What a week it was, one that will be long remembered, with tales related to the grandies one day if my sole progeny ever stops working and living the muso life.
Three more Springsteen concerts, numbers 6, 7 and 8, the press call where after 42 years of waiting I actually got to have an albeit short conversation with one of my heroes and meeting part of the local, national and international fan community known occaisionally as Bruce Buds.
And that's exactly what it is, a community, a family if you will. Anthropolgists might even use the term, tribe.
Whatever the terminology, being a fan of an artist or team, geez even a TV show is something to belong to, a collective of like mindedness.
If you want to see it further demonstrated go to a Comic Con show!
You want to REALLY witness the phenomanen writ large, check out a Trekkie or Star Wars convention!
This past week has also given me something to ponder; what is it about fandom and in some cases, super fandom whether that relate to a music or sports figure, movie star or cause?
I met a New Jersey native who estimates he has seen Bruce perform 432 times, a Qld fan who is among a group of Australians, one family from the SW, who will go to every show on the current tour.
John has flown in from Portland and will follow the entire tour, then go to NZ which will bring his total to almost 100 concerts.
When I asked all these people, interstingly, all blokes, what the hook is there was invariably a moment of pause followed by a look of "well why the hell not?"
There is no answer to the question of course in the case of the fan but the super fan is an all together different proposition.
Are people who have followed the same football team their entire lives (Western Bulldogs?) and will sit through atrocious weather to cheer on their team despite knowing they will be flogged, again, any different to someone who spends their hard earned on concert tickets and travelling the world to follow a performer?
I say, nope.
This also is appilicable to lovers of comic books, online gaming, LARPing (live action role playing, you know, swords, Vikings, Game of Thrones etc)
I know of a guy who spends his entire weekend tending to his prized orchids and has won awards for them over many years.
Not my bag but hey, I don't pay his rent!
When I get to see him I will relate how I, a grown man, actually jumped to try and reach Jake Clemmons' out stretched fingers at the Arena last Sunday night, and a lady to my left spent almost a minute touching Springsteen's ankle while he was singing in front of her.
He will mock me, I know it's going to happen.
The question remains though, what on earth are we hoping to acheive by these "frivolous" actions?
Is it a case of "touch me, heal me" or perhaps living a rock star dream simply by close proximity? Even I took a selfie with the band in it to show "hey everyone, look at me and how close I got" Mock away...............
I guess there is a line which tips over to obsession which can lead to stalking and an ugly lack of respect, none of which I've ever seen with Bruce fans, in fact the exact opposite appears to be the case with the die hards.
In my mind this is harmles adoration, for me personally, it's not to fill some kind of void as has been postulated by psycologists, the rationalisation doesn't however answer all my questions about the super fan syndrome.
Perhaps I'm over thinking it.
Who do those who have probably worked their bum off to be able to afford to go to all the shows have to answer to?
You and I both know the answer to that question at least.
31 January 2017
Article by:
Cliff Reeve