Nashville Confidential

it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive

Remember I said the first 300 people in line at a Springsteen show get the best floor seats? Well, say hello to #276!!!! One wristband gets you onto the floor, the second gets you into "the pit," an area in front of a barricade just for you and 299 of your fellow Bruceaholics.

I was about six people deep in the crowd, dead center. I saw it all: everybody in the band and how they interacted, the sweat that flew off Bruce every time he flung up his hand, the guitar work, the veins in his neck, the way he managed the crowd. Incredible.

It was fabulous. Completely worth it. Insanely time-consuming. Spoiled me for any other show, especially another Bruce show. I doubt I can ever go see him again, because Tuesday's show was so great. I felt it was a once-in-a-lifetime deal.

People tend to compare music with religion, something I've studiously avoided. Bruce doesn't make it easy, with his overt religious imagery and the devotion he inspires. Still, I've always held that music is more of an addiction (there, Mom & Dad, don't you feel better?) and this exercise would only confirm that. No matter the time, effort, expense, difficulty, I was going to get a good spot at this show.

I worked a half-day and zoomed south on I-65 on this gorgeous last-gasp-of-autumn day, seeing the trees in all their ragged glory. I got to Birmingham about 2:40 p.m. and, amazingly, was number 276 in line. (The people at the very front of the line showed up on Sunday). The "line" is run by diehard fans/volunteers (Do they have jobs? How do they finance this lifestyle? These are among the many unanswered questions) and is amazingly civilized.

However, it reeks of machismo. Everyone (at least most folks in the 260s and 270s) were trying to one-up one another in terms of Bruce attendance and devotion. [We're all standing outside the arena for 4+ hours in order to be at the guy's feet. I think we all start on the same plane of obsession.] I took to calling No. 274 "Know-It-All Jay" because he was jabbering on about all the times he'd seen Springsteen, the set list for the night, blah blah blah. Of course, he was the first person to complain about standing for hours on end. I felt like saying, "This isn't the Bataan Death March. Feel free to fall out of line if you can't bear it."

prove it all night

Bruce Springsteen played for 2+ hours Thursday in Lexington, less than his usual 3+ hours, but still the best couple of hours you'll ever hear. I'm sure he's done a bad show somewhere, at some time, but not when I've been in the audience.

He played a lot from the new album and why shouldn't he? It's moving and powerful and poignant. And he can still rock your world -- he played "She's the One," which alone is worth the price of admission. Thought of you, MKR, when he played "Racing in the Street."

So I went with some friends to the Lexington show, and no offense to them (since they have no idea this log exists), but I prefer going to shows alone. That's what I'm going to do on Tuesday, when I trek to Birmingham, Alabama for another Bruce gig, and I'm so looking forward to it.

kill your television

I went to see "Bowling for Columbine" tonight with J"C"A and it was very thought-provoking. Michael Moore definitely sees the world in greyer terms than his hamfisted, black-and-white "Roger & Me" days (subtitle: "evil corporation vs poor disenfranchised townspeople"). This time he tackles the issue of guns in America. And yes, he does it from a very liberal point of view. Still I recommend the movie to everyone, because if it doesn't distress / anger / sadden you in some places, and make you laugh out loud in others, you're just not paying attention. I'm sure it will send me to the library to read more about U.S. foreign policy, particularly in central America.

One point it raised is the culture of fear we have in the United States, fueled by (you guessed it) the media. Now, I love the media, I still claim affiliation with the media, but we have CNN on 24/7 at work and it's just aggravating. I don't have cable, so it took me a while to realize this, but whenever you see "BREAKING NEWS" banner on the bottom of the screen, it usually isn't. The movie was pretty persuasive, at least to me, that I don't need nor should ever watch cable, ditto "Dateline" and about three dozen newsmagazines that revisit semi-tragedies again and again. There is Columbine footage in the movie, from inside the high school, and I'd never seen it before. I wish I hadn't seen it now.

The other question the movie raised is, why does America have the highest rate of handgun deaths? What makes us different from Canada, England, Japan, etc.? And it didn't take the short answer. I'm sure Michael Moore [lifetime NRA member, by the way] would not be sad if there were stricter gun control, but he doesn't wimp out and assert that is the only way. Just like Columbine, there are complex and weighty cultural issues as to how we got here and what we would need to do to fix it.

Anyway, go see it or rent it and have a good conversation with someone of a different political stripe. But don't go see it if you idolize Charlton Heston.

gold star

I did a good job at work today. This is the first day I really feel I can say that. :) Very happy today. We shot a video this a.m. and had an all-employee meeting in the afternoon. DMJ and I volunteered after work and then had a great dinner. I was going to go see Duane Jarvis perform at Family Wash but, dare I confess this, I'm too tired.

a weekend cinematic in scope

There is something worse than driving back to Nashville and hearing that killer tornadoes have ravaged the state in your absence. It's hearing that a severe thunderstorm warning is expected for Christian County, Kentucky -- just as you drive into Christian County, Kentucky.

The last 90 minutes of the drive home last night were white-knuckle: cascading sheets of rain, with helpful bursts of illumination from lightning. My wipers were on "frantic" setting from Paducah onward.

Anyway, the most important thing is that I made it back, which I take for granted less and less each time I made the trip. I had a wonderful weekend at home (central Illinois is still home, in my heart, even if they did put a Hooters on the riverfront). It was a great honor to be in Amy and Matt's wedding. And I got to spend time with nearly all of my family members individually, which is rare and wonderful.

We even got a new family member while I was home! My brother and sister-in-law welcomed son #2. He showed up a couple weeks late -- dare I think he was waiting for me? I had been steeling myself for the day I'd pick up the phone in Nashville and would hear about his arrival from a roomful of relatives -- everyone except me. But fortunately I was home on Friday afternoon and dropped by my brother's house to find my sister-in-law very close to the end of her nine-month odyssey.

from election central

The lottery passed. Handily. Boo hiss. The good news is the new governor is the former mayor of Nashville, Phil Bredesen, the man who brought us the improved Nashville Public Library, the Shelby Greenway and [unhappily for some] the Tennessee Titans.