Bruce in the USA

It's been a long time since I saw a show, so when Alma noticed that Bruce in the USA, the premiere Bruce Springsteen tribute band, was playing the House of Blues tonight, I figured - what the heck. And they were pretty good, too, with Fake Bruce/Matt Ryan an uncanny look and sound alike (even if he couldn't solo, and didn't even try). He looked like a cross between current Bruce and '90s Bruce, and mostly matched current Bruce mannerisms, though the music was mainly '70s Bruce. In fact, really no fake Bruce at all from 1988 to the present. Just fake Bruce from the first album through "Born in the USA," with "The Rising" thrown in. And no Bruce ballads, either, for anyone expecting "The River," or "Racing in the Streets." Best surprise I guess was a version of "Trapped," a Jimmy Cliff song Bruce played a lot in the '80s, or maybe "Pink Cadillac."

"We're used to playing casinos," said Ryan/Fake Bruce, still in character (unless that's how he really talks) but genuinely touched that he got to play an encore. "At casinos, the end is the end! Time to go gamble. But this is great."

As much fun as I had, though, I still have to say to Bruce in the USA - you're no The Musical Box.