By Paul Gotham It was one of those "happy accidents" which The Boss likes to refer. That is the only way to explain standing in the "pit" and staring up at a column of speakers. Ending up in front of the stage seemed out of the question when the "better two-thirds" (better-half doesn't measure up) and I headed out shortly after two o'clock to "drive that dusty road from … [Read more...] about Springsteen: Reflections from the Vernon Downs pit
Springsteen
Springsteen and Vernon Downs stay Open All Night
By Paul Gotham VERNON, N.Y. -- Maybe it was the moonlit night in Central New York. Perhaps playing in a venue for the first time had a hand in it. Possibly the late summer air tinged with a hint of fall created a feeling of desperation. Whatever the cause, the effect was unmistakable. On a night where the set list was but a fleeting thought, Bruce Springsteen and … [Read more...] about Springsteen and Vernon Downs stay Open All Night
Springsteen proves it all night in Buffalo
By Paul Casey Gotham BUFFALO, NY -- Prove it all night. Like Bruce Springsteen has anything left to prove when it comes to Rock 'n' Roll. The 62-year old keeps "burning down the road" in what is now his fifth decade (sixth if one counts his work with The Castiles, Earth, Child and Steel Mill) of recording and performing. Yet the "only man in rock 'n' roll who insists on … [Read more...] about Springsteen proves it all night in Buffalo
Tear drops on the city
By Paul Casey Gotham Ooh. That's about all I could manage. I was 19-years old and seeing Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band for the first time. They had just belted out a stirring rendition of Jungleland. It was late in the three-plus-hour long show, and the natural thing was to clap and scream approval. But I couldn't. Ooh. I eventually joined the other … [Read more...] about Tear drops on the city