Happy (60th) Birthday, Bruce!

Every music lover's worst nightmare came true last night in Des Moines. Bruce Springsteen was onstage at the Wells Fargo Arena for almost three full hours and he spent almost every minute of it singing and playing. Not a word about politics...and politics is what he's good at...unless you count a few words about The Food Bank Of Iowa.

I hope that people aren't too upset...Well, his hardcore fans weren't upset because he played Incident on 57th Street and Rosalita back to back but they are fascinated by small shiny things, so they don't count...I mean, it sucked sitting through almost three hours of mediocre B-Sides, to hear two of the three good songs he has...Dancing In The Dark and Glory Days and I can't remember what the third one is but it doesn't matter since he didn't play it...which were done during the last encore, but that's the way things go sometimes.

Buying concert tickets is like playing a slot machine. You don't always win. Don't get me started on the number of times I've seen Madonna sing when all I wanted was for her to dance and maybe get a little more comfortable. Britney, too. And would it be too much to ask to see one of them show up at the others concert and reenact the kiss they did at the VMA's a few years ago?

Just like, would it be too much to ask to have someone like Billy Joel or Elton John show up at every Bruce Springsteen concert to provide some decent music? No, it isn't too much to ask at all but not everyone feels that way because there were no special (Read talented) guests last night.

I will give Bruce credit for trying, though. He played Satisfaction and The Wanderer and he's no Mick Jagger or Dion but at least he tried. It isn't his fault that he can't write a good song to save his life...except for Dancing In The Dark, Glory Days and the one that I can't remember that doesn't even matter because he didn't play it anyway...so I think that everyone should just be forgiving forgetting that he didn't even attempt to save the night by talking about health care reform.

And just be glad that it's over. Unless you happen to live with Suzette, because she refuses to let to just let a miserably boring experience simply end. She has to extend the misery. She wants us to go to all five of Bruce's shows in New York that start on September 30. I put my foot down and said no, though, so that matter is settled.

I told her that we couldn't go because the airlines are upping fees again and I refuse to support that piracy. She said, "We have five jet cars. When was the last you flew anywhere commercial? The only time I ever fly commercial is when I go somewhere with more than four people and you never go because of whatever stupid reason you've come up with. Not this time, though. You're taking me to these concerts."

I said no again and as it was even more settled this time than it was the first time I said no. When I put my foot down, it stays down. All the way to Giant's Stadium. And I'm feeling good about it because there is a far greater chance that Billy or Elton will show up in New York (Well, it's technically East Rutherford but I still see all of Jersey as New York) than in Des Moines. My odds are really good.