My Bruce Springsteen

MAY 1, 2010: SPECIAL BULLETIN as I received a few emails here at My Bruce Springsteen about the YouTube clip of the Boss and Little Steven joining Felix and the…Young Rascals last week.

If you had trouble viewing the video using the Undercover link below, here is a direct one, click here for some Good Lovin'. And remember to check out all of the unique and numerous one of a kind live Boss videos over at MyBruceSpringsteen YouTube channel too.

HAPPY MAY DAY!

April 30, 2010: At this time last year, My Bruce Springsteen was on tour with the Legendary E Street Band and had just performed to a “hometown” audience at the Spectrum…in Philly. Besides the friends and family from South Jersey, AC and the other nearby’s, the show also marked one of the few 2009 appearances with the Band by Patti Scialfa. So after a 2010 news update for this week, check out the below reviews and the video links too, I think they all seem to still be working.

And as for this weeks Boss news; Bruce again is popping up here & there. The old timers who heeded Little Stevens heads up about the Young Rascals reunion show last Saturday here in New York were also treated to both Steve & Bruce joining the Rascals. Click here to read about that show from Spinner. There is also a similar story and there is a video link of Bruce & Steve performing the classic Rascals hit Good Lovin , click here as you may favor this story at Undercover and the YouTube link even more so.

Sticking with Steve for a little more Miami…. Apparently there is still nuggets to be shared about the Born To Run recording days as (supposedly) Bruce asked Steve his opinion about B2R, to which the soon (again) to be right hand man said “it sucks”. Hmm, ok well you can read this for yourself by clicking here.

In a different vein, I am on the college tour circuit & checking out tons of schools with and for my 17 year old daughter. I have been keeping my eyes open as I walk around various campuses knowing that Bruce and Patti’s daughter is about the same age as mine. Sure enough & during a visit to Duke University, Bruce stopped into a local guitar shop down in Durham, North Carolina. Dang it, I won’t be doing Duke for another month but you can click here to read about a young man named Ross who unexpectedly jammed with the Boss, cool beans! Heads up Bruce and I will look for you guys down in Georgetown and elsewhere this summer!

News that I overlooked last week about the June release of an official live E Street DVD. Titled “London Calling Live In Hyde Park”, this was the big festival performance that Bruce and the Band did in the U.K. late last spring. Click here to read more and to see that DVD cover, the photo of which looks like it was shot during Outlaw Pete (when was the last time you heard that gem?).

Now for our trip in the way back machine to:

April 30, 2009: When it finally happened, I suspected that My Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band would welcome back the Missus in style...and that's just what happened as the Red Headed Woman returned and the famous Unplugged song was a debut last night in Philadelphia. Let the speculation some to an end and let's all rock on, baby! And just as Skip was hoping for but missed up in Boston, the Boss also debuted London Calling at the Spectrum by request too. This one was also for Joe, Skip!

As the final show in this large and historical building that Bruce and The Band will perform, the deep cuts were revisited and the history of Thundercrack and Philly goes way back to the early days of E Street legend. I've had the opportunity to see this jam out classic a few times so way to go Boss! And no surprise that the Academy award winning Streets Of Philadelphia got the debut treatment too.

And when Patti came back, she brought Kitty too so there you have 5 tour debuts, besting Tuesdays tally by one. And you should check out Backstreets too, they've got a picture of the awesome request sign for Fire that needed an entire crew to hold up. Way to go guys, your artistry and originality really paid off! I don't see any from last night but a few links reviewing the Tuesday night show so click on this link to read what Philly.com has to say, or you can click here for the Courier-Post story.

So, a couple of days off now before heading down to Greensboro on Saturday night, and then it's tailgate & Boss-time for us here on Long Island Monday night at the Nassau Coliseum, woo-hoo!

Click here to see the awesome second night set list from Philadelphia, click on song titles there for video links.

April 29, 2009:Now that is what a hometown crowd from the Streets Of Philadelphia expects from My Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band...when you get not one, 2 or 3 but FOUR TOUR DEBUTS! There was a 3 pack stretch that included the requests and stump the band choices of Fire, The Fever and Mountain of Love, AWESOME! And in the encore set for the first time in years there was also a cover of the old Dovells classic Y ou Can't Sit Down. What a great night and reward for the faithful!

The rest of the set list is the spring tour standards but there is still no sign of Patti. Being a parent of teenagers myself, I understand that the family obligations must be heavy in Colt's Neck so I can't help but wonder if the Missus will be taking her familiar stage position anytime soon?

On the other hand, Jay Weinberg's workload now has him covering nearly 25% of the show as he played the last quarter of the main set, including Radio Nowhere, The Rising and Born To Run.

Local concert reviews? Check, we have a few here so click on this link to read what Philly.com has to say, or you can click here for the Courier-Post story.

Click here to see the set list from last night, with some video links too!

Click here to see the song frequency charts from the Working On A Dream tour

April 23, 2010: More news and another public appearance from My Bruce Springsteen this week as the Boss gets all genealogical…at Ellis Island here in New York. Bruce attended a ceremony commemorating the (legal) immigrants on the Italian side of the Springsteen bloodlines who arrived here in the United States more than 100 years ago. Click here for the story in the NY Post which features a head shot of Bruce or even better, you can click here for a video news clip from NJ’s My9 News. The clip features the Boss and his mother Adele speaking about their ancestry, cool beans baby!

I still haven’t found any clips of the popup appearance in North Carolina that Bruce pulled with Rosanne Cash last week, but here is a YouTube rendition of Sea Of Heartbreak, if you want to check this great and Grammy nominated song out click here.

April 16, 2010: Some actual news about My Bruce Springsteen this week and this news include a Boss sighting last night…and more to come in early May. The catch is that unless you were at the Roseanne Cash show at Duke University last night or you are a student at Fairleigh Dickinson University, No Bruce For You!

Apparently Bruce stepped up and performed the Grammy nominated song Sea Of Heartbreak, from Rosanne’s most recent album, The List. I haven’t’ found any fan videos yet but will scour YouTube for future links to post. Also, I wouldn’t rule out another potential Boss sighting in North Carolina tonight so if you are or will be near Durham tonight, click here to see what I mean.

And there is also an event being called “Jersey Rain: Robert Pinsky & Bruce Springsteen in Conversation and Performance with John Wesley Harding." Click here to read more about this upcoming event. Listeners to WFUV are familiar with John Wesley Harding and they are certainly familiar with Bruce. Not so sure about Mr. Pinsky though, whose poetry is admired by Bruce and many others. Oh, and the poet is also a guy from Jersey so here we have some local boys making good.

April 9, 2010: Well not such great press this past week for My Bruce Springsteen and as a general response to all of the…emails I’ve received this week, this is old news and also seems to be water under the bridge too. So having said that, it occurred to me that not only will I repost the April 2008 reviews of the Magic shows I attended in Anaheim but also to post some YouTube video links suggesting, if not displaying, the public solidarity of Mr. & Mrs. Springsteen.

The Ties That Bind Working On A Dream The Angel For You

It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City Waitin' On a Sunny Day

The Promised Land Restless Nights Surprise Surprise

My Love Will Not Let You Down Long Walk Home

Born To Run I'll Work For Your Love Thunder Road

Rosalita Higher and Higher Outlaw Pete

My Lucky Day Prove It All Night Out In The Street

She's The One Because The Night Kingdom Of Days

Lonesome Day Hard Times Jungleland

Girls in Their Summer Clothes Land Of Hope And Dreams

April 10, 2008: The Orange County Register invited...readers who had attended the 2 shows this past week in the Honda Arena to blog their thoughts on the concert. I found these reviews to provide me with a great deal of context as there was input from the Anaheim natives whom not only attended these shows but have seen Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band in their natural environment, i.e. the great state of New Jersey!

In particular, reader Patty Debowski had helped me to relate better to the sensibilities of the O.C. versus the sensibilities of the N.J. & N.Y. faithful. Thanks Patty!

Click here to see the feedback from the Orange County residents.

April 9, 2008: Bruce comes through, again, for Orange County...with only the 2nd back to back rendition of Meeting Across The River and Jungleland on the 2007 /2008 Magic Tour. I can only hope that last nights O.C. audience returned the favor by giving at least what they got! Time will tell as Bruce again followed Badlands with Out In The Street as the main set closer, only the second time on the tour and both times in the Honda Arena.

Anaheim also got back 2 back nights with The Ghost Of Tom Joad and another tour premiere as Atlantic City was added to the itinerary. Other treats in the list is the return of Brilliant Disguise which hasn't been performed since the fall tour and a show opener of Thunder Road. At least and on paper, looking good Los Angeles.

Somewhat surprising is the apparent exclusion of 2 Magic tour stalwarts as neither Devils Arcade or The Rising were in the final set list. There are some reviews and videos of the April 7th show over to the left, check these out as the Orange County Register fairly reviewed Bruce and the E Street Band and had a different perspective on the audience reactions than me & Mare did. Whatever.....

Click here to see the L.A. set list from last night

April 8, 2008: If I didn't see it with me own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that...Bruce and the E Street Band would be capable of performing with their usual professionalism and intensity yet not get an arena full of fans to go along for the full ride. This, despite a tour premiere of Light of Day in the opening slot, killer versions of Murder Incorporated and Because The Night and a number of special guest performers, but Marianne figured out what was wrong with the audience... the O.C. is no L.A.!

It was evident early on that Bruce sensed that he was not going to get the less than capacity crowd to Let It Loose but that did not mean he was not hell bent on trying. Incendiary leads, as usual, between Bruce and Steve on Gypsy Biker didn't do it, a spot on Trapped and the truly classic She's The One may as well have been performed for an aquarium of fish who probably would have made for a more engaged audience than the one in the Honda Arena.

Put another way and as Bruce himself ruefully implied to the roomful of "California girls and the one girl from New Jersey", who happened to be Marianne, that Jersey Girl angrily said to me that she "would be ashamed to admit she was at this show". Given the lack of enthusiasm exhibited by the roughly 15,000 "fans" that did not leave their seats until what had exclusively been this tours main set closer Badlands. It was so bad that rather than end the set as he has at every show since October 2 2007, Bruce audibled Out In The Street to close the set almost certainly because he knew it would be a struggle to get this crowd going again in the encore set. UNBELIEVABLE (but I was there)!

As Bruce sings in Devils Arcade, "what to do?" Well, I'll tell ya what Los Angeles, do me a favor and bring out your A game for tomorrows second show so that the theme of redemption that Bruce so often sings of can be applied to make up for tonight's audience apathy.

Having said that, have no fear young David because your dad Mark is right when he said that the E Street Band was just awesome! Besides the already mentioned debut of Light of Day, special guest Tom Morello shredded the crap out of his guitar on a burning tour debut of The Ghost Of Tom Joad, which to be fair and balanced, did elicit a strong response from the hometown crowd for the former Rager.

Other treats that would have floored other cities included an appearance by old friend Bobby Bandiera on a Boss Time Ramrod as well as several Session Band members who performed on American Land (minus the sing along lyrics, the techs must have figured "why bother?").

I have no regrets of traveling across the country for this gig because as stated, the Band was dead on, the audience was just dead. One look at the set list and you true fans reading this review will know what I mean.

Click here to see the L.A. set list from last night

April 7,2008 : Countin' On A Miracle...tonight in Los Angeles would make the 3000 plus mile trip from NY more than worthwhile, Bruce. That along with Rosalita for Marianne would be great but Mare would be thrilled with a debut of Mary's Place.

A couple of reviews from the San Jose and Sacramento shows are added to the Reviews and Video clips links to the left so you may want to check these out.

HAVE A GREAT SHOW LOS ANGELES!

April 2, 2010: The Magic was coast to coast for My Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and also for me personally as the way back machine dial is set to this time in 2008 when…the Boss was covering the west coast. Following are my blog entries for the Vancouver show in Canada and I’m pleased that the link to the Vancouver Province concert is still intact.

After re-reading that review for the first time in, like, 2 years, I had forgotten that the reporter had posted a nearly minute by minute accounting of the show, at least up until it was press deadline time. The song title video links are intact too, so run your mouse over them to see some cool YouTube videos.

April 1 2008: Way to go Bruce...for rolling out yet 2 more debuts last night for Vancouver, opening up with Atlantic City and later in the set with the deep Tracks cut None But The Brave! And although set listed but unplayed, it would seem that Murder Incorporated may be finding it's way into the tour debut territory soon.

In what also looks to have been a fun encore kick off, Girls In Their Summer Clothes took another break as a one two punch of Tenth Avenue Freeze Out was followed by Rosalita. All in all, a solid looking set for western Canada which included Trapped as well as a crowd pleasing Because The Night.

Click here to see the Vancouver set list Click here to see the Vancouver Province concert review

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