A Time To Dance And A Time to Mourn

[Judy Nichols]

Last Wednesday night, my sister Amy and I were among the many die hard Bruce Springsteen fans who came out for his Orando concert after he'd cancelled the originally scheduled one for Saturday, April 19th.

For us, going to the concert started out as a fun thing to do, and somehow became a quest--a way to reconnect with our lost youth since we went to see The Boss back in the 1980s when we were a whole lot younger than we are now. It was a way to honor Amy's late husband Ron, also a Springsteen fan, especially of the album "Nebraska."

But mostly it was a way for her to get her life back, to do something she loved and hasn't done in a long time. With Ron's death in August, it's been tough.

But things got tough for Bruce as well. On the afternoon of April 17th, his longtime friend and keyboard player Danny Federici lost his battle with melanoma. He knew what he had to do. He cancelled three shows and went to his friend's funeral.

It wreaked some havoc at our end, but it turned out to be the best thing. I got to spend a few extra days in Orlando with my sister. We stayed up late, talking over a bottle of wine, and doing a little reconnecting ourselves.

There weren't as many people in the audience as there would have been on Saturday night. Lots of empty seats (which was also a good thing, as a couple showed up with tickets that were for our seats--fortunately they were able to find much better ones). But despite the sparse turnout, Springsteen and the E Street Band played the old songs with passion and joy-- "Badlands," "Prove It All Night," "Fire," "Candy's Room," "Dancin' In The Dark." and of course, everyone's favorite, "Born To Run." We were on our feet, clapping and singing right along the whole time.

Then in the first encore, Bruce brought out a musician that he said influened him and inspired him--Roger McGuinn of the Byrds. They launched into "Turn, Turn, Turn," a song that means more now than it ever has--

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven
(words by Eccleastes, music by Pete Seeger)

And sometimes, you find yourself dancing and mourning in the same evening