Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band- Christchurch

 

Bruce Springsteen at AMI Stadium (21/3/17)

The Boss was a Long Time Comin' to Christchurch but he blast into town like a Wrecking Ball. 

Despite the Garden City's quakey concerns and recent fires, Springsteen brought some rhymic relief with My City of Ruins, the city's unofficial post-quake anthem. 

An artist of God-like standing- Jon Stewart called him the musical  "birthchild of James Brown and Bob Dylan"- people come to a gig like this with very High Hopes (!). 

One of the qualities of artists like Bruce is the breadth of their catalogue. A lot of his audience come wanting three things: 

*Born in The USA

*Glory Days

*Dancing in the Dark.

It seems as if Bruce has left his audience back in the 80s and they cling to those Glory Days and refuse to catch up with his recent material. 

Springsteen's distaste for Trump saw a deliberate exclusion of Born in the USA, conspicuously missing, and I don't think fire-ravaged Christchurch would have appreciated I'm on Fire. 

I genuinely see "Born To Run" (1975, ironically too old for his general audience) and "Wrecking Ball" (far too fresh for most fans half his age) as his finest albums. 

After watching older Springsteen shows online, I really missed the late Clarence Clemons (saxaphonist ie. the most exciting bit of Born To Run) but his nephew rides that sax like Ella shatters glass. Very good fit. 

 

Prep-a-Porter: Karen Walker flower and stone headband

 

If flower crowns give you cliche Coachella/festival vibes, I forgive you, as I have avoided them for this very reason. No hate at all- I love them! it's just that it was a totally overgrown trend. They were everywhere, both bloomin' beautiful and overtly artificial- they were the 2010s version of the 2000s Von Dutch cap. 

I find it freeing to use crosshairs when choosing accessories and clothing- if my view was framed, it would certainly be framed in madras. I look at items, using this eye, and assess them as they fit my intended aesthetic. I think through the filter of True Prep, with a little fraying at the edges. 

Is this faux flora headpiece prep? as a special occasion feature then surely but not with your old Springsteen t shirt. As much as I love the mix of high street and designer fashions, lauded by lumineries such as gorgeous Kate Middleton and Michelle Obama, I see when a piece is too regal to mix with the great unwashed (not to tarnish rock god Bruce). It isn't fashioned from rare gems or precious metals, no, but it is the suggestion of such which forces it to be prima donna.  It is the big girl's version of the plastic Christmas stocking tiara and we should wear it with as much joy. Orphan Annie becomes Princess of Monaco with only some paste jewels and alloy metals.

This piece is a stand-alone stunner. Coco Chanel's famous take-one-piece-off and elegance-is-refusal statements underlie my attitude to accessorising. This headband sings and other additions would just distract from its Adele-like soar. To add is to take away.