Bruce Springsteen

On October 4th, 2008, I went down to Center City to attend a Barack Obama rally in which my hero, Bruce Springsteen, was to play a short acoustic set in support of the Democratic candidate.  There was no admission fee as this was a rally to gather voters and encourage non-voters to register.

The weather was absolutely perfect.  There was no humidity and it was pretty sunny with only a few clouds in the sky.  There was a certain crispness that is unique to the fall season.

Angelo Cataldi, of Sports Radio 610 WIP, started off the day as the Master of Ceremonies.  Angelo soon introduced former Mayor of Philadelphia (and now Governor of the state of Pennsylvania) Ed Rendell.  Rendell spoke to us about how important it is for us to vote and that the Democrats now have over one million more voters registered then we did in the 2004 election.

Then, around 4:30, the man of the hour was introduced and he came out wearing a green plad shirt and aviator sun glasses.  Bruce played a short acoustic set that was made up of the following songs:

1) The Promised Land
2) The Ghost of Tom Joad
3) Thunder Road
4) No Surrender
5) Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?
6) The Rising
7) This Land is Your Land

During his political rap, Bruce touched on many topics but also told us how important it is that we vote.  Obviously, Bruce will be voting for Senator Barack Obama.  He had some comments about the administration of the past eight years and like him, I think we are all happy that it is coming to an end.

As Bruce said, “One thousand George Bushes and one thousand Dick Cheneys will never be able to tear that house down…. Come on, Philly, let’s build that house.”  He also addressed Philly as his “home away from home.”  That ain’t a bad statement for a kid from Freehold, NJ.

The important thing to note about today was that it was very peaceful (there was not a single problem/issue) and one of the most amazing musical experiences of my life.  As much as I love seeing Bruce play rock & roll with the E Street Band, there is something special about him standing there alone with that guitar and just singing the songs he writes.

I think Bruce Springsteen understands that we can rebuild America into what it once was…I too believe this to be true.  I also believe that Barack Obama and Joe Biden are the one’s who can take us there.

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