Bruce at The Ohio State University (October 5, 2008)

I'm a sucker for going to see Bruce shows... even if they're far away and not really full shows.

Today's performance at The Main Oval at The Ohio State University was one of 3 scheduled performances over this weekend, coinciding with voter registration drives in battleground states. Yesterday's was in Philadelphia, and tomorrow's will be in Ypsilanti.

It was a beautiful Sunday, and for a change I had had no plans at all. Columbus is a 3 hour drive, and with the concert scheduled for 4:30, I could easily make it a day trip. For less than a tankful of gas (tickets being free), I could get a bit of a Bruce fix (and see Chris and Bryon). And so I did.

Also, a bit of a difference from normal Bruce concerts in that there was no prohibition on photographic equipment, so what the heck, I brought a camera.

As for the show... er... rally: The line-up to get in stretched around a couple campus buildings by the time we got there. Not really all that many people, it just seemed that way. Waiting out on the oval after being admitted was a little like waiting in the pit for a show to begin... only instead of sitting on floorboards over ice, we were on real grass, with sun in our faces. That is, it didn't suck.

Although the rally was billed for 4:30, the speakers started well before then. Two Ohio congressional candidates spoke, as did the mayor of Columbus. All spoke reasonably well, if usually predictably on substance. The Columbus mayor got in a zinger by referring to last Thursday's debate between "Senator Biden and Tina Fey." John Glenn came out to say a few words, and then he said he lost the lottery to introduce Bruce and so he turned it over to... contest winners. It was pretty weird. Eventually, it went back to Glenn to introduce Bruce.
Bruce seemed in good spirits, and he started off with a bit of a joke, playing the chorus to "Hey, Mr. Spaceman" for Senator Glenn, and then launching in to his 45-minute set. The setlist was:

Hey, Mr. Spaceman (chorus only)
The Promised Land
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Thunder Road
No Surrender
public service announcement
The Rising
This Land Is Your Land

The Ghost of Tom Joad was a powerhouse, played uptempo and with conviction. Bruce made several references to the importance of Ohio and to his own history there, even referencing a 1972 concert in which he opened for Sha-Na-Na. But he saved his most powerful remarks for the Public Service Announcement, in which he stated forcefully how he wanted his country and his dreams -- our shared dreams -- back. That 1000 George W. Bushes and 1000 Dick Cheney couldn't tear down what this country should be: "America remains a repository of peoples hopes, possibilities, and desires, and despite the terrible erosion to our standing around the world, we remain, for many people, a house of dreams. And one thousand George Bushes and one thousand Dick Cheneys will never be able to tear that house down." Get the full text off the internet downloads, it's worth it.

This Land Is Your Land -- with the steeple/people verse -- was bracketed by a rally chant of "Yes, We Can!"