On the 5th June 2016, as any remotely self respecting Springsteen devotee will know, 90 000 people descended on Wembley Stadium fully intent on going down to The River with The Boss. And I, after 23 long years in waiting, was no exception. I was there, with my spectacular mum, for my first bona fide live experience of Bruce.
It should be added that I went with one further mission in mind that auspicious Sunday evening - if this was to be my first Bruce concert I was going to get the T-shirt. And I pursued this mission with single minded intent, not to the amusement of my mother who was hauling around a shattered 5th metatarsal. Oops. Such was our devotion to the Springsteen cause however and indeed it took serious logistics to get her there. But boy were there some amazing t-shirts on show; fans with decades worth of viewing experience between them in a spectacular array of branded apparel. One sign amongst many, if any were needed, of the long enduring reach of 'Springsteenitus'. I myself was after the Born in the USA specimen of t-shirt and can report that after some serious merchandise sleuthing I found one. The best of the bunch - or so I thought...
Up in the rafters (the cheap seats) where Bruce was a mere spot in the distance, I was in prime position, when not boogying along to the Boss, to enjoy some serious people watching. Sure enough whilst peering my way down through the throngs I was rewarded with a glimpse of some words which stopped me in my tracks:
"SPRINGSTEEN & I: THE MUSIC, THE FANS, THE SOUNDTRACK TO SO MANY LIVES"
I don't mind saying that I was surprisingly struck by the poignancy of, of all things, a T-shirt slogan. Because Springsteen has without a shadow of a doubt been a soundtrack to my life. From the albums blasted out by my mum when I was far too small to object began my assimilation and a journey that means so much to the pair of us. It's just been us two for the most part and there have been some ups and downs. But there was always a Bruce album for each and every mood and occasion. We Shall Overcome became our anthem while This Little Light of Mine was our backing band when we wanted to be jubilant soul singers with voices capable of raising the roof. The angry emotion of Born to Run, the defiance of We Are Alive, the nostalgia of Glory Days, the desolation of Streets of Philadelphia...it's all there. His songs resonate on numerous levels evolving and transforming depending on the era and the individual - there really is a 'Springsteen & I' because so much of what he says is extraordinarily evocative on a deep and human level.
Arguably I never stood a chance of escaping his influence but through time I became a fan myself. My mum and I fought over who would get the new album for their birthday (does it equal communal ownership if you're giving it just so that you can listen to it too?!) whilst singing along at the top of our voices on the motorway where no one could hear us. Those car journey's meant a lot - they were times when we caught up on life and laughed and cried about where we were coming from or going to; where we generally debated and accepted all the paraphernalia, good and bad, that life can throw at you. And to this day, whenever I listen to Bruce's voice, it makes me think of the most significant person in my life - my mum. And that's without mentioning Bruce as an artist; the consummate showman and professional - a talented musician with a divine grasp of harmony and lyrics (in my humble opinion) with the ability to bash out one hell of a tune. If anyone inspired me to get out on stage - albeit I admit in a slightly different genre - it was him.
Every now and again someone really does come along in life who just for a little while makes the world a better place for countless hundreds of thousands of people just by doing their thing - and Bruce certainly does that....