202 -- Bruce Springsteen -- Tuesday, November 1, 2016 -- The Theater at Madison Square Garden -- NYC

This was a unique Bruce concert in that it wasn’t his concert.  It was Stand Up For Heroes, a stand-up comedian fundraiser he was a part of.  Jim Gaffigan, Jon Stewart, Louis C.K., and Jerry Seinfeld each did ~15 minute routines, and he closed the show with a five-song set.  Every performer did themselves proud. War veterans and the Bob Woodruff Foundation could not have picked better people to represent them.  Veterans themselves also appeared on stage and in clips and shared inspiring stories.

The weak link was the host – or at least the hosting position – which turned a first-rate event into a 3am infomercial.  Repeatedly prompting people for thousands and tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars felt…strange. Should money for vets really be raised the way money is raised for Shake Weights -- with the inflection used to sell Bowflex?  Maybe it’s an impossible position to be in, but it felt awkward.

Fortunately, the comedians all had strong routines, and when Bruce came on, it was lights out, as usual.  A few quick hits appear below:

--- Who knew Jerry Seinfeld would be the funniest?

--- Bruce starts with “Workin' on the Highway”! Such pitch, pacing, clarity, and vulnerability.

--- “I'll Work For Your Love”!!!  Even better.  *Tear.*

--- Heh at the quick, funny, dirty stories involving an ATM and skiing that Bruce tells between songs.  HA at him offering to sweeten the pot auction-wise by including all the hamburgers and hot dogs the person can eat.  A guitar, a Cadillac, and an afternoon one-on-one with Bruce in Freehold would probably be the main draw, but it’s hard to argue with unlimited hot dogs.

--- “Long Walk Home.”  I need him to stay until 5am.

--- “Dancing in the Dark”!!  Rhythm shift, unprompted audience participation, magic.

Grade: A