Brooooce!!

I think you will agree that it is relatively unknown for me to stray from the world of vegetables but I will make an exception just this once to share news of a rare night off I had this week. Regular readers will have realised by now that my twin passions are the allotment and Oldham Athletic, so it would no doubt surprise many of you to learn that I found myself outside the home of Manchester United during the week.
Normally, if M********r U****d were playing in my back garden, I would close the curtains and let the dog out but I was at Old Trafford for an entirely different reason. Thirty-odd years ago, I heard Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album and I have harboured plans to see him perform live ever since.
Just as those jobs you always intend doing get done eventually, my appointment with Springsteen was kept on a rainy, windswept (is M********r ever anything but rainy and windswept?) evening. Sat in the car park eating our sandwiches, (I had no desire to sample a Rooney burger or whatever) it soon became obvious that the average age of the audience was going to be in the mid to late fifties.
This suited me just fine, as teenagers high on cider and pot noodles tend to spoil the listening experience for us older rock 'n rollers.
I did think that many of the audience looked like they might grow their own veg but the almighty hike to our seats in the clouds at the top of the North Stand meant that any attempts at conversation once we got there were impossible.
I didn't know every song Springsteen played but I can vouch for the fact that he put his heart into every number. A true professional.
One of my favourite Springsteen songs is 'Hard Land' which begins with the line:
"Hey there Mister, can you tell me what happened to the seeds I've sown"
Bruce Springsteen has an allotment? I wouldn't be surprised.