The date, place, ticket and hotel price were aligned like the planets. My daughter said yes and we went for 24 hours from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh to see one of America’s greatest treasures, The Boss, Bruce Springsteen.
We’ve seen him before, multiple times. But this tour was different! I rallied with the theme “Land of Hopes and Dreams” and when I saw the playlist ended with a Dylan song “Chimes of Freedom” from 1964, I had to be a part of that energy, this movement, and experience the whole phenomenon with my daughter. It didn’t matter that our seats were behind the stage warning of “an obstructed view.” Who cared?! We were there to join our voices with thousands of others to “RISE UP!”
Bruce is my husband’s one and only most favorite musician of all time. He dabbles in other musicians, but nothing compared to the Boss. I admit, I wasn’t a huge fan back in 1981 but as soon as I started dating my future husband, I saw the light and became as obsessed as he did. Even to the point when my friend Lisa and I took a road trip to Virginia Beach in 1982, that is the only music we listened to for ten hours straight. On the way back, she begged me for a little variety, I caved and Tina Turner brought us home.
While traveling to a concert one must become immersed in the music of the musician. My daughter and I listened to her Bruce playlist on our three-hour drive to Pittsburgh. One song, unfamiliar to me, came on and I began to sob as I pictured a scene in my head. I asked her, is this the song you picked for the father/daughter dance at your wedding? She said, yes, and I knew immediately that I would have to excuse myself from the reception because I would lose it and waste a lot of money on eye makeup seeing them dance and hearing those words, “…when you need me, call my name…”
The concert didn’t disappoint, nor did the seats behind the stage, our view was perfect. Bruce included every single concert attendee as we all sung along, danced, clapped and cheered. That man is not human when he takes the stage, he rocked it for a full three plus hours, no break, just full on everything he had to give in every bone of his 77-year- old body.
On the return trip, my daughter turned on another playlist, this one with a little more variety and equally incredible, including ABBA, Billy Joel, Credence, Cher, Bruce and Tina Turner. I reminisced about my trip with Lisa to and from the beach. Then John Foggerty’s song, “Have you ever seen the rain” came streaming through the car stereo. KOOKY! Because at that very moment in our travel back home through Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio we were “seeing the rain coming down on a sunny day!” Magic!
Speaking of music and magic, the concert was both! I felt as if I was at a peace rally concert from the 1960s with Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Pete Seeger, and Odetta. Or from the 70s with Neil Young, Bob Marley, John Lennon, and Helen Reddy. Or from the 80s with Jackson Browne, Farm AID, LIVE AID, Bruce, Sting, Dylan, Queen, and Tracy Chapman. A multitude of talented artists willing to share their time, talent and power to make a difference for humanity. That energy, passion, and selfless purpose surged in this sixty-two-year-old naïve teenager who thinks she is also a force who can and will change the world for the better.
The best moments of a road trip cannot be scheduled on the itinerary. With an open mind, the right sound track, snacks, and safe driving, a road trip can be life changing.
