Springsteen tributes were must-hear music

I didn't catch the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors when they aired in December ... and I regret it. I hope they replay the entire show sometime, or I can catch it on video or DVD somewhere.

The honorees were Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry, Robert de Niro and Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen was celebrated last and the tributes paid to him were simply moving. I've always enjoyed Springsteen's tunes, and seeing the way newer artist clearly admired him, and were inspired by him, gave me a new respect for The Boss.

The annual event recognizes recipients for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts. President and Mrs. Barack Obama were seated with the honorees in the Presidential Box of the Kennedy Center Opera House.

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Eddie Vedder played "My City of Ruins," written by Springsteen in November 2000, for an Asbury Park, N.J., Christmas show benefit to help promote the revitalization of the city. A popular resort destination in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Asbury Park had succumbed to significant amounts of blight for a variety of reasons, including the ill-effects of the Great Depression, the opening of the Garden State Parkway and race riots.

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Ben Harper played "My Father's House," originally released in 1982 on Springteen's sixth studio album, "Nebraska." Sparsely recorded on a cassette-tape, "Nebraska" is classic Springsteen in the sense that the songs deal with ordinary, blue collar characters who face a challenge or a turning point in their lives.