The Set List

Springsteen's Farewell to Danny Federici Posted

The eulogy Bruce Springsteen delivered at the funeral of E Street Band keyboardist Danny Federici and a video tribute have been posted at Springsteen's Website.
Part of the Boss' speech at the April 21 funeral:
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.
... 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."
... 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.

Springsteen Shows a Little Faith In Obama; A Nation Waits To See The Power Of A Singular Rock 'n' Roller

  "I stayed a step away from partisan politics because I felt it was always important to have an independent voice. I wanted my fans to feel like they could trust that. But you build up credibility. ... And I think there comes a time when you feel, all right, I've built this up and it's time to spend some of this. And I think this is one of the most critical elections of my adult life, certainly. Very basic questions of American identity are at issue. Who we are. What do we stand for? When do we fight? As a nation, over the past four years, we've drifted away from, I think, very mainstream American values."
That quote comes from Bruce Springsteen. It was not, however, part of his statement Wednesday endorsing Barack Obama for president - it is the words he spoke to Ted Koppel four years ago when he made his first-ever endorsement of a political candidate, John Kerry.
In that interview, Springsteen was keen to say he was not suggesting an "anyone but Bush" strategy, although the tenor of his language suggested a disappointment in the running of  the country  rather than an endorsement of an individual. Although he would eventually perform at a Kerry rally in Ohio and allow Kerry to use "No Surrender" as a theme song, his endorsement was nowhere near as forceful as the words he used to support the Obama candidacy.
"He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next president," Springsteen wrote on his website. "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.' "
Prior to getting behind candidates, Springsteen was a stickler for staying on point, whether it be joblessness, the environment, veterans affairs or his most enduring cause, hunger. (Local food banks have had collection stations at his concerts since the early 1980s and he always alerts his audience that they are present). Post-Katrina, he made his first performance ever at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a political statement unto itself and, like many of his points and causes, strictly American.
Springsteen has six performances in the South between April 18 and 30 which, oddly enough, would make a North Carolina appearance for Obama more practical than one in Pennsylvania. The Boss performs in Charlotte and Greensboro on April 27 and 28; the state's primary is May 6. Pennsylvania, seen as crucial state to win, holds its  primary April 22. Springsteen has the first three weeks of May unscheduled, but is touring Europe from May 22 to July 20.

Springsteen floors the Honda

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Following Bruce Springsteen’s pair of Anaheim shows this week at the Honda Center, many fans were chatting up how these concerts felt much more off the cuff and extemporaneous than the two played at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in late October.

Looking back at Springsteen’s Southern California performances dating back to the mid-’70s, it’s tough to say if the second leg of a tour is traditionally a time for Springsteen to open things up, but it certainly was the case this time around.

The Oct. 30 pre-Halloween show — marked by Springsteen’s arrival on stage via a coffin — saw only four song changes in the set list from the previous night (“The Ties That Bind” in the “No Surrender” slot, “Night” for “Candy’s Room,” “Tunnel of Love” for “Backstreets” and “Kitty’s Back” for “Thundercrack” in the encore).

Shift to Anaheim six months later, and for night two, about a third of the set list offered different material from night one. Songs heard on Monday — “Light of Day,” “Trapped,” “Working on the Highway,” “The Devil’s Arcade, “The Rising,” “Girls in Their Summer Clothes,” “Rosalita,” “Ramrod” — were replaced by “Thunder Road” (as a stunning opener), “Atlantic City,” “Candy’s Room,” “Prove It All Night,” “Brilliant Disguise,” the rarely played “Meeting Across the River,” “Jungleland” and “Dancing in the Dark.”

Unlike at the Sports Arena, he acknowledged the change of new material Tuesday, asking the crowd who was there the night before and letting them know he’d be adding some fresh tunes for the repeat customers.

For both the current “Magic” tour and “The Rising” tour back in 2002-03, Springsteen was very much on message for the first legs, not wanting to differentiate the set too much from night to night — be it in L.A. or anywhere else.

That wasn’t always the case, however, when Springsteen came to L.A. Back in 1984, when he and the band arrived in town for seven nights at the Sports Arena to promote “Born in the USA,” Springsteen, who hadn’t toured for the stark “Nebraska” album, was trumpeting anti-Reagan themes for much of the night. Yet the only message the audience may have taken home was how long could this guy play without dropping dead of exhaustion? A 33-song set with an intermission was common, as were a handful of changes in the set list.

(All except for the four-song package of “Cover Me,” “Dancing in the Dark,” “Hungry Heart” and “Cadillac Ranch,” which were the post-intermission standards to open the second set almost every night.)

That changed on the second leg a year later when he arrived for four nights at the cavernous L.A. Coliseum to close out the tour, which had grown into industrial-strength size at that point. Of course, it can be much more difficult to call last-second audibles in a stadium because of lighting and other logistical circumstances.

The same was true of the second leg of “The Rising” tour, when Springsteen played a single night at Dodger Stadium and other ballparks around the country. The shows in each town didn’t vary all that much compared to years past.

As the tour continues into Europe this summer and then stadiums in America soon thereafter, it’s tough to say how much Springsteen and his E Streeters will toy with the set list.

Which brings us back to Anaheim. The Honda Center shows were prime examples of man who, while acknowledging his “Magic” message, didn’t let his political views get in the way of a good time for all.

Bruce Springsteen Set List Analysis: Will He Ever Play 'Car Wash'?

Bruce Springsteen arrives in California Friday after playing one of the most varied set lists of his "Magic" tour on Monday in Vancouver, B.C.
Opener was one of his masterpieces,"Atlantic City," making its tour debut; the mega-obscure "None But the Brave" also appeared in a show for the first time. "Trapped" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out" were performed for only the second time and "Rosalita" made its fourth appearance on the leg.
For the first 15 shows on the second leg of the tour, Springsteen has stuck with three blocks of songs that get played every night."Radio Nowhere," "Lonesome Day," "Gypsy Biker" and "Reason to Believe" are up front; "She's the One," "Livin' in the Future" and "The Promised Land" are in the middle; and "Devil's Arcade," "Last to Die," "Long Walk Home" and "Badlands" close out the night. "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" starts the encore and "American Land" signals the show is about to end.
But with about 25 songs making it into each night's set list, he has come up with a number of ways to make each night special: 27 tunes have been played at only one of the first 15 gigs. And plenty have had just a handful of performances: "Tenth Avenue," "Trapped, "Lost in the Flood," "Candy's Room," "Incident on 57th Street," the Detroit medley, "Be True," "Ties That Bind" and "Loose Ends" have received two performances each; "Adam Raised a Cain," "Thunder Road" and "Backstreets" (three each); "Rosalita," "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Kitty's Back" (four each).  B-sides that have been played: "Janey Don't You Lose Heart" and "Rendezvous."   
With 67 different songs already making it into the sets, the game to play is what might next debut at the California shows, Friday in Sacramento, Saturday in San Jose and Monday and Tuesday in Anaheim. Here's a look was what Springsteen and the E Street band have not played since starting the second leg in Hartford, Conn., on Feb. 28.

Bruce Springsteen Fans' Glory Days Compiled in Book

Lawrence Kirsch has published "For You," a book of fans' stories regarding their experiences with Bruce Springsteen and his music, memories of concerts and hours spent listening to particular records. Accompanied by hundreds of photos, the stories hit on the typical facets of fanaticism - the quest for connection, the pinpoint clear recollections of first-time experiences and the life-enriching quality of poignant songs. Only 2,000 copies of the book are being printed.
Having read just a small sampling of the letters, naturally the stories involving mortality were the most moving, like this one from Roy Opochinski of Toms River, N.J.:

Springsteen Slowly Rolls Out Spring Dates

When Bruce Springsteen announced the opening of his "Magic" tour, all the dates were laid out with a big TBD in Los Angeles on Oct. 28. The second leg, however, is being released in dribs and drabs. First he announced a St. Paul, Minn., show on March 16. Now comes word that he will play the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on April 7 and Philips Arena in Atlanta on April 25. Tickets for Anaheim show go on sale Saturday.

Bruce Springsteen By The Numbers: Preparing for Two Nights in L.A.

Heading into Los Angeles,  Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are at a baker's dozen moment. Not only have they performed 13 shows since their Oct. 2 kickoff, 13 tunes have made it into every evening's set list. Two songs - "Lonesome Day" and "Girls in their Summer Clothes" - have been given different nights off  to keep their tallies at 12.
From the new album, Springsteen has performed nightly "Radio Nowhere," "Magic," "Livin' in the Future," "Devil's Arcade," "Last to Die" and "Long Walk Home." He has yet to perform "You'll Be Comin' Down," "I'll Work for Your Love" and the hidden track, "Terry's Song." "You're Own Worst Enemy" has been performed three times.
In preparation for Springsteen's two shows at L.A.'s Sports Arena on Monday and Tuesday, here's a breakdown of the shows by the numbers and bit of what to expect.
A musical triptych in the middle of the show featuring "She's the One," "Livin' in the Future" and "The Promised Land" and a closing of the main set with "Last to Die," "Long Walk Home" and "Badlands."
A main set of about 18 songs and a four-song encore that will include "Born to Run" and "American Land."
Springsteen has performed 49 different songs on the tour, 10 of which have been performed once and eight of which have been played only twice. At the last show, Friday in Oakland, Springsteen premiered three tunes: "Two Hearts," "Racing in the Street" and "Working on the Highway."
From the catalog,  Springsteen has played three of the 15 tunes from the last E Street Band album,  "The Rising." The rest:
"Born to Run": 7
"Darkness on the Edge of Town": 7
"Born in the U.S.A.": 5
"The River": 4
"Tunnel of Love": 3
"Greetings From Asbury Park": 2
"Nebraska": 2
"The Wild, the Innocent...": 1
The only cover came in Toronto in which he was joined by Arcade Fire to perform that band's "Keep the Car Running."
Set lists of all Springsteen shows appear on backstreets.com.

Set List: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, New York, 2007

The first of two nights at Madison Square Garden sparkled thanks to a spectacular rendition of "She's the One" and a smart meshing of the material from the new album, "Magic," with guitar-driven monolithic pieces from "Born to Run" and the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" warhorses. On Oct. 17, Sprigsteen and the E Streeters performed:
Radio Nowhere / Ties That Bind / Lonesome Day / Gypsy Biker / Magic / Reason to Believe / Adam Raised a Cain / She's the One / Livin' in the Future / The Promised Land / Brilliant Disguise / Backstree ts / Darlington County / Devil's Arcade / The Rising / Last to Die / Long Walk Home / Badlands / Girls in Their Summer Clothes / Thundercrack / Born to Run / Dancing in the Dark / American Land

 

Set List: Bruce Springsteen, Hartford, 2007

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band opened their "Magic" tour Tuesday in Hartford, Conn. Songs were pulled from eight Springsteen albums and the second solo disc by his wife, Patti Scialfa. Set list revealed a striking balance of material from various eras.

Radio Nowhere / Ties That Bind / Lonesome Day / Gypsy Biker / Magic / Reason To Believe / Night / She’s the One / Livin in the Future / Promised Land / Town Called Heartbreak (Duet with Patti Scialfa) /  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 /  Waiting on a Sunny Day / American Land

Springsteen Delivers "Magic" in N.J.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band delivered 21 songs in two hours Monday at the Asbury Park, N.J.,  Convention Hall.
The AP reported that Springsteen unveiled six songs and got political in introducing "Livin' in the Future," referring to terrorist suspects and "illegal wiretapping." "This is about the things you didn't think could happen," Springsteen said.
"Born to Run," "No Surrender," "Promised Land," "She's the One," "Night," "The Rising," "Candy's Room,"  "The Promised Land" and "Thundercrack" were all part of the show. Band closed with  "American Land."
Pointblankmag reported that Springsteen did seven songs from "Magic," including
"Radio Nowhere" and  "Gypsy Biker." Site also noted that  "Badlands", "Hungry Heart" and "Thunder Road" were not in the set.
Shows, as usual, are billed  as two benefit rehearsals; tour's offical start is on the day of the album's release, Oct. 2, in Hartford, Conn.
A third rehearsal concert will be staged Friday at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.. Tickets, $100, go on sale at noon today (Sept. 25).
Springsteen turned 58 on Sunday.

Set List: Bruce Springsteen, Los Angeles 1980

It's now official: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's L.A. performance will be at the Sports Arena on Oct. 29. But don't hold your breath for a second show to be added  on the 28th. Monster Massive, an all-night Halloween techno concert that begins on the 27th is scheduled to end at 4:30 in the morning on the 28th. It is highly unlikely that the building would be willing to schedule a load-out and load-in so close together, not to mention the staffing nightmare.
Springsteen has had some memorable nights at the Sports Arena, which became an also-ran when the Forum was built in 1969. (It was the one place the Grateful Dead would play in L.A.)
Twenty seven years ago, Springsteen brought "The River" tour to the Sports Arena. On Oct. 30, 1980, he and the E Streeters played:
Born To Run /  Prove It All Night /  Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out /  Darkness On The Edge Of Town / Factory /  Independence Day /  Jackson Cage /  Two Hearts /  The Promised Land / Out In The Street /  Racing In The Street /  The River /  Badlands /  Thunder Road / Cadillac Ranch /  Fire / Hungry Heart /  Sherry Darling /  I Wanna Marry You /  Ties That Bind /  Wreck On The Highway / Stolen Car / Point Blank / Crush On You /  Ramrod /  You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch) /  Drive All Night /  Rosalita /  I'm A Rocker /  Jungleland /  Detroit medley

Tickets! Get Your Springsteen Tickets!

On sales don't begin until Saturday for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's tour, but the scalpers are already out in force, even offering specific seats. StubHub has plenty listed -- up to $4,400 at the Garden and a mere $530 in Albany - and one site that Pollstar found is listing tickets for sale at Staples Center. Thing is, Springsteen has yet to announce where he will play in Los Angeles. (The date is Oct.28). 

Singers Identify Perfection

Q Magazine has polled 50 recording artists, among them Michael Stipe, John Legend and the leader of Travis, to create a list of "Perfect Songs." (Since Leonard Cohen wrote "Hallelujah," they actually mean perfect records).
The winners, in no particular order:

Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve
Blowin' In The Wind - Bob Dylan
Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
Life On Mars - David Bowie
Perfect Day - Lou Reed
Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday
Strawberry Fields Forever - Beatles
Sympathy For The Devil - Rolling Stones

A few of the indidviduals provide their picks here while Q provides the videos.
Personally, I'll agree with Blowin' In The Wind, Born To Run, God Only Knows and Hallelujah and throw in Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, John Coltrane's Naima, Paul Simon's Graceland, Thelonious Monk's 1947 version of 'Round Midnight, R.E.M.'s Nightswimming, Otis Redding's I've Been Loving You Too Long, NRBQ's Riding in My Car and Junior Murvin's Police and Thieves. Naturally, the list changes depending on the day.

Springsteen Enjoys The Magic of Vinyl: Will Others Enjoy Its Tricks?

The news has been out there for a week and it has even confounded some scribes. The vinyl edition of Bruce Springsteen's "Magic" will be released Sept. 25, one week ahead of the CD and the digital edition.
Where many retailers and fans complain that vinyl editions follow the release of a CD, by moving up the Springsteen album, the release date falls within the eligibility window for the 50th annual Grammy Awards.
Imagine, though, if Columbia stumbles into something here. Vinyl continues to grow in popularity despite the consistently high prices.Imagine a world, though, that would allow a fan to purchase a vinyl record for about $15 and a for a couple bucks more, provide them access to the digital edition of the album.
The Springsteen faithful who still own vinyl copies of "Born to Run," "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "The River" might well want both, but have no interest in shelling out 20 to 30 bucks for the benefit of sound quality and portability. Might there be some sort of new-fangled business model hiding in there, especially for indie rockers with vinyl-loving fans? Makes more sense than previous vinyl-computer links.

Springsteen Debuts Video, Returns to 'Today'

The PR folks for amazon.com must be using Borat to take dictation.
Naturally, the online retailer is excited that it has the exclusive rights to Bruce Springsteen's first video from "Magic," which the dot-com will begin streaming on Tuesday. Problem is, they think the song is called "Road to Nowhere." As any self-respecting Springsteen fan knows, the tune is "Radio Nowhere."
Amazon.com will webcast the video for 24 hours while takign pre-orders for the disc at $9.99.
Later in the month, on Sept. 28,  Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform live on NBC's "Today" show at Rockefeller Plaza.
Five years ago,  Springsteen and the E Streeters performed on "Today," but the show made the trek down to Asbury Park, NJ. 

Springsteen Announces Tour; Gives Away Download

The website for the Guardian newspaper is offering a free download of the first single from Bruce Springsteen's upcoming "Magic" album, "Radio Nowhere." The newspaper's blogging critic calls the single "a masterpiece." iTunes has it free as well.
Tour has been announced as well, with opening nght in Hartford, Conn.For all the dates.

Dozen Cities on Springsteen's 'Magic' Tour?

Rolling Stone is reporting that an overzealous member of Ticketmaster's team inadvertently posted the dates of Bruce Springsteen's "Magic" tour. Fans of the Boss might want to get out a pencil and write down the following:

10/2, 10/3 Hartford
10/5, 10/6 Philly
10/9, 10/10 E. Rutherford, N.J.
10/14, 10/15 NYC
10/21 Chicago
10/22 St. Paul, Minn.
10/26 Oakland
10/28, 10/29 LA (Forum)
11/4 Cleveland
11/5 Detroit
11/11, 11/12 Washington
11/18, 11/19 Boston

Springsteen's 'Magic' Sitting Outside Grammy's Window: Might A Back Door Plot Be Devised?

Columbia Records has chosen to pit Bruce Springsteen against the return of Matchbox Twenty, Annie Lennox and Faith Hill's catalog rather than go up against the commercial juggernauts Rascal Flatts, James Blunt and the Foo Fighters.
But by choosing an Oct. 2 release date rather than Sept. 25, the first Springsteen and the E Street Band album in five years lands outside this year''s Grammy eligibility period. Even unheard, the album, with the rather dull title of "Magic," would be a prime contender for rock and general awards.
But I figure the Springsteen camp isn't about to let that happen.

Pete and Bruce Aid the Homeless

Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger have recorded the folk classic "Hobo's Lullaby" for "Give US Your Poor," a multi-artist CD devoted to fighting homelessness.Appleseed Recordings will release the disc Sept. 25.
All but two of the tracks ("Here and Now" by Mark Erelli and "1,000 Miles Away" by Jewel) are exclusives.Several of the artists collaborated with currently or previously homeless musicians.
The other tracks: "Land of 10,000 Homeless - Minnesota" – audio documentary set to music; "Show Me the Way" – Jon Bon Jovi & Mighty Sam McClain; "Baby Don't Let Me Go Homeless" – Keb Mo & Eagle Park Slim; "There Is No Good Reason" – Natalie Merchant & Friends; "So Lonely" – Sonya Kitchell; "Becky's Tune" – Michelle Shocked and Michael Sullivan; "Walking the Dog" – Bonnie Raitt & Weepin' Willie Robinson; "My Name Is Not 'Those People'" (spoken, with music) – Danny Glover; "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" – Madeleine Peyroux; "Portable Man" – Del Goldfarb & John Sebastian; "Boll Weevil" – Dan Zanes & Kyla Middleton; "Ink Falling (Father Outside)" – Buffalo Tom; "Stranger Blues" – Sweet Honey in the Rock; "Impossible Boulevard" (spoken excerpt, with music) – Tim Robbins; "Feels Like Home" – Mario Frangoulis; "When We Left Minneapolis (spoken, with music)" – Danny Glover.