”Is a dream a lie if it don`t come true/Or is it something worse?”
–Bruce Springsteen,
”The River”
Look around when Bruce Springsteen takes the stage tonight at Soldier Field. Amid the cheering legions, you`ll see a thousand crossed fingers and a thousand lips whispering silent prayers: Please Bruce, please don`t let us down.
These are the days Springsteen`s longtime fans always have known their hero deserved and yet always have dreaded: The Boss finally has hit it big.
How big? From Newsweek to People and from Playgirl to Good Housekeeping, his face is everywhere. Demand for tickets to a Washington, D.C., show snarled phone lines all along the Eastern seaboard and landed Springsteen on the network news. Presidential candidates vie for his endorsement and NBC scrambles to replay a failed movie that features Springsteen`s new bride in a bit role. His year-old album couldn`t be a more permanent fixture of the Top 10 if it`d been tatooed there. Big.
But in the eyes of his most ardent fans, this immense success puts Springsteen at a crossroads. He quite easily could become lost in the sea of compromise and greed that swallowed Elvis Presley. Or–somehow, someway–he can resist all temptation and remain standing as Rock`s Last Hero.
If it seems that Springsteen`s fans expect a lot of him, you`re right. And that, in large part, is because throughout his 15-year career, Springsteen has expected so much of them.
”Springsteen`s music is a powerful tonic,” says Sarah Erwin, a 30-year- old Evanston resident and veteran of 34 Springsteen concerts on two continents as well as a fast cha-cha with Springsteen during ”Dancing in the Dark” last summer at the Rosemont Horizon. ”He sings about living and learning, and the search for what`s important in your life. His music really centers on that search.”
”Tramps like us/Baby we were born to run.”
–”Born To Run”
Charles Cross calls them ”Bruce Tramps.” They`re the sort of folks whose hard-earned vacation days are spent waiting for tickets in subzero weather and to whom traveling across time zones for a Springsteen concert is as routine as running to the 7-Eleven for a gallon of milk.
Cross, 28, has emerged as something of a spokesman for the Bruce Tramps. In 11 years, he has seen 60 concerts and amassed a mammoth collection of Springsteen records, clippings and other memorabilia that is housed in a rented mini-warehouse. Since 1980, he`s funneled his obsession into a quarterly magazine called Backstreets.
Part ”fanzine,” part scholarly journal, Backstreets began as an unofficial program to a Springsteen concert in Cross`s hometown of Seattle and has grown into a slick and colorful catalogue of Springsteen`s doings.
The magazine commands up to 60 hours of Cross` time weekly, and, because he has yet to see a dime of profit from Backstreets, he must wedge those hours in after completing his duties as an editor of The Rocket, a Seattle counterpart to Chicago`s Reader.
”Other bands have hard-core fans,” he says. ”You hear a lot about the Dead Heads, but where Bruce and his fans share a mutual faith and a mutual trust, I don`t think the Grateful Dead and their fans share much more than a mutual hallucination. Bruce`s relationship with his fans is unlike any other artist I`ve come across.”
For although the aim of most rock stars is getting you to look up at that stage and marvel at how great they are, Springsteen`s music makes you look deep inside and think how great you can be.
”No one is saying Bruce Springsteen is perfect,” says Cross, whose publication likened a Springsteen dance mix to canine excrement. ”But at his best, he makes people feel like they`ve got something to offer this world.”
”For the ones who had a notion/A notion deep inside/That it ain`t no sin to be glad you`re alive.”
–”Badlands”
The British press calls them ”Bruce Bores.” For wherever two or more of them are gathered in his name, there`s certain to be interminable discussions of lyrics, bootlegged concert tapes and pilgrimages to his hometown of Asbury Park, N.J.
But unlike other pop phenomenons with cultlike followings, they tend to be older, educated, gainfully employed. In short, otherwise normal.
Erwin admits that ”you can belittle me for the extremes I`ve gone to, but you can`t fault the honesty and depth of my emotions. The reason I can give of myself so completely is that he`s up there giving of himself so completely.”
Skeptics wonder if Springsteen isn`t feeding his fans a line. ”But the skeptics haven`t seen the joy in his face when he slides on his knees at the end of `Thunder Road,` and they haven`t heard the desperation in his voice when he rips into `Badlands,` ” says Tom French, a 27-year-old St. Petersburg, Fla., writer who once saw nine Springsteen shows in six cities in 16 days. ”I`ve seen it, and I`ve heard it, and nobody will ever convince me that it isn`t real.”
”Most people,” concludes French, ”have or wish they had something in their lives that they really care about, something that gives them that extra spark in their lives.”
”The whole world is out there just trying to score/I`ve seen enough I don`t want to see any more.”
–”Cover Me”
The world is embracing Bruce Springsteen. But the die-hard fans can`t help but wonder if stadium shows and other methods of broadening his appeal
–videos, dance mixes, huge advertising campaigns–are diluting Springsteen`s message.
They hear reports of European stadium shows where many of ”Nebraska`s”
darker songs were dropped in favor of party rave-ups. They see how ”Born in the U.S.A.,” a song about this country`s betrayal of a Vietnam vet has been re-interpreted as a patriotic anthem to be sung by returning hostages. They read right-wing pundits who praise Springsteen for his traditional values, even after the Boss called Ronald Reagan`s election ”chilling.”
”You hear that song (`Born in the U.S.A.`) all the time,” says Cross.
”But it seems like people are only hearing the chorus. Nobody`s listening to the verses, verses that point out some very real problems in this country.”
In a sense, Cross and Backstreets are in a position much like the man they cover. In the last 18 months, the circulation has jumped from around 2,000 to almost 15,000. But subscriptions don`t pay the bills in the publishing world. Advertisers do. And Backstreets is a magazine whose specialized readers hold little attraction for advertisers.
Thus far, Cross has fed $30,000 of his money into keeping Backstreets afloat. He`ll borrow more to finance the next issue`s full-color cover.
”I don`t plan on quitting,” he says. ”I didn`t get into this to make money and I`ve always said that if Backstreets ever does turn a profit, I`d give the money to the Vietnam Veterans of America. I do the magazine because I want to. It`s fueled by my fanaticism and that of its readers and from that energy alone it exists.”
For a subscription to Backstreets magazine, send $10 to Backstreets, P.O. Box 51225, Seattle, Wash. 98115.
THE LOGISTICS: HIGH HOPE AT SOLDIER FIELD
Sure, it`s not the Uptown. It`s not even the Horizon. But producers of tonight`s Bruce Springsteen concert at Soldier Field expect concertgoers to be surprised at how much can be done with a stadium.
”Our intention is to make you forget you`re at Soldier Field and think you`re seeing and hearing Bruce at the Rosemont Horizon,” says Ron Stern, production manager for Jam Productions. ”The whole concept of the show is designed to bridge that gap.”
To achieve that lofty goal, Stern says he is counting the following:
— Approximately 200 speaker cabinets (60 is the norm, Stern says) make up the muscle of Springsteen`s state-of-the-art sound system. The system won rave reviews on Springsteen`s European stadium tour and was donated for use at the London Live Aid concert.
— Four Diamondvision video screens similar to those at Comiskey Park will bring the show even to those in the farthest reaches of Soldier Field. At least one of the screens will be positioned for fans behind the stage. (Not necessarily a bad place to watch the show; Springsteen spends a lot of time playing to ”the folks in the back seat,” as he calls them.) There have been problems with the video screens, however. In Europe, they malfunctioned occasionally and the sun`s glare makes for poor viewing until after dark, which won`t be until well into the show.
— Bruce Springsteen. ”Anybody who has ever seen him knows that nobody bridges the gap between performer and stage like Bruce,” says Stern. ”I think you can count on him to accomplish a lot on his own.”
The gates for the 7:30 p.m. show will open at 5:30, although the Soldier Field parking lot will open at noon. Concertgoers will only be allowed to enter the stadium at gates 15 and 16, which are located at the southeast and southwest corners of Soldier Field.
And anyone expecting to do a little pre-concert eavesdropping should cross that off his or her list as well. Stern insists that numerous logistical problems will prevent Springsteen from doing his usual exhaustive pre-concert sound check.
THE SONGS: A PLAYLIST FROM THE FIRST STOP
Bruce Springsteen opened his first stadium tour of America in Washington, D.C., Monday with a four-hour show that featured several new songs and a tip of the cap to White Sox pitcher Tom Seaver.
In introducing ”Glory Days,” a song rich with baseball imagery, Springsteen praised Seaver`s 300th career win and joked that the aging process will soon leave both men with nothing but ”boring stories of Glory Days.”
Springsteen`s 29-song show was somewhat changed from those performed last summer in Chicago and included two new songs (”Seeds” and ”Man at the Top”). The songs in the first set were:
”Born in the U.S.A.”
”Badlands”
”Out in the Streets”
”Johnny 99”
”Seeds”
”Atlantic City”
”Man at the Top”
”The River”
”Working on the Highway”
”Trapped”
”Darlington County”
”Glory Days”
”Promised Land”
”My Hometown”
”Thunder Road”
The second set consisted of:
”Cover Me”
”Dancing in the Dark”
”Hungry Heart”
”Cadillac Ranch”
”Downbound Train”
”I`m on Fire”
”Because the Night”
”Bobby Jean”
Springsteen then followed with a lengthy encore: ”Can`t Help Falling in Love,” ”Born to Run,” ”Ramrod,” ”Twist and Shout,” ”Do Ya Love Me?”
and ”Sherry Darling”
THE KISS: A GRAND FLOURISH AFTER THE DANCE WITH BRUCE
Planning to trip the light fantastic with Bruce Springsteen tonight during ”Dancing in the Dark”? Well, here`s some advice: There can be a lot more to getting on the Boss` dance card than simply shoving your way to front row center and frantically waving your arms.
Take the case of Sarah Erwin, a 30-year-old Evanston resident who made it onstage at Springsteen`s final show at the Rosemont Horizon last summer. A veteran of 34 Springsteen concerts, Erwin wasn`t about to rely on mere chance. ”I was about to turn 30, and I wasn`t taking it too well,” she said.
”One of my last dreams of my 20s was to dance with him during `Dancing in the Dark.` ”
So she staked out Springsteen`s hotel and when he strolled through the lobby she explained her wish. ”He just cocked his head to the side and looked at me and said, `Okay, I`ll be looking for you,` ” Erwin recalled.
Springsteen was left with plenty of time to forget because the show wasn`t until the following night. To further complicate matters, Erwin`s second-row seats were far to the side. ”I wasn`t sure he`d be able to find me all the way over there,” she said. ”I even tried to bribe two guys into letting me sit in one of their seats during that one song.”
The show`s second set began and the E Street Band kicked into
”Dancing.” ”He was roaming the stage, back and forth, like he was looking for something,” she said. ”I just hoped it was me.”
Finally, Springsteen made his way to the end of the stage and pointed at her. Fans around her thought he meant them and made for the stage, but the Boss waved them off until she was onstage.
”We danced,” she said. ”And at the end he kissed me and said, `This is for your birthday. Happy Birthday!` ”
THE B-SIDES:
UNRELEASED CUTS ARE SECRETS NO MORE
Die-hard Springsteen fans will tell you that many of the Boss` best compositions never have seen the commercial light of day.
Songs like ”The Promise” (a ”Darkness on the Edge of Town” album-era song about betrayal and the price of success) and ”Thundercrack” (a favorite from the 1974 tour) can be heard only on concert bootlegs. And songs like
”Murder Inc.” (rumored to be the title song of the darker album Springsteen supposedly will release as a follow-up to ”Born in the U.S.A.”) and ”Roulette” (the story of a man forced to evacuate his home during the Three Mile Island crisis) exist only on tapes smuggled out of the recording studio.
But halfway between these illicit rarities and Springsteen`s officially released album tracks are eight previously unreleased B-sides to Springsteen singles.
Whether the B-sides are a gift for the Boss` loyal fans or a shrewd ploy to spur sales of 45s among those who normally only buy albums depends on your degree of cynicism. But far from being throwaways, these eight songs often are as good or better than the A-sides they back.
In order of their release, the B-sides are:
”Held Up Without a Gun,” the flip side to ”Hungry Heart” off the
”The River” album (1980). A 1:15 rocker bemoaning the ever-increasing price of gasoline.
”Be True,” flip to ”Fade Away” from ”The River.” Two fans approached Springsteen prior to a Largo, Md., show in 1984 and begged him to play this rocking love song. When he demurred, explaining that he no longer remembered the words, the fans scribbled an impromptu lyric sheet for him. That night, paper in hand, Springsteen sang ”Be True” live for the first and last time.
”The Big Payback,” flip to ”Open All Night” from the ”Nebraska”
album (1982). Tough to find, but well worth the effort; this one was released only in England. Like other ”Nebraska”-era songs, ”The Big Payback” is about people pushed beyond the breaking point, but with more of a rock feel than anything on ”Nebraska.”
”Pink Cadillac,” flip to ”Dancing in the Dark” from the ”Born in the U.S.A.” album (1984). Probably the best-known B-side. In concert, this Presleyesque rocker has replaced ”Fire” as the evening`s comic standout.
”Jersey Girl,” flip to ”Cover Me” from ”Born in the U.S.A.” The label notes that this charming cover of the Tom Waites tune was recorded live in 1981 at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. We needn`t have been told: The crowd goes wild every time Bruce sings the word ”Jersey.”
”Shut Out the Light,” flip to ”Born in the U.S.A.” from ”Born in the U.S.A.” This acoustic ballad is the perfect complement to the Vietnam veteran theme explored in ”Born in the U.S.A.”
”Johnny Bye Bye,” flip to ”I`m on Fire” from ”Born in the U.S.A.”
Springsteen reworked the Chuck Berry classic as a yearning, despondent tribute to Elvis Presley. Sadly, the studio version pales in intensity to the live version.
”Stand on It,” flip to ”Glory Days” from ”Born in the U.S.A.”
Reminiscent of Jerry Lee Lewis and ”From Small Things (Big Things Someday Come),” this is a song Bruce penned for Dave Edmunds. It boasts the usual Springsteen cars and girls (though this time one of the girls actually does the driving!) as well as a revisionist view of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella.
A final gem can be found on the flip side of Clarence Clemons` ”A Woman`s Got the Power.” ”Summer on Signal Hill” is a sweet instrumental penned by Springsteen for his saxophonist. On the label, the performance is credited to Clemons` Red Bank Rockers, but that may be a matter of semantics. The E Street Band`s Max Weinberg is drummming (as he did on most of Clemons`
solo album, ”Rescue”), the Big Man`s on the sax, and, gee, that guitar sounds awfully familiar. . .
Who: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Where: Soldier Field.
When: At 7:30 p.m. Friday.
How much: $19 (sold out).
