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In The Lion's Den: Springsteen at Penn State

© Mary Jude Dixon

He's back on the road - and so was I!

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band resumed their latest tour (now dubbed Tour2K) on Monday, February 28, with a stop at Penn State University in State College, PA. Although Bruce and the band had their own extended "winter break" (the last concert was on November 28, 1999), they welcomed the younger-than-usual crowd and the new millennium with the same intensity that was evidenced during the first leg of this, their reunion tour.

Personally, I hadn't planned on going to Penn State. I had been fortunate enough to see Bruce at five of the Meadowlands shows and four of the Philly shows (not to mention I was working on getting my dialing fingers limbered up for the "March Madness" Madison Square Garden ticket sales later that week). Oh, sure, I did make some half-hearted attempts at picking up some State College tickets on eBay, but when I was overbid, I felt a twinge of relief. After all, my birthday would be the first of March, and, as usual I was feeling a bit introspective about my station in life. I was inching out of "responsible adult" and further into "middle age." Surely, I told myself, I am way too mature (read "old") for the four hour road trip from the swamps of Jersey to Happy Valley just to see a rock band, even if it was the best rock band in the world.

"So you're scared and you're thinking that maybe we ain't that young any more," croons Bruce on my all-time favorite song, "Thunder Road." "You got that right, Boss," I thought to myself and, mentally crossing Penn State off of my list of concerts, I tried to focus on the shows in New York and forget about that dreaded birthday.

But fortunately for me, I have someone who reminds me to "show a little faith," and to focus on the "magic in the night." "Good news!" Scott told me during a phone call. "I got tickets for Penn State."

Immediately all hesitation left me. Road trip time! I couldn't wait to take that ride to the center of the Keystone State and to see Bruce on stage again. (Which gets me thinking....maybe I'm just getting too old to try to get tickets?) It was the best possible way to hold a pre-birthday celebration.

So we pulled out of Jersey on the 28th and headed up the Pennsylvania turnpike towards Happy Valley. The ride - 4 hours there due to traffic, 3 and a half hours back - was long but beautiful, as we pointed out mountain streams, laughed about the mini Statue of Liberty in one PA lake, and, of course, searched for blocks of the Boss on the radio. We finally got to our hotel with minutes to spare, changed quickly and headed to the Bryce Jordan Center for the show.