The Phantom

Let me start with the stories.

Back in the days of miracles, the frontier days when "Mad Dog" Lopez and his temper struck fear into the band, small club owners, innocent civilians and all women, children and small animals.

Back in the days when you could still sign your life away on the hood of a parked car in New York City.

Back shortly after a young red-headed accordionist struck gold on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour and he and his mama were sent to Switzerland to show them how it's really done.

Back before beach bums were featured on the cover of Time magazine.

I'm talking about back when the E Street Band was a communist organization! My pal, quiet, shy Dan Federici, was a one-man creator of some of the hairiest circumstances of our 40 year career... And that wasn't easy to do. He had "Mad Dog" Lopez to compete with.... Danny just outlasted him.

Maybe it was the "police riot" in Middletown, New Jersey. A show we were doing to raise bail money for "Mad Log" Lopez who was in jail in Richmond, Virginia, for having an altercation with police officers who we'd aggravated by playing too long. Danny allegedly knocked over our huge Marshall stacks on some of Middletown's finest who had rushed the stage because we broke the law by...playing too long.

As I stood there watching, several police oficers crawled out from underneath the speaker cabinets and rushed away to seek medical attention. Another nice young officer stood in front of me onstage waving his nightstick, poking and calling me nasty names. I looked over to see Danny with a beefy police officer pulling on one arm while Flo Federici, his first wife, pulled on the other, assisting her man in resisting arrest.

A kid leapt from the audience onto the stage, momentarily distracting the beefy officer with the insults of the day. Forever thereafter, "Phantom" Dan Federici slipped into the crowd and disappeared.

A warrant out for his arrest and one month on the lam later, he still hadn't been brought to justice. We hid him in various places but now we had a problem. We had a show coming at Monmouth College. We needed the money and we had to do the gig. We tried a replacement but it didn't work out. So Danny, to all of our admiration, stepped up and said he'd risk his freedom, take the chance and play.

Show night. 2,000 screaming fans in the Monmouth College gym. We had it worked out so Danny would not appear onstage until the moment we started playing. We figured the police who were there to arrest him wouldn't do so onstage during the show and risk starting another riot.

Let me set the scene for you. Danny is hiding, hunkered down in the backseat of a car in the parking lot. At five minutes to eight, our scheduled start time, I go out to whisk him in. I tap on the window.

"Danny, come on, it's time."

I hear back, "I'm not going."

Me: "What do you mean you're not going?"

Danny: "The cops are on the roof of the gym. I've seen them and they're going to nail me the minute I step out of this car."

As I open the door, I realize that Danny has been smoking a little something and had grown rather paranoid. I said, "Dan, there are no cops on the roof."

He says, "Yes, I saw them, I tell you. I'm not coming in."

So I used a procedure I'd call on often over the next forty years in dealing with my old pal's concerns. I threatened him...and cajoled. Finally, out he came. Across the parking lot and into the gym we swept for a rapturous concert during which we laughted like thieves at our excellent dodge of the local cops.

At the end of the evening, during the last song, I pulled the entire crowd up onto the stage and Danny slipped into the audience and out the front door. Once again, "Phantom" Dan had made his exit. (I still get the occasional card from the old Chief of Police of Middletown wishing us well. Our histories are forever intertwined.) And that, my friends, was only the beginning.

There was the time Danny quit the band during a rough period at Max's Kansas City, explaining to me that he was leaving to fix televisions. I asked him to think about that and come back later.

Or Danny, in the band rental car, bouncing off several parked cars after a night of entertainment, smashing out the windshield with his head but saved from severe injury by the huge hard cowboy hat he bought in Texas on our last Western swing.

Or Danny, leaving a large marijuana plant on the front seat of his car in a tow away zone. The car was promptly towed. He said, "Bruce, I'm going to go down and report that it was stolen." I said, "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

Down he went and straight into the slammer without passing go.

Or Danny, the only member of the E Street Band to be physically thrown out of the Stone Pony. Considering all the money we made them, that wasn't easy to do.

Or Danny receiving and surviving a "cautionary assault" from an enraged but restrained "Big Man" Clarence Clemons while they were living together and Danny finally drove the "Big Man" over the big top.

Or Danny assisting me in removing my foot from his stereo speaker after being the only band member ever to drive me into a violent rage.

And through it all, Danny played his beautiful, soulful B3 organ for me and our love grew. And continued to grow. Life is funny like that. He was my homeboy, and great, and for that you make considerations... And he was much more tolerant of my failures than I was of his.

When Danny wasn't causing chaos, he was a sweet, talented, unassuming, unpretentious good-hearted guy who simply had an unchecked ability to make good fortune and things in general go fabulously wrong.

But beyond all of that, he also had a mountain of the right stuff. He had the heart and soul of an engineer. He learned to fly. He was always up on the latest technology and would explain it to you patiently and in enormous detail. He was always "souping" something up, his car, his stereo, his B3. When Patti joined the band, he was the most welcoming, thoughtful, kindest friend to the first woman entering our "boys club."

He loved his kids, always bragging about Jason, Harley, and Madison, and he loved his wife Maya for the new things she brought into his life.

And then there was his artistry. He was the most intuitive player I've ever seen. His style was slippery and fluid, drawn to the spaces the other musicians in the E Street Band left. He wasn't an assertive player, he was a complementary player. A true accompanist. He naturally supplied the glue that bound the band's sound together. In doing so, he created for himself a very specific style. When you hear Dan Federici, you don't hear a blanket of sound, you hear a riff, packed with energy, flying above everything else for a few moments and then gone back in the track. "Phantom" Dan Federici. Now you hear him, now you don't.

Offstage, Danny couldn't recite a lyric or a chord progression for one of my songs. Onstage, his ears opened up. He listened, he felt, he played, finding the perfect hole and placement for a chord or a flurry of notes. This style created a tremendous feeling of spontaneity in our ensemble playing.

In the studio, if I wanted to loosen up the track we were recording, I'd put Danny on it and not tell him what to play. I'd just set him loose. He brought with him the sound of the carnival, the amusements, the boardwalk, the beach, the geography of our youth and the heart and soul of the birthplace of the E Street Band.

Then we grew up. Very slowly. We stood together through a lot of trials and tribulations. Danny's response to a mistake onstage, hard times, catastrophic events was usually a shrug and a smile. Sort of an "I am but one man in a raging sea, but I'm still afloat. And we're all still here."

I watched Danny fight and conquer some tough addictions. I watched him struggle to put his life together and in the last decade when the band reunited, thrive on sitting in his seat behind that big B3, filled with life and, yes, a new maturity, passion for his job, his family and his home in the brother and sisterhood of our band.

Finally, I watched him fight his cancer without complaint and with great courage and spirit. When I asked him how things looked, he just said, "what are you going to do? I'm looking forward to tomorrow." Danny, the sunny side up fatalist. He never gave up right to the end.

A few weeks back we ended up onstage in Indianapolis for what would be the last time. Before we went on I asked him what he wanted to play and he said, "Sandy." He wanted to strap on the accordion and revisit the boardwalk of our youth during the summer nights when we'd walk along the boards with all the time in the world.

So what if we just smashed into three parked cars, it's a beautiful night! So what if we're on the lam from the entire Middletown police department, let's go take a swim! He wanted to play once more the song that is of course about the end of something wonderful and the beginning of something unknown and new.

Let's go back to the days of miracles. Pete Townshend said, "a rock and roll band is a crazy thing. You meet some people when you're a kid and unlike any other occupation in the whole world, you're stuck with them your whole life no matter who they are or what crazy things they do."

If we didn't play together, the E Street Band at this point would probably not know one another. We wouldn't be in this room together. But we do... We do play together. And every night at 8 p.m., we walk out on stage together and that, my friends, is a place where miracles occur...old and new miracles. And those you are with, in the presence of miracles, you never forget. Life does not separate you. Death does not separate you. Those you are with who create miracles for you, like Danny did for me every night, you are honored to be amongst.

Of course we all grow up and we know "it's only rock and roll"...but it's not. After a lifetime of watching a man perform his miracle for you, night after night, it feels an awful lot like love.

So today, making another one of his mysterious exits, we say farewell to Danny, "Phantom" Dan, Federici. Father, husband, my brother, my friend, my mystery, my thorn, my rose, my keyboard player, my miracle man and lifelong member in good standing of the house rockin', pants droppin', earth shockin', hard rockin', booty shakin', love makin', heart breakin', soul cryin'... and, yes, death defyin' legendary E Street Band.



VIDEO: A TRIBUTE TO DANNY


VIDEO: DANNY FEDERICI AT HIS LAST APPEARANCE WITH HIS LIFELONG COLLEAGUES
E Street Band keyboardist Danny Federici treated Indianapolis fans to a special appearance at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 20th. Danny's performance was a profound expression of the healing power of music and community, all the more poignant in light of his death just a few weeks later. Here, from the Indie show, is an excerpt from one of Danny's signature accordion performances on the rarely-played Sandy.



See the SET LISTS for this show and the rest of the tour on the brucespringsteen.net set list page.
ENDORSEMENT: 2008

Dear Friends and Fans:

LIke most of you, I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest.

He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where "...nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone."

At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships. While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man's life and vision, so well described in his excellent book, Dreams From My Father, often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment.

After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans.

Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President.

Bruce Springsteen

VIDEO: HOUSTON: ALWAYS A FRIEND
(with ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO)
In Houston on April 14 Bruce and the band were joined by Alejandro Escovedo for a rousing performance of his song "Always A Friend", from his new album Real Animal:

View video clip.
VIDEO: SACRAMENTO: SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT
Sacramento's show opener on April 4 was "Spirit In The Night", the rarely-played classic from Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.:

View video clip.

VIDEO: COLUMBUS: YOU'LL BE COMIN' DOWN
Another "Magic" tour premiere from Columbus, Ohio on March 24: You'll Be Comin' Down:

View video clip.

VIDEO: VANCOUVER: TRAPPED
In Vancouver on March 31, Bruce and the band played a favorite tour rarity: from The Essential Bruce Springsteen, here's Trapped, written by Jimmy Cliff:

View video clip.

VIDEO: SEATTLE: POINT BLANK
In Seattle on March 29, Bruce and the band broke out another tour premiere: from The River, here's Point Blank:

View video clip.

VIDEO: PORTLAND: FOR YOU
Visiting another song from Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., here's For You from Portland on March 28:

View video clip.

VIDEO: ST. PAUL: DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN
From the tour's return visit to St. Paul on March 16, an excerpt from a classic version of a classic song, Darkness On The Edge Of Town:

View video clip.



VIDEO: NASSAU: INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET
As fun as it is to scan the nightly set lists and see how much Bruce has been mixing it up, there's nothing like being there when he brings out an old and rare favorite. Here's an excerpt from an extraordinary version of the rarely performed Incident on 57th Street, straight from the already legendary Nassau Coliseum show of March 10. :

View video clip.

VIDEO: BUFFALO: DETROIT MEDLEY
Hot off the presses from Bruce's show in Buffalo, on 3/8/08, here is an excerpt from the historic "Detroit Medley":
View video clip.

VIDEO: HARTFORD: SO YOUNG AND IN LOVE
Here it is, the very first moments from the very first show (Hartford, 2/28/08) from the new leg of Bruce's tour, So Young and In Love, from Tracks:
View video clip.

VIDEO: MONTREAL: BECAUSE THE NIGHT
We hope you enjoy Nils Lofgren's red-hot guitar solo on this performance of "Because The Night" from Montreal, 3/2/08:

View video clip.
NEW BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN GEAR, LITHOGRAPHS, AND CONCERT MERCHANDISE NOW AVAILABLE

Visit the Bruce Springsteen Store for lots of brand-new apparel and accessories, designed especially for the release of 'Magic' and the E-Street Band's tour.

Check out our new limited edition lithographs, including Eric Meola's iconic 'Born To Run' cover photograph.

And be sure to visit the Store frequently, as it will be releasing exciting new merchandise over the coming months.


ROLLING STONE ROCKED ON LONG ISLAND

Rolling Stone's remarkable Andy Greene seems to have been rocked straight back to his pre-infancy last night at Nassau Coliseum. What more can you ask from a rock and roll concert? Read his report.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TO PERFORM BENEFIT CONCERT ON MAY 7

Bruce Springsteen will perform a benefit concert at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey on Wednesday, May 7th.

Proceeds from "An Evening with Bruce Springsteen" will benefit the historic Count Basie Theatre and help offset the cost of the renovation and restoration of the theatre that will begin this summer. A portion of the concert proceeds will also support other programs and operations at the Theatre, such as the Cool School. Patti Scialfa serves on the Board of the Basie Foundation and as Honorary Chair of the Capital Campaign.

Tickets will be made available to the public through an online "Make Your Best Offer" Auction beginning March 20th at countbasietheatrefoundation.org. Instructions on how the auction will work will be provided at countbasietheatrefoundation.org on March 20th.

Rusty Young, CEO of the Count Basie Theatre Foundation, said, "We are excited that Bruce Springsteen will be performing a benefit concert and deeply appreciate his willingness to help preserve and restore the Basie."
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INTERVIEWED ON NPR

Listen to Bruce's interview on Morning Edition, aired on March 5.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TAKES TO THE ROAD

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band opened the 2008 leg of their tour tonight in Hartford, Connecticut. There were three breakouts of songs not played last fall, all from "Tracks": "So Young and In Love", "Loose Ends", and "Janey Don't You Lose Heart".

Here's a great report from The Patriot Ledger of Quincy, Massachusetts.

USA TODAY has a great feature on Bruce including a playlist of what's on Bruce's iPod.

See the SET LISTS for this show and the rest of the tour on the brucespringsteen.net set list page.

We'll have video, photos and on-the-scene reportage, courtesy of Backstreets.com, so visit often to see what the band is up to.




BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN WINS THREE GRAMMYS

Congratulations to Bruce Springsteen for his three Grammy Awards:
Best Rock Song and Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance (for "Radio Nowhere"), and Best Rock Instrumental Performance (for "Once Upon A Time In The West", a track from We All Love Ennio Morricone.



COLUMBIA RECORDS PREMIERES "GIRLS IN THEIR SUMMER CLOTHES" MUSIC VIDEO EXCLUSIVELY ON THE iTUNES STORE TODAY

EUROPEAN DATES ADDED TO 2008 TOUR SCHEDULE FOLLOWING RAVES AND SELL-OUTS FOR '07 DATES

'MAGIC' ALBUM (COLUMBIA) GARNERS MANY TOP YEAR-END HONORS

Bruce Springsteen has hit the ground running in 2008. Springsteen's new video will see release on the iTunes Store, new tour dates have been announced and 'Magic' is one of the top albums of 2007.

Today, Columbia Records released a "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" bundle exclusively through the iTunes Store. The release marks the premiere of the "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" video and also includes a "Winter Mix" of the song; and a live rendition. Directed by Mark Pellington ("Lonesome Day," Pearl Jam's "Jeremy"), the video was shot in Ocean Grove and Asbury Park, NJ.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have announced an extensive tour schedule for 2008. Their 2007 tour was met with rapturous critical response and rapid sell-outs. The Washington Post proclaimed, "Springsteen and his longtime band were simply great, performing a well-considered set with heightened intensity and a very clear sense of purpose... Springsteen remains one of the most potent live performers in popular music -- largely because he's among the most committed practitioners of the form, draining all of his creative energy every time he's onstage."

'Magic' has received notice on over forty critics' year-end best lists, including Rolling Stone, Blender, Spin, and USA Today, and was named Entertainment Weekly's top album of 2007.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 2008 Tour Dates

Date
City
Venue
On Sale
2/28 Hartford, CT HCC Arena Set List
3/2 Montreal, QC Bell Centre Set List
3/3 Hamilton, ONT Copps Coliseum Set List
3/6 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena Set List
3/7 Buffalo, NY HSBC Arena Set List
3/10 Hempstead, NY Nassau Coliseum Set List
3/14 Omaha, NE Quest Center Set List
3/16 St. Paul, MN Xcel Center Set List
3/17 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center Set List
3/20 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse Set List
3/22 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena Set List
3/24 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center Set List
3/28 Portland, OR The Rose Garden Set List
3/29 Seattle, WA Key Arena Set List
3/31 Vancouver, BC GM Place Set List
4/4 Sacramento, CA Arco Arena Set List
4/5 San Jose, CA HPPavillion at San Jose Set List
4/7 Anaheim, CA Honda Center Set List
4/8 Anaheim, CA Honda Center Set List
4/13 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center Set List
4/14 Houston, TX Toyota Center Set List
4/18 Ft Lauderdale, FL Bank Atlantic Center POSTPONED to 5/2
4/22 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum Set List
4/23 Orlando, FL Amway Arena Set List
4/25 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena Set List
4/27 Charlotte, NC Charlotte Bobcat Arena On Sale Now
4/28 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum On Sale Now
4/30 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena On Sale Now
5/2 Ft Lauderdale, FL Bank Atlantic Center RESCHEDULED DATE
5/22 Dublin, ?IRE RDS Arena On Sale Now
5/23 Dublin, ?IRE RDS Arena On Sale Now
5/25 Dublin, ?IRE RDS Arena On Sale Now
5/28 Manchester, GB Old Trafford On Sale Now
5/30 London, GB Emirates Stadium On Sale Now
5/31 London, GB Emirates Stadium On Sale Now
6/14 Cardiff, GB Cardiff Millennium Stadium On Sale Now
6/16 D?sseldorf, GERMANY LTU Arena On Sale Now
6/18 Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS Amsterdam Arena On Sale Now
6/21 Hamburg, GERMANY HSH Nordbank Arena On Sale Now
6/23 Brussels, BELGIUM Sportpaleis d'Anvers On Sale Now
6/25 Milan, ITALY Stadio San Siro On Sale Now
6/27 Paris, FRANCE Parc des Princes On Sale Now
6/29 Copenhagen, DENMARK Parken On Sale Now
7/4 G?teborg, SWEDEN Ullevi On Sale Now
7/5 G?teborg, SWEDEN Ullevi On Sale Now
7/7 Oslo, NORWAY Valle Hoven On Sale Now
7/8 Oslo, NORWAY Valle Hoven On Sale Now
7/11 Helsinki, FINLAND Olympia Stadion On Sale Now
7/15 San Sebasti?n, SPAIN Estadio Anoeta On Sale Now
7/17 Madrid, SPAIN Estadio Santiago Bernabeu On Sale Now
7/19 Barcelona, SPAIN Camp Nou On Sale Now
7/20 Barcelona, SPAIN Camp Nou On Sale Now
7/27 E. Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium On Sale Now
7/28 E. Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium On Sale Now
7/31 E. Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium On Sale Now
8/2 Foxboro, MA Gillette Stadium 3/29 10 a.m.

Visit the brucespringsteen.net tour page for updates and the latest confirmed dates.
SANTA CLAUS COMES TO EUROPE

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band brought some seasonal cheer to several European cities when they encored with "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," in Arnhem, the first band versions in five years.

See the set lists for this show and the rest of the tour on the brucespringsteen.net set list page.

DETROIT BREAKOUTS

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's show tonight in Auburn Hills featured two tour premieres: Jackson Cage and Ramrod and one first-time-ever performance of I'll Work For Your Love. Next stop, after a few days off: our Nation's capitol.

See the set lists and food bank information for this show and the rest of the tour on the brucespringsteen.net set list page.

CLEVELAND BREAKOUTS

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's show tonight in Cleveland featured two tour premieres: It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City and Be True. Next stop: Detroit.

See the set lists and food bank information for this show and the rest of the tour on the brucespringsteen.net set list page.

MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE: "SPRINGSTEEN WAS HIS CLASSIC, ROCKIN' SELF"

Jon Bream's Minneapolis Star Tribune review of Fridays's show begins:

Bruce Springsteen is back as the Boss.

After a dark, provocative solo tour and an invigorating trek with a too-loud and too-large Americana band, Springsteen is back with his legendary E Street Band.

"Is there anybody alive out there?" he screamed as he took the stage Friday at the soldout Xcel Energy Center. Then he tore into "Radio Nowhere," his new single about no sense of direction in our society, and the Boss was reborn like Randy Moss hooking up with Tom Brady.

Springsteen sang so vein-poppingly hard you feared he might explode onstage. He performed Friday like music is what matters most, hoping to bring a sense of community -- and a sense of hope -- as he sang about dreams and disillusionments.

Read the rest of the review here.

LOS ANGELES TIMES: "SPRINGSTEEN STILL ROCKING WITHOUT A NET"

Randy Lewis' Los Angeles Times review of Monday's show begins:

The moment the lights went down Monday night at the L.A. Sports Arena for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's return to a Southland concert stage, a vintage-looking calliope surfaced from beneath that stage playing not just any vintage-sounding midway number but "That Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze."

At 58, Springsteen certainly can't call himself young any more -- at least not chronologically. Despite the hurricane force he and the E Street Band frequently mustered during their two-hour show, plenty of fans cheering them on no doubt recall the nights of yore when this fabled group was just starting to break a sweat at the two-hour mark.

Still, what this outfit does on stage each night remains fairly daring, and the older they get, the greater the risk of the without-a-net abandon with which they administer the sacrament of rock 'n' roll.

Read the rest of the review here.

OAKLAND BREAKOUTS

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's show tonight in Oakland featured three tour premieres: Two Hearts, Racing In The Street and Working On The Highway. Next stop: L.A.

JON STEWART EXPERIENCES JOY

Fake anchorman Jon Stewart kvells about his night at the Garden with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:



BRUCE BREAKS OUT THE BIG ONES AT MSG

Deep in the heart of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's set at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, "Meeting Across The River" and "Jungleland" were played back to back, just as they close Side Two (remember sides?) of Born To Run. Eyewitnesses were blinded by the impact and house security scrambled for their earplugs. And that was just half-way through the show.

See the set lists and food bank information for this show and the rest of the tour on the brucespringsteen.net set list page.

NEW YORK TIMES: "SPRINGSTEEN LEAVES GARDEN AUDIENCE EUPHORIC"

Jon Pareles' New York Times review of Wednesday's show begins:

The Madison Square Garden crowd joyfully sang along with Bruce Springsteen, not for the first or last time, on Wednesday night, as he reached the chorus of "Lonesome Day": "It's all right, it's all right, it's all right, yeah." That's what the sound of the E Street Band always says, surging past every bit of disillusionment, loss, bewilderment and bitterness in the verses that the fans also know. The sheer vitality of Mr. Springsteen, 58, belting an entire set of showstoppers straight from the gut and working the stage with his longtime band, provides all the hope the lyrics struggle to find. He's as serious as any public figure alive, but he leaves audiences euphoric -- a paradox that only grows more profound as he endures."

Read the rest of the review here.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN WELCOMES THE ARCADE FIRE IN OTTAWA

The Arcade Fire's Win Butler and R?gine Chassagne appeared on stage with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Ottawa, singing their own song "Keep The Car Running" (from the great "Neon Bible" album), preceded by "State Trooper" (a tour premier). View Pitchfork's coverage and video.

There were two other tour premiers in Ottawa: "Tougher Than The Rest" and "Backstreets."

See the set lists and food bank information for this show and the rest of the tour on the brucespringsteen.net set list page.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ON '60 MINUTES'

Bruce Springsteen appeared on '60 Minutes' on Sunday, October 7, speaking to correspondent Scott Pelley.

See clips and read the interview on the CBS site.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E-STREET BAND KICK OFF TOUR IN HARTFORD

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band launched their 2007 tour tonight in Hartford, Connecticut.

The show featured several songs from "Magic" as well as some of the highlights of the rehearsal shows in New Jersey. Reports were enthusiastic about the one-two of "Night" into "She's The One" and the first appearance of "Darkness On The Edge Of Town."

Expect to be bowled over by "Gypsy Biker" the first time you hear it live. It sounds like an instant E Street Band classic, with an energetic frenzy of guitars that has been a feature of the shows so far. And the trilogy of "The Rising"/"Last To Die"/"Long Road Home" is a powerful way to bring the main set almost to a close, tonight followed by "Badlands."

Here's tonight's set list. Set lists and tour itinerary are published on the brucespringsteen.net live page:

October 2, 2007
Hartford, CT
Hartford Civic Center

Radio Nowhere
The Ties That Bind
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Magic
Reason To Believe
Night
She's The One
Livin' In The Future
The Promised Land
Town Called Heartbreak
Darkness On The Edge Of Town
Darlington County
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last To Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands

Girls In Their Summer Clothes
Thundercrack
Born To Run
Waitin' On A Sunny Day
American Land
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S 'MAGIC' RELEASED TODAY ON COLUMBIA RECORDS
'Magic,' Bruce Springsteen's new studio recording and his first with the E Street Band in five years, has been released by Columbia Records. Produced and mixed by Brendan O'Brien, the album features eleven new Springsteen songs and was recorded at Southern Tracks Recording Studio in Atlanta, GA.



'Magic' Song Titles:

1. Radio Nowhere { listen }
2. You'll Be Comin' Down { listen }
3. Livin' in the Future { listen }
4. Your Own Worst Enemy { listen }
5. Gypsy Biker { listen }
6. Girls in Their Summer Clothes { listen }
7. I'll Work for Your Love { listen }
8. Magic { listen }
9. Last to Die { listen }
10. Long Walk Home { listen }
11. Devil's Arcade { listen }

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E-STREET BAND RETURN TO THE STAGE IN ASBURY PARK

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played a public rehearsal show last night at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Mixing "Magic" songs with old favorites, the band played for two hours and will play again tonight. The tour begins on October 2 in Hartford, Connecticut.

Set lists and tour itinerary are published on the brucespringsteen.net live page

"E STREET RADIO" CHANNEL, DEDICATED TO BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E-STREET BAND, RETURNS EXCLUSIVELY TO SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO

'E Street Radio' to feature music from Springsteen's new album "Magic," exclusive interviews with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and rare archival concert recordings

In celebration of Bruce Springsteen's new album and concert tour with the E Street Band, SIRIUS Satellite Radio announced today the return of E Street Radio, an exclusive commercial-free channel dedicated to the music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

The channel will premiere September 27th at 6 pm ET, on SIRIUS channel 10, and will run on SIRIUS through late March 2008.

The return of E Street Radio on SIRIUS coincides with start of the band's 2007 concert tour, as well as the October 2nd release of Magic, Bruce Springsteen's highly-anticipated first album recorded with the E Street Band since 2002's multi-platinum and Grammy(R) award-winning The Rising. "The return of E Street Radio brings fans unprecedented access to the music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band," said Scott Greenstein, SIRIUS President of Entertainment and Sports. "Thanks to Bruce Springsteen, it is with great pleasure that we are able to bring the channel back to the many Springsteen fans who eagerly wanted the return of E Street Radio, which first launched on SIRIUS in late 2005. The E Street Radio channel will benefit from Bruce and the E Street Band's unique contributions, but also will include even more fan participation in shaping the sound of the channel." As the band's 30-city worldwide tour rolls on after its kickoff concert in Hartford, CT on October 2nd, listeners to SIRIUS' E Street Radio channel will hear daily features on the new album's music and track-by-track discussions with Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band members. The E Street Radio channel will also feature archival concert recordings of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band dating from early 1973, and behind-the-scenes insights from band insiders.

E Street Radio will feature involvement from Springsteen fans nationwide who will be asked to submit their favorite live recordings of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concerts. Those whose submissions are selected will get the chance to guest host and share their memories of the show on E Street Radio. Springsteen fans, both celebrity and otherwise, will also be able guest DJ on the channel, playing their favorite Springsteen music for fans across America.

In addition to E Street Radio, SIRIUS is the exclusive home of two popular channels produced by E Street Band member, "Little Steven" Van Zandt, The Underground Garage and Outlaw Country. SIRIUS also offers exclusive commercial-free music channels dedicated entirely to some of the world's greatest recording artists including the Grateful Dead Channel, Elvis Radio, Jimmy Buffett's Radio Margaritaville, Eminem's Shade 45 and Siriusly Sinatra, devoted to the music and legacy of Frank Sinatra. SIRIUS has previously dedicated channels exclusively to the music of The Rolling Stones and The Who.

To learn more about the E Street Radio channel or SIRIUS, please visit www.sirius.com

REMEMBERING TERRY MAGOVERN

Bruce Springsteen's friend and working partner of 23 years, Terry Magovern, died on July 30, 2007. Please read a page dedicated to his memory.
NEW BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN GEAR AND CONCERT MERCHANDISE NOW AVAILABLE

Visit the Bruce Springsteen Store for lots of brand-new apparel and accessories, designed especially for the release of 'Magic' and the E-Street Band's tour. And be sure to visit the Store frequently, as it will be releasing exciting new merchandise over the coming months.


BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S 'MAGIC' RELEASED ON OCTOBER 2 ON COLUMBIA RECORDS
'Magic,' Bruce Springsteen's new studio recording and his first with the E Street Band in five years, was released by Columbia Records on October 2, 2007. Produced and mixed by Brendan O'Brien, the album features eleven new Springsteen songs and was recorded at Southern Tracks Recording Studio in Atlanta, GA.



'Magic' Song Titles:

1. Radio Nowhere
2. You'll Be Comin' Down
3. Livin' in the Future
4. Your Own Worst Enemy
5. Gypsy Biker
6. Girls in Their Summer Clothes
7. I'll Work for Your Love
8. Magic
9. Last to Die
10. Long Walk Home
11. Devil's Arcade

'Magic' is the first new studio album by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band since 2002's GRAMMY Award-winning, multi-platinum, number one album 'The Rising' (Columbia Records), which was also produced by O'Brien.

Bruce Springsteen's longtime manager Jon Landau said, "'Magic' is a high energy rock CD. It's light on its feet, incredibly well played by Bruce and the members of the E Street Band, and, as always, has plenty to say. It's also immensely entertaining. 'Magic' is the third collaboration between Bruce and Brendan O'Brien and is a culmination of their very productive creative relationship."

Read Rolling Stone's article with more details about 'Magic.'

Rolling Stone interviews producer Brendan O'Brien.


TAMPA, FLORIDA
Tuesday, April 22, 2007



Something Bigger Than Ourselves

by Sylvie Damien

Devastated by the news I learned yesterday of the death of my friend (ironically, someone that once had very close ties to an E Street member), I juggled the grief I felt all day, going to work, with the anticipation of tonight's concert. The eerie similarity was not lost to me: the band has to go to work tonight, too. This is the first performance since Danny Federici's death, and in some strange way I feel that going tonight will help me. Knowing we are both grieving for life-long friends is oddly comforting.

Seeing the show with three musicians, one a Springsteen virgin, I wonder about the tone of tonight's show while my companions thrive in their technical discussion of how the stage is built, who uses what amps, and what monitors hold the lyrics. My mind wanders and I, too, start to notice things... five microphones out front -- must mean Patti is back?

As the house lights fade to black, we hear the band come up. In the darkness, only a screen breathes with life, showing images of 30-plus friendship-filled years of Danny Federici's life as an E Street member. This, while the low beginnings of "Blood Brothers" rumble, instantly captivates the crowd. The fans feel this huge loss, no explanation or words necessary, and bow collectively with respect. I feel my own loss, and tears silently glide on my cheek.

Springsteen quickly tears into the set list with a heart-tugging rendition of "Backstreets" while a spotlight shines on Danny's organ, and he ends with a primal howl of sorrow in sync with the light going dark. We all feel the scream, the first of many lumps in our collective throats. Later an even bigger lump rises up, with a strikingly moving rendition of " No Surrender," Professor Roy paying tribute to Danny. Could it get any more poignant? An unexpected but so welcome "Sandy" stirs the crowd with Roy playing Federici's accordion part, ending with Springsteen wiping tears from his eyes and embracing Roy... this is tough for them, but they know they have to do it.

We try to read Springsteen's mood early on, wondering if it will be somber, dark, sad... but it's quickly apparent there is something intangibly different. Throughout the show, there's a sense of rebirth. This artist's voice seems so clear and strong, reminiscent of the "Born to Run" tour from long ago, even through the muddy sound system that never clears, you hear the ever-constant quality. Bruce delivers the heart-pounding rock vocals with a sedulous dynamism as only he can. Blowing the notes off the charts in extraordinary precision, it's typical, and now expected, for Springsteen to sound better in person than on his records, but this is even beyond that. I ask myself how it is possible this man never degrades, other than his hairline?

I look over at the virgin I brought and see he's already hooked. I love what a consistently predictable transformation occurs with newcomers. Springsteen exudes an energy that hits my pal like no other he's known. I knew it would... how cool is that? He's impressed -- no surprise there. He gives me a look as if to say, "I had no idea it would be like this!" Wondering why Bruce is singing "Because the Night," he is surprised when I tell him Bruce wrote it, and he begins to understand Springsteen is more than he realized.

Bruce holds nothing back tonight, showing us his honest, raw emotion at his loss, and the audience responds throughout the night, trying to mirror Bruce's ridiculously high energy at every turn, for every note, on every guitar lick. We sing along to all of his crowd-pleasing "pop" songs as well, filled with emotion but with no somber nuances - this is a celebration of energy that always catches me off-guard, so intensely is it manifested. And still, Danny is the unspoken focus tonight. With a simple "For Dan" dedication, time stops as Bruce offers a moving "I'll Fly Away," with the whole band joining him up front for this first song of the encore set, deeply touching the crowd.

Feeling no pain at this point, with no conscious thoughts but an intense sense of belonging, for a slice of time, feeling pure enjoyment, I long for what has been an elusive "Tenth Avenue" for me for more than ten years, always sung at the show I didn't see. Then suddenly, I hear the opening notes ,and in disbelief, I cannot contain my sheer excitement -- I so needed to hear this tonight. An unleashing of all my raw emotion slips out for the friend I lost this week. It is worth the wait all these years to hear this song on this night, for that reason, and a sense of healing comes over me.

With a crescendo of seemingly never-exhausting, super-human Bruce dynamism -- 58 and going strong -- and genuine hope, the band ends with his uplifting "American Land." And it's over -- too quickly as always, even after nearly three packed hours of, not draining, but revitalizing emotion. I know (let me fantasize here, okay?) I've lost 10 pounds, and I figure at the end of this week's four shows, I'll be down to my grade school weight. Who needs a diet when you can see Bruce on tour, four nights in one week? Now this week would be complete if only "The E Street Shuffle" would walk my way...

I notice my virgin buddy and I smugly recognize the look: I see he is hungry for more. "Wow! I had no idea! Awe-inspiring..." he exclaims - really, he said that! He decides to come with us tomorrow to Orlando. "Everyone needs to see this," he says to himself, not quite realizing he's saying it out loud. What he doesn't know is that, although there is the underlying emotion of grief tonight, this uniquely soul-changing, cleansing, cathartic experience happens each and every time you see Springsteen. Together, we step into something bigger than ourselves. We'll do it again tomorrow with another virgin coming with us. And I as I walk out tonight, I realize that my instinct was right, I feel somehow comforted, and definitely renewed. Thanks guys, I hope we did the same for you. "Don't worry, we're going to find a way...." See you in Orlando!

Magic and Loss

by Bob Mason

Looking at the stage before tonight's' show there was a visual reminder of what was already on so many of our minds: a lone accordion sitting atop a black curtained table, lit by a spot in front of Danny's organ station. We couldn't help but think about Danny Federici at this, Bruce and the E Street Band's first night back on stage, the news of his death so fresh on our minds -- getting that phone call from a friend on Thursday night to tell you that Danny passed away, or reading the news on the internet, how your eyes filled up -- and still the utter disbelief that Danny had passed away so quickly. Didn't we just see him onstage in Indy -- wasn't it only last month? Danny looked good, he was battling the cancer, but he stepped out on the stage and sounded so sweet, maybe it all wasn't true. Now, seeing that spotlit accordion on stage, it's unavoidable. His passing hits many of us as hard as if we were family.

Funny thing, this E Street Band. Most of us don't know you personally, yet you are woven into our lives. We think we know you. If we don't, we know someone who knows someone who does. We've all spent hours together in the same "room," watching you perform live and feeling part of that performance, we've seen the videos, we've taken your music into our hearts. We call you by your first names, as we have been friends for a long time. You're like our distant cousins from New Jersey. La famiglia.

Death has never touched us. That was always another band: The Dead, The Who, Nirvana. So the nervous anticipation in the St. Pete Times forum tonight came partly from this being undiscovered country. What is Bruce going to do? How will it make us feel? How should we feel?

A huge screen drops down from the lighting rig behind Max's riser. Okay, a video tribute -- I can handle that. 8:15, lights go down, a tremendous roar from the crowd. Band members walk on stage to their stations, Bruce steps up to the mic, Before I can comprehend what Bruce is saying, the opening strains of "Blood Brothers" fill my ears, the recorded accompaniment to images of Danny fill that fill the screen. The E Street Band watches with us: young Danny, smiles (always), long hair, the looks from the '70s (yes, we did look like that, too). The '80s: the hair, the blue jacket from the Tunnel tour, Danny at the keyboard, bopping that head. Video clips from July 1, 2000, during the original band performance of "Blood Brothers" that closed the Reunion Tour. Danny hugging Steve in Indy, arms around him walking off stage. Images from forever. Applause, tears streaming down people's cheeks.

Then the performance begins with "Backstreets," and the emotional edge is razor sharp. So much of the setlist is about friendship, redemption, and salvation -- "Lonesome Day," "No Surrender," "Darkness," "Growin' Up," "Sunny Day" -- and the energy fueled by everyone in the Band reaching down and turning their grief and loss into what they do best. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played their hearts out, they blew us away for two-and-half hours. The solos seared through the night. Bruce's power and intensity, his tears and his laughter, too. Steven's guitars. Roy taking over the accordion on "Sandy," as Bruce tells him, "You better get this right... somebody's watching." Nils just ripping the solo on "Because the Night," spinning 360s. "Racing in the Street," more bittersweet than ever. Max's solo at the end of "Badlands." We've heard all the songs before. Not always with this emotion, not always with this intensity... and at the same time, not always missing something as they were tonight, especially tonight. Missing the indefinable touch that was Danny's, the Boardwalk sounds of his virtuosity. The smile, the love, the mystery, the memories. It will all always be just a little different.

Then there was one we hadn't heard before, one that could have easily fit in on the Seeger Sessions tour but perhaps was waiting for just this moment. "This one's for Dan," Bruce said in the encore, as if the whole night hadn't been, and the entire band came down front to sing the old gospel hymn together: "Some bright morning, when this life is over, I'll fly away."

And did we feel? Drained, raw, but lifted up, and grateful.

HOUSTON, TEXAS
Monday, April 14, 2008



Always a Friend

By Lowell D. Kern

Most bands expose their fans to lesser-known bands by offering these musicians the slot as the opening act on their tours. As we know, Bruce Springsteen doesn't have an opening act. But being the huge music fan he is, Bruce has always wanted to share his love of other musicians with his audience. And being who he is, Bruce has always done it in a most respectful way -- by sharing his stage with these artists.

Over the past four shows, the E Street Band has been joined by four different performers -- Tom Morello both nights in Anaheim, Jon Bon Jovi in Dallas, and most recently in Houston by two renowned Texas acts, Alejandro Escovedo and Joe Ely.



Post Edited (04-28-08 01:12)