Luam, BooMan, Atrios, and rae approach the Parkway, and the entrance to the stage area. Apparently Luam didn’t get the memo about wearing jeans instead of khakis….
Once inside the red-ticket area, we thought we spotted an infiltrator. (Where are the fashion police when you need them, anyway?)
A closer look, however, revealed that her shirt said “McCain 1908”, and was decorated with a “Vote Obama-Biden” button.
BooMan checks the Frog Pond and tries to settle a dispute over what percentage of the Pennsylvania vote resides in Philadelphia County. Atrios looks on.
Before long, the space between the stage and the Art Museum steps begins to fill up. The people behind the fence have the blue tickets.
Who knows how many thousands showed up? That’s the Philly Art Museum off in the distance.
As you can see, the red tickets were mighty fine tickets. That’s the Franklin Institute in the background. Great for the kids!!
On the left, you can see the video screens and extra speaker banks. The people just came in waves up the Parkway.
Moments after discussing the fact that PA-06 incumbent Jim Gerlach has a nearly invisible Democratic challenger named Bob Roggio (no events, no signs, no stickers, nothing), I spotted these friendly folks with real live Bob Roggio for Congress stickers on their shirts:
First up: local Philly talent Nora Whitaker (AMAZING voice!) and DJ SomethingSomething doing a little rap together.
I loved that they had a sign language interpreter. She was even dancing a little while signing for Bruce’s performance.
It was definitely a family-friendly event.
Somebody posterfied the Penske truck. I think they should decorate the whole fleet that way…
There was even someone there selling Obama action figures. If you look closely at the box, you’ll see he’s billed as “An Action Figure We Can Believe In”.
This guy (Pat Ahern) was a 22-year-old Obama volunteer from Montgomery County; that’s sports radio host Angelo Cataldi in the background. He introduced Bob Casey (Ed Rendell was there too). Ahern was so, um, self-assured, that everyone around us was whispering about how they could hardly believe he was only 22. As you might guess from his outfit, folks are fired up about the Phillies being in the playoffs this year.
The Boss was introduced by a, ahem, community organizer from the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia. Casey and Rendell were as starstruck as anyone.
Everyone loved Springsteen’s set, but we all remembered why we were there…Obama!
Here’s a real close-up of Bruce doing the Ghost of Tom Joad.
Even the roof of the Franklin Institute was filled with adoring fans.
My favorite Springsteen album is the haunting Darkness on the Edge of Town, from 1978. It isn’t even close. So, I was pretty amped when he opened with a cut off that record: The Promised Land. He delivered my favorite verse with acoustic gusto.
I’ve done my best to live the right way
I get up every morning and go to work each day
But your eyes go blind and your blood runs cold
Sometimes I feel so weak I just want to explode
Explode and tear this whole town apart
Take a knife and cut this pain from my heart
Find somebody itching for something to start
And the CHORUS is perfect every time.
The dogs on Main Street howl
’cause they understand
If I could take one moment into my hands
Mister I ain’t a boy, no I’m a man
And I believe in a promised land
Here’s the full set-list:
Bruce Springsteen
The Parkway, Philadelphia, PA
10/04/08
The Promised Land
Ghost of Tom Joad
Thunder Road
No Surrender
Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?
The Rising
This Land is Your Land
[Photo credit to CabinGirl]
Looks like a great event– I knew it would be– had it not been for kids who would not have appreciated the historic relevance, I would have loved to be there. As it is, I’m glad you got so close and were able to post these pictures.
How about those Jints, and the Fightins? A good Sunday all around!
Dude, 44-6 with no Plaxico?
This team is just getting warmed up.
You have good taste in Springsteen albums. Born to Run is also up there. Nebraska and The River, not bad.
None of my fellow music snobs understand how I can even tolerate The Boss, but he was a genuinely formidable song writer once. And what rocker can sing in tune anyway?
Thanks for the photos and comments. We were at the art museum in the late 90’s. I remember the open space. Amazed to see such a crowd, but not surprised.
Did they hand out registration materials? How did it connect to GOTV?
voter reg people were posted every few feet.
Wow! This is great.
That Atrios fellow, whoever he is, is very photogenic. I bet he’s good at quickies. 🙂
Bruce looked and sounded great on livestreamed teevee. We liveblogged it over at dKos. I thought he did a particularly fine rendition of Thunder Road – my favorite song. And not only because it’s about … Mary.
And kudos to the photographer – as always.
Three out of the seven songs mentioned Mary.
The Rising
I see you Mary in the garden
In the garden of a thousand sighs
There’s holy pictures of our children
Dancin’ in a sky filled with light
May I feel your arms around me
May I feel your blood mix with mine
A dream of life comes to me
Like a catfish dancin’ on the end of the line
Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?
Hey bus driver keep the change, bless your children, give them names,
don’t trust men who walk with canes
drink this and you’ll grow wings on your feet
Broadway Mary, Joan Fontaine, advertiser on a downtown train
Christmas crier bustin’ cane, he’s in love again.
True! Good point.
Bruce is big with songs about Marys – The River, Mary’s Place (he did a fantastic rendition of that in St. Louis in August), O Mary don’t you weep (yeah he didn’t write it but he recorded it), Rockaway the Days … there’s more but I don’t remember them all. I did a playlist of all Mary songs but then my itunes crashed and I never re-created it. I should do that.
And that doesn’t include when he sings about Maria.
A quick search of an outdated lyric site (doesn’t include The Rising album, for example) lists 19 songs that mention a Mary.
Link? Then I can re-do my playlist.
I don’t remember having 19 although I had multiple versions of some because of live versions. So there may be some that (gasp) I don’t know about.
type in Mary
Excellent! I’m working on my Bruce luvs Mary playist right now.
“does stuff.”
You mean stuff that we mere mortals would do?
though that is not precisely true, since he post pictures of food that he presumably then eats.
it is somewhat weird to think that he exists in the real world. And you know what? Those food pictures are digital – only digital images of food. Maybe it doesn’t really exist. And the cats … hmmmm.
Come to think of it, when I met him at YearlyKos in Las Vegas he didn’t actually talk – I’m pretty sure he didn’t say a word. Just nodded and stood there. So maybe THAT was an Atriosbot – to make us think there is a real Atrios in the real world.
We should find out if the Atrios at the Bruce concert said anything …
It’s just not the same without underwear shots.
My wife says it’s time for you to try the Atkins plan. Nothin’ but low carb for you from here on out, buddy. She say’s you’re looking too much like her better half.
Obviously the results of a taste for good quality beer!
Nice manboobs and gut there Booman.
Nobody who plays a Telecaster will ever lie to you. It is one of the great truths.
Trust me – my first guitar was a Telecaster 😉
Glad you enjoyed Bruce! I was too wimpy to deal with the crowds — took my family instead to “Bowling for Obama” in Limerick. Also fun!
(Interesting that the Boss played “No Surrender,” after it was so identified with Kerry. But then again, it remains a great song –)
Did you get to the rally in Abington? If not, here’s my slideshow:
fudgelady.livejournal.com/
What a beautiful event. Thanks for sharing the pictures that Cabin Girl took. A thanks to the latter also.
That first picture looks like it could be the opening shot of some hip, new crime series.
You all being the good guys, of course.
Law & Order: Bloggers
::
I’m thinking Ghostbusters III.
Without Lawrence Tierney and Harvey Keitel the first photo feels a bit lacking.
Aside from the fact that he has a terrible voice and all of his songs are dreadful, Bruce is the best.
Thanks for the photos CabinGirl!