For the past 5 months I have been ruminating on a live concert experience that affected me deeply.  This past April I attended a Bruce Springsteen concert in suburban Detroit.  I’ve seen Bruce numerous times since 1987 and I have written about the wonders of his live shows here.  One thing made this particular concert different.

My three friends and I took a chance and purchased main floor tickets–our gamble paid off and we were able to make our way about 15 feet from the stage.  About half way through the show, Springsteen jumped into the crowd, escorted by a couple of body guards, and moved to an elevated platform just behind where me and my friends were standing.  When he finished singing, he turned his back toward the stage, spread his arms out and fell into the crowd.  I have attended many rock shows and I have seen a lot of crowd surfing, but rarely (if ever) has it been done by a 62 year old man!  The crowd elevated Springsteen and carried him toward the stage.  I watched in wonder as his body was passed among the dozens of people on the main floor, headed right toward me.  As soon as I could get within arms length, I reached up and touched his right shoulder blade with my right hand and then his lower back with my left.  By the time I had recovered and turned around, the Boss was being placed safely on the stage by his adoring fans.  A fan in the pit caught the final few seconds of this on video.

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