by David DeLuca, Norristown, PA

I found out the way most Americans found out that night via Howard Cosell, that John Lennon was shot and killed. I remember going into shock that the event just occurred, I could not imagine the world with out John Lennon. But I was fortunate that I had Bruce Springsteen tickets for the following night at the Spectrum, being a huge Springsteen fan for many years, it was only thing at the time that kept me sane in at the moment was a crazy. I remember thinking that perhaps Springsteen would postpone the show, but for some reason he decided that “the show must go on” and the concert was still scheduled. The mood inside the Spectrum was as somber as I have ever seen it; you would not have been able to tell that a Rock Concert was going to take place that night. On cue the lights went out and the familiar Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuce chants reverberated through the hall. Instead of Bruce’s traditional 1, 2, 3, 4 start, he quietly took to the mike, you could literally hear a pin drop, most of the band wore black, I remember Miami Steve crying uncontrollably on the side, being consulted by Roy Bitten. I can’t seem to remember the exact words Bruce spoke that night, but I do remember the end, Bruce indicated that they thought about not playing tonight, then in a monotone voice he simply said “there’s nothing else to do.” He then broke into “Born to Run”; there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. I remember when he did “The Promised Land” how the entire third tier of the Spectrum lit their lighters, an unbelievable scene that I have never seen duplicated to date. By the end of the show I had momentarily forgotten about the tragedy that had occurred the night before, and Bruce had reinstalled my faith in Rock ‘n’ Roll; we all needed Bruce that night, and as always he delivered. It was one of the most important nights of my life, seeing another human being exerting himself the way he did that night is something that I will never forget.