The Boss

I ain't here on business baby, I'm only here for fun

Bruce Springsteen

This week has been a whole lot better. It started with an amazing weekend of live music and finished with me extraordinarily sore this morning from the toughest workout my body has seen in at least a decade. Let's start with music :)

Jacky and I went to see Steely Dan Saturday night at The Riverside Theater in Milwaukee. They put on a great show and played a full hour longer than when I saw them in Vegas. We were 20 rows back center stage. They just sound fabulous and have an exceptional band. I real nice appetizer to the main course I was going to get Sunday night and believe me that turned out to be an epic banquet of music and energy.




Let me preface all this by saying I understand the impact Bruce Springsteen has had on music. I like his music just fine. My favorite workout song is Rosalita and I often use it as the initial leg when do interval training and have used it to help me up the stop sign hill as well. I'm not a huge fan and it has been almost a quarter century since I last saw him live in the Orange Bowl in Miami in 1985. I didn't have a ticket, and I couldn't talk any of my friends into making the trip to Milwaukee for the Sunday night show. And I just wanted to say to all of those friends that passed up the chance to be part of this evening. Your mistake was epic because I have never in my life seen a show like the one I saw Sunday night.






I walked up to the window an hour and a half before show time and picked up a seat in the upper level for $50. I was a long way from the stage but there were quite a few empties around so I moved closer to the stage but still pretty high up. The band came on at about 8:20 and started with Cadillac Ranch. Two songs later possibly the biggest rock star in America was out in the crowd and doing a "Lambeau Leap" into the crowd which then passed him overhead back the 50 yards to the stage. This 60 year old in amazing shape had the crowd enthralled and in a frenzy like state.


They played the entire Born to Run album from start to finish. It sounded flawless. Took requests from the fans who were prepared with all sorts of posters naming songs. Played a song that hadn't been heard on tour since 2003. And gave in to the crowd's pleading and broke out the seasonal classic Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Bruce also joked about his faux pas when he talked about Ohio while on stage in Detroit. I have never seen a band of this magnitude have so much fun. I used to think that the Stones were the hardest working band around but they can not hold a candle to the E Street Band. It takes a lot to blow me away and this show was untouched in my mind. A copy of this show should be required viewing for any touring artist and any aspiring musician because this is how you get it done. Congrats to The Boss I feel as if I wasted the last 24 years by not partaking in more of these shows.



And just to cap off the perfect concert night Bruce and the band broke out a stirring rendition of Rosalita in their encore. A little over 3 hours after they started the sweaty, and spent band said goodnight and no one who was there will ever forget it.







I signed up at a new gym and had my first supervised session. I was greeted by a personal trainer that looked like he was made of stone. He asked if I had worked out at all. I was able to push down that feeling that said maybe I should say I was a novice. I should have said I was a cripple because when I was done that was how I felt. Lunges with medicine balls, steps with the medicine balls, swinging a fitness ball filled with water, sprints at increasing speed on the treadmill, sit ups, crunches, weights. I think he stepped it up when he caught me checking the clock with 20 minutes left in the session. I was happy with my level of fitness even though at one point I was looking for the nearest trash can just in case. Got back on the treadmill this morning in an effort to stretch out those sore muscles and joints. Going to do laps tomorrow. Get to personal train again Friday where he casually added at the end of our time that now that he knows I can take it he will really push me next time. It was nice knowing you guys :) Seriously bring it on!! Hope everyone is doing well, getting ready for Thanksgiving a holiday dedicated to two of my favorite things food and football. However whomever scheduled these crappy games for the NFL should be shot. Don't forget to add some music to your day, and if Springsteen is anywhere near you make a point to go see him, he is one of kind. Peace, jim