I always loved Springsteen's songwriting, but had never been to one of his concerts before this May, when we drove 10 hours from Findlay to Greensboro North Carolina to take in one of his few North American concerts yet to be announced on the current tour. 

All I can say is, it was definately worth the trip and I would do it again in a heartbeat!  I found out first hand what diehard fans of 'The Boss' mean when they say his live shows are life-changing experiences.  We met fans from all over the country who had traveled to the Tar Heel state for the concert that day.  And many who had plans to take in many more dates on his current tour - even in Europe.  One group of businessmen from New York said they planned their vacations every year around Springsteen's concerts and I got the impression they weren't the only ones.

What inspires such fierce loyalty to a performer?  Simple - Springsteen gives it all to his fans.  Go to a Springsteen concert with hight expectations and you will not be disapointed. 

An example of Springsteen's appreciation of his fan base is the lottery system he has devised for those who get tickets for the floor.  First of all, they are relatively cheap.  I bought mine for $66.  They are not reserved.  Before the concert, fans with floor tickets que up to get sequentially numbered writst bands.  At Greensboro, there were about 1400 floor tickets sold.  A number is randomly drawn and the person with that number, and the 450 fans with the next sequential numbers after it, got to watch the concert from the pit - the first couple of rows next to the stage.  I was not lucky enough to win that honor, but those who have been say once you experience the pit, you never want ordinary seating again.

Bruce and his band gave a high energy, 27 song performance that can only be described as a rock afficianado's dream come true.

There were several groups from Ohio at the concert and one of the audience request songs was 'Hang on Sloopy'!  Yes, Springsteen accepts requests for songs on the spot, and fans submit them in the form of signs and posters.  Here is the set list for the Greensboro concert:

1. Badlands (w/Jay)

2. Radio Nowhere

3. Outlaw Pete

4. No Surrender

5. Working On A Dream

6. Seeds

7. Johnny 99

8. The Ghost of Tom Joad

9. Raise Your Hand

10. SEVENTH SON

11. HANG ON SLOOPY – an out-of-the-blue sign request by OSU fans!!!! ‘O-H-I-O’!!! Unbelievable!!!!!!

12. Growin' Up

13. I'm On Fire

14. Walking On A Sunny Day

15. The Promised Land

16. HUMAN TOUCH

17. Kingdom Of Days

18. Lonesome Day

19. The Rising

20. Born To Run

21. Cadillac Ranch

  -------------------- Encore

22. Hard Times (w/Jay)

23. Thunder Road

24. 10th Avenue Freeze out

25. Land of Hope & Dreams

26. American Land

27. Glory Days

Still keyed up after the show, we went to a nearby bar for a few drinks.  It was filled with fellow concert goers.  Spotting a big guy in an Ohio State jersey (no. 45), My son yelled, "Hey, Archie Griffin, are you the one who requested 'Hang on Sloopy'?

"No, I wasn't," he replied, "but it was the sweetest thing I ever heard in my whole life!"

We had to agree!

www.youtube.com/watch