At The Faith Divide, Eboo Patel reflects on seeing Bruce Springsteen perform on Eid:
Seeing Bruce Springsteen is as good an Eid event as I can imagine. His ability to commit himself to every note and word, to write songs of (with apologies to Blake) innocence and experience, to alternate effortlessly between solemn and celebration, to awaken within his audience sacrifice and service … it is a spiritual experience that I find deeply resonant with the message of Islam.
[…]And right smack in the middle of the show was Born to Run, the whole album, from Thunder Road to Jungleland. The E Street band gave it their all, as if they were playing a sweaty set for 500 friends at the Stone Pony back in 1975.
The history of the album and this current moment in America makes it all the more special. It was a do or die moment for Bruce, living in working-class New Jersey, having released two previous albums with limited success, fielding phone calls from skeptical record company execs threatening to turn out the lights. It is one of the best albums in American rock and roll, precisely for its I-survived-the-storm spirit.
And there I was with America on Eid, a post-Ramadan fullness in my belly, listening to the poet sing of thunder in the heart and streets on fire, grateful.
Read the full post at The Faith Divide.