My Bruce Journey - Part 37

'Now it's some old Stones' song the band is trashin' If you feel like dancin', baby I'm askin''



We made friends for life during those few days in New York, fell in love with both the city and Jersey. Hardly a week goes by when we don’t mention it and promise ourselves we will go back one day.

Day to day life goes on but we will always have the memories of a never to be repeated time.

Mike and I were let down gently because we had a Southside Johnny gig to go to on 14th November.

It was a strange one this.  Southside usually plays in rather more, shall we say, basic surroundings and the audience are usually standing.  This was at York Opera House.  We were in the second row - front and centre - a great position.  Well it would have been if anyone had stood up. 

I felt really uncomfortable sitting down throughout, it was a bit embarrassing.  I tried to get involved, by clapping, singing along and doing some sitting down dancing- you know what I mean - it involves a bit of bouncing around in your seat!  

My enthusiasm was rewarded with a copy of the set list.

During the usual shout out for requests Mike asked for 'All The Way Home'. Either Johnny didn't hear or he ignored him!  To make up for it here you are Mike





Bruce fans tend to be a little obsessive and very persistent in their quest to find any snippet of news about him when he isn’t touring or publicising an album release.  We get photos of him walking in New York or sightings of him in Red Bank.  A gig by one of Bruce‘s contemporaries can excite days of speculation beforehand as to whether he might put in a guest appearance.  If he does we all start clamouring for pictures and YouTube clips.

But …we didn’t have to delve very deep to find out about The Kennedy Centre awards.

On 6th December 2009, at the 32nd Kennedy Centre Honors, Bruce received an award.  At the time I knew nothing about The John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts but I know a little now:-

The Kennedy Centre is in Washington DC ( there is also one in Belfast but it’s a shopping centre!) next door to the (infamous) Watergate Complex.  It opened in September 1971, is the USA’s busiest performing arts facility and annually hosts approximately 2,000 performances for audiences totalling nearly two million. 
Wikipedia

Who knew that following Bruce would be educational too?  Come to think of it my geographical knowledge of New Jersey is exclusively down to Bruce!

Here are some pictures remind us how proud we are of our man.





And a final thought for this week.  The honours celebrate, and I quote from the website here ‘individuals who have spent their lives enriching, inspiring and elevating the cultural vibrancy of our nation and the world.’ - Need I say more ???