E Street Band - Hardest Working Band in Show Business? Yeah!

Music Wed, and this post is, of course, dedicated to the hardest working band in show business - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. Asking me to pick my favorite live songs from this band is like asking a wine expert to pick their favorite Burgundy - he will give you the vineyard, the year and even the season of the wine that is his favorite. So it is with me and Bruce. If you venture to listen to these picks, please listen to the specific versions that I suggest to really have the audio experience I am intending to present for your pleasure. So, buckle up and here we go! Again, in no particular order, let's start with the 2001 acoustic version of "Born in the USA" (http://youtu.be/d8TwMqpBeL4) first introduced in the Live in New York City album. U must listen to this version, because it sounds like no other rending of this well known song. This version taps into the true protest meaning of the song, and the best way I can describe it is to ask you to imagine that Woody Guthrie and Muddy Waters had a baby, raised him on the Mississippi Delta and fed him nuthin but the blues, then gave him a steel body Dobrow guitar and asked him to play that song. Totally cool. Next is the song "I Wish I Were Blind" (http://youtu.be/_8MkGqT0Z54) from the In Concert (Plugged!) album. Such pain and heartache at seeing ur former lover with her new love. Exquisite anguish. Let's shift to the original live recording of "Jungleland" (http://youtu.be/VoFGHNbfDmg) from the Live at  Hammersmith Odeon album - this is from Bruce's first trip outside the US and his first show before a crowd that knew his songs, but didn't know his showmanship. So as u listen to this album, u can hear the crowd warming up and catching on, and by the time he hits this iconic song near the end of the concert, they are ready to frickin rock! The band is a little raw, but the magic of Roy's piano solo, Clarence's plaintive wails on his horn, and Bruce's desperate lyrics conjure musical magic. Let's gear it back down to the version of "If I Should Fall Behind" (http://youtu.be/6DITmbm8u1M) again from the 2001 album Live in NYC. Each band member gets to sing a verse, and it is a tender song, performed by each artist in their unique way, but with respect and love, both for the craft of the song and for each other. The sentiment is beautiful, and "if you should fall behind, I will wait for u." And I mean that. Finally, let's take this baby home, and no live performance would be complete without a 20-minute, gospel tinged, come-to-Jesus revival type song from a master storyteller. I loved telling the girls I would play "just one more song" and then picking one of these endless epics to their squealing disdain. Good times. My choice for this tribute to my devious nature is "The River" (http://youtu.be/2dlYd018jjQ) from the Live 1975-1985 compilation. It clocks in at a weak 12 minutes, but that excludes the 5 minute intro story about his father, so it qualifies for the category. A bittersweet ode to a bad decision which leads a young boy and young girl into a life where they become trapped in a box devoid of hopes and dreams. This is real life, and no one captures it better than the The Boss. Please, check out these specific performances, and I assure u that u will not be disappointed. They will deliver all that I have promised, and then some. I dare say u may feel a warm flow in ur heart and a tear on ur cheek as u listen to each song. Enjoy a master at the top of his game over a sampling of tunes from every decade from 1970s through the present. Enjoy!