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For a long time seeing Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert was tops on my list of shows I wanted to see. When we were in France for RTW1 in 2012 I saw he was touring, and finally had the chance to see him and the band perform in Montpellier. I’ve been fortunate to see a lot of shows (my job for a while was managing concerts that would play at Vancouver’s arena), and the magic that was conjured that night in Montpellier connected with me. I was hooked.

Between then and now I’ve had the chance to see him perform at home (2012), in Paris with Heather (2016), and experience his epic solo show with Heather on Broadway in New York City in 2018. I remember thinking after the Broadway show that this was likely it for seeing him live. His show, combined with his autobiography, seemed a little like a finale. He told his story through his own words and his music. It was real and it was special. Seeing him in a small Broadway theatre felt like the ultimate experience.

Right about when we started planning this trip, and knew we’d be in Paris for 6 weeks, came news that Bruce and the band were also heading to Europe. The good news when I checked the tour dates was that they’d be playing in Paris when we were planning on being here. The not so good news is that they were playing at a 40,000 seat venue.

I was a tad apprehensive. I’ve worked concerts in big venues, and I am not keen on experiencing a show by watching large video monitors. Plus, my last experience was so intimate. Being 1 of 800 was super cool. Being 1 of 40,000 was not as appealing. Nevertheless, once the on sale started I gave it a shot. After all, he’s now 73. This could be the last chance to see him. And I got shut out.

I took that as a sign. When we got to Paris I looked occasionally at the secondary ticket site, but didn’t do anything. I don’t think I even talked to Heather about going. I was prepared to just sit this one out. The venue was too big, and the tickets were too expensive (the French really love Bruce). I was content that my Bruce concert experiences had a good run, and like all things must eventually do, that run had ended.

But…

We knew we’d be connecting briefing with Heather’s sisters in Paris as they travelled to Avignon. One day Heather tells me that their arrival date is May 15th and they will be in Paris for one night. It’s another rationalization for not seeing Bruce (he played the 13th and 15th).

But…

Fast forward a couple of days. Heather has arranged a dinner on the 15th at a local woman’s home. Since I was not super keen on the idea, there wasn’t an opportunity for me to go to the dinner (it was 5 people max, which was Heather, Cathrine, Patty and 2 of Cathrine’s friends that were all on their trip). So now I’m going to be home alone on the 15th. It was like getting a sign from the heavens. I told Heather that I was going to see about going to see Bruce. Ticket prices were still a bit high, but I had a few days to see if the market came back down.

A few trips back to the ticket website landed me with a floor GA ticket. I spent the extra $ to get “Floor Gold”, which meant I’d be in the area closest to the stage. I was fortunate to get a ticket at face value from a guy in Spain. As I was solo being in GA didn’t concern me, and it meant that hopefully I could experience the show without being reliant on video screens.

Now it’s show day. I head off to the venue with plenty of time to get in line. Sadly the weather continued to be not aligned with the IPhone weather app. I went with the hoodie/no jacket approach, which was fine until I got pelted with rain, and a side order of wind, for the last 45 minutes I was in line outside the venue.

But…

A security check gets done. A ticket gets checked. A wristband gets put on. And then suddenly I am on the concert floor heading for the stage. Now I’m maybe 30 feet from the stage barricade. Sacre Bleu!

2 hours goes by. The lights darken. And then one by one the E Street Band take the stage. And then it’s time. He’s here and it’s showtime.

It took about a millisecond for all the rationalizations I danced with to support not going to see him perform to vanish and be replaced by gratitude. Gratitude that I was here. Gratitude that they were here. Gratitude that I could again experience the performance and the music that brings me such joy.

At one point in the show Bruce spoke about being 15 in 1965 (the year I was born), and being in his first band. And how he was now the last surviving member of that band. He spoke of how when someone passes, it gives us the gift of appreciation for the life we have in the moments that we have it. Of the importance of being present. And of the importance of treating ourselves, and the people we love, well while we can.

Almost three hours later the show was over. But the appreciation for the gift of the show and the message he shared, well, that carries on. Who knows, maybe I’ll be seeing the Boss back in Vancouver this Fall?