The first of 70 Bruce shows

Tuesday marked the 37th anniversary of a concert that changed my life.

A bunch of us piled into a van in Lowell, Mass., and headed west for Saratoga, N.Y., and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on July 27, 1984.

Bruce Springsteen weeks earlier had released his seventh studio album, "Born in the U.S.A." It would catapult Springsteen into superstardom. The album would produce seven top-10 singles and sell over 30 million copies worldwide.

This was my first Springsteen concert. I had recently turned 19 and I had become a huge fan of the Boss two or three years earlier.

We were well stocked with food and drink for our road trip. Unfortunately, Mother Nature would not cooperate for Springsteen's 17th show of the tour. It rained buckets, ruining our plans to tailgate for hours prior to the show. It was still raining when the gates opened. We had general admission tickets, meaning the faster we ran to our seats, the closer we would be to the stage, unlike the lucky ones who had assigned seats (and a roof over their heads) in the amphitheater.

We were about three rows back from the roof and still getting wet when Bruce and the E Street Band took the stage to perform a soundcheck. As they played "Who'll Stop The Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, my buddy Joey McHugh yelled, "You will Bruce!"

Minutes later the rain stopped. True story.

During the main set, Bruce played 29 songs. For most of the tour, he opened with "Born in the U.S.A." Not on this night. He opened with a sizzling "Badlands" and I was mesmerized. He later played my favorite song, "Backstreets," and ended the magical night with a cover of "Street Fighting Man" and the "Detroit Medley."

I have seen Bruce 69 times since, most with the E Street Band, in three countries, eight states, and 20 venues. This is my ticket stub from the Saratoga show, found in a desk draw in my office.

I was dropped off at my house about 3:30 a.m. the next day. I should have been exhausted. I wasn't. My life had been changed - for $11. There's plenty of musicians who perform live. I've seen many of them.

But when it comes to a live performer, Bruce Springsteen stands alone.