Monday, December 31, 2007

Ready to set down 2007?

Happy New Year everyone!
Be safe and have fun.
Cheers!

Sunday, December 23, 2007

And to ALL a GOOD NIGHT

Merry Christmas! Love ya!

Pilgrim In The Temple Of Love

I never thought I'd see the day when HIK made the Front Page of the Livin' In The Future blog!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Because the night belonged to ' Woodsie' .. 19th dec 2007

Sorry for the late post here folks but honest to the lord above i'm really only comin down from this show .
i do recall if you all check the history books that i am on record as saying how does it get better than Belfast on this tour ??? .
well Bruce must be secretly be reading this blog and decided to prove me wrong .
Man , where does the passion and desire come from to do this night after night after night ?? and i'm talking about Bruce here !!!
Where does he get the energy from never mind the desire . i swear to you by the time the show finished i was ' shagged ' ( little old irish expression for ' quite exhausted ' !! ) .

took my seat seperate to Gerry and Sara with beer ( or 2 ) in hand . excellent , excellen seat ... 2 or 3 rows from side of the stage at an angle in front which allowed me to see the all band members pretty darn good. i was on clarence side this time so that was nice as was roy's side in belfast .

anyhow , ' is the anybody alive out there ' ..... bet he is sorry he asked that twice !!!
i actaully apologised to the guy right next to me to say ' sorry man but i'm gonna give this gig socks and sing my f****g heart out . he apologised and and said that although he was a big bruce fan and 1st time seeing him he would sit and take it all in .... HA !! my IRISH ASS !! , by the time radio nowhere finished the dude was doing an Irish Gig with me and we hav'nt even began to think about American Land yet ??!!!

i'll skip to the chase here folks but we all pretty know how intense the first 5,6,7, songs can be and wonder what will be no 8 ?? will it be a change or the the same as the most previous show . well personally i couldnt give a damn cause when one hears the opening chords to becasue the night one knows he is at a unique event . now this is where i said to myself ' woodsie boy you gotta makes some harsh decisions here ... this show is now going to have to be weighed up against belfast ?? ....... but by the time bruce and particularly nils finished the guitar work ( by the way! you could actually see bruce almost in awe at Nils guitar work ) , well i kinda knew this show was gonna come into my 2nd all time bruce event - ( slane 85 - will never ever be relplaced -- lost my bruce virginity here -- '' AND ' he '' WAS JUST 17 !!! ) where was i ?? oh yeah ..... beacuse the night into shes the one ?? ah why try explain , get the bootleg !!!

i actually thought working was the audible tonight because the band seemed to stall or something but it was a treat .

now what can i say and hold your ears here ed e but when racing in the streets was instantly recognisable by me i neary cried man . the intensity of that song live is unreal . Roy is totally amazing at this craft but he totally excelled himself on this one . its a classic that i was aching for . brilliant brillaint musicianship all round .

Next highlight for me was last to die ..... i wished for bruce classics and to me this will just go down as one . we all have our own from albums gone by, but to me this song would fit on any one of them ..... pure genius bruce - how the f**k do you do it ??

Long walk ...... probably brought out the best in the crowd ?! lights up etc... everybody in this ' big building ' singing at the top of thier voices was quite a remarkable experience to be part of i can tell you .
badlands ??? ah jesus --- where would you get it , just again totally totally amazing . crowd luuuuvved it !!!

next up? girls in their summer clothes, then Jungleland ( 2 warm songs together ? get it ?? funny bastid ) , But seriously Jungleland is poetry pepole . all the great irish poets and a yank tops them all ?? but i can live with that guys !! jungleland is a song you have to sit to, and absorb, until clarence brings you to your feet in near tears !! ah jasus it was a hightlight , one of many of the show . pure magic , excuse the pun! but clarence man i love you .

born to run is born to run , pure rock genius .... cant really say much more about this song can we ? SO AMERCIAN LAND ? my ass Bruce Springsteen is American ? IRISH IRISH he has to be !
happy xmas all and one -- love you all my friends , one and all .. Now belfast and london bootlegs for me ?and santa will really have come to town !!! roll on 2008 baby roll on !!!!!!!!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Bossercize!

Glynis reports that "Radio Nowhere" is on the current Jazzercise set, but she hasn't done the routine yet. Bon Jovi has already had songs, also Eric Clapton and U2. Maybe we can do the routine when we tailgate?

Ho, Ho......Ho, my God!!!

Janine, I think I want some new earmuffs for Christmas:


Tuesday, December 18, 2007

London calling........

London IS calling Mick Woods and Sara Rutherford! Right to the O2 Arena. I believe this is first show of the tour for Ms. Rutherford. The leg closer she will no doubt be kicking herself for not getting to other shows! Ah but he shall return. That's the good news!

As I don't think Sara can figure for a lick how to post here maybe she can email me and I can do it for her! Otherwise it's up to Woods again to be the on the spot reporter.

Have a great show guys. I expect this one to be a barn burner to close out the year.
Enjoy tomorrow night!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Mick, did you lose your hat in Belfast?

BEFAST !!

Hey folks !! i'm home !

what can i say people ? although i thought i had seen BRUCE a lot more i worked it out the othere night that Belfast was my 18th time , and i got to tell you it ranked right up there now in my top 3 i'd say !!
somebody tell me how the F**K ( Feck) 22 years after i have seen him first he can come up with even more passion than he had all those years ago . the man is just inspirational .

our seats were to the right of the stage if facing it or thats left if standing right behind it !! liam and i took our seats while Ger fetched a beer . when he returned he could not believe how god damn lucky we were to have scored such good seats . as liam said we can almost smell his aftershave and as vanessa ( Gers wife ) said ' i can almost touch his ass '!!!!

' is there anbody alive out there belfast ' !! by jesus .... we were nearly watching an outdoor gig right there and then as the lid was nearly lifted off the place with the roar of the crowd . radio nowhere rocks each time ..... just sets the place alive ....

i have to say i honestly nearly wet my pants ( maybe cause i had'nt taken a toilet break beofre the gig ) when i heard the opening chords to because the night on the piano i know i was in for a treat . i had only been watching on you tube the night before bruce playing it at passaic 78 and was saying wouldnt it be nice if he played it in belfast . the guitar work by nils is awesome . the whole song just builds and builds and builds and you cant help but become the character in the song or something ?!

after waiting on a sunny day things went dark and quiet so i guessed we were in for something slow or quiet ... i turned to vanessa and said 'the river ' would be nice now and sure enough another haunting version was to follow ... unbelievable bruce - i love that song .

last to die ( my favourtite on the album ) was brilliant -- boy , that song is full of energy , a bruce classic if you ask me !!

always nice to hear kittys back , he played in dublin in 2003 which was the 1st time in 11 yrs he played in europe at the tiem , so did'nt expect to hear it again in my lifetime !!

no THUNDER ROAD but ' hey thats alright with me ' ................

just goes down as one of my favourite Bruce shows -- Bring on London Wed night !!!!!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Someone who's seen the light!!!

A late convert, just like me. But far more poignant than I could ever be:

http://www.njmonthly.com/issues/2007/12-Dec/coverstory/theboss.htm

Hey MICK

let me be the first to officially invite you to your birthday party!
If you can come, we have an extra ticket with your name on it. Heck we've even got one for Ger or Linda to sit next to you :)

Considering the day that's in it I think you should be here!

So How'd We Do?

I landed 4 in Floor Section 4, Row 8 for the 5J Reunion Tailgate party. :-)

Happy Birthday!

To Glynis! Hope you are doing something more fun than trying to buy tickets for Bruce!

To anyone who is.... good luck!

Friday, December 14, 2007

From today's Asbury Park Press

Going back for more
Michael Riley • STAFF COLUMNIST • December 14, 2007

There are those who attend a concert and want to hear a note-by-note re-creation of the music they've already, by God, bought and paid for.

I'm not one of those people. If I wanted to hear that, I'd stay home in my jammies with the earphones.

Of course, you can get too much of a good thing. As somebody who attended a few Grateful Dead concerts bereft of 'shrooms, those jam sessions could go on a week or so too long.

But sometimes, a reinterpretation of a familiar song gets closer to the truth of the music. A couple of examples from Springsteen on the road:

For years now, Springsteen has subtly changed the lyrics to the song "Darkness on the Edge of Town" when he performs it live.

The original lyrics are "I lost my money and I lost my wife/Them things don't seem to matter much to me now."

And that's powerful just as it is.

But when he sings that line now, it's "I lost my faith when I lost my wife."

So, the singer is no longer reciting a list of things that are gone but telling a story of the doubled loss of cause and effect. And he sings it now with a pinched, strained voice, as if the distant memory has once again overtaken him, as if telling the story means to live it again. And that means that when the protagonist bellows out the following lines — "Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop/I'll be on that hill with everything I got . . ." — it's less youthful bravado than it is a life-or-death promise one makes to oneself in desperate times. And if the times are always desperate, well . . .

Consider, as well, his reworking lately of the song "Reason to Believe." Originally, a loping folk tune, the lyrics depict a series of vignettes in which people continue to have faith when evidence and common sense suggest that something more hard-eyed and hard-edged is called for. A dead dog is not going to get up and run; a faithless lover is not coming back; a runaway bride is not simply running late.

On "Nebraska," the singer is bewildered and slightly bemused at the continued faith — "Struck me kind of funny, sir," he says, "seemed kinda funny, sir, to me/That at the end of every hard-earned day/people find some reason to believe."

It's 25 years later, and blind faith has taken this country into some pretty nasty places. Befuddlement is replaced by stuttering rage.

The E Street Band kicks into some sort of Texas blues stomp. Springsteen picks up the harmonica and starts stomping the beat, and practically spits out the lines. He sings the last stanza through a bullet mike, which distorts his voice, and he stammers out the lines — "ssstruck me kind of fffunny," practically banging his head against a wall of sound and fate.

This is why I go to concerts. What's more and what's next for the music I love is as important as the memory of the original.

Staff writer Michael Riley is an ordained Baptist minister. His column appears on Fridays. E-mail him at mriley@app.com or go to www.app.com and click on Staff Blogs for a link to his blog.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Belfast or BUST!

Hey Mick.....not sure when you are heading out to Belfast but just wanted to say ENJOY and we look forward to hearing from you when you return.
Live the music my friend!
Best to Ger and Liam!

Have fun!
xo

Monday, December 10, 2007

It's like a freight train

Ha, I love that! This is how Bruce describes their current, fast paced show. See the interview from Copenhagen HERE

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Friend or family?

Which are you?

Friends & Family Night, The Sequel!

"Good things come to those who wait" ... five years later, we return to the scene of the best tailgate in the history of the Great State of New Jersey (see original e-mail below).

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band take the stage at Jets Stadium on Monday, July 28th and we will be there!

Tickets go on-sale Saturday, 12/15 @ noon: watch here for on-line purchase http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/860453

Tickets also available through charge-by phone: 212-307-7171, 201-507-8900, 631-888-9000 or 866-448-7849 (Ticketmaster Express) ... perfect holiday gift for those of you behind in your shopping!

Looking forward to "making a little past" again with y'all!

All Night Long,
"CO"

Friday, December 7, 2007

NJ shows announced

Looks like a birthday party for WOODS in the parking lot!

December 7, 2007

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND ANNOUNCE SERIES OF NEW JERSEY SHOWS IN 2008

NEW VIDEO FOR "GIRLS IN THEIR SUMMER CLOTHES" AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON iTUNES LATER THIS MONTH

EUROPEAN TOUR COMPLETELY SOLD OUT, YIELDING RAVE REVIEWS

'MAGIC' CERTIFIED PLATINUM IN U.S. AND SEVERAL OTHER COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band today announced that they will perform at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ July 27, 28 and 31, 2008. Springsteen is the number one selling artist at the Meadowlands having sold out 66 concerts to date, including 51 with the E Street Band. (Ticket information follows.)

The announcement is the latest in a string of recent and upcoming milestones spawned by Springsteen's critically acclaimed new album 'Magic' (Columbia Records).

* Later this month, the iTunes Store will offer an exclusive bundle of "Girls In Their Summer Clothes," the latest single from 'Magic.' It will feature the new video for the song, directed by Mark Pellington; a new "Winter Mix" of the song; and a recent audio concert performance.

* Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band's European tour leg, currently in progress, is completely sold out and has elicited rave reviews. Telegraaf (The Netherlands) called a show the "rock concert of the year" while The Parool (The Netherlands) raved, "Springsteen burned down the house in Arnhem." Meanwhile, NRK TV (Norway) proclaimed a "Springsteen victory."

* Bruce Springsteen's twenty-third album 'Magic' has been certified platinum by the RIAA in the United States. It was released October 2 on Columbia Records and debuted at number one on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart. 'Magic' is also double Platinum in Norway; Platinum in Canada, Ireland, Italy, Holland and Sweden; and Gold in Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K.

Ticket sales information for Giants Stadium concerts:

Tickets for these shows will go on sale December 15 at noon (Eastern Standard Time) via Ticketmaster only. Ticket prices will be $95 and $65. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster locations and to charge-by phone, call 212-307-7171, 201-507-8900, 631-888-9000 or 866-448-7849 (Ticketmaster Express). Venue information is available at: http://www.meadowlands.com

http://www.shorefire.com

http://www.brucespringsteen.net

I have heard.....

that the US Summer dates were supposed to be announced yesterday with what ShoreFire was expecting to be a boatload of Grammy noms. Press was told to expect an announcement in the afternoon. It never came. Sounds like it has been delayed for the time being.
Interesting.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

We're back!

Got back late Sunday night. Can't speak for Chaz but I'm only back in body not mind or spirit. The rest of me is still out to lunch!

The trip was fabulous and here are the pictures. You will see that I was IN LOVE with the view from our villa as evidenced in the gajillion pictures I took of it! Feel free to skip over as many as you'd like ;)

What do you say after the tour we all rent houses on St. John and have a group vacation?????? 2009 anyone??????

http://picasaweb.google.com/mbw1024/StJohn2007

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Bruce has sung...

..these following lyrics:

"Now honey, I don't wanna clip your wings
But a time comes when two people should think of these things
Having a home and a family
Facing up to their responsibilities
They say in the end true love prevails
But in the end true love can't be no fairytale
To say I'll make your dreams come true would be wrong
But maybe, darlin', I could help them along

Little girl, I wanna marry you
Oh yeah, little girl, I wanna marry you
Yes I do
Little girl, I wanna marry you

Oh, darlin' There's something happy and there's something sad
'Bout wanting somebody, oh so bad,
I wear my love darlin', without shame
I'd be proud if you would wear my name."

Well, it is these feelings that I share for Janine, and I made that clear to her at the top of the Cape May Lighthouse on Saturday afternoon. And with that, along with the accepting of a preciously placed stone on top of a white gold halo, I am happy to announce that Janine and I are now engaged to be married. :-)

23 days and counting...

Santa Claus
visits the Netherlands (ala Bruce style) for the first time.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

They're heading down south with just a spit and a song (or two)!

Well it's a go for Orlando and Tampa. I got in fast for Orlando with nice lowers (section 120) Clarence & Charles' side (that is a little strange sounding).

Tampa took a little longer since I am going solo there I figured I would wait and try after Orlando. Threw a few back and it paid off with a nice seat in section 123. My favorite place to be, right behind Max. Gets me thinking of Philly #2 Mary Beth. :-)

And then it's off to Atlanta and the ultimate party. Can't wait for a great week in April.