The New Orleans Saints

Posted by Chris Campbell at Sunday, January 24, 2010 0

My waning interest in sports has been covered ad nauseum on this blog. However, there are times when the game can mean more than money, arrogance, corporate-sponsorships, greed, drugs and the rest of the things that have played a part in turning professional sports into something akin to a Wall Street corporation with muscles. Like the Yankees following the 9/11 attacks, the New Orleans Saints are one of those stories.

Following Hurricane Katrina, you may recall that there were actual calls to just let the city go. A city so deep in history and Americana was almost left to die. A lackluster, and almost non-existent government reaction, certainly didn't help. As far as I know, the city still has a long way to go. But today was their day. I have friends who call New Orleans home, and a few months ago we met up in San Francisco. I asked one of them how important this Saints run was to the city of New Orleans. His reaction really said it all. He didn't really put it into words, but it was clear that it means absolutely everything. It's given a little swagger back to a city that's suffered for over five years. It's brought hope back. And perhaps most importantly, it's been a fun and thrilling distraction.

I haven't watched a minute of a playoff game this year. Without a television, I had to rely on my computer and texts from friends to find out the results. This game was the first time this year that the game of football grabbed at my heartstrings. For my friends in New Orleans, and for the city as a whole, I wanted the Saints to make it to their first ever Super Bowl. And boy did they.

Congratulations to the beautiful city of New Orleans.

The Halftime Show & Rock n' Roll

Posted by Chris Campbell at Monday, February 02, 2009 2

Amazingly, I wasn't that excited for the Springsteen halftime show. I first saw Bruce and the E Street Band on the Born in the USA tour in 1985. I was twelve years old, and ended up seeing two shows on that tour. It wasn't until the Lucky Town/Human Touch Tour in 1992 that I started to see Bruce a lot. Now almost 25 years since my first Bruce show, I think I've seen him somewhere around 40-50 times. When he played eleven shows in NJ in '93 or so, I saw eight. When he did the same a few years ago (I think it was ten this time), I saw six. In the late 90's, I saw him over and over and over. I saw him solo in Oakland and with the Seeger Sessions Band about an hour outside of San Francisco. I saw him play "Kitty's Back" in the pouring rain at Giants Stadium. I have never once been disappointed. He is the greatest performer of my lifetime. And if I live to be 184, I can't imagine that changing.

For me, things started to turn downhill with the release of last year's Magic. Bruce was trying to recapture the spirit of his early days, but it just wasn't there. Then came the announcement of the Super Bowl appearance, the Wal-Mart debacle and another sub-par record. I actually skipped Bruce and the band on last year's tour, something I hadn't done in seventeen years.

I was shocked to see the band start with "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out". This is certainly not an obscure Bruce song, but with not much time and an audience of millions, it was a surprise. I can only attribute this choice to his desire to reach out to his hardcore fans who have been perplexed the past few months. "Born To Run" was solid and the "Working on a Dream" into "Glory Days" string was fun. But again, this wasn't the same Bruce. For one, Steve's reference to "The Boss" would absolutely never have happened 1972-2006. Bruce abhorred this nickname. And then there was the silly referee thing. It was forced showmanship that Bruce has never needed. He's a natural showman.

I had a long chat with a friend this afternoon. He's actually one of my favorite musicians and we've developed a friendship over the past few years. We talked about Bruce and agreed on most of what I said above. But he had some great points. He said that Bruce wants to hear rock n' roll on the radio again, he wants to reclaim the spirit of rock n' roll and he continues to challenge himself and press for rock n' roll. Even if some of the new songs aren't on-par with the majority of his catalog, he's certainly not recycling the past. Maybe the results are falling short, but the effort's there, and this is coming from a guy who will hit the age of 60 in September. My friend was much more eloquent in his take, but you get the point.

After hanging up, I thought of today's music. There's certainly a lot of very good music being made, but is there just one act that touches the spirit of rock n' roll in the way that Springsteen has? I'm not talking about his performance yesterday; I'm talking about the 30+ years prior. Yesterday was fine, but what he's done for three decades has often left me gasping for breath and unable to find words. The Denton, Texas band Slobberbone had this. The Replacements certainly did. But in the past few years? The Gourds are a blast and have been for over ten years. And I suppose The Arcade Fire are the closest we have. And I'm sure there are acts out there that I'm unfamiliar with.

But all told, despite his sometimes hokey efforts to please an audience in the millions yesterday, the Springsteen I've known and seen for three decades is the pinnacle. Maybe he's lost a step, but for over thirty decades, there's been nothing like him.

A Good Day Indeed

Posted by Chris Campbell at Sunday, February 01, 2009 0

Rarely do I consider some of my best days as those brought on by a sporting event, a concert on TV or something else that's somewhat lacking in depth. But today was different.

After an early afternoon trip out to Oakland to scout out a future home, we returned home just a minute or two after kickoff. We settled in and watched the team I first fell for back in the late 70s. I was five or six at the time, but there was something about the aura of the Pittsburgh Steelers that roped me in. For decades now, I've had to explain why one of my favorite teams is from Pittsburgh, and not my hometown of NJ/NY. Whereas the Knicks are my favorite in hoops and the Yanks in baseball, it has always been the Steelers in football.

I've had favorite players throughout the years, from Bennie Cunningham to Louis Lipps, but none have equaled Ben Roethlisberger. When I watch Ben play, I feel like a kid watching his hero. It's his integrity and lack of interest in the limelight that's always drawn me to Ben. And boy can he play.



What a game. Baseball is obviously my sport of choice, but today's Super Bowl may have been the greatest and most fulfilling football game I've ever seen. When Holmes made that remarkable catch as the clock dwindled down, I simply could not believe what I was watching. How on Earth did he stay in bounds? I figured the replay would show him out. When I saw the first slow-motion playback I jumped and screamed. Yep, I was that kid again.

And then there was my lifelong musical hero, Bruce Springsteen. "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" as an opener was certainly a surprise. My guess is that he tossed this in to the diehards following the Wal-Mart fiasco. Sure, a bit of it was hokey (the referee, references to "The Boss"), but it was still Bruce Springsteen. And man, if "Born To Run" doesn't give you some sort of jolt, then I can't imagine that you truly understand rock n' roll.

We closed out the night with a late ride through San Francisco on the way back to N's home. As we crossed an intersection, N turned and said, "looks like we're heading into a sobriety stop". As the cops let a few pass, they put the light on me and and motioned for me to pull in. I rolled down my window, shared a few laughs with a cop who'd just watched the game, and was sent on my way.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, Bruce Springsteen and a day with my lovely girlfriend. I really couldn't ask for more.

Springsteen's 12 Minutes

Posted by Chris Campbell at Sunday, February 01, 2009 0

With a catalog as deep as Bruce's, and the opportunity to play before millions (how many people watch the Super Bowl these days? Hundreds of millions?), fan sites, blogs, etc. are seeing endless threads predicting what he'll play.

Here's my guess:
Glory Days
Working on a Dream
Born To Run

As far as the game:
Steelers 26
Cardinals 17

As far as the guacamole:
Tasty

In my dreams: