On the Road Again with Mr. Springsteen

I skipped seeing Bruce and the E Street Band when they came to Denver with the last tour (Working On A Dream)--now that I think about it, that's the first time I'd skipped a Springsteen tour (on purpose) for a while--maybe ever (since I first saw him perform in 1976).

He's back on the road now with a new album (Wrecking Ball) and with what appears to be a new intensity in the wake of the passing of Clarence Clemons--trying his best, single-handedly, to keep the dream of the invisible Whitmanian republic (the "America we hold in our hearts" as he puts it) alive.

I fear, however, that that America is not the one most of his fellow citizens hold in their hearts (like Bruce, I am a throw-back).

Still, he persists, holding his tent-revivals wherever he goes. You have to admire him for that, if you can stomach the pathos.

By the mid-'70's, the Stones were singing "It's only rock and roll" but, for Bruce, it has always been more than that. He is a true believer. Sadly, however, believing just isn't enough. Never has been, of course, but there was a time in this country when the music could lead to more: to a changed consciousness. Those days are well behind us.

Nowadays, I recommend a multi-year reading program in Tolstoy, conducted at whatever pace suits the individual reader. In my view, Tolstoy is essential.

So, God bless Bruce! Long may he run. Unfortunately, though, I think Jagger and Richards probably got it right: it is "only rock and roll" (and, as the song goes, I still like it). If Bruce swings by my neck of the woods again, I'm likely to show up and pay my respects.

But, for the rest of the time, I remember that Tolstoy remains.

I recognize that reading the Russian Bear is a big commitment; indeed, that's what I told a friend who urged me to read Tolstoy when I was 22. She insisted that, if anyone should read Tolstoy, I should. At the time, I just shrugged my shoulders and assured her that I would get around to those fat tomes at some point. And, several years later, I did.

The point is to do it. Do it now. The hour is getting late.