Two River gigs from Bruce Springsteen - 35 years apart
It’s 38 years since Bruce Springsteen brought his first ever ‘River’ tour to Scotland.
His live debut consisted of two nights, back to back, at the Playhouse Theatre in Edinburgh
‘The River’ - the album and the gigs - were my introduction to the Boss.
The concerts were actually planned for March and then rescheduled - my ticket stub still shows the original date. Tickets cost £5.50 or £6 (the 50p presumably being a booking fee. If only charges were as minimal today ...)
My dad stayed in one of the row of houses right opposite the stage door at the time, and occasionally got complimentary tickets to compensate for the disruption caused as bands such as the Stones sucked up so much power the residents struggled to get a decent TV reception, not to mention the dull thud of the bass and drums pounding through their brick walls.
So, I got two Springsteen tickets for free.
I mentioned to my music teacher at Wester Hailes Education Centre I was off to see the gig. He told me Springsteen would change my life.
Any time I go back to the theatre I still pick out my seat in the stalls - Row Z, Seat 49, about one third back to the left of the stage. Perfect view.
Outside, I was offered £100 for my ticket - an astronomical sum of money to a skinny kid who lived seven floors up in the flats at Cobbinshaw House in Sighthill.
However tempted I was - and I was! - I figured this guy had to be worth seeing.
The memories of the gig are little more than fragments; still vivid snapshots from an evening which sparked a lifelong love affair with Springsteen’s music that will probably be played as I’m carried out the door in my coffin.
Pre-gig we stood in the foyer waiting for him to finish his soundcheck which, legend has it, took some three hours - effectively a show before the show as he drilled his band one last time.
I recall peering through the square glass windows that led to the stalls, watching as the final checks were done.
I can still recall the sonic boom of Clarence Clemons’ sax solo in ‘Independence Day’ which hit me square in the chest and knocked me back into my seat, and the thrill of watching him and Springsteen sliding on their knees across the Playhouse stage.
There’s a memory of Springsteen on top of the piano conducting the crowd, a mass rendition of the first verse of ‘Hungry Heart’ and a rollicking ‘Sherry Darling’, and while much of his music was new to me, the sheer power of the performance was captivating, exhilarating and utterly joyous.
After the gig we scuttled down the lane to my dad's house. His garage looked directly on to the stage door. The road had been closed off at either end, but we were able to stand in the garage and watch the band leave in a fleet of limos. Still regret not jumping in as a stowaway to spend my days on E Street ...
I’ve seen Springsteen play stadiums across the UK, at Hyde Park and the Olympic Stadium, watched him transform Wembley Arena into a village hall to celebrate the music of Pete Seeger, and sat on the banks of a stream outside the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff listening to him soundcheck ‘Racing In The Streets’ inside the empty stadium - it was a glorious summer’s evening, and it felt like a private performance for an audience of one.
But that very first Playhouse gig stands out among them to this day.
It also led to my article being included in an anthology of fans' memories of Springsteen's gigs from across his career - a genuine thrill to sit and read the book with my small contribution among the hundreds of contributions.
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