Of David M., a benefit for Ukrainian Refugees, and my probably not seeing Bruce Springsteen

David M. (of NO FUN, "the Beatles of Surrey" - see here for more - wrote me this morning to point out that a fourth song ("Prove It All Night") from Darkness on the Edge of Town, my favourite Bruce Springsteen album, has been added to a setlist on Springsteen's current tour. 

I think he plans to go. He follows Bruce; he actually buys the new albums - I have nothing more recent by Springsteen than 2005 ("the one with the lyric about how much it costs to fuck a prostitute in the ass") - and also does a killer version of "Open All Night" (and sometimes "Johnny 99").

But the truth is, I don't need convincing; I would like to go, too. 

True, I do love Richard Meltzer's infamous takedown of Bruce in Spin, which I read when it first came out and still delight in; I think Meltzer is basically RIGHT, here, and really funny, to boot; but it still doesn't stop me from responding to some of these songs. I mean, seeing Bruce do "Badlands" live, that alone would be worth a fair bit to me, even if I don't know half the other songs on the set, and don't care about several of the ones I do know, like basically anything off Born in the USA, which was the first Bruce album I bought that I just could not connect with (I had skipped The River; I went directly from Darkness and Born to Run, which I loved, even if the showtunes side of it was invisible to me back then, to Born in the USA and even as a teenager - I was, what, 17 at that point? - I was, like, "ugggh, what is this?"). A high school friend who will never read this (hi, Andy) observed, "I love the lyrics, but not the presentation" of "Dancing in the Dark," and it was just, yes, yes, exactly. And that Bruce would later try to turn "Born in the USA " on its side, effacing the upbeat anthemic quality for something more genuinely despairing, suggests that the Boss himself knows there's something wrong with it, too. 

But still, I would pay SOMETHING to see "Thunder Road" and "Because the Night" and "Johnny 99" and "Badlands." And while I was there, could I take a little covert guilty pleasure in "Dancing in the Dark" regardless of finding it a bit phony? Would I sing along to "Born to Run?" Do I know most of the lyrics to that song by heart? (types from memory: "In the day we sweat it out on the streets/ of a runaway American dream/ In the night we ride the mansions of glory in suicide machines/ sprung from cages out on highway 9/ chrome-wheeled, fuel-injected, and stepping out over the line..." I could get at least 75% of it right, I think). The answer is YES. I might even do homework and learn what other songs he is likely to do and acquaint myself with them; I would probably enjoy a few, truly. 

As I wrote to David, it comes basically down to the economics of it, and a core objection to the idea of someone who sings songs about the poor being sold in such a way that only the  affluent can participate. I have no such objection to "the Material Girl" selling tickets to her shows for $1000 per or more, because she's announced herself honestly as a golddigger from the gitgo; even if I don't care about Madonna's music at all, even if I find the values in a song like "Material Girl" repugnant beyond expression, it's not like I have a daughter who is at risk of being influenced, and there's no disjunct between the message and the price. If there are people out there willing to pay hundreds of bucks to see Madonna do her thing - go to it, folks; it's shitty music, by me, and celebrates aspects of the culture I would happily take a blowtorch to, but if you actually like it, or the spectacle of it, or the feeling of participating in a mass pop phenomenon, or whatever it is  you're consuming when you go see Madonna, I have no objections at all. I assume she will make it worth your while. I personally wouldn't pay $20 for it, myself, but seriously, knock yerselves out. 

But for a guy to sing about a character with "debts no honest man can pay," who has been known to cover Woody Guthrie tunes, who has songs about working class characters leading working class lives and suffering from economic despair, for a guy who writes songs like "Factory" and "Used Cars" and The Ghost of Tom Joad - for THAT GUY to participate in a pricing scheme that gouges fans for $500+ a ticket, well, that's a con job, folks, if there ever was one, and unless Bruce starts changing his lyrics ("Streets of Fire" should read, "when you realize/ How I fooled you this time..."), I'm not willing to play ball. 

I've still registered for the pre-sale, because I have not yet seen these ticket prices for myself; maybe if I do it right, become a verified fan, and sit by my computer like a good boy, the offer will come at a tier I can afford, for a seat not TOO close to the ceiling of the stadium (that's another factor). I've always kind of wanted to see Bruce, and this might be my last chance. I gather I either will or won't be invited to participate, and if I *am* invited, in a few days time, I will definitely look to see the price. And that's really what it comes down to; I'd pay $200 to see Bruce, I think, which probably means $250 or so once all the "service charges" and taxes and other gouges are piled on top. More than that and really, it's a merry go round that I'm quite happy to get off of.  I'd rather go see David COVER a Bruce Springsteen song at the benefit for Ukrainian refugees in Poland that's happening, March 9th and 10th. In fact, I'd feel better about myself, if I have $200 to kick around, giving it to them - the Polish group helping Ukrainian refugees - than giving it to Bruce. They need it way more than he does. 

By the by, David M. apparently will be doing the Lou Reed tribute the previous week (March 3rd, I think), and you might see him somewhere else around town in-between then, maybe singing a version of "Good King Wenceslas" to an unrelated tune. 

For my economic strata - hell, for my sense of human decency - David M. > Bruce Springsteen.