The Boss pulls off celebrating Seeger  June 16, 2006|By Greg
Kot, Tribune music critic  Had this been one of Bruce
Springsteen's E Street Band tours, the place would've been
packed to bursting.  But with his rock persona on temporary
hiatus, Springsteen faced a sea of empty seats Tuesday at the
First Midwest Bank Amphitheater in Tinley Park. The 11,000-seat
pavilion was barely half full, and the 17,000-capacity lawn was
barren.  It was less a commentary on Springsteen's still-
considerable magnetism than on his recent artistic choices. On
the current tour, he's focusing on music from his latest album,
"We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions," an acoustic outing
covering songs associated with 87-year-old folk laureate Pete
Seeger.  Sure, the idea of a rock icon dusting off tunes that
your grandfather's generation chanted at union rallies might
sound a bit suspect. Combine that with the prospect of seeing a
bunch of folkies playing in what Springsteen described as "a big
black box outside of Chicago," and no won