A Bruce Springsteen fan who has cerebral palsy and vision impairment went to his first ever gig, and absolutely loved it.
The boy’s dad, Tony Wilson, said his son Jack is “obsessed” with the singer but he was unsure whether to take him to a gig because his lack of vision and sensory processing issues mean he can’t cope with loud music.
But Wilson and his wife decided to give it a shot, even if they were stayed for five minutes. Despite Jack changing his mind on the day (”Maybe I see Bwuce later” to “I see Bwuce another time! Not today!”), the moment was incredible.
“Jack flinched at the first blast of noise as we exited the train,” Wilson wrote on Facebook. “‘Will Bwuce be on soon?’ he asked.”
Describing what happened, Wilson wrote: “It got louder and louder, but he seemed to be coping.
“We found our spots. Plenty of room. Not too loud at all. The calm before the storm.
“‘Will Bwuce play American Land?’ Jack said, which is Bruce’s thumping Pogues-ish ode to American immigration. Jack’s favourite. ‘Maybe,’ I said.
“Then it started: the clapping, the drums, the music. American Land it was.
“He did the shrieking he does for the YouTube songs. His happy cheers. He called Bruce’s name. He jiggled, he rocked, he had a ball.
“For 12 songs. One hour and ten minutes.”
The dad said by track 13, his son wanted to go home - but he couldn’t have been prouder of him.
Wilson shared photos of Jack singing during the concert, as well as a video of the pair dancing along to one of Springsteen’s songs.
“Ever since, he has watched this video,” Wilson added. “Over and over and over. His first words when he woke up the day after: ‘I’m a Bwuce Springsteen fan. I’m a Bwuce Springsteen goer’.”
The dad’s post has been liked by nearly 7,000 people since he shared it on 7 February.
“Ahhhhh - this makes my heart sing,” one person wrote. “This has made my day, week, year! Bloody brilliant.”
Another person commented: “So beautiful. Both of your faces are so happy. Go Jack! This is heartwarming and tear-jerking. He is amazing.”