It seems that life keeps passing me by with increasing indifference as I continue my journey. Case in point - the "Vote For Change" Tour. When I first heard about it, I told my wife that we "gotta go" that it's "unprecedented" and "historic", plus I'd never seen Springsteen in concert and I really needed to see him before it's too late...before he or I checked out...
doesn't matter who goes first
well...then again...

I never guessed at the time I was going on & on about B-R-U-C-E and the intersection of music and politics that I would forget to buy tickets.
Yep, it just slipped my mind. I missed the chance of a lifetime, and didn't even know it. I'm reminded of how my life parallels that of Bruce Willis' character in the movie, The Sixth Sense. He's a psychiatrist treating a child who sees "dead people", unknowing until the very end that HE is a dead person. I'm like that character, unaware of how unaware I am. Anyway, I eventually bump into an old friend from Easter Seals, the lovely Julie Dorcey, who just happens to have two extra tickets. I cop 'em like I'm doing her a favor, not knowing the concert has been sold out for over a month. I asked my buddy Bob Martin if I could cover the show for the Bay Area Review. He agreed to let me freelance. So...I go about tryin' to freelance. You know, to get a "Press Pass" so I could rub shoulders with rock's elite and take a picture with my arm around Patti Scialfa and my hand on Stipe's butt

But, alas, it was not to be. I called Sue White (Saginaw News) for advice. I even sold my soul and signed up with moveon.org and asked for a press pass. I didn't get a press credential but they did sent along dozens of annoying spam-like emails. I emailed my friend Luther "Badman" Keith. He's a great bluesman, and assistant editor of The Detroit Free Press, who personifies the "bad is cool and cool's the rule" maxim. But he didn't know anyone from Olympia Entertainment, Cobo's management arm.

So, I prepared myself for the "show of a lifetime" with a modest 3 X 5 inch memo pad, 4 Bic pens, and a 35mm camera with three rolls of 26 exposure film

And off we go..

But not so quick
We are almost immediately trapped in stop & go...& mostly stop traffic.
I wondered ..."Whassup?"
Never found out but it added about an hour to our drive. We left at 3pm and hit Detroit at 6pm. No time for dinner. We rush breathlessly into the arena...huff and puff... only to stand in line for another 45 minutes. We finally get onto the main floor - standing only. No seats.
Eventually we marked our territory toward the back of the arena, a coveted "wall seat".

I promised Lisa a nice dinner. And here she is in an action photo scarfin' one of Cobo's gourmet hot dogs. Notice the box of Cobo's signature popcorn to her right.
"Nuthin' too good for MY baby"

Before the show started I wandered amongst the crowd...

Here's some typical democrats. Notice the girl on the right. She's describing the size and dimension of her boyfriend's wallet
"Gets me sooo hot"
. The crowd was a quite a mix of blue collar music fanatics, bourgeois politicos, news reporters ("excuse me I'm so & so from the New York Times and I would like to ask you blahblahyaddayadda...and blah"), but NO BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. Nobody dressed to the nines, showin' off a little cleavage, struttin' that booty.
I wonder..."Whassup?"

Thank GOD...at least the living dead made an appearance
seems they got quite a taste for people who mix politics and music

Written messages on the big screens that flank the stage reminded us of why we were there.

I didn't give a hoot about those messages, I knew why I was there...
THE BOSS
Though the music got my attention in the first place, I wanted to be part of this historic event, this a call to arms. And to use our music as the vehicle for change.
It's not a novel idea.

Don't get me wrong I'm not convinced that Kerry is the answer. During the Mongrel's Kerry Rally at White's someone wrote,
"If a vote could change the system, it would be illegal"

Is the machinery of government bigger than the people who administrate it?

I guess I do care.
There was a buzz in the air. But it was muted as if we were too scared to scream. And we didn't dance....

Bright Eyes aka Conner Oberst opened the show.

This kid radiates passion and he's a clever lyricst, check out Spring Cleaning
"Amy's got a baby in her stomach, she took my hand and I felt it kick
So she's crying and glowing, she's three months and showing
Seeing her now makes me want to live
But her man's got an angry mouth, he once told me to rot in hell
He's poisonous, reasonless, demons and Jesus, if he died it'd be just as well"

intense

He's been compared to a mid-period Dylan. I don't see it but tonight he reeked of angst. Even threw himself down on the floor kickin' and screamin' like Seger doin' Heavy Music back in '66
My biggest gripe was the PA. It ran too hot. For instance, when Oberst strummed his acoustic/electric it sounded like a damn chainsaw
and the drums and bass guitar were mixed up front like an atom bomb. This typical post-modern, over-the-top mix - especially in the cavernous Cobo - eliminates nuance and the unique sound each performer brings to his music. Truly a shame for a relative unknown such as Oberst 'cos he IS unique. His band had an unlikely combination of horns, fiddle, and pedal steel. But the acoustic/electric drowned 'em all out.

Bruce and Stipe, the stars of the show, were also the defacto MC's. They introduced Bright Eyes, each other, Fogerty, band members and took time to examine the reasons they formed this alliance. It was neither overwrought nor preachy but reasonable and well-considered
It needed to be said
And it took considerable courage to "stand up"

Southern punk/folk icons REM perfomed next. Frontman Michael Stipe looked wonderful, trim and healthy. Dressed totally in white he evoked a sense of renewal. His political activism has emerged unscathed since the '90's. And his voice is strong and agile. In fact, his vocal range is more than impressive. He's just a flat out great singer.

They open withThe One I Love from their hard rockin' 1987 LP Document. Lotsa energy. The crowd is immediately drawn to REM's cool rhythms and Stipe's compelling but elusive presence. He teases and cajoles and by God, he dances just like Question Mark (of 96 Tears fame).

Stipe is totally in command of the crowd, He's struttin' and posin' and thoroughly enjoying himself. Not content to rely on the "hits" REM introduces new songs like the powerful Leaving New York, an instant classic in the vein of Everybody Hurts. REM is in their element tonight and reassert their status as bonafide rock 'n' roll superstars. Chimey guitars, great singin', and Stipe's wonderfully cryptic lyrics. Highlights include Losing My Religion and Man on the Moon, two seminal works that had the crowd on their feet and screaming for more. No oldies act, REM doesn't rely on their vast catalogue of music. They have a new CD and a new tour and appear as relevant today as they were in the 90's.

Once called the future of rock 'n' roll and the next Dylan, Bruce Springsteen had some serious hype to live down.

He's been idealized and denigrated and misunderstood but the fact remains that Springsteen is an American Icon. He's an almost prototypical rocker with guitars out front and catchy hooks. But Springsteen's different. His genius is in his plain-spoken poetic visions and his instinctive grasp of uniquely American themes. He's THE working class hero who gives our homely lives a poignance and a sweeping grandeur that we barely recognize. Springsteen is a true believer of the power of music and can sing of transcendance when the American dream becomes a nightmare. The effect is liberating.

He's really a modern folk hero. Our Woody Guthrie.
But tonight he's rockin' with the E Street Band. I counted ten musicians that included Steve Van Zandt, Patti Scialfa, Nils Lofgren, Max Weinberg, and Clarence "The Big Man" Clemons. This is an incredible band that was able to overcome the muddy over-hot mix of the PA.

Springsteen opened with perhaps the most powerful 1-2 punch I've ever heard. He begins with an uncommon arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner on his acoustic/electric followed by the brutal majesty of Born in the U.S.A. Tonight Springsteen pulls together a concise songlist from his prolfic catalog. Badlands, No Surrender, The Ties That Bind, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and The River. He reaffirms his status as a heartland rocker with a soul. Despite the outward hard rockin' gloss, Springsteen's music has a plaintive quality with dire yet redemptive themes and vivid lyricism.

Bruce and Patti.
Scailfa's strong onstage presence seemed oddly comforting. She played guitar most of the evening and provided backing vocals.
Bruce was in good hands

And he was incredibly generous with the spotlight. Half way through his set, Springsteen brings Stipe back onstage to sing Because the Night a song he co-wrote with Patti Smith. It's a great rockin' tune about love and lust...about human connection.

While in high school Stipe was enamored by the work of Smith and the New York punk scene. Her seminal LP Horses inspired him to form a band.
It forever changed his life

At this point John Fogerty joins Springsteen on stage. It was the high point of the show. Fogerty is the only sixties rocker on the bill and he was marvelous

Fogerty looked and sounded like a much younger version of himself. And his energetic jump, bounce, and roll was simply amazing. Fogerty was the creative force behind Creedence Clearwater Revival whose rootsy neo-blues/country/rockabilly sensibilities made them one of the most popular bands in America. Fogerty came on like the Everly Brothers during the Simon & Garfunkel Reunion shows of 2003. He performed three songs
short and oh so sweet

Centerfield with Springsteen

His poignant performance of Deja Vu All Over Again was captivating and may prove to be another Fogerty classic. But it was Fortunate Son that brought the crowd to their feet shoutin' for more

This is the rockin' heavy metal arrangement from his "Live" CD Premonition.
POWERFUL

It was a wonderful rockin' evening despite a somewhat subdued crowd. The message was clear. Now go out and vote on November 2nd.
Make a difference.

Peace,
Bo White