BRUUUUUUCE Part 1
He is so big and so important it will take multiple blog entries.
Springsteen vs. Rosh Shoshanna
Why does it cost more to buy a seat for Rosh Shoshanna Services than it does to get a ticket for a Bruce Springsteen Concert? They are both religious events, well at least for me and probably for all true blue Bruce fans. Actually, I feel far more redeemed as I scream with thousands of strangers the words to Bad Lands, “You got to live’em everyday” than I do when I am responding to the Rabbi along with a different and much smaller group of strangers. Regardless of which group I am with, I am sharing a religion of sorts. I hope I don’t burn in hell for writing this, but if I do, I bet it will be with a lot of really good rock music in the background. Rosh Shoshanna 2009 arrives the day before Bruce Springsteen arrives in Chicago for an historic concert where he will sing every song from the Born To Run Album. Two days that will be forever linked in my memory.
Our Cantor has a magnificent voice, as do most Cantors. It is the sole purpose of the job, to fill the synagogue with a beautiful sound and to lead the congregants in song when necessary. When I grew up my mother belonged to a conservative synagogue where the Cantor looked to be about 110 years old. Yet his voice stayed as strong as an Oak Tree from beginning to end of the long services. Everything was in Hebrew. I would have to sit there for at least 4 hours. I appreciated the Service, but I cannot say I enjoyed it. At our reformed synagogue, the services are only 2 hours and the Cantor plays an acoustic guitar. Whenever my mother would go to a reformed synagogue and sees a guitar playing Cantor she would make a sour face. “It’s wrong” she mumbled to herself while the Cantor strummed the strings. Oh, those guitars, instruments of rebellion whether in the hands of teen age rocker in a leather jacket or a middle aged Cantor wrapped in a Talis. All day, on Saturday (oy vey it was Sabbath too) September 19, 2009 as I prayed I thought “this is going to be a good year, I will be singing along with Bruce tomorrow at the United Center”.
As I appreciated our Cantor’s deep baritone and his guitar playing I had another thought, was our Cantor good enough to join the E Street Band? Bruce has always been so innovative and willing to stretch his musical horizons. It is part of what I love so much, the endless risk taking and experimenting whether it is Nebraska, The Seeger Sessions, or coming back to the roots of rock while “Working on a Dream”. Maybe there will be room for a Cantor someday? I remember when I first discovered Bruce. I was convinced he had to be Jewish. I know I should not say this, but he did “look” the part. And he was obviously heir apparent to Bob Dylan. Oh well, at least the E Street Band’s drummer is Jewish…. I bet he could add a lot of oomph to our Services. Maybe someday we could trade our guitar playing Cantor for Mighty Max Weinberg. Nah, won’t work, the E Street Band needs Max’s magical hands. And even a reformed synagogue would be pushing it if they added a drum set to the bima.
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