Can't eat just one!

In Music Commentary
Why Springsteen still matters
For diehard fans, Springsteen shows are as addictive as potato chips. You can't stop at just one.
By Drew Olson
Senior Editor

My personal pilgrimage and patronage continue this weekend, along with the majesty, mystery and mystique; the power, promise and potential; and, of course, the questions:

"How many Springsteen shows have you seen, anyway?"

A couple dozen in eight different states, with two more coming up in a 27-hour span.

"Why do you keep going to see that guy? Aren't the shows all the same?"

They're similar in a way, the core elements don't change much and a lot of the music is similar, but each show has its own unique feel. I could explain further, but not without sounding like Frank Caliendo imitating Bill Walton: "You can hear colors! You can see the music! You can experience the explosion as artists on stage and the audience meld into one cohesive and unstoppable force capable of changing the world for 2 ½ hours... "

Let's just say I like the show and leave it at that.

"How old is that dude, anyway? Isn't he about done?"

He's 58 -- and man I hope not.

Snicker if you will (my friends and family certainly do), but this weekend I'll be driving to St. Paul, Minn., where some I'll catch up with Bruce and the E Street Band Sunday night at the Xcel Energy Center. Then, I'll head back home to Milwaukee for the St. Patrick's show at the Bradley Center.

Springsteen is touring in support of the album "Magic," which was released five months ago but already seems much older to the aficionados, many of whom (present company included) had advance copies of the disc several weeks before.

Although it was well-received by critics and fans, "Magic" certainly didn't break any records in a fractured, fragmented recording industry that is waging a losing battle against technology, its own ineptitude and consumer indifference.

But Springsteen's records -- with the possible exception of "Born in the USA," which hit stores nearly a quarter-century ago and rocketed him to rock star status -- have really never been huge commercial successes.

From his beginnings on the Jersey Shore, he's always been something of a cult figure. The fact that he refers to the E Street ensemble as "the world's biggest bar band," even when playing sold out basketball arenas or football stadiums, is an acknowledgement of that status.

In anticipation of the upcoming concerts, and the intimate gathering at which Harley-Davidson will host Mr. Springsteen and about 60,000 fans later this year, I started to question what it is that has led me to all these shows over the years.

It starts with the music. Springsteen's best songs have a cinematic quality that evoke strong and completely unique images in the minds of listeners. Even in the period when MTV and music video dominated the landscape (that's right, kids, MTV used to play videos), Springsteen's videos always seemed to augment and not override the mental pictures conjured by the music. Other bands can't make that claim. Can you listen to a ZZ Top song without thinking of the three bimbos and the red car?

I like the songs. Die-hards may argue about whether "Born To Run" is the seminal work or whether "Greetings From Asbury Park" or "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle" are a better 1-2 punch than "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "The River," but just about everyone likes to see all of those albums represented at the concerts.

Ah, the concerts...

Springsteen refers to his shows as part circus, part political rally and part tent revival -- a rock and roll ministry conducted without pyrotechnics, pre-recorded backing tracks, elaborate video montages or other trappings of modern arena rock.

Although the Internet age has dulled some of the anticipation and snuffed out some elements of surprise (setlists from each night are posted song-by-song on hardcore fan sites), Springsteen manages to tweak his shows just enough to personalize them for the crowd in-house. It doesn't hurt that he's the best front man in rock, capable of drawing an ovation with a humorous introduction, dramatic pause, an arched eyebrow or a scorching guitar solo.

In most cases, he's preaching to the converted. After more than 40 years of playing shows, the band has created a legion of repeat customers. Newbies are welcome to enjoy the show and invariably leave the concert hall and spread the word. That's how the community grows and sustains itself. Springsteen's crowds skew a bit older than most crowds (the Stones and Jimmy Buffet do, too), but I've seen a lot of teenagers, some with parents, at recent shows.

Unlike the Grateful Dead, which came to town with its own traveling band of fans whose exploits were integral to (and often more interesting than) the action onstage, Springsteen shows are a front-to-back affair. The band hits the stage, usually within about 30-50 minutes of the starting time stated on the ticket, grabs the audience by the lapels from the first note and doesn't relent.

Guitarist Steve Van Zandt said the goal hasn't changed since the band were teenagers - they want to put on the best rock and roll show anyone in the audience has seen.

Some nights, they succeed. Some nights, they fall a little short. But, the journey - the singular and shared sense of purpose that emanates from the stage and pushes to the back of the arena -- is always worth watching.