Bruce!!!!!

The first time I saw Bruce Springsteen was 28 (yikes!) years ago when he opened the then-called Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands. My friend's father had some kind of in with the governor, which meant my friend had tickets to every one of the six shows the Springsteen did.

I don't remember much about that show, except that we had great seats and a great time. Growing up in New Jersey, Springsteen shows were a rite of passage and pride. And since Bruce was from New Jersey and his drummer went to the same high school that I did, and I got those first tickets for free, I figured I'd have many more Bruce shows in my future. In other words, I took it too much for granted. Sure, I went to other Bruce shows, but I haven't been to one in a long time. How long? Let's put it this way: the last time I went to a Bruce concert, we used matches and lighters to signal for an encore.

Tonight I'm going to see Bruce at the XL Center in Hartford. I. Can't. Wait.