• Bruce Springsteen

    We Take Care Of Our Own

    Yeah, that’s right, Bruce. We sure do. Fuckin’-A right we do. That’s why you just helped us elect the right guy for president a week ago. You are amazing. You are wonderful.

    You are a fucking monster.

    And it was great to see you again after 25 years.

    The last time I saw you was at the now giant parking lot next to the Mall of America but then the Met Center on the Tunnel of Love Tour. You played for four and a half hours and I loved every minute of it. Two days ago you played for just over three hours but I didn’t care because your set list was redonkulous.

    You opened with “We Take Care Of Our Own” which was a nice exclamation point on the election. You had the house singing along early to “Out in the Street.” You delivered a powerful one-two punch with “Death To My Hometown” and “My City of Ruins,” the latter of which made me well up at not only the theme but how fucking beautiful your voice was…

    Each song seemed to give you more energy just like it was 25 years ago when you were a young lad of 37. Body surfing for fuck’s sake to “Hungry Heart”…the unbridled energy of “Open All Night,” which was my wife’s fave…and I still can’t believe you were able to pull “Savin’ Up” out of your ass and play it perfectly. “Shackled and Drawn” reminded the crowd of just how good your new record is.

    My personal fave was “Rosalita.” Same intensity. Same high energy. Same amount of sweat and multiple gallons of water.

    The memories of the 88 year old dancing with Stevie to “Dancing in the Dark” and the various kids you pulled up on stage will be with me forever, dude. You are more than a boss. More than an icon.

    You are….

    For the rest of my photos, click here.

  • Acoustic,  Bruce Springsteen

    Remembering 9/11

    Remembering 9/11… all those who lost their lives, and the loved ones affected.
    God bless them, and God bless America.

    “I woke up this morning
    I could barely breathe
    Just an empty impression
    In the bed where you used to be
    I want a kiss from your lips
    I want an eye for an eye
    I woke up this morning to the empty sky”

  • Bruce Springsteen

    Señorita, Come Sit By My Fire…

    Watching Bruce sing “Rosalita” tonight on Palladia‘s airing of Hard Rock Calling 2009 prompted me to track down this video ASAP and post on the blog. If you know anything about the Boss, you know that this 1978 version of Rosie live in Phoenix is one of the quintessential live video documents of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.

    It took place July 8th, 1978 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona. It was the main arena in town at the time. The Phoenix Suns played there. Nowadays, it’s brought back into service during the Arizona State Fair every October. I’ve seen Bob Dylan and Steve Miller in that old arena (not together, mind you).

    According to Brucebase, the most reliable source for every Bruce Springsteen performance known to man (until ’08), this was the night after the legendary July 7th club show at the Roxy in L.A. (a show that I still have available for you fine folks to listen to). It’s the middle of a hot summer in the desert, Bruce is still flying high after one of the most exhilarating shows of this career, and let’s just say the atmosphere is electric.

    It gets no better.

  • Bruce Springsteen

    Growin’ Up

    A fellow Boss fan sent me a link to this video earlier today. It’s a 23 year old Bruce Springsteen performing “Growin’ Up” at Max’s Kansas City in New York City. The year was 1972 – Bruce’s first album wasn’t released until the following year.

    Somehow, this seems appropriate as the first post of this new year.. Going back to basics, thinking back to a simpler time. With a new year, we have the chance to start anew – to make a few tweaks and adjustments here and there. A chance to press the ol’ reset button.

    This growin’ up thing – it can be a bit complicated, even frightening at times. Sometime it helps to just try and keep things simple…

    Happy New Year, and thanks Lonny for the link..

  • Bruce Springsteen,  Rock

    Bruce’s Wild & Innocent Night in NYC

    Since I saw the Boss way back in April on just the second stop of the tour here in Phoenix, the tour has rolled on across the continent, over to Europe, and back again. Since he’s been back stateside, fans have been treated to shows where Bruce and the Band play entire albums from his catalog. Darkness on the Edge of Town, Born To Run, Born in the USA

    But for me, the envy factor really kicked in this weekend with the shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Last night, the crowd got Bruce’s second album – 1973’s The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle. Tonight, his classic 1980 double album, The River.

    The two (well, three) albums are teeming with some of my all-time favorite Boss tunes: “Incident on 57th Street”, “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)”, “New York City Serenade”, “The River”, “The Price You Pay”, “Stolen Car”, “Wreck On The Highway”…

    In this spoiled & amazing day and age of the internet, it’s possible to sit in the comfort of one’s home and listen to the magic happen – the very next night. That’s exactly what I’m doing right now. And I thought I’d share the joy & magic for those that are interested. Enjoy…

    Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
    Madison Square Garden
    November 7th, 2009

    Part One

    Thundercrack
    Seeds
    Prove It All Night
    Hungry Heart
    Working on a Dream
    The E Street Shuffle [mp3]
    4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) [mp3]
    Kitty’s Back [mp3]
    Wild Billy’s Circus Story [mp3]

    Part Two

    Incident on 57th Street [mp3]
    Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) [mp3]
    New York City Serenade [mp3]
    Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
    Raise Your Hand
    Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?
    Glory Days
    Human Touch
    Lonesome Day
    The Rising
    Born to Run

    Part Three

    Wrecking Ball
    Bobby Jean
    American Land
    Dancing in the Dark
    Higher and Higher (w/ Elvis Costello)

    Here’s Bruce kicking off “The E Street Shuffle”, baton and all…

  • Bruce Springsteen

    NEW: John Fogerty and Bruce Springsteen – “When Will I Be Loved”

    In 1973, John Fogerty released his solo debut album, The Blue Ridge Rangers – a collection of country, rock and gospel covers- every instrument and every vocal part belonging to John.

    On September 1st, John’s back with a whole new collection of favorite tunes, with The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again. Once again, the record is produced and arranged by Fogerty, but this time around, he brings some friends into the studio to help out with the playing and singing. Among them, Timothy B. Schmidt and Don Henley on Rick Nelson’s “Garden Party”, and one Bruce Springsteen on the Everly Brothers classic “When Will I Be Loved”.

    The Boss is a long time fan of Fogerty’s, and it’s great to hear the two of them together, covering such a great tune…

    Listen: John Fogerty w/ Bruce Springsteen – “When Will I Be Loved”

    [audio:WhenLoved.mp3]

    Pre-Order The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again |Visit: JohnFogerty.com

    Here’s the track listing:

    • Paradise (John Prine)
    • Never Ending Song of Love (Bonnie Bramett/Delaney Bramlett)
    • Garden Party (Rick Nelson)
    • I Don’t Care (Just As Long As You Love Me) (Buck Owens)
    • Back Home Again (John Denver)
    • I’ll Be There (If You Ever Want Me) (Ray Price/Rusty Gabbard)
    • Change in the Weather (John Fogerty)
    • Moody River (Gary Bruce)
    • Heaven’s Just a Sin Away (Jerry Gillespie)
    • Fallin’ Fallin’ Fallin’ (D. Deckleman/J. Guillot/J.D. Miller)
    • Haunted House (Robert L.Geddins)
    • When Will I Be Loved (Phil Everly)
  • Bruce Springsteen,  Rock

    The Boss Rolls on – debuting 10 songs in just 2 shows

    While I enjoy some much needed vacation time – away from work, and away from staying current on ol’ Ickmusic, I had to pass on some gems from Bruce’s European tour. On July 21st and 23rd, the Italian cities of Turino and Udine got treated to some really special shows, where 10 songs made their tour debuts (six in Torino, four in Udine). You can check out my tour tracker for the details, but here are a couple highlights.

    First off, “Drive All Night” is in my top 3 all-time Boss tunes, and the folks in Torino got to hear it from the E Street Band for the first time since 1981 2008. [Correction: “Drive All Night” made an appearance on the Magic Tour, see the comments]

    “Drive All Night” | July 21st | Torino, Italy

    And then there’s the definitive Boss song. The tune that lifted his icon status to a whole new level – “Born in the U.S.A.”. We’ve heard the darker acoustic version over the years, but I’m not aware of the full-band album version rearing its head very often. Cool to see (and a great quality video!).

    “Born in the U.S.A.” | July 23rd | Udine, Italy

  • Bruce Springsteen,  Rock n' Folk

    Bruce Meets Band of Horses

    Not only did Bonnaroo bring together two of my favorites in the form of a Phish-Springsteen collaboration, but, as it turned out, Bruce also found time to catch Sunday’s set by Band of Horses. And as you can see from some brand new pics posted to BoH’s blog, Bruce hung around to meet Ben Bridwell and the band afterward. Thanks and props to Christopher Wilson Photography for capturing the moment!

    My musical universes continue to converge.

    Check out Band of Horses Tour blog with more pics of the encounter, and a bunch of others from Bonnaroo.

    By the way – if you’re a Boss fan wondering about Band of Horses, check out this Amoeba in-store video for a good intro.

    Photo Credit: Christopher Wilson Photography