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I applied for and was accepted to be a guest DJ on Sirius E Street Radio! This was such an honor I can't even begin to express. I had a very hard time deciding which stories to tell. And a couple of the ones I chose didn't not make it into the final cut. Here's the final version. If you don't want to listen to the music (I have no idea WHY you would want to skip that!) but the stories I tell are at the following time stamps: Story #1 (0-1:50 Hiding out in the bathroom at Big Man's West, see pics below) Story #2 (18:00 Meeting Bruce at the Fast Lane, see pic below) Story #3 (37:35 The Springsteen Concert connection)  These are the pics from the opening night party at Big Man's West in Red Bank, NJ [taken with a 110 camera!] Absolutely worth waiting in the bathroom for 4 hours!The pic below is from the very first time I met Bruce in Person...at The Fast Lane in Asbury Park...when I asked him for a KISS!!!
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Bruce showed up at the Pony one night, and rocked the place, as usual. Before he quit playing, Lenny and I walked outside and waited for him to come out. i had my camera...so when he came outside, i asked if I could get a picture with him, he said "Sure, just make it quick" so we walked around to the back of the bar, I gave my camera to Lenny, and when I walked next to Bruce for the picture, he wrapped his arms around me and wow that was so incredible! Lenny took a great shot! in focus and everything. The next day, i went to the One Hour photo place at the mall (remember those?) and got it developed. The following weekend, back at the Pony, I brought a copy with me and Bruce was there AGAIN and I asked him to sign it, and he did! Thanks for taking this awesome photo, Lenny, and for sharing some amazing Springsteen moments with me!  Patty received an injection in her neck so she could enjoy the show pain-free. Unfortunately, the cortisone injection made thing worse before they got better. She hobbled through the parking lot, optimistic that by the time the show started, she word feel better. On the way, we met John. John was from LA, another long-time Bruce fan...and although we didn't know it at the time he would be our ticket to getting into the pitt before everyone else. John was buddies with someone on the security team, so when we reached the section of the parking lot where we were supposed to hang out and wait for them to draw the magic number which would then determine if we would get into the pitt, John disappeared. A while later, he approached us and told us to go to the front of the line...we were like, HUH? He said, don't worry, I've taken care of everything. We had no idea what he meant, but we figured we had nothing to loose. So, up to the front of the line we went. The security guys told us to hang out off to the side..we did but were still confused about what was going on. We began chatting with the security guy..I'll call him Jeremy....we became good friends during the hour-long wait for them to let us in. Around 6pm, they told us to line up. Patty and I, some guy who was on crutches, someone in a wheel chair, and one elderly person. Yes, we were grouped with those who needed "special help" getting into the arena. Pattys' intense pain was our ticket to front and center! Once they opened the gates, we were the first ones allowed in..we made our way (slowly) to the front of the arena, and parked ourselves on the floor, claiming the best spot in the place. It was a very long day, and even though she was in pain the whole time, Patty never complained once and we got to see one of the most amazing shows ever!  I was living on the east coast, Patty on the west coast, so we met in the middle! We scored tickets, booked a hotel room and proceeded to play scrabble in the lobby, to kill time until the show.
At around 4pm, there was some commotion in the lobby...and there was Bruce, walking into the hotel, carrying his guitar, with just one other "handler"...and a crowd of others who somehow found out he was there...and US! We of course jumped up and followed him to the elevator, took a few pics and then tried to figure out how to run into him again! I'm looking for these pics... We had it all planned out. We had the markers, the tape...and we even found paper napkin rings when eating dinner, that would make perfect wrist bands! But when we got inside, we realized that the wrist bands to get into the Pitt were the only color we DID NOT HAVE, highlighter yellow! We were bummed. Then, Patty noticed that one of the two guys sitting on the floor near by, two rabbis from the looks of them, had a yellow highlighter in his pocket! After trying to chat with them, i asked to borrow it, and proceeded to color the paper wrist bands then tape them together...we were ready! We saw the guy checking wrist bands and it seemed east to get by him, especially now that the show had begun. We headed over...but did not see the other guy who was actually pulling on the wrist bands to make sure they were LIGIT! He tugged on mine, it held (I used masking tape) then he tugged on Patty's...it broke! she had used scotch tape...so I turned around figuring we would not make it into the pitt...but luckily for us, there was another person behind Patty who didn't have ANY WRISTBAND AT ALL! so, the security guy chased after her, and me and Patty ran into the pitt, blended in with the crowd...and enjoyed the rest of the show!  |
Author I have three life-long passions, and Bruce Springsteen is at the top of that list. I grew up in Freehold too, and I felt a connection as soon as I heard Born to Run at my friend Carol's house, when I was around 14. His music touched me. I've been to over 50 live shows, and have seen him play in bars, at the Jersey Shore. ArchivesCategories |
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