I remember the first time I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band vividly. I was late to the party. Springsteen’s music — still one of my earliest childhood memories — had been thrilling fans for decades before I finally saddled up to what is probably the greatest live show in the business (for my money — money I’ve spent six times since, once in London). But I actually took something pretty specific away from that night.
The lights dimmed and then it hit: a long, slow, nuanced saxophone build-up to “The River.” It was beautiful. It was haunting. It was emotional, tender and, above all, spiritual. The very same show solidified for me what is still my favorite Springsteen track — “Spirit in the Night,” from his debut album, “Greetings from Asbury Park” — and that can be attributed in a big way to to the frolicking saxophone that dances through the story of that song. And now, the voice, the breath, the man behind that instrument has been taken from us.