- When: April 26, 2026
- Where: Moody Center, Austin, TX
What?
“What? Bruce is doing a small tour of indoor venues? Really? Just him? With the band? Is he coming to Chicago?”
Those were just a few of the initial questions when I saw a blip about Bruce Springsteen doing a brief, spring tour.
I found the answers: Yes. Yes. Nope. Yup. Yup.
Then I thought to myself, “Self, maybe I can finally take my wife to a Bruce show, how Bruce is meant to be seen. Not at a baseball stadium with iffy acoustics, but indoors, with about twenty thousand crazed fans, and iffy acoustics.
So, I did my research, saw the places he was playing, and read:
APR 26 AUSTIN, TX
On Sale February 21, 2026
APR 29 CHICAGO, IL
On Sale February 20, 2026
MAY 02 ATLANTA, GA
I decided to read the listing as Chicago would go on sale on Saturday, February 21st.
“Sweet! Maybe I’ll see how much tickets might be the morning tickets go on sale.”
February 21st comes along, I wake up, start to investigate tickets, and see Chicago was already on sale.
“What? How can this be? Was there some kind of pre-sale?”
Nope, The Dude on the Right just can’t read. Chicago went on sale February 20t. it turns out Austin was going on sale on February 21st.
I felt stupid.
“Honey, I was thinking of maybe us going to Springsteen, but I’m an idiot. Tickets went on sale yesterday. Here, look at this website, see how I screwed up!”
My wife simply asked two questions, “Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to see Bruce?” (she would have gotten the correct on-sale date), and “Where else is he playing?”
What, a Bruce road-trip? Could it be?
And so, I let her analyze the ticket schedule discovering a few possibilities, namely New York City, Philadelphia, and Austin.
We both logged in to try for the shows, then came the ticket queues, and there she was, a decent number for Austin. I guess Ticketmaster had more faith in her figuring out the website and getting tickets.
It was finally her turn, I coached her on what seats to pick, and there it was, a sweet block of four seats.
Then came, “Why don’t you just take your nephew and brother-in-law? I already saw Bruce on Broadway and at Wrigley Field. I don’t need to see him again.”
“What” I replied. “You don’t understand, you need the full Bruce experience, with band, indoors. It’s so much more awesome.”
“Nah, that’s fine, you go with them and enjoy yourself.”
Her loss, but holy crap, we’re going to Austin! Let’s tell the family!
We’re Going to Austin!
As it turns out, we both have family near enough to Austin that we could make this more than just a trip to Austin; we would also get in some quality family time!
So, sadly, my wife may never experience Bruce with the E-Street Band indoors, but in the end, I didn’t care, I was going to see Bruce!
I won’t bore you with much of the Austin trip only to say that I fell in love with Austin again, kind of wished we had moved there eight years ago, but alas, it was great to see family.
Bruce was playing at Moody Center just outside the downtown area. It was a short enough walk from our hotel, so my nephew, brother-in-law, and I, ditched our significant others a few hours before the show and found ourselves at Scholz Garten for some pre-concert food and beverages.
Scholz’s Garten has been a staple in Austin since 1866, serving German food a-plenty, well, except for days when there are big events nearby. On party days, they trim down their menu for speed. While I may have to go back for a weinerschnitzel, on this day it was time for a brat and some beers. I’ll give them credit for their efficiency and the tastiness of the food. Most Texans know this is a perfect pre-activity spot, and I’m glad we found it.
As we made our way to Moody Center, past the proverbial people selling T-Shirts that weren’t of the official kind, the first question was what door to enter. Our tickets read “Portal 5,” which, silly me, meant look around the outside for Portal 5, but alas, there are only two entrances at Moody Center, East Gate and West Gate. Yup, no clue what was the better gate to enter. I thought, “Really, you couldn’t also have a North and South Gate” for some entrance efficiency, and you couldn’t just add “Enter at East Gate” on the electronic ticket?
We finally ended up in the right place, found the merchandise booth where I bought my first concert t-shirt in about twenty years, beverages were secured, and our seats were found.
Showtime
And then, around 7:35 PM, the lights went down. There he was, illuminated in a spotlight, as the band kicked into the Edwin Starr classic, “War.”
The Land of Hopes and Dreams concert had begun.
This tour, spawned by the ICE crap that hit Minnesota, Bruce’s subsequent song creation of “Streets of Minneapolis,” and just a need to speak up as Bruce is wont to do, was not meant to be a “Greatest Hits” kind of tour. Nope, Bruce brought along Tom Morello, he from Rage Against the Machine fame and one always willing to speak his mind, for help, and blasted through three hours of songs that touched on a variety of political themes Bruce has championed over the years.
That’s right, no screen doors slammin’ on the way to “Thunder Road,” no “Rosalita” coming out tonight, no recapturing “Glory Days,” and no kisses to “Prove It All Night.” Instead, there was a blistering version of “The Ghost of Tom Joad” with Morello, a raucous version of “American Land,” and the always moving “American Skin (41 Shots).”
You bring out a “Death to My Hometown,” “Murder Incorporated,” and “My City of Ruins,” along with the statement song, “Streets of Minneapolis,” and you can understand the message Bruce was trying to make, that America has a lot of challenges right now to overcome if it wants to become the land of greatness it can be. Only if we face those challenges the right way, by working together instead of being divided, can we get there, and it will take all of us.
Bruce did what Bruce does best at times, orating like a preacher and making you think about the world around you. His message wasn’t one of hating the other guy, but instead being a person strong enough to disagree with someone while at the end of the day, both people being able to share life for the common good of all. His challenge to all was to make their voices heard, make change, but do it the human way, not the way of some who degrade others and thinks there are levels to humanity.
And yes, while the show did have a political side, you didn’t leave the show with a sense of dread. Nope, you left the show with a sense of hope. Mixed with the message was classic Bruce, with the hope of “The Risiing,” the we are all together on this train of “The Land of Hope and Dreams,” the bursts of life with “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” and the rockin’ and dancin’ times of “Born to Run” and “Dancing In the Dark.”
Add something about Morello’s solo on Ghost of Tom Joad – started at age 17, he’s now 61. When I’m 110 I should be able to shred just like him!
The E-Street band was as awesome as ever, even as they all age gracefully, and at 76 years old, damn, seeing Bruce command and audience and blast a guitar for three hours was inspiring. Nope, he doesn’t stop, as the show was mostly song, guitar change, song, guitar change, song, guitar change, and Bruce playing to every person in the venue, even making his way to the stage riser in the middle of the floor seats giving up close and personal joy for those who might have thought their seats weren’t that great. And, oh yea, holy fuck, that Tom Morello can play a mean guitar. I’ve never seen him before, but damn, as someone like me just trying to learn three chords, watching his hands flying up and down the fretboard was a site to be seen. All I could think of during “The Ghost of Tom Joad” was, “Hmm, Tom started playing around 17 year old, and he’s now 61. If I keep practicing, maybe when I’m 110, I’ll be able to shred just like him!
Look, Bruce knows how to spread a message. Bruce knows how to rock. And more importantly Bruce knows how to give you hope.
It’s us to take that hope and make it a reality.
Two giant, hopeful thumbs up for Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band. I didn’t miss some of the greatest hits, it was more inspiring being at a show with message.
I am, however, a little bummed that my wife missed it.
That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right! L8R!!
And so it was on a rocking, freezing night at Ravinia Festival near Chicago for the double bill of, as Richard Marx put it, “Two Dicks.” Yup, Richard Marx and Rick Springfield on a night when you would have thought it was the middle of October instead of mid-June.
The interesting thing with Richard Marx, however, is that a lot of his more recent success has come in the shadows, as the songwriter and producer of tons of artists, many of whom you have heard of. Yup, remember “This I Promise You” from NSYNC? He was a part of that. Remember Luther Vandross’ “Dance With My Father?” A part of that, too. Keith Urban’s “Long Hot Summer?” Not just Keith, but Richard, too.
Anywho, Richard Marx’s set consisted of many of the hits you might remember from those 80’s, “Angelina” and “Hold On to the Nights” to name a couple. The crowd loved him, sang along as they should have, and appreciated his song “When You Loved Me” which he recorded with his sons as his “band” on video. He did a fantastic set, including stories of the songs he worked on with the other artists. His NSYNC story was pretty funny, and seeing a young Justin Timberlake in the picture he flashed was, well, actually just made me feel old.
A quick set change brought a video montage of Rick Springfield’s successes, but really, the crowd didn’t need a refresher, well, except maybe that intoxicated girl next to me. Out came Rick to the raucous “Light This Party Up,” and the crowd began to party.
Rick blew through a set consisting of the songs people wanted to hear and a few more recent ones the girl next to me didn’t want to hear. She was definitely in the minority.
“Don’t Talk to Strangers” brought true crowd participation as Rick tossed a microphone into the audience for people to sing into, and “Human Touch” got Rick into the crowd, coming down the aisle, across the seats, and back up to the stage. Funny, or maybe sad, how the song, with lyrics like “Everybody’s talking to computers” and “I’m so scared and isolated in the modern world,” actually has more meaning, some 36 years after it was originally released.
| 
I am embarrassed to admit that I didn’t realize Randy Bachman was a member of The Guess Who. Sure, I knew the songs “American Woman” and “These Eyes,” but I never knew Mr. Bachman was a part of that magic.
I get so mad at myself when I don’t see the plot twist coming. I also secretly applaud the film folks when they pull it off. And so I must applaud the film folks of “White Chamber” when the big reveal came towards the end of the movie because I just didn’t see it coming.
| 
Strange things are afoot at the secret lab. Girls are locked away hoping for one thing, to be adopted by a nice family. That sounds nice and all, but as we watch the girls and their training, it appears something else might be going on. Hmm? I’m thinking the good Dr. Miro (Peter Outerbridge) and his assistant Miss Brixil (Sara Canning), may be up to no good. Uh oh!
| 
While watching the movie, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” I had to chuckle when the scene arrived showing the various clips of reviews of the Queen album, “A Night at the Opera” and the epic song, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Yup, critics really didn’t like the album, didn’t get it, and basically dismissed it. Enter “Bohemian Rhapsody” the movie, and sure enough the critics didn’t really like it, didn’t get it, and basically dismissed it. The problem? The people going to the theater appeared to love it.
Me, I was seven years old when “A Night at the Opera” came out. I can’t say I remember it back then, but what I do remember is “A Night at the Opera” was the first album I ever bought. I remember riding my bike to Big Town in Lorain, Ohio, putting the album on my turntable, and there it was, a skip, during “Seaside Rendezvous.” I didn’t care. I loved the album, and listened to it over, and over, and over. It’s the only piece of vinyl I will not depart with, has a place on my knick-knack shelf, and when I bought the CD of “A Night at the Opera” I would still sing the “skip” during “Seaside.” Queen has always been one of musical influences of my life.
| 
| 
There was one point during “Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton,” when I just felt like such a schlub. It was during a scene showing Laird training. With his being 53 as I type this, and the footage not looking that old, he was probably about my age now, me being 50, or a little older. There he was, training in the gym, in the water with weights, and just being all healthy and stuff. Laird was able to love life, even with his aches and pains, and here I am struggling to get my ass out of bed most days just to get on a treadmill. I’m sure living in Hawaii kind of helps, but now I’m just making excuses.