The Gaslight Anthem, Asbury Park, 12/09011 with guest appearance from Bruce Springsteen

The rumors were flying around Asbury Park last night, that Bruce Springsteen was in the house at The Gaslight Anthem's first Convention Hall concert. One guy told me that someone told him that his girlfriend saw Springsteen in a local jewelry store and asked him if he was going to the GA concert that night. Supposedly he Bruce said "I've got nothing else to do, so I might." That's the kind of buzz that was being shared by total strangers, who quickly developed a camaraderie based on a shared hope that the rumors would come to pass. The excited crowd had a well-behaved Jersey pride and wholesome beer-buzzed enthusiasm going already, but when Bruce actually stepped onto the stage, pulses quickened, bodies moved, crowd surfing increased and the joy was palpable. Magic had indeed happened on the boardwalk in Asbury Park once again, and the hometown boys rocked the house. Thanks, fellas.