I don’t know why I was surprised when Bruce showed up at the Laid Back Festival. After all, it was essentially in his back yard (Holmdel is about a ten-minute drive from Bruce’s neighborhood), and the line-up of performers was comprised entirely of old friends (including his best friend).
But I’d been at enough “he’s gotta show” shows that ended up as “he never showed” shows to have long since given up speculating and expecting. (Well, the expecting part, at least.)
And besides, the line-up for this show was so great–Peter Wolf, Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, and Jackson Browne–that I truly didn’t care whether Bruce showed or not. I would have been first in line for that line-up whether in Seattle or New Jersey.
I was lucky enough to snag a front row single when they first went on sale, and I had a great view of all the performers when I wasn’t looking straight at the bouncer standing directly in front of me for much of the show. (It was just a little bit awkward.)
I enjoyed Peter Wolf’s opening set, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t have to get up from my seat for the remainder of the show, so I took the opportunity between sets to use the restroom and buy some water ice.
On the way back from the food trucks, I was lost in thought when I noticed a security guard directly approaching me. For an instant, I thought I’d done something wrong, and I froze in place. And then the guard walked right past me, and behind him, walking with purpose and staring straight ahead, was Bruce.
When he reached where I was standing, he briefly made eye contact with me, and I reached out to shake his hand. Except my right hand was holding my Rita’s, so it looked for all the world like I was offering him my water ice. Bruce just smiled and kept walking, and I just stood there and stared.
Not my finest moment.
When I got back to my seat, I managed to summon enough composure to blurt out “Bruce is here!!” to my seat neighbors. At first, no one believed me, but my new bouncer friend heard me and confirmed that yes indeed, Bruce was at that very moment backstage. (I must have passed him on his way there.)
“Is he gonna play?” I asked. “He’s gotta play!”
But the bouncer just shrugged, so I waited and watched for a sign.
And then: about four songs into Steve’s excellent set, a stagehand surreptitiously brought one of Bruce’s instantly recognizable guitars onstage, where it sat untouched for the duration of the set, and I knew we were in for a surprise appearance–my very first!
Steve kept us in suspense, faking us out during the encore by inviting a friend to the stage–Peter Wolf, for a note-perfect cover of “Freeze Frame.” But then, in the wings, there was Bruce, and the crowd roared as he joined the band for an encore of “It’s Been a Long Time” and an ESB-worthy “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” that turned the show temporarily into a Bruce Springsteen concert.
The show ran late because of the extended encore, and I was debating leaving early during Jackson Browne’s set since I’d just flown in on the red-eye that morning. Jackson is one of my favorite artists, but his encores are usually predictable. Still–the bouncer told me between sets that Bruce was still backstage and was having an extended conversation with Jackson, so maybe…
And yes–he came out again during Jackson’s encore and did some gorgeous guitar work on “Take It Easy,” segueing into “Our Lady of the Well.”
Another bonus: Steve joined Jackson for a duet of “I am a Patriot,” which rivaled Bruce’s appearance for highlight of the evening.
In all, Bruce was on-stage for about a half-hour (not bad for a “bonus” show), and I got to hear him play three songs I’d never heard perform live before, with performers I’d have been happy to see solo. It remains my only surprise Bruce appearance (in concert, anyway) to date.
