The Small World Theory?

I'm a big fan of Bruce Springsteen's music and storytelling and I have been since just before his album 'Born in the USA' came out around 1984, when I was about 20 years old.

In fact, he was the first major rock star I ever saw play live when he came to my hometown of Brisbane with his 'Born in the USA' tour.

I've only ever seen Bruce play live twice in my life, the last time being a couple of years back when he played my hometown once more -
Bruce Blasts BrizVegas

Bruce Springsteen in Brisbane,
Australia Valentine's Day, 2017

I purchased my ticket when the venue was almost sold out and there were basically two options for seating left, right at the far end up the back or behind the stage with a supposedly obstructed view.
Personally, I thought my seat was one of the best in the house, as it was almost like being on stage with the band and seeing the band playing to the crowd and all the reactions that went with it.
Plus, Bruce spun around enough to face us and make direct eye contact, which was surreal to me.
Small world?-)
I have a picture on my iPad of Bruce shielding his eyes from the lights to have a look over at our small patch behind the stage.
The same iPad that I just watched Bruce on the Netflix
'Springsteen on Broadway', where he tells about his life and career.

Bruce's music was virtually the soundtrack to my life from the time 'Born in the USA' came out right until now.
There probably wasn't a month that went by where I didn't play some Springsteen song or album.
But as I'm sitting at the kitchen table watching Springsteen on Broadway, I wondered that if it wasn't for the success of 'Born in the USA' and all the radio airplay it got at the time, would I ever been that big of a fan of his music?
Would I ever have looked into his life and found we both share a birthday on September 23rd, although he is 15 years older than me?
Would our paths have ever crossed (although from a distance) in real life?
A lot hinged on that record from 1984 and the song that inspired the album.
Being born in Australia the single 'Born in the USA' never really appealed to me much, apart from it being a good little rocking story of a guy who fights for his country and gets shunned by his country when he needs it the most.

The song 'Born in the USA' was inspired by Ron Kovic's book that was eventually made into a movie in 1989 starring Tom Cruise (who was born on the 3rd of July) playing Ron Kovic.

Recorded on April Fool's Day?-)

In the Broadway show Bruce tells of just having read Ron's book and then crossing paths with him in an LA motel.
Bruce calls it "the small world theory", I would call it synchronicity, others would say it was a "God Wink" or serendipity.
And skeptics would tell you it's nothing but a f#ckin' coincidence.
Either way, it's a small world, as Bruce says;-)

So, if it wasn't for that "chance" meeting between Ron and Bruce the 'Born in the USA' album may never have been born iRONically;-)

We just never know the influences of other people's ripples of chance meetings that affect the streams in life that we ourselves are swimming in.
Small world?

Funny thing is as I was writing up this post, I was listening to the latest Osher Gunsberg podcast with Michael McQueen that just hit my iPad this morning and at around the 14th minute Osher says to Michael that "it's a small world" as I ran into your brother when I was over in the USA:-)

I prefer to say it was synchronicity, as the world is a very big place when you take a good look around.

UPDATE: 2019

The Small World Theory Proves Itself Once Again?