Boss' faithful are left to wonder
Was concert at HSBC his last with E Street?
Published: November 23, 2009, 7:03 am
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A middle-aged mom from Nova Scotia trekked more than 700 miles to see the Boss.
A man from Denver shelled out $700 a ticket for fourth-row seats, saying he didn't want to miss what many believe could be the last performance of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
A 15-year-old boy from Rochester who experienced his first Springsteen concert when he was 9 trolled the perimeter of HSBC Arena, hoping to find a ticket for no more than $150.
The energy level was high Sunday night as thousands of Springsteen fans converged on downtown Buffalo. Some waited more than six hours in line, entertaining themselves by dancing to "Born to Run" and other Springsteen tunes that blared from car stereos in a nearby parking lot.
New Jersey resident Chris Taeger has seen Springsteen in concert more than 40 times, including 20 performances during the most recent tour.
"The man is the hardest-working man in show business," Taeger said. "The passion he brings to the stage, the people bring it right back."
Taeger shared many fans' belief that Sunday's show before a crowd of 19,000 might be the final performance of the E Street Band.
Sources backstage said that after the show, Springsteen was reflecting on the faces in the audience and the different generations of his fans.
Springsteen, according to witnesses backstage, said it probably was the last show for the E Street Band, "at least the original members."
Last year's death of founding member and keyboardist Danny Federici and health issues recently faced by band members Clarence Clemons and Nils Lofgren have fueled speculation on fan-based message boards and elsewhere that Sunday's show may have been the band's final performance.
When promoters announced this week that the band would perform its first album, "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.," in its entirety at Sunday's show, many viewed it as yet another sign that the performance might be the E Street Band's last.
The concert ended a nearly two-year tour behind the "Working on a Dream" album.
Among the people attending the sold-out show was the mother of Max Weinberg, the drummer of the E Street Band. She drove in from New Jersey to see her son play.
Some people stood watch at an arena entrance on South Park Avenue before the concert started, hoping to get a glimpse of Springsteen or other arriving celebrities.
Among the celebrities backstage were actress Debra Messing, former NBA coach Pat Riley and NBC's Brian Williams, sources said.
No famous people were spotted at the Anchor Bar but owner Ivano Toscani said the Main Street joint was packed with Springsteen fans.
Outside HSBC Arena, Lori Davidson proudly displayed a Springsteen tattoo she had etched on her arm seven years ago. Davidson traveled from Boston, Mass., to attend the concert. But this trip was nothing compared to last year's odyssey when she went to Europe to attend five Springsteen shows in 10 days.
"He puts everything he has into it every single night. It's like the very last show every single night," she said.
Scalpers were hawking tickets on many street corners. One person looking for a spare ticket said she was offered a seat right by the stage for $1,400. "Cheaper" seats were being offered at prices from $230 to $400.
Fifteen-year-old Tyler Dewey stood near an entrance, patiently holding a sign that let passers-by know he needed a ticket. One person offered him a seat for $400, but that was too pricey … even for an avid follower.
When Tyler was 9, his family landed front-row seats at a Springsteen concert.
"Bruce handed me a pick and he gave my sister and best friend drumsticks. From then on, I was a fan," he said.
The sidewalks outside the arena were still jammed with people after 8 p.m., a half-hour after the show was scheduled to begin. Some anxious fans grumbled that the doors should have been opened sooner to accommodate the massive crowds.
But Catherine Clute of Chester, Nova Scotia, said the wait was worth it. The 49-year-old fan said she admired Springsteen since she was 15, but only caught him in concert for the first time a decade ago. She has been hooked ever since.
"I have never traveled to go see anybody else. I'm a mom. I don't follow bands around. But I would go as far as I needed to go to see Bruce," she said.
Despite speculation that Sunday's show might have been the last for the band, Joe Carey of Rochester said he doubts that will be the case.
"Throw the right money at the right people," Carey said, "and things change."
Assistant Managing Editor Elizabeth Kahn contributed to this report.
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