Springsteen shows have always been about the same things.  They're about
love, and faith, and hope, and brotherhood.  The holiday shows are all
of those things magnified.  It's the love between Bruce and Stevie and
Southside and Bobby Bandiera, four guys who grew up hanging out, falling
in love with music, and then going out and playing it together.  If
Bruce ever went out with opening acts, it would be the people we saw on
the stage last weekend.  Opening acts in the truest sense of the
concept, presenting music he loves, music that inspires him, or music
that fires him up.

These shows are also about his love for the community, embodied in his
insistence in running down the names of all the merchants involved in
the usual local contest, as well as his mentions of some of the
beneficiaries of the shows, the Asbury Park High School marching band,
as well as the local pee wee football league.  His pride in the
community has never faltered, never vanished.  Most of us can only dream
of being able to give so much back to the place that is in our heart, or
to feel such loyalty to our hometown.  

The secret to why the Christmas shows are so special isn't just Bruce's
desire to have a good time, it's not the special guests, it's not the
small venue, it's not the historical location, and it's not the fans who
are largely diehards (they all help though) -- it's the incredible horn
section that Bruce invites to come play with him.  

As we stood directly in front of the horn section on Monday night (one
person from the rail!), it was hard to remember to watch anything else.
It's really a separate show happening on that riser.  During every song
the horn section was doing something.  They simply radiate energy from
the stage.  It's the silly dance moves they do when they're not singing
- like the hand rolling during the second verse of "I Don't Wanna Go
Home," or it's Mark Pender looking like his head is about to explode
every time he hits a high note.  Ed Manion, acting quiet and unassuming,
but pushing his way through the people on stage to get to the center
microphone to deliver the key sax solo.  Mike Spengler singing along to
every song even though he wasn't given a vocal microphone.  La Bamba
approaching every horn part with total bombast and of course leading the
section in said dance moves.  With Clarence absent, nobody on stage
except La Bamba would have been cool enough to deliver the "baby's back"
solo vocal spot in "Thundercrack."

Every single song that Bruce chose to do involved the horn section in
some way, and it was no coincidence. They are simply outstanding, better
than any semblance of modern horn section that's out there, with the
possible exception of Prince (who has Maceo Parker, and there isn't much
to argue with there).  With the exception of Bobby Keyes, the Stones can
only wish they had such a mindblowingly hot horn section.

Sunday night, we were in the family and friends section at the very edge
of stage left.  We could see Max, and the horns just barely, but the
real loss was not being able to see Bruce's facial expressions or more
importantly with this show, his hands on the fretboard.  On the other
hand, we could see all the pre-show comings and goings between the
backstage area and the dressing rooms, including Bruce walking to and
fro wearing a black t-shirt, untucked, and jeans.  This made his
transformation later that much more compelling.  Suddenly, there he was,
standing at the top of the stairs stage left, helping up each and every
member of the Victorious Gospel Choir, shaking their hands or patting
them on the back, just like he does with the E Street band when they're
coming onstage.  It certainly isn't for show, because it's not anything
you're going to notice unless you're paying close attention.  Bruce had
changed into what appeared to be a black suit with a white shirt (but
the next night we realized it was the standard black cords / boots /
white shirt / vest, with the addition of a jacket).  

Watching Bruce during the gospel choir was fascinating.  He was totally
engrossed, enjoying himself, standing in the back at the drum riser with
a tambourine in hand, participating when he could, but it was so obvious
that he was watching them as closely as we watch him onstage.  What's
more, he was so thoroughly enjoying it.  You had to wonder how he came
across the choir - did someone local tip him off?  Was he driving around
town one Sunday and heard them singing?  He cleared that mystery up,
telling us that they appeared at his mother's church and she told him
that he should check them out.  (God bless Mrs. Springsteen, for many
reasons, but that small story just summarizes it all).  Monday night, he
commented several times how they had gotten him all fired up,
specifically thanking Elder Brown, the featured singer, plugging their
CD (for sale in the lobby), and noting that "every frontman, from Mick
Jagger to James Brown on down, came out of that."

It was a little surprising to see the Max Weinberg 7 start with
"Christmas Day" on Sunday (skipping their usual instrumental spotlight
slot) but it did get the crowd worked up more quickly, since "Christmas
Day" has that great audience call-and-response.  On Monday, Jimmy Vivino
introduced it by exhorting the crowd, "You know what to do!"  Bruce took
the piano solo again during the song before switching to guitar.  
Monday night, however, true to his word, the gospel choir got Bruce all
fired up. When it came time for the piano solo, Jimmy Vivino called out
"Jerry Lee!" and Bruce responded with a fiery piano solo worthy of the
invocation, which elicited a great reaction from the crowd.

As great an opener as "From Small Things" is, we were thrilled to hear
that build-up introduction to "So Young And In Love."  What neither of
us expected to happen next was to watch Bruce Springsteen totally
transform himself.  Eschewing the guitar, he took the microphone in hand
and just started working that stage.  That wasn't Bruce up there, it was
a cross between Sam Cooke and Elvis.  The next night, both of us agreed
that the differentiating factor was, quite simply, the jacket.  As hard
as it was for one of us to admit that an item of clothing could make a
difference in Bruce's performance, it was the prop that helped him
transform into the smooth soul singer.  It was a stunning thing to
witness, him walking back and forth across the front of the stage, not
hamming it up, but definitely emoting in that tradition, and then going
into those "Spirit In The Night" leg kicks on the chorus.

Even knowing the setlist from the previous show didn't prepare you for
what it's actually like to be there, to hear "None But the Brave" being
played live for the second time.  While lyrically it's obvious that it's
set in and about the Shore, hearing it in Asbury made it that much more
poignant.  It is about this place; it is about the characters he wrote
about for years.  It's the people we were introduced to on "Born to Run"
and "Darkness," years later, the ones who didn't escape or couldn't get
out.  

Jesse Malin being invited to this show brought joy to one of us a
thousandfold.  As a friend put it, it is a joy beyond description when
the music you love comes full circle.  Jesse is one of the good guys.
He's worked his ass off, and not only for himself, for the downtown
music scene as a whole.  But even as good as The Fine Art of
Self-Destruction is, it didn't exactly break the Billboard Top 200, and
he recently lost his guitar player, who joined Ryan Adams' new band.  So
to see him up there now, backed by Jimmy Vivino and Max Weinberg and
having Bruce playing lead on "Wendy" and singing background vocals was
nothing short of triumph.  What made it even better was that Bruce was
so clearly enjoying himself up there and his admiration for Jesse was
plain to see.  And everyone in that room who witnessed "The Wish" owes a
debt of thanks to Jesse for making that request.  "We were rehearsing,
and Jesse Malin said 'Why don't you do that Christmas song?'…I never
thought of it as a Christmas song."

Garland Jeffries also performed the same two songs that he did on Friday
night.   The next night, the set began with "R-O-C-K Rock," and we both
hoped that this meant he'd be skipping the second song in order to make
room for a special guest (read: Elvis Costello, who decided he had to
choose this weekend in particular to get married.  Then again, did this
rumor ever get confirmed from anyone actually reliable?).  Instead, he
followed up with "96 Tears," which got a great reaction from everybody,
but it was a total train wreck.  This isn't a difficult song, but the
keyboard players just couldn't keep it together, which caused Garland to
lose his place multiple times, which caused Danny and Scott Healy to be
even more confused.

Stevie and his speech about Joey Ramone. He had shown up at the
dedication ceremonies for Joey Ramone Place the previous week, and for
anyone who grew up listening to the Ramones, having him representing the
East Village tonight was, quite simply, righteous (as Bruce would put
it).   Joey would have loved to be at these shows; this is the same guy
who did some of his best work with Ronnie Spector.  The Ramones are
closer to Bruce and the music he loves in spirit than most Springsteen
fans will ever give them credit for. Again, when the music you love
comes full circle, there are few things more joyous.  However, the shirt
Stevie wore on Monday was, hands down, the ugliest garment ever worn
onstage by any member of the E Street Band in any era.  Period.
Depending on whom you asked, it either looked like a black choir robe or
a big ugly minidress.  It was so ugly that it did not make an appearance
when Stevie came back onstage later in the set.  Honestly, this thing
was hideous, and that's saying a lot for the fashion stylings of Little
Steven Van Zandt.

Bruce introduced Southside Johnny, who took the stage...followed by Jon
Bon Jovi.  The band crashed into "This Time It's For Real," and the
crowd's energy went up accordingly.  Jon, Southside, Bruce, and Steve
were all trading off verses for all three songs in Southside's set.
Now, we know that Jon Bon Jovi wouldn't have been at the show if he
hadn't been explicitly invited by Bruce, but his presence still felt a
bit awkward, especially on "It's Been a Long Time."  Seeing Bruce,
Steve, and Southside all sing it together on Friday night was one of the
night's biggest highlights; Jon Bon Jovi simply doesn't have the
historical or emotional connections to the song that the others do, and
his contributions seemed a bit out of place. (One of us even went as far
to comment that he sounded like Axl Rose compared to the other three.)
The end of It's Been a Long Time was extended with additional crowd
participation on the "whoa oh oh oh oh" part of the song.  It was done
first as a call and response, before developing into a chant with one
side of the audience singing followed by the other, as directed by Jon
Bon Jovi, who was cueing each side of the audience.  Multiple demerits
to Bon Jovi for showing up in a Philadelphia Soul (his new arena
football team) t-shirt. He was the only person who did not dress up for
the evening.  Yes, Danny looked like he rolled out of bed wearing his
sweats, but he wasn't a front man.  Even Jesse Malin dressed in what
passes for Downtown formal; he at least made an effort.

Monday, the Southside set was undiluted, powerful, and overflowing with
camaraderie and good humor - ""Southside Johnny!  The mystery, the
puzzle, the enigma, the florist!" Bruce announced, as Southside left the
stage.   They called an audible for "Talk To Me" in the middle of the
set, which was a welcome addition, the crowd eating up Bruce and
Southside trading lines.

You catch your breath from Southside's set, only to hear the intro to
"Seaside Bar Song" start and realize that you are now at this part of
the set.  I mean, "Seaside Bar Song?"  Talk about topical.  Talk about
local.  And it was nothing short of glorious, the crowd singing along
every single word.  However, that was nothing compared to the crowd call
and response during "Thundercrack."  On Monday night, prior to the song,
Bruce explained (in Somerville fashion) how he and the band "were
opening for somebody, and had about thirty minutes to make our mark.  So
I wrote these long songs, with all these changes…I wrote this at the
same time I wrote "Kitty's Back," and "Rosalita," and this song is sort
of the missing link."  It's truly remarkable to hear the crowd pick up
the audience participation parts at the beginning of the song…before
Bruce even cued the audience in.

Bruce then moves to the piano, and we realize we're going to get "The
Wish" again.  
Being in the building and hearing it, knowing that Adele was present
(Bruce acknowledged her on Monday night) was a moment beyond compare.
On Monday night, Bruce retold the story from the Tom Joad tour about how
writing a song about one's mother is risky, noting the only musicians
who can get away with such a thing: country singers, gospel singers
("there was a group called the Mother-Lovers") and rappers ("Tupac had a
great song about his mama!") and even notes that "The Doors had a song
about their mother..." which is of course hysterical knowing what he's
referencing, and comparing that to what he's about to sing.  Monday
night, as he was about to start the song, he remembered to address the
horns by saying "I need some jingle bells on this one, fellas," but
continued, "when I start singing, that's when the bells stop.  Ya jingle
belled me to death for half the song last night!"  As he began the song
and started singing, Bruce looked up at the horn section with a
priceless expression on his face (and the bells did stop).

One can count on one half of one hand the number of moments at a Bruce
concert that have been as cool as when the Alliance Singers started
singing "Hold On, I'm Coming" and Bruce introduced Sam Moore.  We had
been so enraptured by the previous half dozen songs that when the
Alliance Singers came out, we could both only say "oh yeah, I forgot
that this was coming now."

What is there to say about Sam Moore?  What is there to say about seeing
one of your all-time musical heroes standing on stage with one of his
heroes, especially when you adore the music that's being played?  And
importantly, this just wasn't about proximity, it was watching the two
of them work together, watching everyone on that stage stand and deliver
the finest performances they could muster.  Seeing Bruce with Bob Dylan
was absolutely a once in a lifetime experience, but Bruce with Sam Moore
was above and beyond that, especially in the context of this show,
especially because we were standing in the place where Bruce grew up on
this music.

The other thing is this: while Dylan is undoubtedly a phenomenal
influence on Bruce, when Bruce, Stevie, Southside and Bobby Bandiera
were kids playing in bands up and down the Jersey Shore, they were not
playing "Positively 4th Street" or "Mr. Tambourine Man."  They were
playing Soul and Motown and RnB and Top 40.  This music is ingrained in
their blood, and one could argue is their true love, the music that
links them together stronger than anything else.  Hearing Bruce talk
about watching Sam Moore being one of the greatest bandleaders he's ever
seen on Friday - well, that was just as evident on Sunday and Monday.
Bruce watched Sam with a careful, regarded, respectful concentration,
except in the moments when he was called upon to participate, and then
he pulled out every ounce of soul in his veins in response.  They fed
off each other's love, respect, and energy, and each of them was clearly
having the time of their lives.  Sunday was incredible, but Monday was
just unbelievable.  At the end of the impassioned duet on "When
Something Is Wrong With My Baby," all we could think was, "How do they
just get better each and every night?"

Sunday's version of "I Thank You" was incendiary, but Monday was simply
otherworldly.  There was again a lengthy jam at the beginning, Sam
calling on each of the musicians by name, but it turned into this
Memphis-inspired rave up that was nothing short of otherworldly.
Someone up there was channeling Steve Cropper, and you were craning your
neck to see who the culprit was.  It was Bruce.  And then, just when you
thought you were going to explode, they segue into none other than Otis
Redding's "Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa (Sad Song)."  It's a good thing that it was
just a verse or two and then they went into "I Thank You," because it
was almost too much.

Saddled with the unfortunate task of following Sam Moore, Nils did his
best to rev the energy up and get everyone's attention, including his
own, after the inevitable deflation when Moore left the stage after
"Soul Man."  After Nils finished "Shine Silently," Bruce came back on
stage, and Nils introduced the next song saying that it was "one of my
favorite songs, by a great songwriter.  In fact, a lot of my favorite
songs are by this songwriter.  I think you'll probably recognize
it...eventually."  

What one of us recognized was that Nils' guitar introductions and the
keyboard sounds, the introduction to "Because the Night" sounded eerily
similar to the "Born in the USA" tour version of "Cover Me."  It almost
brought us to the point of giggles.  (It didn't help that the other one
started singing the "Cover Me" introduction -- "Got nowhere to run to,
baaaby...")  At the end of Nils' sets both nights, we were struck by
Bruce's specific exhortation that we should "go on that web site of his
and check him out." (Bruce acknowledging the Internet?  What next?  The
ability to download entire shows the night after they've happened?)

Following Nils' set on Sunday night, everyone was once again expecting
"Mary's Place."  When Bruce started the guitar part to "Kitty's Back,"
wow, did Convention Hall ever erupt.  It was the loudest cheers we'd
heard all night, and well deserved, as it was far and away the best
version of the song we'd seen.  You haven't seen Kitty's Back until
you've seen it done with the horn section.  During the long instrumental
break, solos were taken by Danny, Mike Spengler, Mark Pender, La Bamba,
Jerry Vivino, Ed Manion, Bruce, and Danny again.  Good lord, it was
smoking.  It was everything the song was supposed to be and why Bruce
wrote it - it grabbed your attention and captivated you, but you were
singing along as well.  On Monday, the crowd's singing was even more
impressive -- at a few different moments, Bruce had a big smile as the
crowd was singing every word.

The set ended with "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," including all of
the
guests, along with Willie Nile.  On Sunday, the vocal chores were shared
equally by everyone, including Jon Bon Jovi.  On Monday, during one of
the instrumental breaks, Bruce went over to Jesse Malin and spoke to him
briefly, and Bruce coaxed him up to the microphone to take a solo vocal
turn ("they're singing deck the halls...").  Smiling shyly but proudly,
Jesse stayed with Bruce at the front of the stage as they finished the
song.

There was almost no point in having everyone leave the stage for the
encore.  Too many people, and we all knew they were coming back anyway.
Sunday's encore went straight to "I Don't Want To Go Home," again with
all the vocalists trading lines.  Monday, Southside Johnny came up to
the front microphone at the start of the encores, and while speaking in
his best monotonous voice, indicated that Bruce and Sam Moore were going
to do "Merry Christmas Baby."  Bruce started the song just as he does on
the officially released live version ("Now I just came here tonight to
say one thing...")  Moore and Bruce traded off lines.  They were
watching the teleprompter pretty closely, but after a bit of a rough
start developed a good rapport during the song.  The horn section did a
nice job as Bruce cued what I think was a pretty spontaneous horn
break.  Moore seemed impressed with the crowd, especially during the
"Santa came down the chimney" part.    

After Bruce and Moore finished, Southside came back up and said "I'd
like to wish a Merry Christmas to everybody except Jimmy Vivino, who
told me the wrong song we were playing."  Bruce noted that Southside had
a new album coming out, "Southside's Sinister Christmas," and it was
clear from the reactions of the musicians that this is yet another silly
inside joke that they are going to be laughing about for months.  After
"I Don't Wanna Go Home," Bruce noted that it was always great having
Southside at these shows, and thanked Steve for writing "such beautiful
songs."

What was almost everyone's favorite non-musical moment of these shows
was watching Bruce crack stupid jokes while reading the list of Asbury
Park merchants each night. Mentioning one of the liquor stores, Bruce
encouraged everybody to "go on down there to get liquored up for the
holidays...I know I'll be there!"  Apparently "Southside's about to
retire from the music business" so he's taken up the floral business at
- Southside Florist.  (The Southside Florist joke clearly became
something they are not going to let Southside live down for years).  The
merchant list reading may seem stupid, or inconsequential, but we'd
argue that it was anything but that.  Watching Bruce make dumb jokes up
there with Stevie and Southside as his sidekicks, it was watching the
heart of the Jersey Shore, the heart of the music we love.  We were
allowed into their boys' clubhouse for a few nights.  Bruce also noted
that due to the inclement weather on Saturday, some of the events in
Asbury had been moved to the following weekend.  He noted that they had
to postpone the snowflake hunt -- "we should have a lot of winners in
that one!"  On Sunday, the teleprompters clearly weren't functioning,
and Bruce was ad-libbing to try to fill some time to see if they could
get them running.  When it was clear that they needed more time, he
finally explained, "early Alzheimer's is setting in."

"What's So Funny ('Bout Peace, Love And Understanding)" has been covered
so often this past year that it's tempting to say that it's jumped the
shark.  This year alone, it's been featured in sets from Audioslave
(really Chris Cornell) to Steve Earle.  However, it's the kind of song
that can hold up forever no matter who's covering it.  Sunday night's
version was a bit messy, but Monday's was great, as Steve traded off
vocals with Bruce
for the song (rather than Jon Bon Jovi).  Willie Nile joined in on
guitar for the song, and at the end of the song, Nile, Nils, Jimmy
Vivino, Bruce, Steve, and Bobby Bandiera were at the front of the stage
playing together in that "My Love Will Not Let You Down"-way.

"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" brought a stage full of friends, family,
and contest winners.  On Sunday, Bruce noted that the contest winners
were from Niagara Falls,  and had to drive all the way back down after
they found out they won the contest.  It was hard to keep track of what
was going on up there.  However, it was great fun, which culminated in
Monday night's version.  They finally got the teleprompter working as
the introduction to the song started, and that didn't stop Bruce from
reading the entire list of Asbury merchants, as well as taking the time
to ham it up along the way. When he got to The Fashionable Man, he
noted, "If it ain't from The Fashionable Man, Southside ain't wearing
it!"  When he got to Southside Florist, Bruce noted that he had "a
little problem with Patti last week, so Southside fixed me up something
real nice to make everything better."  Of course, during this we were
being pelted with various pieces of candy being thrown from the stage.
After some of the candy had been thrown back on stage on Sunday night,
Bruce made sure to warn people "you better not throw any of those
fuckers back on stage or I'll wring your neck!"

You haven't experienced a Bruce concert until you've been pelted with
candy from the stage while cracking up at Bruce's silly jokes and trying
to sing along to "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" at the same time.   We
had been warned that we needed to keep our eyes on the candy throwers at
all time or we risked being hit in the face.  It didn't help, and it
also didn't matter.  It was silly and stupid and goofily fun all at the
same time, and a fitting conclusion to the weekend.

The moments during the shows - there were just too many.  It was "None
But The Brave," performed for the first time ever, in Asbury Park, the
lyrics evoking some night at the Stone Pony that exists only in your
mind.  It was Bruce strumming the acoustic back by the drums, watching
Nils finally get a chance to show off his talents and lead the crowd in
a fist-pumping anthem.  Or it was "The Wish," the crowd gently singing
along with Bruce until they finally build up to "if you're looking for a
sad song, well I ain't gonna play."  Indeed.  The biggest treat of the
weekend though was of course the guests.  Sam Moore, already mentioned.
But there's just this instant chemistry that exists when Southside,
Steve and Bruce are together, and the way they trade off the lines of
the Jukes songs as if they've done them for years.  Jimmy Vivino and
Bruce trading guitar licks, with Vivino upping the ante so Bruce had to
respond.  It was incredible to see Bruce's expressions and mannerisms
when backing up Jesse Malin - he was so proud of Jesse, and so clearly
relished the moment.

One of the challenges for musicians of Bruce's generation is how to grow
old gracefully, how to still be productive and creative without becoming
a nostalgia act.  Bruce has spoken about the latter enough times in
interviews that you know it's something he spends a lot of time
considering.  While the future of the E Street Band as we currently know
it is a matter for much debate, the fact is that they are getting
older.  Clarence, especially, has taken a lot of wear and tear lately.
Bruce Springsteen does nothing halfway.  He has a very clear conception
of what an E Street Band show is, and he never compromises it.  So if he
has to move to another vision, another incarnation, what is it going to
be?  Many, many fans think the next move is going to be another folk
record.  Watching Bruce with Sam Moore at the holiday shows, it's quite
possible we got an indication as to the direction Bruce will head in
next.  If you don't believe that rock and roll is a game for the young
only, then you have to look above your generation to see who still
endures with grace and dignity.  But beyond the spectrum of rock and
roll is where it seems like Bruce is looking to for direction and
inspiration.  (Seen Solomon Burke lately?  That guy brings 29 people
onstage with him, including two guys who do nothing but dance and hold
his cape.  He sits on a throne all night and still kicks more ass than
most people one-quarter of his age.) The older soul and blues singers do
offer a model for old age that is sustainable, and seems very appealing
to Bruce.  It's less physical, but it's nowhere near less intense.  And
who wouldn't love to see Bruce take this show on the road as the
ultimate white soul review?

Whether or not this weekend was an indicator for the future, without a
doubt, it was one of the most memorable Springsteen moments in history.
We stood in that glorified high school gym that is Asbury Park
Convention Hall, feeling as though we were part of some secret society,
singing along to the Southside songs and "Thundercrack," singing along
as though they were songs we'd heard every day forever.  At those
moments, it felt like we were the only people in the world who still
knew and cared about this music.  When Southside sang "I know he's
talking 'bout the way I feel," it wasn't a general observation on the
magic of a rock and roll show, it was just about this show, and those of
us who were there, in Convention Hall that night.  

When Southside goes, the sound of the Jersey Shore will become a myth.
When Bruce leaves us and Asbury fades into ruins, all we'll have left
are these songs.  Only here, in Asbury Park, will you find 2,300 people
who will sing every single word of "Kitty's Back," as well as dance
their asses off to Sam Moore and Bruce Springsteen bringing the music of
their hearts back to life -- it was astounding, and only in Asbury.