That sounds a bit harsh doesn't it? I think it is justified, and not at all negative. There are people who need to wallow into their grief, to enlarge their troubles to larger-than-life experiences and who find comfort in the ability to revel in the hard times.
In my own experience I am happiest when my happiness is so all-encompassing that I could burst. And if I must be sad, or angry, then I want to live it big too.
My City of Ruins encompasses all that for me. Haven't we all experienced that moment of:
"My soul is lost my friend. Now tell me how do I begin again?"
I know I have.
And then, in the live performance, who can argue with all that "Rise Up" going on? Between the sax and the vocals there's no arguing with the persuasive urgency to join in, rise up and join in to celebrate the ghosts.
"Are we missing anybody now?" is followed by the eerie silence of the entire band and audience stilling, to take a moment to feel the ghosts. The respectful silence of the arena, until Springsteen speaks those words "let me hear you" is masterfully orchestrated, and the energy created by those moments shared stillness is intense.
When he sings "My City's in Ruins, you know he's not talking about a physical city" it is so apparent that the grief is deeply felt.
I take comfort too in that those who've passed have 'made that change of town now'. For me that brings more peace than any other way of expressing the change from the physical to the spiritual. Or perhaps it is just hearing Bruce Springsteen say it that makes it ok. The longer that passes since his concert, the more I realise that he is a master magician, weaving his craft of musical magic through the audience. The words are important, yes, but so is the man speaking them.
Links to my previous Springsteen posts here:
We Are Alive
My Tour Experience
Energy Much?
Motivational Thursday
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