Yesterday was a challenging day. I had to battle The Wiggles crowd for street parking; attend the Browns game; see Bruce Springsteen; sample items from the three main food groups: beer, whiskey, shots. And I did it!

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Admittedly, I am not a Bruce Springsteen fan, so I think I can look at his shows somewhat objectively. This is the third time I've seen him.

The Venue: Quicken Loans Arena. For this show, the Q was sold out. This was their first appearance in town since the "Vote For Change" caravan that rolled through here in 2004. The show did not start until 8:30 because of sound check issues. Although it could have been a number of things. Clarence waking up at 7:00, they watched the Browns game, he never starts on time, etc.

There obviously were floor seats. However, they were not assigned and it was General Admission. One section nearest the stage about 10 deep. Then a break to a major throng of people. In the back, there was plenty of room for mayhem.

Things I Noticed: I could do Clarence Clemons job. No lie. First, I have to learn to work the saxophone and play just what I feel, but the guy has the chaperone hat firmly bolted to his head these days. Clarencestein. He's old and he acts it. He gets to sit in a high chair. He can play the sax right off a stand, too. So much so, I wouldn't be surprised if he's not live, but Memorex. I swear I hear sax, and he ain't playin' it. One of these times, Springsteen will call out "Let's go, C." and I don't think he'll answer the bell. He also gets to play those percussive thingies I can handle. He starts playing this one thing like he's shaving carrots, then he's playing a potato scrubber. Next are the maracas. I don't wanna bash the guy, but people still look at him as a significant contributor and they could be wrong.

A la Bob Dylan, Springsteen's harmonica makes an appearance and people go ga-ga.

I always get a kick out of shared vocals. But when Steve Van Zandt sings at the same microphone as Springsteen, why do I always think of garlic. Have for years and it's distracting. When Springsteen's wife shares the mike, I think alcohol. It's crazy.

Nils Lofgren, however, is a virtuoso as far as I'm concerned and my favorite E-Street Band member. Although I'm worried about him. He's either getting shorter or his guitars are getting much bigger. It's scary. Awesome work on the "Tunnel of Love" solo, though.

The Tickets: We were in Section 124 in the lowers, the northwest corner. Probably halfway up, even with the Club level. The beauty of it was not much standing. Oh, people to the right and lower stood most of the time, but plenty of people had a clear shot to the stage. The guy next to me was multi-talented, though. He played air guitar, air drums, and air keyboard. I laughed.

The Sound: It is the Q, but for a Springsteen show, it's not that important. I mean, the only word I've ever understood in the song "Badlands" happens to be the word "badlands", so I don't think I missed much. And I heard every "1-2-3-4" clearly. Plus, when most people know the words and sing along, it's kind of a moot point.

The Stage: The setup consisted of a rather sparse stage with a platform a couple of steps down, running the full length of the stage in front. A ramp to a walkway at the back of the stage was also employed. Springsteen took a walk up that ramp, acknowledging the crowd during one song. Video screens up front, on the right and left. Two curtains in the front of the stage between the two screens were also used for video on a couple of songs. Lighting was minimal.

Here is the band deployment. Front row, left to right: Clemons, Nils, Springsteen, Tallent, Van Zandt, Wifey. In the back, left to right: Federici, Weinberg, Tyrell (Violin chick), Bittan.

The Music: I'm sure the diehards will quibble with the song selection. But let's face it, the reason there is a tour is to promote the "smash LP", as Springsteen called it. In the iPod world of today, though, people are mad about singles. I'm not sure people wanted to hear the fourth cut of side B of "Magic". And you could tell from the audience response there was a bit of restlessness hoping he would revisit the familiar old classics. At least, he had at least one song from each of his albums. But he's established himself as an icon, and I give him props to do whatever he feels like. He certainly could have gouged people on price and he didn't.

Setlist:

Radio Nowhere
Night
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Magic
Reason to Believe
It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City
She's the One
Livin' in the Future
The Promised Land
Town Called Heartbreak
Tunnel of Love
Be True
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands

Encore:

Girls in Their Summer Clothes
Kitty's Back
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
American Land


If you are a diehard, are you disappointed that one of your favorites was not included? They played for only 2 hours and 10 minutes, which in the old days represented the time when things were just getting started. I dunno, I'm not a diehard. But I'll say this, the man knows how to entertain. The band has excellent musicianship, it's max effort on every tune, and you have to take the new to recapture some of the old. I'd say it was a pretty solid effort.

Meal of Links

Crap. Just when you inhale some fast food out of necessity, it has to get spoiled by all the junk in it. Subway's whole wheat bread, for instance, has fructose as its first ingredient. Bah!

The Writers Guild goes on strike. Talk shows take the first hit, series can go on for a bit. Look for more reality shows.

Tina Fey on picket line duty:




















It's good to be the King

Randomness from yesterday's Browns home game:

Special Guest: Nomar Stalker is in the house. This was a game we had been looking forward to for a long time.

Today's Opponent: The Seattle Seahawks. Since the Seahawks moved to the NFC a while back, we don't really care much about them. Last time, the Browns went to Seattle, they got whipped. Their last visit here was a home opener several years ago. The Browns lost, 9-6, on a field goal as time expired. The Browns come into today's game winners of their last two, Seattle had a bye last week. Both teams have superior offenses, so most expect a shootout. This is a major step for the Browns. If they win this, we can explore discussing the "P" word without sounding nutty.

Today's Veterans Day Flyover:













The Weather: The coldest game of the year, thus far. But not too bad. Since, I was going to see Springsteen, I couldn't dress like it was a football game. Honestly, would you really wear a Browns jersey to the concert, any concert? Cue the "L" word.

Today's Giveaway: I had to get a Bloody Mary prepped before I wrote this. They had some hip-hop guy I never heard of, Soulja Boy Tellem participating. A video clip showed him in a Browns jersey, allegedly in the locker room, dancing around. I have no idea what he gave away, but it's the first time a record company or artist sponsored something down there. Might be the last.

Section 345:Once again, the Browns play good football and attention is squarely focused on the field. Coats arrived, so fewer "Asshole!" chants, as well. Plus, Seattle is really far away.

Best Browns Play: Had to be the screen pass in OT to Jamal Lewis. It went for 34 yards and it appeared that Lewis was well ahead of his blockers when he got the ball. It didn't matter, as it was a combination of Lewis not wanting to go down and the Seahawks seemingly not wanting to tackle him. Put the Browns in field goal range.

Second-Best Browns Play: Speaking of that field goal, Phil Dawson's to win the game was a thing of beauty.

Worst Browns Play: The missed extra point by Dawson after the Browns first touchdown. The yankiest of yanks that have ever been yanked.

Best Line from Me (noting how bad Shaun Alexander runs these days): "Shaun Alexander has been sissified!"

Best Line from Nomar Stalker (viewing the Soulja Boy Tellem video): "Who is that? Soulja Boy Urkel?"

Best Line from a Random (the guy next to me was accompanied by a drunken friend who stepped out for a long time): "I'm starting to get worried. Oh, not about the game, about my friend. He'll probably say I told him the wrong section. He'll yell at me. He'll throw a punch. And even though I'm drinking, I gotta get him home."

Oddest Browns Jersey: Not so much on the Browns side. 10 Zorn for Seattle evoked throwback memories. But there was a couple wearing 18 Manning jerseys. One blue, one white. Not really sure why.

Food Items: One pretzel and one Mountain Dew, please. The best purchase was by the guy I mentioned earlier. he buys a beer for himself and his friend. One beer makes it down to us. But mysteriously, a guy several seats down from us assumed the second beer was for him and started drinking it.

Best Hat: The Browns "Fat Albert" propeller beanie I saw after the Springsteen show.

The Fuckin' Run: The Seahawks running game was dormant for the most part. They still managed 108 yards, but the great Shaun Alexander is a mystery these days. Seattle's line isn't what it once was, and since Alexander's latest wrist injury, he seems to relish in being a non-factor. Maurice Morris had a six yard average though. Seattle looked like they wanted to throw on every down, and could not make the one yard it needed in OT for a first down that led to their loss.

Worst Stat: Nate Burleson's 47.5 yard average on punt returns for Seattle. His 95-yard return for a touchdown was a head scratcher.

2nd Worst Stat: Most of the Browns leading tacklers were their secondary personnel. It shows how effective Seattle was throwing the ball. Virtually every out pattern and every crossing pattern resulted in a decent gain for the Seahawks.

Most Interesting Stat: Jamal Lewis. Could not average 2 yards per carry, but had 4 touchdowns. That's not interesting, it borders on incredible.

This was an important game for the Browns. It was a team with a winning record coming to town, and they beat them. Trust me, that is a rarity. The defense again played great when it needed to, but is still giving up way too many yards. I think I could have caught 5 passes for Seattle yesterday.

But we seem to have stumbled upon an offense that could be labelled a juggernaut. Halfway through this season the Browns have scored 227 points. The entire year last year, they scored 238. Since the home opener debacle, the Browns have games of 51, 27, 41 and 33, sweeping them all. What looked bleak two months ago, has us looking ahead to a schedule that contains the Cardinals, Bills, 49ers, Texans and Jets. Toss in the Bengals, as well. I understand the Browns have not established a team that can consistently perform on the road, but I think the "P" word will enter the discussion soon.

Next week, it's the Steelers on the road. Once again, a game that will go along way in determining the fate of this year's team.

Browns win, 33-30, in an overtime thriller.

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5 Across: Jack of "Dragnet" (4 letters) Answer: Webb