This story, part of a special entertainment section on Bruce Springsteen, originally appeared in the Asbury Park Press on July 11, 2003.
Bruce Springsteen might enjoy the road, but not everybody does.
Some of his fans see a highway jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive, rather than a chance to roll down the windows and let the wind blow back their hair.
And for those who fear tolls and traffic, yet have the ingenuity to get a bunch of friends together with the same destination in mind, there is a solution: l-i-m-o.
If you’ve ever been to a concert at the Meadowlands, you’ve seen limousines parked row after row, guarded by patient drivers.
Frank Cirone of Brick has been driving limos for 12 years. As an employee of Vogue Limousine in Point Pleasant Borough, he is frequently called upon to chauffeur concert-goers to the Meadowlands complex.
Some Bruce Springsteen fans will take a limo to the show.
He was in the parking lot when Springsteen and the E Street Band played 15 nights at Continental Airlines Arena, and he’ll be there again this summer, for some of Springsteen’s 10 shows at Giants Stadium.
Springsteen fans, Cirone reports, make mellow customers.
“The worst I’ve had is maybe when they play Springsteen CDs in the limousine at full volume,” Cirone said. “But Springsteen fans tend to be older and I’ve had no problem with them. It’s not the fans — it’s the parking. That’s a pain.”
Limousine riders, of course, realize that. Hence the limo.
“People rent limousines to go to concerts for the festivity of it,” said Fred Youmans, owner of Vogue Limousines. “And also so that everyone can be together and get there together. They also avoid DWI and the hassles of driving themselves. And once you figure what you’d spend on parking, tolls, gas and the wear and tear on your car, it’s cost-effective.”
Limousine rentals start at about $45 to $55 an hour for a six-passenger car to about $100 an hour for a 16-passenger limousine coach.
Youmans advises prospective limo renters to be wary of low-ball prices.
“Ask if you can see the car you’re renting, get the year of the car, and get everything in writing,” Youmans said. “Make sure the car has `OL’ plates and liability insurance.”
And be nice to the drivers who, after all, are left twiddling their thumbs while you’re screaming for “Rosalita.”
“I’ve had customers invite me to their tailgate party,” Cirone said. “Other times, a bunch of drivers will get together and one of us will go off and get food at a restaurant for everybody. I’ve walked over to the racetrack and gone to the food court there. You find ways to pass the time.”
“And,” Cirone added, “if you’re parked close enough, you can hear the concert.”
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bruce Springsteen fans take limousine, 2003
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