The Boss

So, I am going to have to be very careful not to simply get all gushy in this post. For last night I fulfilled one of my little dreams by seeing the incredible Bruce Springsteen live in concert. We both took a day of annual leave and headed off to Manchester to stay with the parents. The rain was horrendous as we travelled across which (obviously) meant that everyone drove at 2 mph with an air of panic. Parking at the M&Ds (thanks for the picnic Mum!) we went into Manchester on the train and arrived in the city centre with the clouds looking a bit threatening again. As we started walking to the Etihad stadium (boo, boo!) the rain began again...and carried on for the next four hours non-stop. As we were standing on the pitch I decided to invest in a plastic poncho bought from an entrepreneurial Mancunian outside the ground. Good decision! We got absolutely soaked through to the skin! But at 7.15 the rain stopped just in time for Bruce to arrive.

There are a number of things I love about Springsteen: 1) he plays both folk and rock (in fact most of the time he combines the two) which means he appeals to both me and D 2) while his voice is instantly recognisable, his music is incredibly varied 3) all his music makes you feel emotional, either like crying over lost loves or dancing about or getting all politically hot under the collar. Music should move us and there is no one like Bruce for this 3) he is a very generous, sweet guy. He spent lots of time in the audience even allowing one wee boy to sing and another girlie to dance with Jake (sax). The band played for nearly 3 3/4 hrs - beat that One Direction or whoever you are 4) he plays an amazing show. This guy is 62 years old and has so much energy on stage. Just incredible 5) (and I say this with a little embarrassment) he is just gorgeous! D laughed at my admiration of Bruce's rather impressive back muscles.

Anyways, ahem, we had a great night, stood up for nearly 9 1/2 hours non-stop (back soreness), got wet and then dried out with a dance, and totally fell in love with wonderful Bruce. It was a total privilege to have finally seen him live.

In other news: this week we have our great friends Joanne and Will arriving for a couple of days, I have a couple of meetings and then the three of us are off to the PSi conference in Leeds (missing a certain someone's 30th birthday - I am a terrible wife) . See you there if you are going. And a week on Monday I have another wonderful celebratory treat to look forward to but more of that next week...

CSW