what rarity will Bruce play next?
During last week’s stop in Vancouver, Bruce and the Band dug out “None but the Brave” a song from the Born in the USA sessions in 1983-84 that never made it onto an album until the Essential Bruce Springsteen LP which came out in 2003.
This song had never been played live in a concert setting with the full band–until the Vancouver show.
The big question on everyone’s mind as they gear up for the shows in Anaheim is: what rarities are in store for us in the upcoming shows????
On the Bruce boards, people argue and debate all the time about which songs he will play and why. Bruce is a master of harnessing the crowds energy, of building them up to a frenzy, and quieting them down. So what he chooses will fit in to the theme or the mood of the show he is creating that night for the blessed few there.
Which brings us back to the question of–what rarities will we hear in Anaheim?
Will it be “Something in the Night”? This 1974 gem from Born to Run has rarely been played in concert., but he played it last night in San Jose, CA.
Will it be “Trapped”? This song was part of the USA for Africa album, and has not shown up on one of Bruce’s, and while he played it a lot in 1984, he hasn’t played it much since–until the Portland and Seattle shows.
Will it be “Held Up without a Gun,” the 1981 B side of the Hungry Heart single? That’s the number one heartful hope of the Big Monkey. But he would settle for “Take It as They Come” an outtake that showed up on Tracks, the 4 disc box set that was out in 2000.
What’s in store for us?? What rarity do you want to hear? Post your comments below!
a cauldron of dolphins
and 5 humpback whales too!
We went whale watching today in the Santa Barbara Channel out toward the Channel Islands, mostly Anacapa, with Island Packers. We spent much of the time hanging out in a cauldron of 2500-3000 dolphins–leaping, diving, bow riding, you name it, joyful, playful dolphins. We were also teased with exceptional views of 5 different humpbacks whales feeding among and near the dolphins. Flukes and fins waved and splashed back in the water as cameras snapped. The skipper said it was an exceptional day–fine, clear, calm weather and marine mammals galore!
We’re going to come back some day, asks my son, okay? We’ll leave and go hiking and climbing somewhere. That’s what I want to say, he says, referring to this post. Yes, I assure him, we will. We will travel across the Channel on a boat with our backpacks and gear in a month or so, when school get out. We likely see more humpbacks, and maybe a blue whale or two. Who knows what else?
And if we have any luck, we will defeat the new wordpress dashboard (which I HATE) and figure out how to load some images and maybe video too. (no we didn’t take the photo above–and I seem to have lost the link)
The Boss & The Big Monkey: 27 year obsession with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
As you can imagine from the post below, The Big Monkey in my life is HUGE Bruce Springsteen fan.
He has been to over a hundred shows all over the US since in the early 80s, and made it to almost every show in SoCal, Las Vegas, and the Bay Area.
He knows people who know people. And he knows people who go to show after show after show. Like his friend Christine, pictured above on the Magic Tour with her mother, her dad, and Little Steven from the E Street Band.
Like his friend Ron, who wrote in to the OC Register about his favorite Bruce experience.
Having now seen eightysomething shows since 1975, the ’78 Forum show, was one of the most amazing nights of my life. First, I drove to Inglewood on the day tickets went on sale. About 200 people were there. They lined us up in the parking lot and then randomly picked someone near the middle of the line as No. 1. Then they started coming my way. I was No. 6. When tickets went on sale, I got in the front row (Clarence’s side).
The show was unbelievable. You have no idea the power and passion this man exudes until you see him up close. He ran past me quite few times after jumping off the stage and then climbing the side risers. I was in a state of shock. The show left me more exhilarated and drained than I have ever been in my life. For me, “Darkness” was THE tour, and that night was the best show ever.
It gets better. After the show I waited outside with about 15-20 others. Celebrities and others kept coming out of the Forum Club and said “Bruce is gone.” Still, we waited. It must have been about 1:45 or so and Jackson Browne came out. He told us Bruce was still inside. What I learned much later was that Bruce was doing one of his first TV interviews. Sometime after 2 a.m. he came out and said “Hi” to everyone. He sat down on a low, concrete wall and talked to us for about 20 minutes. Someone asked him how come he didn’t play Santa Barbara anymore, and he laughed and said, “They tell me I’m getting to big for that place.” He just sat and chatted with the few of us remaining like it was no big deal.
I had him autograph a couple of things and shook his hand. About 2:30 a.m., he left and so did I. It was the perfect night. I have no recollection of driving back to Orange County. I think the car flew home on auto pilot.
Ron Wells
Corona del Mar
Hooking up with me, having a child together, and remodeling a house together has severely limited the amount of time, money, and energy he expends on his Bruce obsession. But he will of course be at the show tomorrow, low-top sneakers on (a la Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run promo thing).
I have asked the Big Monkey to share some “Bruce” inside info for those readers who may be heading to some of these upcoming “Magic” shows. Unless you’re an afficionado, there is a lot you will miss. The psot that follows will provide you with a “cheat” sheet, which you should study in the ensuing hours before the show.
And be sure to come back here after Monday night’s Anaheim show for the post game post!
The Boss (aka Bruce Springsteen) and the Big Monkey
The Big Monkey with The Boss, Tunnel Tour, 1987, LA Sports Arena, 3rd night of a 5 night stand
(and no, Bruce doesn’t have red in his hair…that’s red in the monkey’s hair, now grey…it’s just a scan of an old picture…we’ll have to get a new one!! Both the Boss and the Big Monkey have changed…)
Upcoming Posts: Bruce Pre-show, More Bruce Pre-show, Poetry Train (Preschool Share Day Blues), More Bruce (post LA show)
Bruce Springsteen fans have lived slightly breathless lives in the past few days awaiting the upcoming shows in Anaheim.
So, in celebration, the Art Predator will sponsor two pre-Springsteen show posts and one (or more) post Springsteen show posts plus a non-Bruce interlude for a Poetry Train & Read/Write/Poem post: The Preschool Share Day Blues.
Coming to a blog near you soon:
The California Four Pack aka 4 shows in California–4/5 Sat sometime soon
More Bruce Springsteen pregame show (or preshow game) 4/6 Sun
Poetry train 4/7 Mon (up Sun night about 11pm California time)
post Bruce Springsteen show post (Mon 11pm– after the show!)
with some help from the Big Monkey aka BRNTORN75
A Miracle: Rituals Work! Hallelujah!
Today, the Pope of the Church of the Asshole Neighbors is moving out.
That’s right, friends, the man who has made my life miserable for the last 5 years sold the apartment building and escrow closes today. The moving van showed yesterday and took away most of the detritus of his life, and a peek through the uncurtained windows reveal empty rooms.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Now here’s the groovy part. Here’s the really spiritual wowee kazaowee part.
In mid-February, I realized I couldn’t take it any more. I was going to lose my mind–his actions were making me crazy. I couldn’t concentrate, I couldn’t work, I couldn’t even be civil. I considered taking a leave of absence then I got sick. I had tried everything–and it was time to try the unconventional.
A lunar eclipse was coming and I decided to ride that wave of energy to make
SOMETHING HAPPEN.
And guess what, folks, it did: something happened.
I don’t know whether it was watching us smudge the house the day of the lunar eclipse and in the following days first with sage then frankinscense and myrhh, if it was the circle of protection we placed around the property, if it was seeing my friends write words in chalk on the concrete by my house, if it was listening to us sing “All We Need is Love.”
Maybe it was the ritual where we buried two birds who had died on my porch in odd ways in a whole he dug (his name his Doug!)
Maybe it was the prayers that Lucy and her friends did or the prayers my friends and I did the night of the lunar eclipse.
Maybe it was the energy of the blogosphere–4500 people read that post where I asked the universe for support in my time of need. That’s a huge response!
I think it was all of the above (plus maybe pressure the District Attorney’s office put on him with regards to abiding by the restraining order) that caused this man who was unwilling before the eclipse to list his apartment building at a sellable price to do so a few days after–and that a property that had been languishing on the market, at a time when the market is tanking, suddenly had 10 offers on it in as many days. The property went into escrow just before the moon was new. Escrow closed today as far as we know–and the moon is new tomorrow night…
ahhhh! breath in peace, breathe out joy
I called out to the world for support…thank you for your help.
Desert Dances: a spring poem
Desert Dances
Dormant desert awakes.
She drinks deep, stretches, sighs
exhales fragrant blossoms
on her warm, pregnant breath.
Her soft, supple sagebrushed
sparkling curves adorned with
splashes of pink, white phlox
and sprays of desert peach
invite you to tumble
down her snowy mountains
to abandon yourself
to wildflower wanders
to soothe in her hot springs
to rejoice in salty
waters of turquoise lakes.
Desert dances await.
This poem recalls my time living near Reno and the springtime desert from the eastern sierras to the Black Rock Desert. Most Burners only know the area in late summer, golden with sage and rabbit brush bloom; one day may you see it in spring green, pink and peach!
middle spring: a poem by Amalio Madueno
My good friend the poet and general rascal Amalio Madueno is going to read at Ventucky College next Weds. April 9 and I’ve been rereading his book, Lost in the Chamiso looking for a poem to use for a broadside to publicize his reading, National Poetry Month, and Earth Month activities.
Since a number of people have been coming to this blog looking for spring poems, I offer you this one of his.
Middle Spring
Below me and above, middle Spring.
Blossom air soothes gravel and stone.
Birds in my shaggy yard scamper in dust
At home in morning’s ocean breeze.
Night after night dreams become less
Familiar, like the landscape of a city
I will never see. Today is light,
Tomorrow will be lighter still. Sundogs
Streak the perihelion, spiders drop
Filaments of light out of the blue
Into sunny scrutiny – the intersection
Of the everyday.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Read more…
recession or depression? regression or obsession?
When I first asked my dad back in December 2007 if he’d seen my blog, he laughed unkindly, and said, isn’t that just a glorified diary? who reads those things, anyway?
Well, Dad, yeah, I guess : a glorified diary that has had almost 11000 hits in less than six months. And no, I don’t know who reads it. I’m just glad they do.
But in some ways, he’s right–it is a glorified diary at times in the sense that this blog is a place where I explore what interests me, engages me, concerns me–whether it be politics, poetry, or pantry!
And it’s also like a giant scrapbook, a scrapbook that is stored more compactly, and organized more completely than I think he can imagine.
It’s a place where my intellectual ramblings can land. And take root. And sometimes get read–and see the light of day on a computer far far from home.
So on that note, I found this article by Andrew Leonard on Salon.com and since I want to be able to put my finger on it when I want, and because what I think is being said is really really important, I am importing much of this article here. If you want to read it in it’s entirety, go to salon.com
And Dad, it’s too bad you never bother to read my blog because I really think you’d find this article of interest. And Jordan, (cuz I know you read my blog), I hope you read this article because this is partly why I don’t think it’s right for those execs to make so much money.
April 2, 2008 | A record number of Americans receiving food stamps. Gas prices at an all-time high, and staples such as milk, eggs and bread costing a prettier penny every week. The average number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits reached its highest level in two years last week, while just this week, construction spending fell for the fifth straight month and manufacturing activity shrank to its lowest level in five years. Real estate values are even plummeting in the Hamptons, and hedge funds started off 2008 with their worst quarter ever.
Most economists are no longer debating whether there will be a recession in 2008. Now, they’re arguing over when the recession started — was it last November, or December? — and how bad it’s likely to get. While they bicker, however, a far more terrifying economic specter from the distant past has sent a chill through the infosphere.
“We have not seen a nationwide decline in housing like this since the Great Depression,” said the CEO of Wells Fargo late last year. “It is now clear that the U.S. and global financial markets are experiencing their worst financial crisis since the Great Depression,” wrote economist Nouriel Roubini last week.
Want to see “The Great Depression: The Sequel”? Here’s a handy three-step do-it-yourself action plan.
1. Continue to ignore growing income inequality and govern the United States for the benefit of the rich at the expense of the many.
2. Continue to whittle away at the safety nets that exist to cushion Americans from economic ill winds.
3. Continue to weaken government oversight of Wall Street.
Last October, citing Internal Revenue Service data, the Wall Street Journal reported that the top 1 percent of Americans earned 21.2 percent of all income in 2005. That’s the highest measure of income inequality since, you guessed it, before the Great Depression. Read more…
Celebrate with Lucy in the Sky
Open house and Grand Re-opening: Lucy in the Sky
April Fool’s Day celebration from 3 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. As part of the festivities, a new Star Wars room will make its debut. 20B N. Fir St. Ventucky.
805 
652-1988.
art predator 