Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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A 1 ? f /lm/iii ^aiii Springsteen < Colombia an r% I ^1, I>y V Illicit V.i triuci In 1973, when I was the chairman of the University Union Contemporary Sounds Committee, a New Vnrk n0pnt was constantly pestering me to book a A W. .. " {-, ? _ performer at Carolina whom he claimed would be the next Bob Dylan. He sent me a copy of his first album. Greetings From Asbury Park, and raved that it would sell one million copies within the year. Well, the album fizzled out and so did our interest in booking that particular musician in Columbia. But the artist did not. It took a long time, but Bruce ^ 11 - ? ? -J *1^ ^ nnrl Springsteen nas iinany garnt?reu mc ^uuhlhj uhu fame denied during the years. He made the front covers of Time and Newsweek in the same week recently, an unprecedented achievement for an entertainer. His latest album, Born to K?n, has sold enough copies to be certified gold. Springsteen's concert at Township Auditorium Thursday night was a personal delight to me and the estimated 2,400 other persons attending Springsteen unH f. strppt Rand caDtured their audience with their highly energized, unpretentious style. The band, a saxophonist, drummer, organist, bass, pianist, rhythm guitar and lead guitar, surpassed my grandest expectations with their driving, excellent sound. Springsteen, decked out in boots, Diuejeans, iongsleeved plaid shirt and shades, remained in constant motion during the almost two-hour concert. At times he seemed to be directing the music like a conductor. At Mhor mnmpnts hp anneared to focus his attention nv utiivi *1 ,x"" - - ?ri on conveying his meaningful but totally inaudible lyrics to the audience. Whether sound problems or Springsteen's deep voice caused the lyrical confusion, except for a few numbers near the end of the concert, only the refrains of the songs could be identified. Thp music itself was of a rock nature, yet it was never dominated by the guitar so characteristic of most rock bands. In fact the guitars were used as a pacesetter only, in the same fashion that the old ncoH onitars for rhvthm. This allowed Ijyi V40 UOV,u vivvv. 0 ? the imaginative combination of Clarence Clemon's saxophone and Ray Bittan's masterful piano to rise Rufus. Khan lack luster By Sam L. Irvin Jr. The Hufus featuring Chaka Khan concert Saturday at Carolina Coliseum disappointed most of the near capacity ITOWU. The first mistake was forcing the audience to sit through two hours and 10 minutes of warm-up for Hufus' one-hour performance. By the time the headline group finally made it to the stage, the entire audience was too tired to applaud or perhaps too disgusted. The second mistake was scheduling warm-up groups like the Dramatics who have a very disciplined and choreographed stage performance. This was in sharp contrast to Kufus' rather meek stage presence, i cincjpr Chaka Khan felt that it was good 1JVUV* o Bruce Springsteei ipus Ifliolits C5 dience Ekhl '* > QHHHHr hHBIIHB to the front. But all instruments combined peacefully to support Springsteen's unique bass voice. Snrincrstppri and the E Street Band performed almost exclusively songs off the Born to Run album. The title cut "Thunder Road," "Backstreets" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" drew the largest response from_the audience. He also paid respect to the legendary Eric Burdon and tne Animals wun nis version of "It's My Life." Their oerformance was hypnotic. * - m As the show neared the end, the mood of the audience was at a fever pitch. As the band played "Papa Says He Knows/' Springsteen raced around in Hrrlps rantivated hv his own music. He began shaking, grabbing and even slapping the sea of hands seeking to touch him. f tk n. En ^nrnir?wBTinwraiMwwni?-Miii iBBWBWLiUMimim?iiMiniifiiB ?wrumwi ? showmanship to wander about the stage smoking cigarettes like a die-hard addict and tightening the strings to her thigh-high boots which kept slipping down to her knees. The only time she seemed to do anything with her body was Its-t?-k nnCHn/iACC fuller trioH tn immifntp thp movements wiicii nnc uij.iuvv.voji viuj ii !vu of her guitar players. While singing her latest single "Sweet Thing," a stage hand presented her with roses. She threw them out into the audience, and most of the stems (without the buds)) were (hrnu;n K;wU nf hpr A huge crowd gathered in front of the stage, but when police repeatedly attempted to disband the disruptive people, Khan said, "Let them stay where they are!" This dismayed those who paid for front row seats, but perhaps she realized the fans at her feet were the only ones in the coliseum politely applauding. The third mistake was poor amplification. The band was far too loud for Khan's voice, even as powerful as it is. When Br U 1 Q W \ HritodB | B9s&^. M B *** JH |fjk [1 y-^' IglgJ IBpi I. j ji-'--B lUflKwil^K^ Eit JtimJ. ^^^BBHBHHS Totally drained, the band left the stage, but the J^.^% J ZM w r\M/Mi? /4 11 m r? *t rvf A Kn rl/im at) f) 1 Y* UW IlclIlUlIlg L1UWU waa liui iu uc uciuvu. mv^n reappearance nearly precipitated a riot and their encore songs, with their funky beach and '50s rock 'n roll influence, caused the crowd to lose all its remaining self control. Rocking to a medley of tunes like "Devil with the Blue Dress On," "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "C.C. Rider," Springsteen and saxophonist demons inauguarated a timely New Jersey shuffle that spurred imitations in the audience. It's sad that Springsteen's lyrics were inaudible. He is a masterful lyricist as the words to his songs on Born to Run testify. Regardless of their inaudibility, the concert was flawless. Bruce Springsteen has finally made his mark in Columbia, and the grade is A+. : I iteriqi?no?t J she hit low notes, they could not be heard. The line-up of songs consisted of most of their familiar hits such as "Tell Me Something Good," "Dance with Me" and "Once You (Jet Started." One of the better renditions was "Fool's Paradise" from their latest album. They in troduced "Earth Song" which Khan said would be released soon. The only song noticeably not their own was the LennonMcCartney tune "We Can Work It Out." which was a shoddy imitation of a good arrangement on Valerie Simpson's good but forgotten first album. For most fans of Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, the highlight of their sound is the dynamic voice of Khan. Because this was not in evidence on Saturday at the coliseum, the majority ot people ilea irorn me art-n<i auri the last song as if there had been a bomb threat. No ovation was given, and no encore was possible.