The thing about South By is the sheer number of bands. There are something like 2000 bands here, and filtering becomes a must. But sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes we get lucky. This morning, we woke to a bit of luck.
One of the big-time artists here this week is Bruce Springsteen. As he’s so mighty, there was just no way everyone could get into a venue to see him. So a lottery was established. Mister and I threw our names into the hat, with the understanding that we would only go if we both got in. (If only one of our names was drawn, the other would miss out – there would be no “plus ones.”) Anyhoo, after adjusting to daylight, we checked our morning emails and we had both won the Bruce lottery! We headed over to pick up our credentials for the night’s show. Credentials were very important, as one would need 4 – that’s right – 4 items in order to gain admittance to the venue. We chose to have seats in the balcony versus standing on the floor, which will explain my shoddy photographs. (We’ve never had seats at a South By show, so it was a novel idea for us.) Once we’d given blood and urine samples, ahem, we were registered for the show and went about our day.
Which included lunch at one of our fave spots…
The Ironworks BBQ, baby. Yes, that does look like a lot of food, but please know that we shared that plate. For all you non-meat eaters, I’m sorry. Sorry you missed out! Oh, it was good! Even the sides. We only go there once per visit, but we ride the high of that meal for days. Mmm, mmm.
The night rolled around and we thought we’d best line up, as all sections were first-come, first-served. Our line-time was quite pleasant, and we met a lovely musician from London who’s here to scout the situation (as a South-By-first-timer). Will James’ company was greatly appreciated and we look forward to keeping in touch with him. That’s one of the bonus aspects of SXSW: making new friends.
Once admitted, Mister and I scored seats in the balcony’s front row. We couldn’t have been more pleased. And so it began…
The Low Anthem…
This group’s music was moody. They were a slow ease into the evening and they just kept moving around the stage, exchanging instruments and pulling some unexpected tools from their kits. One dude played his electric guitar with a screwdriver, to an eerie and lovely effect. The lead singer whipped out a saw at one point, and by then it seemed natural. Their energy was a little low (no pun intended), but again, they served as a slow ease into the night. And the energy climbed from there.
Alejandro Escovedo and The Sensitive Boys (and Girls)…
Mister told me he’d first been introduced to Alejandro years ago. He explained to me that the expectation, as he recalled, had always been for Alejandro to become a sort of Springsteen of Texas. I’m not sure that ever happened. But he is a local hero and his performance was rocking. I enjoyed the vibe and they woke me up from the lull of the first band. And I needed that, because, well, you know…
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band…
I’d never seen Bruce Springsteen live. Neither had Mister. We’d heard things, of course. “Best show ever.” “He played for hours.” But we didn’t know. Friends, really, we didn’t know.
The Boss and the 16 other musicians on stage were so connected, I don’t think one could drop a note without another catching it. To see the interaction, the comfort, it was abundantly clear we were witnessing a family at work. And they are a family, aren’t they? Most of those players have spent decades together, have grown up together, endured loss together. To my eyes, they were a highly functional family at that.
I won’t run through the set list, but I will tell you there were surprises. Tom Morello joined the party, as did Jimmy Cliff…
And Eric Burdon!
By the finale, the stage was filled with both opening acts, Joe Ely, Tom Morello, members of Arcade Fire and faces I can neither name nor recall. The 2+ hour set ended with an emotional rendering of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” It was beautiful.
I realize I’m not giving a lot of details or photos here. Truth is, I don’t know how. That show was an emotional roller-coaster for me, in the most positive way. I experienced the gamut. I was exhausted and I loved it. I felt it was the most generous performance I’ve ever witnessed. Mister said it was truly the most awesome show he’s ever seen. Walking back to the hotel, I told Mister I felt like I needed to process what I’d seen and heard, that I somehow needed to talk about it. But there were no words. I would have to reach an understanding of the night on my own. I’m still processing. I have no idea how long I’ll be in this state.
As I fell asleep last night, I remembered the final notes of the evening. I recalled watching Bruce Springsteen in the act of acknowledging each and every person on stage as they made their exit. He touched most on the arm, and he thanked them for being up there with him. He ushered each soul to the stairs and he himself was the last to step off-stage. The party was over, and he – our host – had seen his guests to the door. It was a grand party. I’m so grateful to have been invited.