The Boss comes to Ypsi

I blew off one boss this afternoon to see another. The Boss. Bruce Springsteen came to Ypsi today to stump for Obama. The line outside Oestrike Stadium at EMU was huge: I even bumped into our own local blogger extraordinaire, Mark Maynard, who was signing up voters. Once inside, I was about 50-60 feet in front of the stage, dead center. He was awesome. He was inspiring. Best of all, he was a die hard liberal! In addition to playing a moving show, concentrating on songs about the struggles of middle class Americans, he spoke a good deal as well, sharing his thoughts on what he refers to as the American Promise, and what's happened to it during the Bush years: I've spent most of my creative life measuring the distance between that American promise and American reality. For many Americans, who are today losing their jobs, their homes, seeing their retirement funds disappear, who have no healthcare, or who have been abandoned in our inner cities. The distance between that promise and that reality has never been greater or more painful. I believe Senator Obama has taken the measure of that distance in his own life and in his work. I believe he understands, in his heart, the cost of that distance, in blood and suffering, in the lives of everyday Americans. I believe as president, he would work to restore that promise to so many of our fellow citizens who have justifiably lost faith in its meaning. . . . . Our sacred house of dreams has been abused, looted, and left in a terrible state of disrepair. It needs care; it needs saving, it needs defending against those who would sell it down the river for power or a quick buck. It needs strong arms, hearts, and minds. It needs someone with Senator Obama's understanding, temperateness, deliberativeness, maturity, compassion, toughness, and faith, to help us rebuild our house once again. But most importantly, it needs us. You and me. The crowd went wild: I'll finish up with Thunder Road, as performed here in Ypsi a mere four hours ago (ain't the Internet wonderful?): UPDATE: Thanks to Amy for sending a link to a cool panorama picture from the Detroit News.