Bruce on The Streets of Philadelphia

Is it a classic cheesesteak, dripping with goo and smothered in fried onions, hot from the grill and served on a fresh locally-baked roll?

Is it the distinctive peal of string band music as another year opens with the Mummers' celebration of "Oh Dem Golden Slippers" making its way down Broad Street?

Is it boat house row? Tastykakes? The Broad Street Bullies or the Liberty Bell?

Philadelphia is, of course, all of these things, but in the words of the immortal Rod Serling, I would like to offer this association for your consideration: Philadelphia and Bruce Springsteen.

"Now, wait a minute," you may say. "Springsteen is so New Jersey. He's their native son. How can you possibly associate Springsteen with Philadelphia?"

You may even go as far as one of my co-workers, who laughed, "Sheesh, you can find a way to associate everything in the world with Springsteen."

Okay, this may have some truth to it. Not that I can associate everything in the real world (sounds like a crazy "Seven Levels of Bruce" challenge to me!) but almost everything in my world can be associated with Springsteen. After all, his music has been the soundtrack of my life, and I have been following him with a religious fervour for twentysome years now.

All that aside, however, there are other ties that bind the Boss to the City of Brotherly Love, and they have their roots in the very history of Bruce's career . He may have come from the swamps of Jersey, but Bruce made his way to the hearts of America on a highway that cut right through Center City Philadelphia.

And it even goes beyond the haunting images that Bruce captured in this Oscar-winning song, "The Streets of Philadelphia" from the movie that shares its name with this city. Philly - through album-oriented rock stations like WMMR - was the first major market to embrace Springsteen's vision, to invest in his message of freedom and responsibility, of growing up without giving in. He may not rank up there with Rocky Balboa or Frank Rizzo, but Springsteen and Philly go together like, well, cream cheese on a bagel. (And yes, I know that bagels are really a New York thing. That's sorta my point...)

And the love affair continues to this day. Monday I attended the first of Springsteen's six sold- out shows in Philadelphia. This summer, I was lucky to be a part of the audience at five of the shows in the Meadowlands, magical shows where the return of the E Street Band was a family reunion celebrated by friends who never met. The show Monday night was very similar to the ones I had witnessed earlier - the songs were a healthy blend of old favorites ("Out In The Streets," "Thunder Road") reinvented cult classics ("Murder Incorporated," "Light of Day") and even some surprises (the rare "Backstreets," the unreleased "Land of Hope and Dreams").

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