THE BOSS, THE ACCIDENT AND THE T-SHIRT

My visit to the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music sparked memories

By Ellen Donker

A few years ago, my son Christian noticed the T-shirt I was wearing on my way outside to paint some furniture. It was from Bruce Springsteen’s 1980 world concert. Since I had rarely worn it, it was in pristine condition. He said the shirt was probably worth something and suggested that I change.

Back in the drawer went that T-shirt until recently when my husband Rob and I visited the new Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music. I figured, if not now, then when? It got us thinking of our Bruce stories. Rob and I chatted about them all the way down the Garden State Parkway to Long Branch.

The first time I heard of Bruce was on my 16th birthday when my sister got me the Born to Run album. She wasn’t much of a fan but knew he was on the edge of becoming big after being featured on the covers of Time and Newsweek on Oct. 27, 1975. That album started my fandom.

When I went to college in Wheaton, Ill., and other students found out I was from New Jersey, one of the first questions they’d (always boys) ask me was whether I liked Bruce Springsteen. My “yes” elicited a nod of approval.

I didn’t see Bruce and the E Street Band live until my sophomore year, when he launched a tour to promote The River. Scheduled to play in Chicago at the Uptown Theatre, a small venue with just more than 4,300 seats, the only way to get tickets was to sleep out at the box office. Now, I considered myself a big fan but not enough to do this. My friend Drew and a few of his friends did. Lucky for me, he asked me to go on the first night.

Because I was the one with the car, I drove us there. My only job was to carry Drew’s zoom lens in my purse through security while he hid the camera in the crotch of his pants. We sat in the first row of the balcony, giving Drew perfect sightlines for sneaking his photos. My souvenir that night was the Bruce Springsteen concert T-shirt along with the photos Drew processed later.

The next night, Drew and his friends were slated to go to the concert again. They asked me to do them a huge favor and lend them my car. I was a bit protective of my Ford Pinto but felt like it was a way to thank Drew for taking me to the concert. The guys said they’d have it back to me the next morning.

The next morning came and went. Then the afternoon. By the end of the day, one of them called to tell me they had been side-swiped by another car on the way home and felt terrible about it. I had to call my father and report that the one time I lent out my car it was in an accident. He took it pretty well.

Over the years, I’ve seen Bruce a few more times, watched documentaries and read his memoir, but I’ve never been that rabid fan needing to see him every time he tours. What I’ve always admired about him is that he keeps creating, trying his hand at different types of music. And he’s loyal to his people and his home turf. I’ll admit that I’ve had long stretches when I haven’t listened to his music but when I come back to it, I feel a grounding of sorts. After all, the Boss has been accompanying me through life for a lot of years.

At the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music, they told us Bruce would only give his approval for the center if his music was presented as a small link in the big chain of American musical traditions. It’s not all about him, although you can go to the archives room and do a deep dive if you’d like. The exhibits were impressive and interactive and made for a fun afternoon. I plan to go back.

The funny thing about my 1980 T-shirt is that two people in the very uncrowded center had the same one. A volunteer told me she had given hers to her cousin. As I was on my way out, another man walked in wearing his shirt. Given its age, he said he’s careful where he wears it. I will do the same.