Comments on: Bruce One More Time

By: P Bu

P Bu — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:52:48 +0000

I believe there was a band called February that had a female singer around that time.

By: tr

tr — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:00:29 +0000

Love the best concert discussion, and Joe’s description about tying the quality of the show to your own personal context is spot-on. I saw Lauryn Hill with Outkast opening for her maybe a week before she swept the Grammy’s. The show was in a tiny theatre and was like going to church. I knew Outkast’s music before but they weren’t superstars yet either. That was a great show. I, like many others, saw Prince before he got deep into religion and refused to play his more risque stuff. He was a rock God that night and played forever. But my favorite show was seeing Stevie Wonder at a tiny House of Blues location. My girlfriend (now wife) surprised me with birthday tickets. We stood right next to the stage for the entire show, and the man was transcendent. We’d actually seen the Strokes in the same location the night before, so these tickets came as a complete surprise. There are lots of great arguments to be made for “greatest voice” of all time, and I’d say Ray Charles, Aretha, Otis Redding, Marvin, and even unique voices like Janis, Marley, Lennon, Bono, all are exceptional. But that night, I’d never heard a voice so full and resonant as what I heard in that little hall. The guy hadn’t dropped a hit record for a couple of decades, but that voice…for me, the sound of pure joy was encapsuled in that evening.

I’ve seen lots of other great shows (White Stripes, TV on the Radio, U2, Pearl Jam, Nas, etc.) but that night will be next to impossible to beat.

By: Naiobi

Naiobi — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:11:52 +0000

Quite honestly, the Boss crotch-slam cam alone was worth the show.

And Jon Stewart’s commentary on The Daily Show later that evening was golden:

The crotch-slam is Jersey’s version of the chest-butt.

As a native Jersey girl, this makes me smile. As did your final paragraph.

Write on, Joe.

By: Old Man Duggan

Old Man Duggan — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:44:30 +0000

I wanted to vote for Wilco because I think they’re the best touring rock band out there, but their show would not translate in an abbreviated format, so I went with R.E.M. because some of their singles would work and “It’s the End of the World As We Know It” would rule.

By: David Gizmo

David Gizmo — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:53:26 +0000

I’m one of six who voted for American Idol, even though I’ve never seen the show and could care less about any of their singers. I just think a lot of people would enjoy it, and maybe we need a break from the “legends.” Mellencamp could probably do a great job, but having him after Petty and Bruce makes it seem like they’re doing a Heartland Rock Fantasy Draft, with Tom as Tomlinson, Bruce as Peterson, and Mellencamp as Addai. And I’m not sure if there are too many younger acts who’d really get people excited without risking wardrobe malfunctions (sorry Britney). So I say let’s punt 2010, go with the popular American Idol folks. Then in 2011 someone like Mellencamp might seem fresher, or maybe a young star will emerge, or else they can do an Up With People reunion extravaganza.

By: Clark

Clark — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 06:09:28 +0000

Is the poll about next year’s Super Bowl about who will play at halftime or who should play at halftime? I’m not sure who should, but I would bet that John Mellencamp will play next year, and he’s not even listed.

By: Old Man Duggan

Old Man Duggan — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 01:57:08 +0000

So Bellylard does all that Bruce bashing and then suggests The Hives play halftime? That’s preposterous. Your opinion was just nullified in my book, and my tastes covers a very broad sprectrum of music. Maybe The Vines and The Cato Salsa Experience could sing “America, The Beautiful” and the national anthem…

By: Lyle_S

Lyle_S — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 01:54:52 +0000

I think the first concert I ever went to was Midnight Oil in 1988 at the Orpheum in Boston. 3rd row in a very intimate setting. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some damn good shows. Saw them in 2006 (I think) at Summerfest in Milwaukee and they still rocked pretty good.

Another commenter mentioned Jane’s Addiction. I’m with them, best live performance I’ve ever seen…

By: Noel

Noel — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:01:16 +0000

Great stuff as always.

Very surreal for me reading this post. I saw Midnight Oil play at the Ohio State Fair in 1993 (which always makes me chuckle to think about) and I always tell people it’s the best concert I’ve ever been to.

So I read the post with something akin to deja vu, thinking ‘Hey, I saw the Hothouse Flowers’ and ‘Yeah, I saw Ziggy Marley” and when you got to the Oils, I about fell out of my chair.

Sad to say I missed Bruce & co. on Sunday. I’m curious to see who they get next.

By: nightfly

nightfly — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:02:50 +0000

Briggs – well-put. (And ironically, Neil may have been a better show than Bruce, just because he is a pop artist and Bruce, for all his talent, is not.) I remember the whole huge deal when U2 was booked for the halftime show… it was definitely a WHOA moment. They were U2 and had a hit album out at the time, and since when did the NFL do anything like that?

Truthfully, they tried with Timberlake and Jackson, but of course it backfired spectacularly, which makes it all the more amazing that they managed to book U2 for this thing. The halftime show is poison, really. The odds against a group making it a good show are ridiculous because there’s that taint – “If you play a halftime show you are lame” – it takes a major-established group like U2 to get people thinking that it may just be worth it to tune in.

If not for U2, then other “name” acts wouldn’t have been able to play the halftime show. Unfortunately not all off them are suited for that venue. I’d argue that Springsteen and the E-Street Band really aren’t suited. They’re not a pop band, 3:30 and get to the next song, Bruce’s songs tend to chart almost by accident, such as people taking Born in the USA as this patriotic anthem. When he writes a pop song like Cover Me or Hungry Heart, it’s not bad but it usually doesn’t turn out the same way.

He should have just d’d the torpedoes and done Rosalita to close. Instead, because he cut verses and had that cheesy element to things, it wasn’t a true demonstration of why he’s The Boss.

(PS – I’ve long been a fan of a local Jersey band called The Anderson Council. It’s a shame they can’t get airplay. They’re a good live band and the albums are great.)