First up: a former SiriusXM colleague Cristina Palumbo. She is a on-air sidekick on two SiriusXM shows: The Alex Bennett Program (hear it weekdays 7-10am ETon SiriusXM Left)
and The Jay Thomas Show (weekdays 3-6pm ET on SiriusXM Stars Too). You can follow her on Twitter (and I recommend that you do) and follow her hijinks on Facebook. First time I met Cristina I was producing a shoot where people were trying out to be on a reality show on Playboy TV. Everything Cristina said in the control room was hilarious. She's made me laugh many times since then, and one of these days, someone is going to give her her own radio show.
Anyway, she was fortunate enough to attend Bruce Springsteen's concert at the Apollo Theater last Friday night and was generous enough to offer to review it for No Expiration. So, here's what she said:
"By no means have I ever considered myself a die hard Springsteen fan. If I had to choose sides of the never ending new jersey battle I was always half way there and living on a prayer. All that changed Friday night when I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live at the Apollo for the 10th birthday of SiriusXM. I've been to a handful of concerts in my life including two of Cher's many farewell tours (go ahead and laugh but you haven’t lived until you have partied in a stadium filled with gay men in sailor hats) but I have never seen a show like this before.
Growing up my parents were fans of different types of music and exposed me to all of it. As an only child I kept myself occupied by 'choreographing' dance routines and 'hosting' radio shows in my bedroom for hours. I would tap into my parents collection of music which introduced me to Bruce for the first time. I can remember spotting the iconic Born in the USA cover art preserved behind the cloudy cassette plastic cover. I put it in my duel cassette player, envisioned myself in a stadium at halftime and performed the number of a lifetime. At 31 years old I remember this like it was yesterday, and Friday night's concert put my awesome bedroom performance to shame.
Once I got over the fact that I was getting drinks from the same bar as Paul Rudd I found my seat and was prepared to sing 'Born in the USA' louder than any real Springsteen fan. To my disappointment it's not 1984. No 'Born to Run' or '57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)' either. To be under the same roof doing the same thing as Tom Hanks only 5 rows behind him was an experience in itself. Turns out there is way more to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band than terrestrial radio ever told me. Only a few songs rang a bell, I only knew four of them. I know, that’s a total disgrace, but my appreciation for Bruce and the band has certainly changed dramatically!
The energy in the room was electric. The space at the Apollo was so intimate that the sound from the horns bounced off the walls and into my intestines. Bruce was up every aisle, hanging from the balconies and at one point basically singing in Ben Stiller’s lap. The energy coming out of this 62 year old man makes me want to drink green vegetables three times a day. From start to finish the show was incredible and at times inspirational as Bruce told little anecdotes of how the band got their start, through the years of being on the road and giving people along the way a chance to show their talents. If I don’t leave my seat at least once to use the restroom, chalk it up to awesome.
I can honestly say I walked into the Apollo with the appreciation any regular person would have of someone with a very real gift. I left the Apollo a fan.
P.S. iTunes, you're welcome for my most recent purchases."
So there you have it! Thank you Cristina for taking the time, and hopefully there's a couple of more accounts of first-time Springsteen concert goers to come. (and by the way, the photo is Cristina's as well.)
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