'There is no one coming to save us': Review of Springsteen in Boston

Photo by Ben Stas for Boston.com.

My advice to anyone who enjoys the work of Mr. Bruce Springsteen, does not enjoy the work of Mr. Donald J. Trump, and who hasn't yet been to the "Land of Hope and Dreams Tour": Get yourself a ticket to Philly or DC, stat!

I saw him in Boston on Sunday, and it was even more than I expected: Tight, focused, angry, celebratory, and — like all Springsteen shows — anchored in hope for better days ahead. One of my many favorite quotes from his four speeches: "So many of our elected leaders have failed us that this American tragedy can only be stopped by the American people. You. There is no one coming to save us. We’ve got to do it ourselves. So join us and let’s fight for the America that we love."

More thoughts to come, but in the meantime, here's the review I wrote for Boston.com. A key excerpt:

Bruce maybe said it best in his most impassioned speech of the night, before a chilling version of “My City of Ruins” in which the city in question had become an entire country struggling to come back from the brink. It was evident from his words that while he, and we, might be angry, there’s cause for hope if we’re willing to fight for it.

“Honesty. Honor. Humility. Character. Integrity. Truth. Compassion. Humanity. Thoughtfulness. Morality. True strength and decency. Don’t let anybody tell you that these things don’t matter anymore because they do,” Springsteen said, to the loudest ovation of the night. “They are at the heart of the kind of men and women we are, the kind of citizens we want to be, the kind of country we want to leave to our children.”

Much of this may sound heavy, but let’s face it: Springsteen fans have never come to his shows for a party, not really. They’re there to feel something. And the motivation to keep going, to speak up, to hold on to hope even when your country is not living up to its ideals, was very much felt by the all-in Garden crowd. Springsteen may have been preaching to the choir, yes, but sometimes even the choir needs a little push to keep singing.

Read the full review here.