Great tribute tonight to living legend Bruce Springsteen at the Kennedy Center Honors. Jon Stewart introduction followed by Melissa Ethridge, Eddie Vetter and Sting (not sure why Sting is dressed like Louis Pastuer). Wow.
The one poster on the back of my barracks room door was the cover of the "Born in the USA" album. Both Trish Gray '85, my roommate and I were huge fans. When we were yearlings, my father got me four box tickets to the Boss "Born in the USA" concert at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. Trish had previously purchased tickets.
The weekend of the concert was also a weekend we had an alpine ski race somewhere in New England. I arranged to race on Sat, drive a few hours to Syracuse, attend the concert, and return to race the second event on Sunday. When I reviewed my plans with the Ski Team captain, Daryll Murdock '85, he told me my place of duty for the entire weekend was with the ski team. If I attended the concert he would kick me off the team. I gave (yes free of charge) the tickets to two cows (Rich Carter '86 and Bob Pitulej '86) in my company (A-3). Bob and Rich drove to my parents home in Cazenovia, NY, took my sister and and friend to the concert, and spent the night at my house in my room. When I returned from the weekend race, Bob and Rich were sitting on my cadet bed. When I asked them how was the concert, they stood up, threw a concert shirt at me and said "It was f'ing great" and walk out of my room.
I have been to four Springsteen concerts. Each one better than the previous. To this day, I regret not seeing the Boss in Syracuse.
