When a friend called to tell me he had an extra ticket to see the first show of Bruce Springsteen’s three-night run in Philadelphia, I knew it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

For starters, it was the inaugural show in South Philly’s newest venue – Lincoln Financial Field – an open-air, $500 million behemoth of a stadium. Also, I wanted to find out what all the hype surrounding this middle-age rocker and his E Street band is all about. Although I am not a Boss disciple myself (he probably has more songs in his repertories than I have heard of), he has a hardcore following of fans that is probably only matched in size and devotion to the Deadheads that use to follow the Grateful Dead around from show to show, city to city. They must be onto something, I thought.

So, being a virgin of the Springsteen experience, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. What I got was far more than I could have possible anticipated and has left me asking, “Why didn’t I know about this before now?”

Springsteen and the E Street Band took the stage at 8 p.m. and stayed there for three hours. Essentially, they played one long, never-ending set that included classics such as “Badlands,” “Born to Run,” “No Surrender” and a rare (or so I was told) “Lost in the Flood.” Intermingled in these were some great cuts from Springsteen’s new CD, including its namesake, “The Rising” and “Empty Sky.”

Standing in the “pit” area, front and center to the stage, the music was powerful, tight and crisp. (My friends in the upper deck said the guitars were a bit washed out by the time the sound traveled up some 300 feet from the stage to their ears). More impressive than the music was the pure energy that exuded from the band itself. In a day and age where concerts are little more than choreographed vignettes made for MTV, Bruce and the E Streeters have a clear love and passion for their music and for performing. No matter how much money they made this night, they weren’t simply going through the motions and faking the fun. From a sweat-soaked Bruce to a bellowing Clarence Clemmons playing his sax to the steady drum drives of Max Weinberg, that intensity can be felt by the adoring masses of fans that sing every word to even the new songs as if they were old standards. The symbiotic relationship is not lost on the band either. Taking one of his few breathers during the set, the Boss christened the new venue by saying, “We’ll do our best to break this place in for you because in Philly they expect excellence.”

The band closed with awesome renditions of “Rosealita” and “Dancing in the Dark,” and I went home wondering not where I was going to find my next cheesesteak but when I would get to see my next Springsteen show.

– MERRICK BENN