What Love Can Do in Philly

It's 10 days later... Bruce and his band are playing Philly... and my good buddy, Johnny aka STREET SCENE keeps on talking, urging me... "You don't wanna miss Philly, Gina!" But how could I go? I seriously needed to slow down and save some cash... but I was having way too much fun... even my sister told me that it was time to come back to "reality"... and stop chasing a 60 year old man around the country! "Around the world!" I corrected her! What she didn't realize was that... I wasn't chasing him... I was using him... to see the world... or at least parts of it. I was using the tour to live a little... it had been so long since I had enjoyed the fuck out of life!! You can only live for everyone else for so long before you have to break free and... well... damn it... I was having so much fun... I guess it should have been against the law... So to please the "real world" I didn't go to Philly... I stayed home... in their "reality." The bad time I had at Giant Stadium helped me make my choice... but it's hard to make a good choice when you let your emotions or hurt feelings be the boss... but since I had chosen to come back to reality and had all my home "duties" done... I went ahead and put up the "Official Set List Thread" and set up the stream so my Bruce-friends could listen to the show with me. Holy shit!! :o Seaside Bar Song? Jesus... they hadn't played that since 1973!! They were bout to cut loose and I WASN'T THERE!! Johnny was right again... Yes it was another Born To Run show... but the "fillers" were off the hook! By the time The Fever ended I had left the world of "reality" and decided to head to Philly for another round of Darkness On The Edge of Town! Then came the battle between the angel on my left shoulder and the devil on my right... or was that the devil on my left and the angel on my right? I guess that depends on whose world you are in. ;) So far the one on my left shoulder was winning... I didn't have a ticket... I better not go... then I got a pm from Robb... the ticket was no longer an issue... but now time was. It was already near noon and if I was gonna go... depending on how fast I drive it takes about 6 or 7 hours... with no traffic... I wasn't even close to being ready... and what was I gonna wear? Oh hurry, Gina... I drove faster than normal... :o and got there with 15 minutes to spare... looking for a sign that I had done the right thing. Thundercrack... Baby's back... well we were off to a great start... The Ties That Bind... WHAT LOVE CAN DO!! A sign... I had done the right thing!!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

What Love Can Do! That was all I needed... but I got so much more that night in Philly... I got my fire back!! I realized that there was so much more I wanted... and needed from the band... so many songs I hadn't heard and there was only a little over a month left of the tour. This would be the last time that Darkness On The Edge Of Town would be played in it's entirety... What an incredible album... listening to it reminded me of the pain and confusion I was living in 1978... and how the music saved me from wallowing in that pain... it helped me to realize that I wasn't alone... and that we were all hurting... but together with the healing balm of the music I could overcome the darkness... and live in "reality" again... with the rest of the strangers... walking down Streets of Fire.

What an album... I stood in awe so glad I hadn't missed this last performance of it. I was up along the side of the stage... looking down at the band... on Patti's side... Yes, Patti had slipped out of "reality" too, to join the band and we were graced with Human Touch... a very nice touch... but it was Stevie who brought down the hope of glory in friendship... and new beginnings... in Long Walk Home. (video from the night before.)

As I drove home right after the show... I told the devil on my left shoulder to "STFU" and assured the angel on my right that we would be going to the next two shows in Philly to see the Born To Run and Born In The USA shows... hoping and praying for FOR YOU solo on the piano... and of course... Life Itself!