The Bucket List Gets Smaller – Auburn Hills, April 12, 2012

Bruce Springsteen’s appearance at the Palace Thursday night neatly corresponded with my 50th birthday. How nice, I told friends, for Bruce to think of me that way! OK, it wasn’t exactly my birthday, that wasn’t until the 13th. But close enough.

I thought of things to make the day extra memorable, bucket list items. And one of them was to get a photo pass to a Bruce Springsteen show. I’ve taken pictures before, both when allowed – see http://ypsilantibruce.shutterfly.com/ -- and, not so much allowed – see http://mattorel.blogspot.com/2011/11/good-night-its-all-right-pittsburgh.html. The Pittsburgh show last November was traumatic, when I realized just how far I had to go as a photographer. I saw that Backstreets Magazine was getting credentials, and that occasionally old friends of mine were involved. So, as a (very occasional) Backstreets contributor, I put in an inquiry to its editor, Chris Phillips.

In the meantime, Aaron, now 15, decided he likes Wrecking Ball, and decided further that he’d be interested in going to the show. I had long since stopped even asking if he might be interested, so this was a very pleasant surprise. And, once Aaron stepped up on his own, I asked Elianna if she might be interested as well. So now we were a concert family of 4. I figured I’d keep Aaron interested by offering up the point & shoot; as for Elianna, time to do some artwork – a poster with golden heels and fairy wings to request “Incident on 57th Street,” and to learn the words to “Waiting on a Sunny Day.” Just in case.

Then, on Wednesday, Chris asked if I still wanted the gig. How about, “Hell, yes?” And so started a chain of events culminating with me walking in to the Palace with a rented lens and a brand new monopod, and seeing up close aspects of how the operation runs. What I saw of it was thoroughly professional.

In trying to shoot the show, I had the advantage of knowing Bruce’s basic stage moves and the expected lighting for older songs such as “Badlands,” the leadoff song from the prior two shows. I also knew what I wanted to capture. On the down side, the photographers’ setup was all the way back at the soundboard, thus making it much more difficult to get a combination of ISO, aperture and shutter speed that would produce good pictures… and it wasn’t like I was going in to the event as an expert in the first place.

I had one obligatory Very Scary Moment: while trying to adjust the monopod, I managed to drop the lens. Fortunately, that was only from a couple inches, and with no damage. Then, a bunch of test shots, and it was on to the show.

Bruce came out and self-introduced, and though he was saying things about knowing where the fuck he was, I was paying more attention to the stage setup, the breakdown of the songs, and how I wanted to capture things. From my vantage point, there were 3 major sections to the stage: Center, basically meaning Bruce, Steve, and Max. Stage right, with Soozie, Charlie, Nils, and the 5 horns. And Stage Left, with Steve, Roy, Everett, Curtis and Cindy (Patti would normally be there as well). I could capture any section separately; with 200mm top that was about my limit. And at 70mm minimum, I couldn’t quite get the entire stage; after dropping a lens I wasn't about to attempt switching lenses – I could see why photogs bring multiple camera bodies.

The lighting was a shock to me. After so many years of assumed mediocrity, my expectations were low. But, on Thursday I found it to be thoroughly wonderful, lighting players or sections in turn, or colors, depending on the situation. The sound was also markedly improved from past tours, being nice and crisp at the soundboard.

The 3 songs for the shoot ended up being “We Take Care Of Our Own,” “Wrecking Ball,” and “Badlands,” though with “Badlands” no longer leading off as it had at Madison Square Garden. Bruce changed guitars between each song, thus making the pictures easy to identify. Of the approximately 300 I took, Backstreets used 4; many of the rest were predictably awful (e.g., too dark, washed out, too slow, out of focus, focus on the wrong thing), and a few others were also good. The performances seemed strong and demonstrative, and though I was concentrating on the pictures it felt great to be part of what was shaping up to be a terrific show.

After the shoot and depositing of the gear – at the expense of missing “Death to My Hometown” – it was back in to enjoy the show. Entering the back of the pit as Bruce was doing the “if we’re here, they’re here” rap, it was family reunion time. See Chris P. (hug). See Bryon (hug). See Chris B. (hug). See Mike T. (hug). See Todd (hug). See Jon Landau (uhh… no hug, but he had the emotion of the moment from the stage).

I still needed to find my blood family, and it took through most of the “E Street Shuffle” to locate them. We settled in our spots just in time to see Max and Everett engage in their spectacular drum-off. This was quickly followed by another drummer’s special, “Candy’s Room.” I lifted Elianna on my shoulders to see it. After the song, though, security made her get down – despite there being nothing but a camera well behind us. So she started inching over to the side, saying “it’s closer to the stage.” She’d gotten the bug. Bruce played “Trapped,” a song I haven’t seen live since the Reunion tour, followed by “Youngstown” with Nils’s incendiary guitar solo. Aaron was busted for using the point & shoot; thus derailing him for a few minutes (he’d shoot plenty more before the end of the evening, including the thoroughly wonderful close-up seen here).

When Bruce started in to “Waiting On a Sunny Day,” Elianna was on a mission: Front or bust. I glanced over to my left. There was Noah – the same boy from the 2007 “Ramrod” sign and a few others – perched on someone’s shoulders. Now, that was one battle that Elianna wasn’t going to win… and she didn’t. Noah “got the gig,” as it were.

The Apollo Medley put Bruce into the audience; it also put daddy in to chase mode as Elianna followed Bruce all around the floor… somehow winding up back on the rail at the end. Bruce took a poster. Not Elianna’s which was returned to the car hours earlier, but someone else’s, also requesting Incident. Golden heeled fairies in concert for the first time on this tour! Bruce eliminated the guitar solo that typically graces the end of the song, but more than made up for it with a hot reading of “Because the Night” (Bruce’s lyrics only).

Bruce brought out Michelle Moore for “Rocky Ground,” and played along some acoustic guitar and also chimed in a 2nd voice for part of the rap. It was a magnificent reading, much improved from the initial Apollo performance. During the beginning of “Dancing in the Dark,” Elianna was featured on the overhead screen; with the camerawoman not more than 3 feet from her, Elianna made sure to smile sweet for the camera. She didn’t get the dance gig, either, but she was pretty happy being on camera.

The show ended after slightly more than 3 hours, with Bruce’s tribute to Clarence Clemons for “10th Avenue Freeze-Out.” A festive evening, great show, and leaving us hungry for more. As a family.