is the set list from backstreets.com .

Setlist:
Thunder Road
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Murder Incorporated
Magic
Atlantic City
Candy's Room
Reason to Believe
Prove It All Night
Because the Night
She's the One
Livin' in the Future
The Promised Land
Brilliant Disguise
The Ghost of Tom Joad (w/ Tom Morello)
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
Out in the Street
* * *
Meeting Across the River
Jungleland
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
American Land