Two tickets to Jungleland

Aside from memories, stubs are all I have left from two Bruce Springsteen concerts I've attended last night and 20 years ago, to the day.

The 1988 show was in Chicago at the Rosemont Horizon. The stub clearly states "The E Street Band," but it's an uncorrected error. Bruce toured without the band, though with Patty, the other woman at the time, promoting his disappointing solo effort "Tunnel of Love." It was not Bruce's finest work, and the show didn't inspire like the other four times I've seen him. Then again, the E Street Band was playing each other time.

So it was last night at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Though Patty, having transformed herself over 20 years from vixen to caring mother, was home with their teenagers and Danny Federici is sitting out while undergoing treatment for melanoma, this was Bruce Springsteen AND the E Street Band, and it rocked! And just like 20 years ago, I was with my wife Lisa (we married 10 days after the 1988 show) and our Chicago friends Rich and Jane.

Call me a creature of habit, but there's something to be said for consistency. I take comfort in lifelong friendship. And I like knowing that when I shell money down for a Bruce Springsteen concert, I'm going to get my money's worth. Last night, I enjoyed both.

Clarence Clemens, my god! And Steven Van Zant, Badda Bing! Max Weinberg, I'd rather see you there than on Leno. Bruce, what can I say? We go back a long ways man, it's been a fun ride, but when did you start to look like Tom Harkin?

Here's this from the St. Paul Pioneer Press review: One moment said it all, when he was standing at the lip of the stage, away from the microphone with his eyes closed, singing the chorus of "Long Walk Home" joined by more than 17,000 fans in the audience. It was the sort of intimate moment that's tough to achieve and even tougher to fake.

Sunday night's 140-minute show was littered with such warm flourishes as well as plenty of good, old-fashioned rocking out. The set list roughly mirrored his last visit to the X back in November, which meant a show weighted toward his last two E Street Band albums, 2002's "The Rising" and last year's "Magic," as well as his 1975 breakthrough "Born to Run," including the show-opening "Night" and "Jungleland" during the encore.

And, sure, other encore tracks like "Dancing in the Dark" and "Born to Run" had the crowd on its feet, but much of the fresher stuff has graduated to true modern-classic status. Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt gleefully traded licks during the two manic solos of "Gypsy Biker," while 2002's "Lonesome Day" has grown to epic proportions. "Devil's Arcade" rumbles with the melodic majesty and contemporary feel of U2 or Coldplay. His show-closing "American Land" recalled 2006's excellent, and sadly under-attended, "Seeger Sessions" tour that saw Springsteen tackling classic folk numbers in a sing-along style. (And just in case anyone didn't get the point, the song's lyrics scrolled on the big screens.)

Well said. And we got "Jungleland"! How cool is that? And in case you missed it, the writer rates Springsteen right up there with Coldplay. Not bad for a 58-year old man.

Last night's show ranks third on my list. Number two was when Bruce broke my cherry, so to speak, in 1984. I bought tickets from a scalper for $75, which was a lot of money for a college student at the time, and took a girl I was trying to impress to the show at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. I think I was more impressed than she was.

Number one, the single greatest show I've seen, period, was the 2004 Vote for Change concert sponsored by Moveon. After someone called Bright Eyes opened, the St. Paul stage gave way to REM, Bruce and the Band, and John Fogerty. Neil Young made a surprise appearance. Holy shit! Even if it wasn't in support of a cause I supported, and even though I accompanied local media types who risked their jobs just to see a rock and roll show, the performances were outstanding.

And, just to be complete, #4 would be "The Rising" tour in 2002, also at Xcel (a fabulous concert venue that I suspect is great for Minnesota Wild hockey too) and #5 is the aforementioned "Tunnel of Love" tour. My friends from Chicago would agree.