The first sound is a breath. A harmonica, bending air, calling us into a space that feels private and mythic. It's the overture before words, before story. The air feels humid with possibility, then ...

For close to a half-century, anyone who trusts lyric sheets and official artist websites has been certain of one thing: In Bruce Springsteen’s "Thunder Road," Mary’s dress waves, and it does not sway.

“The full E Street Band right here!” Bruce Springsteen announced to the lucky crowd packed into Monmouth University’s Pollack Theatre on Saturday afternoon. Springsteen had just performed “Thunder ...