“Outlaw Pete” and Other Songs - New Boss Album Due January 27th

November 17th, 2008 by Pete

Fresh off the heavily edited debut of his song “Working on a Dream” during last night’s Sunday Night Football half time on NBC (almost in the “why even bother” category, imho), there is great news from the East this morning… a new Boss album, a release date, and a track listing!

Much to my delight, a song named “Outlaw Pete” leads off the album! I’m glad Bruce finally took the time to sit down and capture my essence. It’s an honor really, and I look forward to hearing it.

So mark your calendars. It’s January 27th, the Tuesday before the Super Bowl - where we’ll all watch Bruce and the E Street Band tear it up during the half time performance. The title of the album is ‘Working on a Dream’, and has 12 new tracks and 2 bonus tracks. Here’s the listing…

1. Outlaw Pete
2. My Lucky Day
3. Working on a Dream
4. Queen of the Supermarket
5. What Love Can Do
6. This Life
7. Good Eye
8. Tomorrow Never Knows
9. Life Itself
10. Kingdom of Days
11. Surprise, Surprise
12. The Last Carnival

Bonus tracks:
The Wrestler
A Night with the Jersey Devil

Life = Good.

BruceSpringsteen.net

More info from the press release…

Bruce Springsteen’s new album “Working on a Dream” has been set for a January 27 release on Columbia Records. “Working on a Dream” was recorded with the E Street Band and features twelve new Springsteen compositions plus two bonus tracks. It is the fourth collaboration between Springsteen and Brendan O’Brien, who produced and mixed the album…..

…Bruce Springsteen said, “Towards the end of recording ‘Magic,’ excited by the return to pop production sounds, I continued writing. When my friend producer Brendan O’Brien heard the new songs, he said, ‘Let’s keep going.’ Over the course of the next year, that’s just what we did, recording with the E Street Band during the breaks on last year’s tour. I hope ‘Working on a Dream’ has caught the energy of the band fresh off the road from some of the most exciting shows we’ve ever done. All the songs were written quickly, we usually used one of our first few takes, and we all had a blast making this one from beginning to end.”

“Working on a Dream” is Bruce Springsteen’s twenty-fourth album and was recorded and mixed at Southern Tracks in Atlanta, GA with additional recording in New York City, Los Angeles, and New Jersey.

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New Boss Tune To Debut During NFL Game Sunday

November 12th, 2008 by Pete

New Bruce Springsteen Song To Debut During NFL Game Sunday : Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily.

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Election Day is Here - so is a new Boss tune

November 3rd, 2008 by Pete

And so here we are. The day I’ve been looking forward to since Wednesday, November 3rd, 2004, when John Kerry conceded to George W. Bush. Tomorrow, my country will elect a new president.

My vote was mailed in early. There will be no long lines for me. I am feeling cautiously optimistic that Barack Obama will be our new president - my caution firmly rooted in the fact that I live in a country that re-elected Bush.

We all have our opinions, but the important thing is that if you’re eligible to vote in these United States, that you get out and vote tomorrow. If you don’t, you’re a turd.

Yesterday at an Obama rally in Ohio, the Boss brought his wife Patty up on stage and debuted a new tune: “Working on a Dream”. Check it out here, and I’ll see you on the other side!

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The Brimstone and the Boss - Happy Halloween

October 30th, 2008 by Pete

The Boss hath treated us to a cool Halloween treat. A new song and video, “A Night With the Jersey Devil”. Hop on over to his site to watch the video and download a free mp3.

Bruce as a possessed preacher. Recommended viewing!

Bruce Springsteen - “A Night With the Jersey Devil”

Happy Halloween…

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One Step Up

October 15th, 2008 by Pete

This album (Tunnel of Love) and this song are like a comfortable old blanket to me.
“One Step Up”.
Just because.

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Birthday Boss - Bruce at the Shrine

September 23rd, 2008 by Pete

In 1990, Bruce signed up for two intimate shows at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium to benefit the Christic Institute, along with Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt. This here is night two. On night one, he had premiered “Red Headed Woman”, “57 Channels”, “When The Lights Go Out” , and “Real World”. This night saw the debuts of “The Wish” and “Soul Driver”.

It’s pretty hard to describe in words how completely amazing this show is. Bruce is in optimal form. It’s interesting to note the differences between this acoustic show and the Ghost of Tom Joad tour 5 years later. Somewhere in between, Bruce picked up some twang (maybe all those Harley rides out West?). At any rate, I love both sides of the spectrum, but there’s something about this particular sound, this particular performance.

If someone put a gun to my head and forced me to name my favorite Springsteen song, “Brilliant Disguise” would be my reply. And this is the single best performance of the song I have ever heard. All of the heart-wrenching, soul searching doubt about love - bursting from Bruce and his guitar.

And each song is that high in caliber. Bruce pours his heart and soul into each lyric, and each strum of the guitar - something he does on a regular basis with his band. But it seems even more pronounced here. Maybe it’s the moment in time - just a year earlier he had disbanded the E Street Band and moved to L.A. And earlier in the year, he and Patty had their first child, Evan (an experience he details before “My Hometown”).  It’s the Boss, coming out on his own. And he shines.

Happy 59th, Boss - I’m awfully glad you’re around.

Bruce Springsteen
Shrine Auditorium
Los Angeles
November 17th, 1990

Intro - “If You’re Moved to Clap Along, Please Don’t”
Brilliant Disguise (mp3)
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Intro - “The address was 39 and a half”
Mansion on the Hill
Intro - “We all live with our illusions”
Reason to Believe
Intro - “You gotta watch those redheads”
Red Headed Woman (mp3)
57 Channels (and Nothing On)
The Wish
Tougher Than The Rest
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Soul Driver
State Trooper

Intro - “when that side of you is set loose”
Nebraska
When the Lights Go Out
Thunder Road
Intro - “I caught his first tear on the tip of my finger”
My Hometown
Real World
Highway 61 Revisited (w/ Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt)
Across the Borderline (w/ Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt)

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Live Boss: Magic in Charleston

August 24th, 2008 by Pete

(Photo courtesy of Backstreets)

Bruce’s Magic tour rolls on with ferocity. With every show, Bruce and the band seem to get looser, honoring requests from the audience with more frequency (if you’re in the pit, bring a sign, odds are he’ll play it!), and honoring Phantom Danny Federici’s memory by going back to their roots with an infusion of (even more) joy, energy, and longer shows.

A couple of Saturdays ago, the train rolled into Charleston, South Carolina. The audience got treated to an opener of “Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love)”, and a closer of “Twist & Shout”. In between was a spirited set of tunes, including “Janey, Don’t You Lose Heart”, “No Surrender”, “Spirit in the Night”, “Growin’ Up”, “Two Hearts”, and “Out in the Street”.

I meant to send this only on to a friend, but when the goosebumps hit during “Double Shot”, I knew I couldn’t keep this to myself.

Bruce Springsteen
August 16, 2008
North Charleston Coliseum
Charleston, SC

Intro > banter
Double Shot (of My Baby’s Love)
Radio Nowhere
Out In The Street
Two Hearts
Intro to…
Spirit in the Night
Intro to…
Light of Day
Growin’ Up
Janey, Don’t You Lose Heart
Audience
No Surrender
Atlantic City
Because the Night
She’s The One
Livin’ In The Future
Mary’s Place
Hungry Heart
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
Encore applause

PSA
Streets of Fire
Jungleland
Born to Run
Rosalita
Dancing in the Dark
American Land
Encore applause
Twist and Shout
Applause / outro

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Gordon and Bruce, then and now

August 9th, 2008 by Pete

[courtesy of Perez Hilton]

Nice photo of the Boss with Señor Sting at Thursday’s Police finale at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

Rewind 20 years to a nice version of “The River”…

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Magic Tour Highlights, including Tom Morello with the Boss

July 15th, 2008 by Pete

On April 7th, 2008, my wife and I sat in Anaheim’s Honda Center, watching as Bruce Springsteen brought out Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine to sit in with him and the Band on “The Ghost of Tom Joad”.

Nine minutes later, the crowd was a frenzied, jaw-dropped mass, cheering madly for Tom Morello. The guitar solos that Tom whipped up for the occasion were nothing short of amazing.

Today, everyone else can see and hear what the Honda Center crowd saw, as well as a few other highlights from Bruce’s still-going-strong Magic tour. On iTunes, the tracks are available in both audio and video.

100% of the proceeds go to the Danny Federici Melanoma Fund, in honor and memory of the late E Street-er.

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BUY HERE on iTunes or Amazon.

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‘Magic Tour Highlights’ Track Listing

1. “Always A Friend” (performed with Alejandro Escovedo)
Recording Date: 04/14/2008 (Houston, Texas)
2. “The Ghost of Tom Joad” (performed with Tom Morello)
Recording Date: 04/07/2008 (Anaheim, California)
3. “Turn Turn Turn” (performed with Roger McGuinn)
Recording Date: 04/23/2008 (Orlando, Florida)
4. “4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” (Danny Federici’s final performance
with the E Street Band)
Recording Date: 03/20/2008 (Indianapolis, Indiana)

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Summertime Bruce [R.I.P. Tim Russert]

June 14th, 2008 by Pete

I can’t add anything too insightful about Tim Russert that hasn’t already been said or written over the last 24 hours, but I wanted to give my 2 cents. I’ve always been an NBC guy. One of my earliest memories is watching Tom Brokaw on the Today Show when I lived in Spain in the mid-70’s. I was amazed that his eyes would follow me regardless of where I stood in the room. From that point forward, when I need a TV news fix, it’s always been NBC - whether the Today Show, the Nightly News, MSNBC, or Meet the Press. I’ve grown up with the gang - especially Brokaw.

Since Russert took over Meet the Press in 1991, and through every election year, I’ve admired his passion, his tenacity, his preparation, and his bulldog mentality in his Meet the Press chair. In an industry of egos & blowhards, Tim Russert was one of the good guys - and like a lot of ‘em, he was snatched from us way too early.

Russert was also a huge Springsteen fan.

Last night, I watched Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams talk about Russert’s and Williams’ mutual love of Springsteen’s music. In the early days, Russert actually booked Springsteen and the band for a February 1975 show in the gymnasium at John Carroll University in Cleveland.

I don’t have that show, but I do have this excellent 1978 show from the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland. Bruce kicks off the show with “Summertime Blues”, which is what we’re all feeling right about now with Tim’s shocking passing.

“Summertime Blues”

Rest in peace, Tim. You will be missed.

Summertime Bruce
The Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, Ohio
August 9th, 1978

Summertime Blues
Badlands
Spirit in the Night
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Factory
The Promised Land
Prove It All Night
Racing in the Streets
Thunder Road
Jungleland
Paradise by the ‘C’
Fire
Sherry Darling
Not Fade Away
Gloria / She’s the One
Growin’ Up
Backstreets
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
Born to Run
Because the Night
Raise Your Hand
Twist and Shout
Bonus: (from the Palladium, NYC - 9/17/78)
Kitty’s Back
Point Blank

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