On October 9, 60,000 people gathered in Giants stadium to see one man.
As he walked on the stage, the crowd erupted in excitement. There was so much uproar, that it was easy to assume Barrack Obama had made a surprise appearance onstage. However, when the camera zoomed in, it was unmistakable that it was Bruce Springsteen.
He opened with a brand new song written two weeks before the concert, called “Wreckin’ Ball.” The song serves as a well-written and lasting memory of the old stadium. After the first song, it was easy to see that the crowd not only adored him as a singer, but also as a person.
The love proved to be mutual. Springsteen used every opportunity he had to interact with his audience. During his second song, he went up to an emo-looking teenager, grabbed the bright blue beanie off the fan’s head and put it on himself, modeling and singing for the audience. He returned the hat back to the gawking fan, and the audience shared one enormous smile.
Fans constantly grabbed at him when he walked along the edges of the stage and one particular group tried to yank him into the crowd. Springsteen obliged, allowing himself to crowd surf to the end of the mass of fans, smiling and laughing the whole time.
The crowd was able to sing along to any and every song that he played. During the song “Waiting on a Sunny Day” Springsteen spotted a little girl in the front row of the audience and held the microphone to her.
Everyone fell silent except the band, while the little girl finished out the lyrics to his song. Proving that anything is possible, the crowd fell in love with Springsteen even more.
People were packed like sardines in the pit directly in front of the stage, and some even held posters. Towards the end of the show, Springsteen went around and collected all the signs he could and brought them on stage. He paused reading one that said, “Bald guys make better dancers.” He promptly invited the bald poster maker on stage to show off his dance moves.
The cameras zoomed in on the posters Springsteen held up. Another poster catching Springsteen’s eye said, “Susan, will you marry me?” He scooped up his microphone and went over serenading the newly engaged coupled.
The last one he picked up was a simple sign with the Rolling Stones logo on it that said “Last Time.” Deciding that it was a very appropriate song to sing at the last concert in the Giants Stadium, Springsteen and his band, performed the unrehearsed song effortlessly. They had an obvious and effortless chemistry when they performed together.
During the song, fireworks erupted from the side of the stands that were blocked off behind the stage. At first it scared everyone in the audience, but their fright was quickly forgotten and replaced by awe at the spectacular finale. After the first fireworks finished and everyone was talking about them, another equally startling batch of fireworks began shooting out of the other side of the stadium. Tired but elated, the 60,000 people left the stadium honored that they had experienced the magic of everything that Bruce Springsteen is.
Not only was the concert three hours of non-stop Springsteen, but it also helped a good cause. The Hungry Farmers Association gave out one raffle ticket for every five cans an attendee brought in.
Before the show, tickets were drawn allowing whomever’s ticket was chosen, plus a friend of choice, an upgrade from being seated in the stands, to the pit directly in front of the stage. All donations collected were given to food pantries and soup kitchens in need of supplies.
Haley Lynch can be reached for comment at [email protected]