I promised my kid I'd take her to see Bruce Springsteen. Why it took 12 years to get there

Years ago Mary Michael, my oldest daughter, and I were in the car when “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen came on the radio.

She liked it immediately. I offhandedly mentioned that he’s really great live, you should see him play it, with the same amount of attention I’d give to telling her to make sure the lid is on her McDonald’s Coke. Maybe less.

But she heard me, and she listened, and somehow that turned into me promising her that the next time Springsteen came to town I would take her to see the show, no matter what.

Well, "what" actually happened. Time and again.

Seeing Springsteen became a quest

It took us more than 12 years to get there. But we finally did, seeing Springsteen and the E-Street Band in Phoenix on Tuesday, Mar. 19, the destination of a journey that was waylaid by work and school and illness (even including Springsteen’s) — life, in other words, which seems fitting, because life and all of its complexities is one of the most prevalent themes in Springsteen’s songs.

Man, was it worth the wait.

The show was great, as good as I’ve seen. The experience was even better: She finally saw “Born to Run” live, and in the context of a brilliant performance. About damn time.

Let's be clear, I'm not a Bruce Springsteen mega fan

Some background: Despite what The Arizona Republic music critic Ed Masley would have you believe, I am not a Springsteen fanatic. I like him, a lot, have a few albums, all that — but I love seeing his shows. I have gone to seven, I think, which, when you add up the expense, maybe gives Ed’s argument some credence.

I think his best album is probably “Tunnel of Love,” “The River” was one of my favorite Christmas presents, I appreciate the grittiness of “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” all of the usual things. But I am particularly glad Mary Michael latched onto “Born to Run.”

It’s not just a great song. It’s a great album. The summer after college one of my best friends and I would stay up long into the night listening to it, parsing the meaning in each lyric. (There was beer.) We lived in a small town and wanted to get out, to find something bigger. Which, of course, is the overarching theme of the album. (My friend had just graduated from Princeton and was on his way to Harvard Law School, so this was more or less a theoretical discussion for him. Meanwhile, I was desperately looking for a newspaper job.)

We both did get out, and both came to realize maybe every aspect of that wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. He is gone now, never having seen a Springsteen show, which is too bad, and lends a bittersweet air to my feelings about the album.

Of course, Mary Michael can’t have that experience with that album, or with this artist. Hers is different. And a big part of that was just trying to see Springsteen play. But I did want her to know that, if this particular thing didn't resonate that way with her, it’s at least a sign that something could.

Why did I choose 'The Hobbit' over a Springsteen show?

The first time Springsteen came to town after my promise was in 2012 — the same night as a screening of “The Hobbit.” Duty called, I thought.

Stupid thought. Even Barry Bruno, the film buyer for Harkins Theatres and a big Springsteen fan, told me to go to Springsteen instead. But I didn’t, and the next day Barry said he had seen Springsteen several times and that had been maybe the best.

Also, "The Hobbit" was terrible.

Next up was 2016, when Springsteen was playing “The River” in its entirety. Another conflict. Another miss. Another promise broken.

Then Springsteen didn’t play Phoenix for a while. He was, not to put too fine a point on it, getting older. The whole point of this exercise was to see one of his marathon shows, capped with an encore performance of “Born to Run.” How much longer could he tour? And how much energy would he still have?

Plenty, from reports from other shows in other places.

Along the way, Mary Michael grew up, graduated from college and became a teacher in Dallas. She would occasionally remind me that the promise I’d never kept was a bit of a lingering disappointment. There ain’t no disappointment like disappointing your kid.

Then, finally, Springsteen announced a major tour with the E-Street Band for 2023 — and he was playing Dallas on my birthday. This was it! At long last. My wife and I bought tickets, booked flights and a hotel, rented a car. Perfect.

Two days before we left, Mary Michael called, in tears. She had COVID-19.

Finally, she got to sing 'Born to Run'

This quest was starting to look cursed. Then Springsteen added some shows to his tours, including Phoenix, a few days after Thanksgiving 2023. My daughter could just stick around a couple of extra days after the holiday and we could finally see him.

Then Springsteen announced that he had peptic ulcer disease and would be postponing shows, including Phoenix.

Definitely cursed.

He rescheduled, for March 19. This meant a flight from Dallas, but at this point that seemed like a small obstacle. We got tickets and didn’t speak of it, for fear of jinxing it again.

Could The Boss live up to 12 years of anticipation?

It finally happened.

The Boss is back:Bruce Springsteen launches 2024 tour with a joyous Phoenix concert

My wife and Mary Michael and I sat in the literal last row at Footprint Center — if we were on a plane we couldn’t have reclined our seats. But it was fantastic. The show was a blast, start to finish. And Mary Michael finally got to sing, “Whoaaa!” along with the crowd during “Born to Run,” something she’d been promised since she was a little girl. And now she was old enough to have a beer.

It took a while to make it happen. It turns out that maybe that was the point. I don’t know that everything really happens for a reason; sometimes a stubbed toe is a stubbed toe, probably. But sometimes the things that seem like a problem wind up being the solution to something bigger, something better. And occasionally those parts of life involve a great soundtrack.

Bill Goodykoontz is an entertainment reporter in Phoenix.