Springsteen Kicks Ass at Superbowl XLIII

I've got no stake in this season's Super Bowl - but am enjoying a pretty good game with some wicked exciting plays (and some "doh!" moments). But the most enjoyable moment had to be the exceptional mini-concert that was Bruce Springsteen's Half Time Show. Has any rocker aged as gracefully and remained as vital as Mr. Springsteen? A few come close, but the guy retains a youthful exuberance and chutzpah that seems only to gain in intensity and the sheer joy of musicmaking that makes him sui generis.

It was hard not to sing along - indeed, the crowd at the Bowl was roaring the lines along with The Boss, and at one point became his chorus of back-up singers - everyone caught up in the blissful madness.

I was a big Springsteen fan as a kid, but over the years, my interest in his music waned, though I always paid attention to what he was doing. The past few years the man has reinvented himself exploring more styles and taking more risks than he has at any other point in his career. That commands respect in and of itself. But, the fact is his music is today as relevant and, in many ways, more so while reclaiming a level of showmanship and excitement that musicians half his age would be lucky to possess.

Yes, indeedy, babies - "tramps like us, baby, we were born to run!"