He's the One

Happy Birthday to Bruce Springsteen, who turned a whopping 60 on Wednesday.

U2, the only other artist who is as good in a big venue as a small one, paid tribute to Bruce Wednesday night in the Holy Land of East Rutherford NJ, home of Giants Stadium. It’s like paying tribute to Jesus in Jerusalem. They did a fun version of Bruce's Born to Run classic "She’s the One," seamlessly riding that Bo Diddley beat right into "Desire":


I admire Bruce as a songwriter, musician and public citizen with a supreme work ethic. And while I don't worship at the altar of Bruce, I enjoy a lot of his music and he has written many undeniable classics. The man puts out a quality product.

What truly amazes me about Bruce is that after 40 years and thousands of shows, he still finds it within himself to treat every song in his set like it's half past midnight, the house lights are on, it's his third encore, and he's just getting started. While his generosity and show-biz can-do spirit are commendable, in some ways it can be like the guest at your party who won't get the hint that it's time to leave.

Take this version of one of my favorite songs of his, “Ramrod,” from a 2002 show in Barcelona. On The River, “Ramrod” is a 3-minute blast of garage rock in the tradition of “Louie Louie” and “96 Tears,” but in Barcelona, he ends the song and starts it up again about eight dozen times, until it’s longer than Tales from Topographic Oceans:


It’s almost vaudevillian, the way the band looks surprised as Bruce takes them around the block one more time. Even Bruce feigns surprise and helplessness like the willing Prisoner of Rock & Roll he is. Hey Bruce, my babysitter charges $15 an hour and it's a weeknight - let's wrap this up so I can beat the traffic.

You know what would be genuinely surprising? A taut, 45-minute set with no false endings, no monologues and just two short encores. But I guess that's what Sonic Youth is for. I will say, watching the "Ramrod" clip, it's hard not to smile. The band sounds great and everyone is having a damn good time.

Let's come back full circle with the Boss himself putting 110% into "She's the One" at his legendary 1975 show at London's Hammersmith Odeon. This concert was released a few years back and is a must-own document of a man becoming a legend.

Little Steven, who was "Miami" Steve Van Zandt back then, looked much cooler as a mobster than he does as a gypsy. Or is he trying to look like Madame, the famous puppet and muse to Waylon Flowers?



Bonus clip: Madame interviews Phyllis Diller: