BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Boss on Thursday returned to Buffalo for the first time in two years, and his fans followed. For most, it wasn't the first time.

"This is actually, I think, my third or fourth," said Molly Radzinski.

"Well, tonight's my 42nd Bruce Springsteen show," said Donny Kutzbach.

For 17 years, Kutzbach has tried to get to as many Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concerts as possible. Thursday marked the 4th show on this, "The River Tour."

"So much energy. For those of us who feel this way about music, it's kind of like going to church."

Kutzbach says it all began when he unwrapped Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." album on his 10th birthday.

"It spoke to what was happening in the 1980s, and it was also a record that just had so many hits on it. I think it had seven singles on it, which you just don't see anymore."

It would be another 15 years before he actually got to a concert, but once he did, he was hooked.

"I said to myself, I'm going to go see them every single chance I get, and I've been chasing them all around North America ever since."

He travels to the shows with a network of friends and fellow fans, and has even helped gain a few new followers for the Boss.

"My friend Donny and my friend Eric had convinced me that, 'you have to go.' It was kind of lost on me, I don't really get it, so I went to the show, and it was the most transformational experience I'd ever experienced in my life," said Tim Maroney.

"He's 66 years old, and it's amazing to watch him. He'll be up there playing tonight for almost three and a half hours with a kind of energy that is kind of unparalleled."

Kutzbach is heading to Saturday's show in Rochester, but this one will always stand out - it marks the first time the next generation of Kutzbachs will see Bruce and the band live.