Bruce is not spending much time relaxing before heading to Europe for the next leg of the Magic Tour. Last week it was the Count Basie Theater benefit, and this week he was at the Stone Pony collecting money for a local school. Backed by Bobby Bandiera and his band, Bruce did a 2? hour show of 25 cover songs and originals. The setlist was similar to previous years' school benefits with the additions of Everly Brothers classic "All I Have to Do Is Dream" and "Girls in Their Summer Clothes". And like previous years, Patti was featured on a few songs as was Southside Johnny. Check the complete setlist. Read more
What was supposed to have been "just another" acoustic benefit show by Bruce, turned into a historic evening when he and the E Street Band, with the addition of a horn section for the encores, decided to play the Darkness and Born to Run albums all the way through, track by track. This is the first time Bruce has ever done such a thing. The idea allegedly came from Patti Scialfa who was also on stage along with the rest of the band. After the last note of "Jungleland" had faded, it was time for encores consisting of "So Young and in Love", "Kitty's Back", "Rosalita" and "Raise Your Hand". By all accounts a completely mindblowing and unusual evening for the people in attendance who had each paid from $1000 and up for the chance to see Bruce in a small setting. See the complete setlist and watch a news report from this historic show. Read more
In a somewhat overlooked event (outside of New Jersey at least), Bruce was inducted into the brand new New Jersey Hall of Fame. It is in fact so brand new that it doesn't even exist yet, but that didn't prevent the organizers from having the first induction ceremony. The event took place last night at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, and apart from accepting his well-deserved award from Danny DeVito, Bruce himself inducted Frank Sinatra. Of course, he also had to grab a guitar and join the Hubcaps for "I Thank You" by Sam and Dave and his own "Glory Days". In his acceptance speech Bruce among other things joked about being mentioned in the same sentence as Albert Einstein, who was also an inductee. Read more
The 2nd North American leg of the Magic Tour ended Friday night in Ft. Lauderdale on the same high note as the previous several shows. Final night for Bruce doesn't mean that there isn't room for a tour premiere. "I Wanna Be With You", not played since 1999, followed right after the opening song, "The Promised Land". "Kitty's Back" made a rare post-"American Land" appearance and thus closed this chapter of the Magic Tour, which by many is regarded one of the most intense and emotional round of shows in Bruce's entire career, not least due to Danny Federici's sad departure. In about 2? weeks the band hits the European shores for a full-fledged European tour, but first there is the Count Basie Theatre benefit in just three short days, which by the way, according to rumors looks like it may be an E Street Band affair rather than the expected solo performance by Bruce. If this is indeed the case, the lucky people in attendance will be in for a completely unique experience probably well worth the thousands of Dollars that these tickets have been auctioned off for. Read more
If you're like me the song "Thunder Road" has meant an awful lot to you for many many years. And if you are unlike me and have a ton of Dollars sitting around, now is your chance to own an actual handwritten draft of that very song. All you have to do is place the highest bid on an auction that is currently being held on something called R&R Auctions. The bid is currently at $949 so you may want to talk to your bank first. Read more
Well, according to Time Magazine he is. He made the 2008 list along with more obvious choices such as George W. Bush Oprah, Steve Jobs, etc. The reasoning behind the inclusion was written by Sean Penn and can be read here. Sean Penn says among other things that "whether in a song or an appearance on The Charlie Rose Show, you always get a sense of personal truth, humility and passion [from Springsteen]. A sense of humor, a sense of rock 'n' roll and a raconteurism once solely the domain of tribal chiefs." High praise for our man. Now, if only it meant he would sell more records than Justin Timberlake.... Read more
If you haven't done so already, run... don't walk... over to the official site and read Bruce's eulogy for Danny Federici. It was delivered during the funeral for Danny this last Monday and is one of the most beautiful and heartfelt pieces of writing you will ever see. You will also find the video tribute that has been playing as an intro to the last two shows. But unless you have a really fast connection it takes forever to load. In that case you may just want to view the YouTube version below although it's not quite the same quality: Read more
Everyone knew it would be special, but no one quite knew how Bruce was going to honor his friend through 40 years, Danny Federici, who passed away this last Thursday. As it turned out, he of course chose to do it the only way he knew how: putting on probably one of the best and most emotional shows he and the band have ever done. One of the questions fans had been asking themselves was anwered early on: No, "Sandy" wasn't going to be retired forever. In the spot usual reserved for "Magic" Bruce called down Roy Bittan to do the accordion part and then sang and, literally, cried his way through the song that on this tour has become synonymous with Danny and his struggle against his disease. Anyone who had expected "Sandy" would be put to rest along with Danny soon realized that Bruce did the right thing. The song has to live on, and rather than a sad memory should become a beautiful celebration of Danny's life and what he stood for. Even if he can't play on it himself. It's what he would have wanted. Altogether, the show turned into a memory and celebration of early boardwalk life and youth. No less than seven songs were from 1975 or before, all allegedly performed with a passion and emotion rarely seen throughout an entire show.
But enough rambling from someone who wasn't even there. Read a great review on the Greasy Lake message board or Backstreets' quality show report or this article from the Tampa Tribune. Oh, and last but not least, the complete setlist. Read more
Keybordist, accordion player, founding member of the E Street Band, and friend of Bruce Springsteen passed away last night after a three-year battle with melanoma cancer. In an official statement Bruce states: "Danny and I worked together for 40 years - he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much...we grew up together." The death of Danny Federici is not only a terrible loss to his family, friends and colleagues. He will also be sorely missed by millions of E Street Band fans all of the world. Although not usually in the spotlight like Clarence Clemons or Steve Van Zandt, his sound and stage presence were integral parts of the band and it will never be the same without him. Read the complete statement on brucespringsteen.net.
As a result of Danny's death, Friday and Saturday's shows in Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando have been postponed. New dates will be published shortly. Read more
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