I don't have a bucket list, mostly because I'm not planning to kick it anytime soon. But, if I did, seeing Bruce Springsteen in concert would have been on it. Back in the day when the back row of Mercury newsroom reporters were serious Bruce fans, I never got the coveted tickets to his shows at the Spectrum or Vet. I always wished I had.
Now, some 30 years later, Bruce is still one of the hottest acts in the nation, and last week I reaped the advantage of having a music-lover working son who bought me two tickets to Springsteen in Hershey for my June birthday.
Then, he talked concert promoters into a press pass for himself, so my husband and I even got a chauffeur in the bargain.
Now that I have experienced the phenomenon that has people going back time and again to see The Boss live, I would recommend it for anyone's "list" -- bucket, birthday or otherwise.
These words from my son's review:
"Young children sung classic choruses into Bruce's microphone as he held it in front of their shy faces. Older kids danced with red, white and blue banners wrapped around them like blankets, dancing with one another to E-Street beats. Rabid fans shouted every word to every song. And hardly any one sat down through the music marathon, from the front of the stage to the very back of the stadium.
"It was every bit as intense as most say. From crowd reaction to band delivery."
I have never seen a musician revel in the audience like Springsteen did in Hershey, as I am told he does everywhere. He doesn't throw around comments like "You guys are great" or "I can't hear you!" to drum up the crowd. Instead, he just revels in every refrain, every look, every arm reaching toward the stage.
His svelte figure is on the move the entire three hours-plus, and most of it is at crowd level. He runs, dances and skips, and then reaches deep into the mass of arms and faces to share his microphone with a wide-eyed child.
And, the crowd revels in him, too. Surrounded by the faithful, I felt like the Bruce-concert-neophyte that I am. Everyone knows every word to every song, and Springsteen's storytelling sagas do not lend themselves to easy memory. I was at a loss.
The entire evening was amazing. A full moon rose above the beautiful summer night in this sweetest place on earth, as they say.
As my son writes:
"If I haven't underscored the point enough, the spectacle of seeing a Bruce Springsteen concert with his E-Street Band--whether you own an album, think he's old or overrated or whatever--is something you must behold in your lifetime, while you still can.
"It's not about him. It's not about selling tickets. It's not even about music. It's about life, freedom, and a glowing love to be alive."
It's about a glorious, glory day.

If you are reading this blog, you probably are a regular visitor to www.pottsmerc.com, our newspaper Web site that is a work in progress. Some days there is more work than progress, as we strive to provide news in a faster, friendlier format.
As anyone who has ever read a newspaper has surely heard, newspapers are supposed to be on the way out and Web sites are on the way up. While I know that to be true, I also know that newspapers -- The Mercury in particular -- have a place in people's lives that a Web site can not replace. I expect in the years to come the two mediums may blend until there is no distinction (e-paper is the first wave of that phenomenom), but for now, I know my SoundOff crowd still likes to hold on to their news in print with coffee cup in the other hand.
But I'm digressing.
The point is that we are moving more features onto our Web site and developing fresh new ways to interact with readers. We have a new online editor, Eileen Faust, who was promoted from the print copy desk, and she works with promotions manager Chris March, who also writes the Entertainment blog Scene and Heard, and online advertising rep Jared Semet to come up with new ideas and new ways to entice regular visitors to our site.
Pain at the Pump is our daily update of regional gas prices. The Mommy Diaries is a new blog written by TimeOut editor and busy working mom Diane Hoffman. The Photo Files is a week in review of our photographers' news and sports photos, and it includes a slide show of that week's Youth at Play sports page.
Beginning today, we are posting "Cool Clicks" fun Friday features to guide your way to Web activities you can enjoy.
We have lots more ideas floating around in our heads to be tried in the coming weeks and months. If there is something you would like to see, let us know.
See you on the Web.