Backstreets.com: Springsteen News

HOLIDAY SHOPPING WITH BACKSTREET RECORDS
The Backstreets office is closed for this Thanksgiving weekend, but as holiday shopping season enters full swing, our online shop is open 24 hours a day, as always. For shipping addresses in the U.S., orders placed by December 10 will be guaranteed to arrive prior to Christmas. If you're looking for something for your favorite Boss fan, we hope you'll check out what Backstreet Records has to offer — everything Springsteen-related we can get our hands on. Just some of our wares:

For U.S. destinations, we can guarantee delivery before Christmas for all orders placed by December 10. Domestic orders placed December 11 or later may still arrive in time (we'll be doing our best to get everything sent out quickly), but after December 10 only those orders which request Expedited Shipping can be guaranteed on-time. We also recommend using Expedited Shipping if you need your items to arrive by an earlier date (for a holiday party, Hannukah, etc.). Expedited orders placed by 2 p.m. Eastern will ship on the same day.

For orders shipping outside of the U.S., unfortunately we aren't able to guarantee delivery time (it's in the hands of the postal service, which does slow down around this time of the year), but we'd recommend ordering sooner rather than later, and we'll be working hard to get your package in the mail as quickly as we can!

AND I THANK YOU
Just a few nights ago, on stage in Buffalo, Bruce Springsteen had a long list of thanks. We've got a list, too, starting with the same folks to whom Bruce expressed his gratitude: all those members of the tour crew and the Springsteen organization who helped make the past two years of shows possible. Thanks to Bruce and the heart-stoppin’, pants-droppin’, earth-shockin’, hard-rockin’, booty-shakin’, earth-quakin’, love-makin’, Viagra-takin’, history-makin’, legendary E Street Band. Charlie, Soozie, Jay, Cindy, Curtis, and Curt, we're looking at you, too. From arenas to stadiums and back, through all kinds of weather, through deaths, multiple major joint operations, physical therapy, new jobs and coast-to-coast moves, horseriding accidents, cameraman collisions, countless Stump the Band attempts, an ever-expanding repertoire and ever-ambitious, ever-changing sets, you guys have provided us with so many truly thrilling nights.

Thanks to everyone who has helped us follow the tour. All of our intrepid photographers — particulary the repeat offenders, Guy, Tony, Michael, Bob, Alan, Joe, Rene, Harry, and Riku — who got themselves to far-flung locations with just spit and a song (and for just spit and a song) in order to bring us beautiful imagery from practically every night of the tour. All of our post-show callers and writers on assignment, whose eyes and ears we've trusted to bring us the reports from the front, whose heads had to be partially occupied during the revelry with what they were going to say about it, and who lost plenty of sleep in order to say it. Thanks to all those writers and photographers not on assignment, too — everyone who sent snapshots, who wrote in about a show, or who corrected a typo. Following Springsteen here on Backstreets.com is truly a community effort, and though we might not be able to respond to each email, we wanted to be sure to express our thanks here. Thanks to everyone who probably doesn't want to be named, or in a few cases, those whose names aren't actually known to us (if you think we're talking about you, we probably are). We're grateful as well for the setlist threads on BTX and those who made them happen — a real, positive community effort, where a good deal of the time we're watching and waiting for the next song (and groaning at the overloaded server) along with everyone else.

We want to extend huge thanks to our Backstreets Magazine subscribers, who have shown extraordinary patience while we've concentrated our efforts on the massive barrage of daily news as the tour has stretched on and on. We hope the website has been a satisfying stand-in, but we also want to assure you that reports of the magazine's death are greatly exaggerated. If there's a silver lining to the end of the tour, for us, it's that we'll at long last have the chance to fire up the presses again and get back to the magazine publishing business, and we sincerely appreciate you sticking with us. Watch this space for news and contents information about the upcoming #88. Seriously, this time it's for real. Subscribers, if you've moved recently, please make sure to update your address by sending an email to orders@backstreets.com, with both your OLD address and your NEW address, to make sure we'll be sending magazines to the right place. Please do so even if you have a forwarding order with the post office; unfortunately, they aren't actually required to forward Periodicals class mail.

And many thanks to you for being a part of this thing of ours. Happy Thanksgiving!
- November 26, 2009

OFFICIAL SPRINGSTEEN STORE OFFERING SHOW-SPECIFIC SHIRTS

With the holiday shopping season upon us, of course we hope you'll visit Backstreet Records to help with your Boss gift-giving needs. But we've also heard from a few folks who are looking for items from the latest tour that we don't carry — the show-specific shirts, in particular — and we want to point you in the right direction. The Bruce Springsteen Official Store has shirts from each night at Giants Stadium, from the final Spectrum shows, and, perhaps most in demand, from the Wild & Innocent and River nights at Madson Square Garden. No Buffalo Greetings shirts there yet, but we've got fingers crossed!
- November 25, 2009

SPECTACLE SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED; BRUCE GETS TWO HOURS
As announced today, the second season of Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... begins December 9 with guests Bono and the Edge and will wrap in late January with a two-part spotlight on Springsteen. Last month's taping for Springsteen's appeareance on the show ran a whopping four hours, much of it gold... so it comes as a relief that the whole thing won't be chopped down to just one episode.

Network description: Elvis Costello sits down with Bruce Springsteen for a special two part episode and, with his guitar in hand, he opens up about his pre-E Street Band bands, his early and current inspirations, and the resurgence of New Jersey. E Street Band members Nils Lofgren and Roy Bittan sit in for a couple of songs.

"Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Bruce Springsteen, Part 1" will premiere January 20 at 10 p.m.; "Part 2" airs a week later, January 27 at 10 p.m. This is the only time so far that Costello's program has split an artist's appearance over two episodes. Spectacle airs on the Sundance Channel, and on CTV in Canada.
- November 24, 2009

JOIN WORLD HUNGER YEAR FOR HUNGERTHON 2009
With Thanksgiving week upon us, it's Hungerthon season again, and in light of today's tough economic climate, World Hunger Year's work to fight hunger and poverty at the grassroots level is more critical than ever. Hungerthon is in full swing today, as WHY, in partnership with New York-based radio stations, is using the power of the airwaves to raise funds and awareness about the issues of hunger and poverty. During Hungerthon, listeners are encouraged to make donations and bid on auction items while learning about innovative grassroots organizations throughout the country.

Today's auction items include a guitar signed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, as well as some beautiful photographs of Springsteen from our own A.M. Saddler. He writes:

These prints are limited, numbered editions signed by the photographer, and can be purchased individualy ($500 per photo, 10 of each available) or as a full set ($1750, 15 available).

For more information, please visit Hungerthon.org. Hungerthon is supported by New York City tri-state area CBS, Emmis and Clear Channel radio stations: WCBS Newsradio 880, 1010 WINS Radio, Sports Radio 66 WFAN, 101.1 WCBS FM, 102.7 FRESH-FM and 92.3 NOW FM. Participating Emmis stations are: 101.9 WRXP, HOT 97 AND 98.7 KISS FM; with support from Q104.3 FM, 101.9 WRXP, 95.5 WPLJ FM, 77 WABC Talk Radio, HOT 97 FM, 98.7 KISS FM, Sirius XM Satellite Radio, AOL Radio, and internet only stations Kweevak.com and RocklandWorldRadio.com.
- November 24, 2009

11/22, BUFFALO: GREETINGS AND GOODBYE... "FOR A LITTLE WHILE"
When Backstreets interviewed Bruce Springsteen shortly before this Magic/Dream E Street Band trek began, back in 2007, the Boss had this to say: "I envision the band carrying on for many, many, many more years. There ain't gonna be any farewell tour. That's the only thing I know for sure."

True to his word, two years later, that's exactly how he ended this tour: no time for sentimental goodbyes, mentions of a "last dance," or even a glance at the notion of retirement. There were still too many other good stories to tell. Some showgoers were expecting "Blood Brothers" or something like it here in Buffalo, and for good reason, but Springsteen seemed determined not to put any kind of real punctuation mark on the evening. Excepting, of course, the exclamation points spread throughout this 34-song, nearly three-and-a-half hour show.

Of course, everyone in the room, onstage and off, was well aware of the momentousness of the occasion. In "Working on Dream," there was considerably more weight to the usual building-a-house spiel: "The E Street Band has come thousands of miles tonight to be here one last time... for a little while... to fulfill our solemn vow to rock the house!" He soon added, "Really, it's been just about the best time in our band's work life. We want to thank you for supporting our old music, our new music, our tour."

But up next, they plowed forward, doing something they'd never done before — "Tonight! One time only!" — the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. album, start to finish. Whatever particular significance the night's album choice might wind up having — in terms of ending where they began, if tonight was indeed any kind of ending — went unspoken. Springsteen merely put the record in context, as he has with other album performances on this fall leg. "This was the miracle," he said, "This was the record that took everything from way below zero to... one." That got a big laugh. Bruce went on to speak of John Hammond, "one of the great legends of music production," and of manager Mike Appel, whose "incredible talking" got him a crucial audition with said legend. Tonight's album performance was dedicated "to the man who got me in the door. Mike Appel is here tonight — Mike, this is for you." He added, "We've never done it... hope we can do it!"

Each of the full album performances on this tour have come loaded with their own questions. Born to Run — for starters, who would handle trumpet on "Meeting"? Curt Ramm has since elevated every show, through tonight, with the addition of his horn parts. The River — would Springsteen and the E Streeters be able to maintain the intensity required for a 20-song sequence? Absolutely, it turned out. And for Greetings, would Springsteen finally grace "Growin' Up" with a full-blown story once again? The answer came with three magical words: "There I was...."

There have been plenty of near misses in recent years, just as Springsteen almost revisited the "Sad Eyes" portion of "Backstreets," so has he come close to true storytelling in "Growin' Up." But tonight, the interlude was fully realized, and it was one of toight's most powerful moments.

"It was a dark and stormy night in Asbury Park, New Jersey," Bruce began, "Me and Steve were in a litle club on the south end of the street." He proceeded to once again tell the story of his first meeting with Clarence Clemons, starting with the door blowing off in the Big Man's hand. "King Curtis?" Bruce recalled thinking, "King Curtis has come out of my dreams and landed right here!" Here in Buffalo in 2009, Clarence joined Bruce at the center to reenact that fateful night. "He walked to the stage and said" — Clarence speaking now — "I wanna play with you." "What could I say? I said....'Sure!'" Then, step by step, Bruce and Clarence recreated the pose from the cover of the Born to Run album right there on the HSBC Arena stage. It was a wordless act, unfolding slowly, inevitably, engendering one big smile throughout the building. The full-bodied laugh would come shortly, as Bruce concluded the story: "We got into a Cadillac at the end of the nght, drove out to the outskirts of town.... we got very sleepy and we fell into this long, long, long, long, long dream. And when we woke up, we were in fuckin' Buffalo, New York." Crowd goes nuts, in no small part due to the way Springsteen just compressed 35-plus years of E Street Band history. And tonight it does feel like a dream.

A furious solo from Bruce on "Lost in the Flood" has to be another of the night's highlights — Garry, meanwhile, playing complex runs behind him, the bassist being the guy who can easily fade into the background if you let him but who, anytime you choose to pay attention, is always doing some seriously interesting shit — and Bruce's solo contines, building, as Max matches his intensity, the two facing off until the end. Roy brings it all back home, spotlight on the white baby grand.

Another question that came with the Greetings performance: could Bruce actually make "Mary Queen of Arkansas" and "The Angel" compelling? A resounding yes on both counts, particularly "The Angel." With Bruce lit up at center stage, the only other accompaniment for most of the song came from Roy Bittan, who segued right into this number from his "Lost in the Flood" coda. Roy gave the song a Born to Run-era majesty, capped by the surprise addition of a viola toward the song's end. Much of what made it work was Bruce's vocal — as a friend of mine turned to me and said, "He knows how to sing now." Coupled with Roy's piano work, it came off as a beautiful, lost '70s vignette... which I guess is exactly what it is. "Mary," too, was surprisingly successful, with Bruce on acoustic guitar in Devils & Dust mode, accompanied only by Nils on harp.

And of course Bruce and the Band brought all the right moves to the remainder of the Greetings sequence, including a rollicking "Does This Bus Stop" with a stand-out solo from Charlie; a full-band "For You," as opposed to the solo piano version Bruce has been doing lately; "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City," ending with Bruce and Steve facing off, flashing guitars like switchblades, while Max is a perpetual drumroll machine.

And that's just one of the night's stories. After "Sunny Day" and "The Promised Land," it's on to the next: "We've got a birthday boy in the house tonight!" Yep, Steve Van Zandt's birthday just happens to coincide with the final night of the tour, and Bruce decides on an extended fete.

First up: "Restless Nights." "Stevie is... my age, and for years he's been asking to play this one song. This is Stevie's very favorite song of all time, it's very obscure, it's on the Tracks record. We're gonna do this for his birthday tonight." If The River at MSG seemed like a gift for Steve, this outtake performance was the icing on the cake. "By request!" Bruce said at song's end, pointing at his old pal, "Dammit, he might have been right all these years!"

But the party wasn't over. Speaking of cake, guitar tech Kevin Buell emerged with a guitar-topped birthday cake, covered in lit candles. With a little help from Max, the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" while Bruce and Steve blew the candles out together. "For Steve!" Bruce cried as the smoke rose, taking the band into "Surprise Surprise." And while some fans have heard this Working on a Dream song as too frivolous, it was hard not to appreciate the apropos lyrics at this moment:

Well today is your birthday, we traveled so far we two
So let's blow out the candles on your cake and we'll raise a glass or two

Bruce fed Steve a piece during the song, and by the end was still licking icing off his fingers, mouthing to Steve, "Not bad!" Darned if the song didn't serve as a fitting benediction, too:

And when the sun comes out tomorrow, it'll be the start of a brand new day...

But again, tonight there were other stories to tell. After the "Green Onions" sign collection it was a holiday double-shot, with Bruce taking "Merry Christmas Baby" right into "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." In between, channeling Christopher Walken, he said, "I feel Santy fever coming on. You know what this night needs? More Santy. We need more jingle bells...." The second of these came with a sign so nice, "I'm gonna put it on my front door!"

A left-field request from some Italians, Chuck Willis's "(I Don't Want to) Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes," brought us close once again to some closing night sentiment: "This sort of captures the theme of our feelings this evening," Bruce said beforehand. But the song was a blast, blowing away any poignancy with its full-throttle rock 'n' roll. And followed by "Boom Boom," also by request? We're back in the moment. "My Love Will Not Let You Down" and "Long Walk Home" continued this forceful stretch, Steve shining as always on the latter. Following the setlisted "Born to Run" set-closer, Bruce called an audible of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out" for another theme he wanted to hit, hollering, "I wanna tell you the story of the band!"

For the encore, Bruce led off with his take on what the tour has meant to him, a nice reprise from the Magic tour: "It's been a pleasure being out here working for you.... I'll work for your love any day!" By the time we got to "Higher and Higher," with special guest Willie Nile, there was no longer any escaping the inevitable. "We don't wanna go home!" said Bruce from the rear-pit platform. But at the end of the song: "We ain't going home yet!"

And amid speculation about the last this or the last that, talk elsewhere of retirement of the E Street Band, one more song kept the ending on a high note, John Fogerty's "Rocking All Over the World." It was a celebration of the tour, of the band, of rock 'n' roll... not of a band on the verge of retiring, but of a band firing on all cylinders at this very moment. Bruce's final words matched the mood: "We appreciate you coming out to see the E Street Band. So we're gonna say goodbye, but just for a little while... a very little while... because... because..." before singing again, "I like it, I like it, I like it!"

After acknowledging fans who came from all over — other states, other countries — to take part in these shows, Springsteen said, "I want to thank our crew, who work all day and all night to bring this show to you in your town." He thanked the E Street Band, the road crew, the truckers, carpenters, and everyone in every department by name, from security to sound, video, production, management... and while tonight was certainly the end of something, and no one's quite sure what he means by "a very little while," the overwhelming feeling at the end of the show was summed up by a sign that Bruce and Steve grabbed and paraded across the stage during the encore, laying it to rest below Max's drumkit, Steve every once in a while checking to make sure it was still visible:

RAISE YOUR HAND! "BRUCE BRUNCH" TAKING REQUESTS TOMORROW
Tomorrow, Sunday 11/22, Tom Cunningham will be assembling the 4th Annual All-Request Bruce Brunch to benefit the FoodBank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties. As always, you can hear the weekly Bruce Brunch on the Jersey Shore's 105-7 The Hawk and streaming everywhere at 1057thehawk.com from 9 to 11 a.m. For a $25 donation to the FoodBank, Tom will play any Springsteen request that you can dream up next Sunday 11/29. (Requesters be forewarned: a visit to Reno is out of the question at $250 or any cost). The 22 slots go fast every year, so plan accordingly! The number to call the FoodBank with your requests/donations is 732-918-2600.
- November 21, 2009

"ANOTHER THIN LINE" IS HERE
Joe Grushecky and the Houserocker's new CD, East Carson Street, isn't yet available in stores, but we've got it in stock now. The highlight here has gotta be the Springsteen/Grushecky composition "Another Thin Line," finally released in a studio take ten years after Bruce and the E Streeters debuted it live. Bruce duets with Joe on the record, and it smokes; Springsteen also plays guitar on two other songs. Thirteen tracks in all from the Houserockers, now including Joe's son Johnny in the band. Get it now from Backstreet Records!

LINEUP FOR HBO SPECIAL ANNOUNCED
HBO's The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert will collect highlights from the two nights at the Garden, October 29 and 30, both of which featured performances by Bruce Springsteen. According to a new HBO press release, the four-hour special will include both of Bruce's guest spots in the U2 segment...

...as well as a significant portion of the E Street Band's set to close out the broadcast:

That still leaves a significant portion of the E Street Band's set on the cutting room floor, though. What we won't see on the screen: "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out," "Proud Mary" with Fogerty, "Da Doo Ron Ron" with Love, "London Calling" and "Badlands" with Morello (probably the biggest heartbreaker), "You May Be Right" and "Only the Good Die Young" with Joel. As they saying goes, "You had to be there."

The four-hour special debuts Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, November 29, at 8:00 p.m.; in addition to full encore presentations, the special will also be broken up to air in two parts of two hours apiece on HBO and HBO2.
- November 20, 2009

AFTER THE LAST DANCE... WHAT'S NEXT?
Darkness box and DVD of this year's tour, according to Landau
With Bruce and the E Street Band about to come off the road after more than two years of touring, manager Jon Landau spoke with Rolling Stone's Andy Greene for Rock & Roll Daily about what the future holds: "[Landau] says the only plans for 2010 are the release of the long-delayed Darkness on the Edge of Town box set and a DVD of the Working on a Dream tour."

The Darkness set, originally expected for the album's 30th anniversary in 2008, "will likely contain a remastered edition of the disc, a new documentary about the making of the LP, as well as live footage from the 1978 tour," writes Greene. The box is "93 percent done,” according to Landau, “It’s absolutely fantastic and there are just some finishing touches that we need to turn our attention to and finalize and we’ll get it out there." A 170-pages-and-counting "iftheydothingsright" thread on BTX has some helpful suggestions for those finishing touches...

As for a new tour DVD, Landau says, "We’re working on some different approaches to a DVD for this tour. We'll release it sometime fairly soon, post-Christmas."

Though Landau says that "the E Street Band does have an illustrious future," he also specifies that "we're going to have substantial downtime at this point." But if "downtime" includes releases like these, that suddenly doesn't seem so bad. For more, including Nils Lofgren and Steve Van Zandt on the end of the tour and the future of the E Street Band, read "What’s Next for Springsteen: Darkness on the Edge of Town Box Set, 'Dream' Tour DVD."
- November 20, 2009

"BORN TO INFORM"
NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor Brian Williams has won the 2009 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. In his acceptance speech, Williams' first thanks go to "the First Family of the State of New Jersey: Bruce Sprinsgteen and Patti Scialfa." See NBC's online video tribute with Bruce and Patti's salute at the 6:17 mark: "Congratulations, Brian! We are glad that the nation's news and infomation needs are firmly in the hands of a Jersey boy. We're also glad they don't know the Brain Williams we know... or let's face it, the lid'll come off the whole thing."
- November 20, 2009

AND THEN THERE WERE TWO
By next week, the Working on a Dream tour will be nothin' but a dream... but we've got two shows left: Friday in Baltimore, and Sunday's last dance in Buffalo. Here's the scoop on both for GA ticketholders:

ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS
Don't miss the new issue of Rolling Stone (#1092, November 26)... in addition to Mr. Springsteen on the cover (along with Messrs. Hewson and Jagger), there's a ton of Boss coverage in this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame special issue. Full rundowns of the 25th Anniversary Concerts, with Mark Seliger providing some striking B&W rehearsal shots; Brandon Flowers on Bruce; Landau and Van Zandt on the Rock Hall selection process; and more.

And see RollingStone.com's Rock & Roll Daily for Stevie's take on Bruce's Michigan/Ohio mix-up: "...I’m like, 'Please, God, don’t give him a chance to do it again before I get a chance to talk to him.' Sure enough, he did it a third time and I’m like, ‘That’s it. This crowd is about to rebel. They’re going to attack us!'"
- November 18, 2009

TONIGHT: STEVE TO GUEST ON MOJO'S NASHVILLE PRE-SHOW
Little Steven's certainly no stranger to the airwaves. In addition to his syndicated "Underground Garage" show, Steve created and executive produces the Outlaw Country channel on SIRIUS XM. And with the Springsteen and the E Street Band tour rolling into Nashville today, he'll be guesting on the channel in a live broadcast leading right up to showtime.

Mojo Nixon, who hosts a daily music show on Outlaw Country, will broadcast live from SIRIUS XM’s Nashville studios prior to tonight's E Street Band concert at the Sommet Center -- a four-hour pre-show. In the final hour, Steve will join Mojo in-studio for an hour-long simulcast, on both the Outlaw Country (SIRIUS 63 / XM 12) and E Street Radio (SIRIUS 10 / XM 58) channels, from 7:00 - 8:00 pm.

Mojo's E Street Band pre-show broadcast will begin at 4:00 this afternoon on Outlaw Country, with other in-studio guests including Todd Snider, Raul Malo, Dan Baird and Chuck Mead.

If you don't have satellite radio, go to siriusxm.com for a free 30-day pass to listen online.
- November 18, 2009

BRUCE WORKS THE ROOM AT CARNEGIE DELI -- ER, HALL
Last night at Carnegie Hall, Springsteen performed four songs solo acoustic at the Concert for Autism Speaks: "No Surrender," "If I Should Fall Behind," "Working on the Highway," and "Thunder Road."

The night opened promptly at 7:30 with its master of ceremonies and host of NBC's Meet the Press David Gregory on violin, solo, on a big, empty stage. No pretty sounds out of this violin: David admitted that he did it so he "could say I've played in concert at Carnegie Hall." Former NBC Chairman, Bob Wright, escorted by his wife Suzanne (the founders of Autism Speaks) were next out. Bob called for "silence... A moment of silence for David Gregory, because he thought tonight would be about him." Bob later took a moment to address Bruce and Jerry Seinfeld: "We thank you for your enormous gift tonight. We can never repay you, we thank you so so much." Also thanked were Jon Landau and Max Weinberg. After Bob and Suzanne discussed some alarming autism facts and statistics, as well as recent progress, Gregory escorted them off stage then came back to the mic: "Ladies and Gentlemen, the one, the only.... Bruce Springsteen!" Amazingly at this black tie affair, civilized people seemed to forget where they were for a moment and the entire house erupted with cheers of "Bruuuuuuce!"

"I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, I must apologize. Apparently I'm a little underdressed." And boy was he, appearing at Carnegie Hall in what seemed to be his backup getup for the WOAD shows — and I mean waaay back. "I thought it was Carnegie Deli. Sorry... I see some high rollers out there. Forgive me.... Ehhh, whatever."

After a beautifully deliberate version of "No Surrender" with Bruce alone on an acoustic, which is how he'd remain throughout (deliberate and solo acoustic), he said to himself, "Sounds good, Boss, this place is all it's cracked up to be." Given the sound of the opener, he was surely right. "My Mom is here," he went on, "she was talking to Jerry before the show. She was explaining about the time I opened a Shop Rite supermarket... Now I'm at Carnegie Hall!"

Next Bruce delivered an absolutely stunning "If I Should Fall Behind." The lyrics seemed to hit home with many in attendance, as there were quite a few teary eyes. After the applause, Bruce rubbed his stomach: " Send me over one of those hot corned beef and pastramis... and some damn cole slaw, too. I'm working up here — gotta work!"

"Working on the Highway" was an unusual choice given the event and the venue, and it was performed was about half the tempo of what you'd see on the road. But it brought a good dose of fun: midway through, Bruce dedided to "test the acoustics of this Carnegie Hall," abandoning the mic and relying upon the venue's famed acoustics as he walked around the enormous stage playing to the crowd. Most notably, he played to the "Lincoln Seats" and tried to get them "off their asses." "C'mon, lets get working!" Lots of clapping along, and it got this who's-who crowd up and alive, all the way down to the front of the parquet where you could see even Mr. and Mrs. Trump getting their groove on.

Finally, "Thunder Road." Bruce called on the audience to sing the usual part, and though they were a little slow to respond, it was nice to hear this full of CEOs, Wall Street execs, and celebrities singing "Show a little faith..." "Not bad," Bruce said, "We'll get it next time."

After a lengthy applause/"Bruuuuuuce" session, Seinfeld came out to join Bruce; they exchanged a hug, Bruce took several more bows, and he was on his way. "You want him to come to your house?" Seinfeld asked, "That's the best we could do. It's like he was in your living room. What a beautiful guy [laughs all around], what a beautiful thing. You know how they always do the 'world's most beautiful people.'... why not him? He's beautiful, just gorgeous."

Jerry delivered a 50-minute set, took his bow and the house lights came on at 9:20 p.m. All in all a shorter evening than most expected; nevertheless, millions of dollars were raised for a very important and worthy cause, Autism Speaks.- November 18, 2009 - Michael Zorn reporting

SHUFFLE OFF TO BUFFALO IN STYLE
The final night of the tour is Sunday, and for the occasion, Bruce Springsteen has donated 4 VIP tickets with E Street Lounge passes plus a meet & greet session for the November 22nd show at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY. The package is being auctioned off to benefit Musicians On Call/The Kristen Ann Carr Fund, with bids being taken now at charitybuzz.com. Lot closes Thursday at 3:00 p.m.!
- November 17, 2009

WAKE UP WITH NILS LOFGREN
A five-part interview with Nils Lofgren airs this week on New York's WRXP, with Matt Pinfield and Leslie Fram talking with the E Street Band guitarist. Listen to the first installment here, and tune in to 101.9 each morning this week at 7:20 a.m. to hear the remaining four parts.
- November 16, 2009

GREETINGS FROM BUFFALO, NY
A week from tonight, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform the album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. during their November 22 concert in Buffalo, NY, the final date of their 2009 Working on a Dream tour. Released in January, 1973, Greetings marked Springsteen's debut as a recording artist; it is the first time this album will be performed in its entirety. With this performance, Bruce and the band will have played every E Street Band album through 1984 during their fall tour.
- November 15, 2009

THE BOSS-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB:
2010 CALENDARS ARE HERE!
Now in stock at Backstreet Records: The official Bruce Springsteen wall calendar for the new year! Striking imagery from Danny Clinch for each month of 2010, and a nice layout, too, with a Working on a Dream graphic theme.

We know a lot of people like giving these as holiday gifts; this year we can guarantee pre-Christmas arrival for all U.S. orders placed by December 10. Of course, the sooner you place your order the better, particuarly for delivery outside of the U.S., where it's harder to make such guarantees. As always, we'll be working hard to get these out the door just as quickly as possible.

LET IT SHINE
Jon Stewart on an E Street Band concert: "It's the closest I will ever go to going to church. It's this incredible experience of just pure — after all these years of performing — unadulterated joy." Clarence Clemons replies: "For me, it is a church. It is my religion. It is my belief. To bring joy and light to the world is my purpose in life, so my spiritual teacher tells me. So when I go out on that stage, I'm bringing that spirit of joy to a lot of people, and it's just wonderful." Watch the Big Man on last night's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

The Associated Press also has a nice profile today: "Clarence Clemons Keeps Rockin' With Raw Willpower." As Stewart said to him on the show, "I believe that you will, in the year 2080, still be blowing... you'll just be lungs and a head. You are unstoppable."
- Updated November 12, 2009

AUTHOR! MAN OF LETTERS! DAILY SHOW GUEST!
Jon Stewart, who was spotted at Sunday night's Madison Square Garden show, hosts Clarence Clemons on his own turf tonight. The Big Man talks Big Man on The Daily Show — tune in to Comedy Central tonight at 11 pm!
- November 11, 2009

11/4, NEW YORK, NY: STAND UP FOR HEROES
Last night at the Stand Up for Heroes Benefit for the Bob Woodruff Foundation, the first three rows in New York's Town Hall harbored the injured and recovering troops. After a surprise appearance by Elvis Costello, who performed two songs, host Brian Williams introduced Bruce Springsteen, describing him as a "very good friend of the Foundation and everyone in uniform."

After saying he was "honored and humbled" by the service of the men and women in those three rows, Springsteen told a pun-filled joke about a new soda containing Viagra (this was a New York Comedy Festival Event, don't forget). He began his acoustic set with a heartfelt and jagged (but not ragged) "This Hard Land." Another joke, about the housewife who isn't Betty Crocker, preceded "Born to Run," which wasn't universally recognized until the first chorus.

Bruce told his third joke about a fiendishly trained chihuahua, punctuating a door knock with three raps on his guitar, and then started to play "The Rising." Unlike "Born to Run," it was immediately acknowledged and appreciated by this New York crowd. The lyrics seemed particularly appropriate for those who have been harshly dealt with by the "fiery light" of IEDs. I noticed Brian Williams and (I think) Bob Woodruff watching intently behind the stage.

Afterwards, Williams and legendary Sotheby auctioneer Jamie Niven (son of actor David Niven) joined Bruce onstage and together auctioned off the black guitar Bruce had just finished using "for the past 20 years." As the bidding increased, Springteen whispered in Niven's ear an offer to sweeten the pot — four tickets to one of this weekend's Madison Square Garden shows.

This increased bidding, and there was an added benefit for the winner, actress Mariska Hargitay of Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit: backstage passes. And if that weren’t enough, Bruce went into the audience and personally delivered the $50,000 guitar.

Over six million dollars has been distributed by the Bob Woodruff Foundation to individual soldiers and their families, along with service organizations who assist our wounded military personnel. More than $100,000 was pledged last night to this excellent cause.

ON THE AUCTION BLOCK: MEET THE BOSS AT MSG
Need an "in" for Saturday or Sunday? Mere minutes left in this auction!
4 VIP Tix, E St. Lounge Passes, and a soundcheck meeting with the man
Bruce and the E Street Band return to Madison Square Garden this weekend for two never-before-seen album sets, W&I and The River. Tickets are next to impossible at this point... but not quite impossible: For a charity auction, Bruce has generously donated an incredible meet and greet opportunity, with soundcheck access, four VIP tickets and E Street Lounge Passes to one of these special NYC shows: Saturday, November 7 or Sunday, November 8 — winner's choice!

It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to chat with Bruce face-to-face — not to mention being there for soundcheck and getting prime tickets to one of the most in-demand shows on the tour.

Seats are located in the Loge Section (first tier above the floor) within the first five rows, either to the left or right of the stage, OR, the auction winner may choose to be in the General Admission "Pit," rather than seats. The E Street Lounge passes will enable the auction winner to relax and have a drink before the show (the Lounge has a cash bar and is open before show only, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.).

Of course, this one requires deep pockets. Bidding begins at $10,000, with all proceeds proceeds to benefit The Bob Woodruff Foundation. Check out the auction at charityfolks.com.

Auction ends today at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, but extended as follows: "If a bid is placed during the last 10 minutes on a lot during the auction, the closing time will be automatically extended for an additional 10 minutes from the time of the latest bid. The lot will close once all bidding activity has stopped for a period of 10 minutes."
- Updated November 5, 2009

JUST AROUND THE CORNER...
It's Light of Day time again, the annual concerts that benefit the fight against Parkinson's Disease (as well as celebrating LOD founder Bob Benjamin's birthday). Light of Day NYC kicks off the series this Friday night, as Joe D'Urso & Stone Caravan headline a show at Bowery Electric (327 Bowery at 2nd Street). Sarah Solovay and Outside the Box are also on the bill. Tickets are $25 each.

Light of Day New Jersey, featuring Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers, D'Urso, Willie Nile, and other regulars, will take place in January. Visit our Concert Calendar, just updated, for more related concert info.
- November 4, 2009

IT'S MY LIFE
With Clarence's biography out now, Springsteen has taken to introducing the Big Man onstage as "Author!" "Man of Letters!" And "Bigger than Shakespeare!" If you believe the New York Post, Bruce may be looking to follow in those Big footsteps:

TWO FACES HAVE I
How about this for a New York City Serenade? After performing Born to Run, Darkness, and Born in the U.S.A. album sets on this leg, Bruce and the E Street Band have something extra special up their sleeve for their return to the Garden this weekend — the premiere of two more album performances, and ones that we honestly never thought we'd see. Saturday night: The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, live, top to bottom for the first time ever. Sunday night: The River, live, top to bottom, for the first time ever — all 20 tracks. If Steve were to have his way, there'd be even more, as he told Rolling Stone earlier this year: "If I could pick, it's gotta be The River. I'd want to include the outtakes on the Tracks collection. Then you have a hell of a show." But hey, even if it's "just" a double-album set that includes "Stolen Car," "The Price You Pay," "Drive All Night"... still sounds like a hell of a show to us.

This leaves November 22 in Buffalo as the only remaining show on the itinerary with no album announced. See our Tour/Ticket Info page for the line-up.
- November 4, 2009

HOLD ON, IT'S COMIN'!
Last week's silver anniversary blowouts for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be coming to the small screen later this month, debuting November 29 at 8 p.m.on HBO. At four hours, it's a condensed presentation of the two nights at Madison Square Garden, but there's sure to be plenty of Bruce. The program will have a number of repeat airings throughout December. If you don't want to wait for a taste, check out Sam Moore's guest appearance with the E Street Band on YouTube.
- November 2, 2009

MR. SPRINGSTEEN GOES TO WASHINGTON
Bruce and the E Street Band come to D.C. tonight, the first Working on a Dream show since last week's canceled Kansas City stop. For the pit lottery, sequentially numbered wristbands will be distributed between 1:00 and 4:00 this afternoon at the 6th Street Entrance, near the corner of 6th and F Streets NW. Click here for full G.A. Procedure info from the Verizon Center.
- November 2, 2009