Estoy de vuelta tras las vacaciones. Y mientras atravesaba Extremadura me compuse este primer post de la temporada. Pensaba, mientras sonaba Dogs de Pink Floyd, que para mucha gente de mi edad ya no existe la “canción del verano”, ese viejo concepto giorgydanesco que tachuelaba las vacaciones.

 Ahora tengo la sensación de que primero, escuchamos menos música y, segundo, la que escuchamos (en el coche por ejemplo) es repetición de la que escuchábamos cuando podíamos escuchar música de verdad, cuando éramos adolescentes.

 Vamos a ver: ya no tenemos tiempo de estar a solas en una habitación. Ahora están los niños viendo Pokemon o Cantajuegos… ya no hay escapatoria para un padre/marido/amigo/hijo a solas escuchando el walkman. Cuando era adolescente sí que podía tirarme en la piscina, en un rincón ventilado a dar vueltas a las cintas cara a cara b cara a cara b. Ahora es imposible. Este verano me he conformado con robar ratos de lectura, que la verdad, aísla menos y da una imagen más madura.

 Así que inevitablemente escuchamos menos música. Pero lo peor es que la que escuchamos la oímos, nos la hacen oír en bares, chiringuitos o cualquier lugar que vistamos. Y claro, eso no es serio. Al final acabas entregado a las modas y tus actos de rebeldía son batidas contra molinos, con el serio riesgo de pensar como Pablo Baloo Miralles (“Lo mejor que le puede pasar a un cruasán”) que con los viajes la música es el mayor engaño de la humanidad.

En este sentido, destaco I’m yours, una cancioncilla al estilo Jack Johnson que ha amenizado eficazmente algunos aperitivos de calidad y supongo que habrá pasado a la historia personal de un grupo de amigos por sonorizar un montaje de fotos verdaderamente bonito.

Y como complemento de eso, cuando tenemos una ocasión de pinchar algo, creo que hay una tendencia a estas edades a volver a los clásicos de entonces. Al que le guste, por ejemplo, Simon & Garfunkel, cuando conduzca por la AP36 tenderá a ponerlos cuando los niños duerman. Al que le viciara en su momento Dire Straits buscará making movies (por cierto, Roy Bittan me dijo que se lo pasó muy bien haciendo ese disco) y así sucesivamente.

Solo algunos osarán poner cosas nuevas. Yo por ejempló intenté poner en esos momentos Mando Diao o The Rumble Strips y solo logré escucharlos cuando iba a por el pan y la prensa. Es decir, en momentos sueltos. Pero cuando dispuse de esos grandes momentos de asfalto y silencio volví a mi carpeta de “classic rock” en el pen drive con Pink Floyd (qué bien envejece Wish you were here), Genesis, Van Halen o Pearl Jam (por cierto, nuevo disco pronto). Y eso que presumo de interés por conocer cosas nuevas siempre. Pero sobre lo fugaz de los deseos ya he escrito…

Cita al otro lado del río, o el cine negro hecho canción de tres minutos por cortesía de Bruce Springsteen, ha sido desde siempre una de mis canciones preferidas del paleto más famoso de Nueva Jersey. La considero la joya perdida de su cancionero, ya que en raras ocasiones el músico la ha interpretado en directo. La pueden encontrar en su disco de 1975 Born to Run. Los arreglos son fabulosos: la voz de Springsteen acompañada sólo por el piano de Roy Bittan y lejanos ecos de vientos interpretados por los hermanos Brecker, Michael y Randy, entonces músicos de sesión con sendas carreras profesionales como reputados músicos de jazz.

Pero lo mejor son los logros conseguidos en una letra que evoca el mejor cine negro norteamericano. Uno puede imaginarse a los personajes, dos perdedores que se la van a jugar esa misma noche en un negocio con un pez gordo. Un negocio que acaso les haga ganar una buena suma de dinero o acaso les haga terminar mal, quizá muertos. Pero los personajes de aquel disco habían nacido para correr.

Oye, Eddie, ¿puedes dejarme unas pelas
y conseguir un coche para esta noche?
Tenemos que cruzar el túnel,
tenemos una cita con un tipo.

Oye, Eddie, este tío es de los buenos,
así que si te quieres venir prométeme que vas a estar callado.
Porque éste no es de los que juegan
y se comenta que ésta es nuestra última oportunidad.

Tenemos que estar tranquilos esta noche,
Eddie, porque tío tenemos que conseguirlo.
Y si la pifiamos,
esta vez no van a venir a buscarme sólo a mí.

Y todo lo que tenemos que hacer es cumplir nuestra parte del trato.
Métete esto en el bolsillo,
parecerá que llevas un amigo. Y recuerda no sonreír.
Cámbiate de camisa, esta noche tenemos que tener buen aspecto.

Bueno, Cherry dice que se pira,
porque se enteró de que empeñé su radio.
Pero Eddie, tío, ella no entiende
que tengo dos de los grandes prácticamente en el bolsillo.

Y esta noche va a ser como siempre he dicho, y cuando entre por la puerta tiraré el dinero encima de la cama.
Va a ver que esta vez no estaba sólo hablando.
Y luego me iré a dar una vuelta.

Oye, Eddie, ¿consigues un coche?

Bruce Springsteen – Meeting Across the River (Born to Run, 1975)

Vineshoot

La presse basque du 26 juillet 2009 (notamment El Correo) publie photos et articles sur l’incursion hier après midi de Bruce Springsteen et Roy Bittan en maillots de bain sur la plage d’Ondareta, à Saint Sébastien (Donostia).

Un bain de fraîcheur avant le concert du E Street Band ce soir au stade San Mamés de Bilbao, où 36 000 personnes sont attendues.

La présence de Patti Scialfa semble confirmée.

Pour l’anniversaire de Roy Bittan, Bruce Springsteen a joué Pretty Woman, le classique de Roy Orbison, lors de son concert de Munich ce 2 juillet.

D’un Roy à l’autre…

Autres raretés de cette setlist : This hard land et Seven nights to rock.

Source : Open all night

1. Badlands
2. My Lucky Day
3. No Surrender
4. Outlaw Pete
5. Spirit In The Night
6. Working On A Dream
7. Seeds
8. Johnny 99
9. Atlantic City
10. Seven Nights To Rock
11. THIS HARD LAND
12. PRETTY WOMAN
13. Because The Night
14. Waitin’ On A Sunny Day
15. The Promised Land
16. The River
17. Kingdom Of Days
18. Lonesome Day
19. The Rising
20. Born to Run
21. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out

22. Bobby Jean
23. American Land
24. Detroit Medley
25. Glory Days
Capricorne (22déc-19jan)

MessagePosté le: Aujourd’hui à 08:27 Sujet du message: MUNICH – 2 JUILLET 2009 Répondre en citant
Ce soir c’est là !

1. Badlands
2. My Lucky Day
3. No Surrender
4. Outlaw Pete
5. Spirit In The Night
6. Working On A Dream
7. Seeds
8. Johnny 99
9. Atlantic City
10. Seven Nights To Rock
11. THIS HARD LAND
12. PRETTY WOMAN
13. Because The Night
14. Waitin’ On A Sunny Day
15. The Promised Land
16. The River
17. Kingdom Of Days
18. Lonesome Day19. The Rising
20. Born to Run
21. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out

22. Bobby Jean
23. American Land
24. Detroit Medley
25. Glory Days
26. Dancing in the Dark

Roy Bittan, American musician (E Street Band)

Thanks NYtimes.com

By JOE LAPOINTE

TAMPA, Fla. — The halftime show at the Super Bowl is just one more big gig for Bruce Springsteen. The Boss has rocked Giants Stadium 19 times. That is more than a full regular season of Giants and Jets home games combined. So when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform Sunday night during the N.F.L. championship game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Raymond James Stadium, the only new wrinkle will be the size of the television audience. Up to 90 million viewers of NBC might watch New Jersey’s best-known musical act since Frank Sinatra. Springsteen will perform for about 12 minutes, enough time for three or four songs, the titles of which will not be announced beforehand. If Springsteen is nervous about the size of the audience, he said it would not compare to playing in Washington before the inauguration of President Barack Obama. “You’ll have a lot of crazy football fans,” Springsteen said Thursday at a news conference. “But you won’t have Lincoln staring over your shoulder. That takes some of the pressure off.” As for football, Springsteen said, “I don’t know anything about it.” Later, he said: “I did play the game in my backyard around the summer of 1958. I haven’t played a lot since. I’ll date myself. When I hear Steelers, I think Terry Bradshaw.” Bradshaw quarterbacked the Steelers in the 1970s. Springsteen (Photo Credit: Tannen Maury/European Pressphoto Agency, Bruce Springsteen will perform for about 12 minutes during halftime, enough time for three or four songs. )acknowledged that he had been asked before to play the Super Bowl but had turned down the invitation. “It was sort of a novelty,” he said. “It didn’t feel quite right.” He said the production values of recent shows have impressed him. And there are other considerations. “We have a new album coming out,” he said. “We have our mercenary reasons, of course.” Then, in a mock formal tone, he added, “Besides our deep love of football, blah-blah-blah.” His set should start about 8 p.m., Eastern time, an hour that is historically significant for rock music on American television. In the decades before cable fragmented the audience and expanded viewer choice, 8 p.m. was the start of “The Ed Sullivan Show” on CBS. Now, as then, that hour draws large audiences, especially in winter. So Sullivan’s variety show provided a little of everything for everyone in the family, including major exposure for rock ’n’roll acts like Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports and Olympics, reflected on the cultural change in TV this week. “Without Sullivan around anymore, there is no place for you to see in prime time a good musical performance,” he said. In general, Ebersol said, music causes some viewers to change channels because not every act appeals to all age groups and tastes. That is why “Saturday Night Live” allows no music until the second half-hour, he said. But the Super Bowl is an exception, Ebersol said, because it draws a varied demographic, much like an audience for Springsteen, who is 59 years old. In that way, Ebersol said, Springsteen is like Sinatra was. “A lot of gray hair, but a whole new generation of young people,” Ebersol said of the typical audience at a Springsteen show. “He’s one of the very few people like that. His fan base has expanded.” When someone asked Springsteen on Thursday about his multigenerational appeal, he said his fan base “sort of skipped a generation: last two tours, we’ve noticed a large influx of young people.” As for the song list, Springsteen said: “Who decides? The Boss decides. People suggest, hint. They cajole.” One option might be “Glory Days,” which is played often in sports arenas after championships are won. The irony of the song is sometimes overlooked. Rather than celebrate victory, the lyrics in part sketch a former athlete boring a companion with tales of youthful baseball triumphs amid the complicated realities of middle age. Springsteen will perform free, said Charles Coplin, vice president for programming for the N.F.L. “We don’t pay for the acts,” Coplin said. “We produce the show and pay for the production costs, but there’s no fee for appearing.” The payoff comes from the exposure. Coplin said recent Super Bowl acts like Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney measured increases in music sales after their appearances. “It’s probably no secret that we’ve been trying to get Bruce and the E Street Band to do the show for many, many years,” Coplin said. “This year there was an overture by them. But, rest assured, had they not called us we would have called them again.” The modern musical era for the Super Bowl began in 1993, Ebersol said, when Michael Jackson appeared in the Rose Bowl stadium in 1993. The biggest gaffe was the wardrobe malfunction of Jackson’s sister, Janet, in 2004. Nudity is not a part of the Springsteen tradition, but he has been a political activist who supported liberal causes and Democrats. At his regular concerts, Springsteen has been known to preach about many things. But Coplin said of the Super Bowl: “There’s an understanding this is not a political forum. We have conversations. It’s standard operating procedure. We are putting this on the air for entertainment value.” Among the few Americans not to be able to observe the performance are the players on the Cardinals and Steelers. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of Pittsburgh said: “Yeah, I wish I could watch it. He’s a rocker.” Defensive end Brett Keisel said: “I love the Boss. Saw the Boss in Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. When we found out that the Boss was going to be playing, we felt we had a good chance to come down here. He’s a lucky charm. Hopefully, I can meet him.” Keisel said that if someone leaves the locker room door open, “hopefully I can jam out a little bit” before the coaches start yelling at the players. Springsteen said Sunday’s show would be “a 12-minute party” that would be like what would happen if a concert fan showed up at Giants Stadium 2 hours 48 minutes late because of traffic and other problems on the New Jersey Turnpike. Hines Ward, the wide receiver of the Steelers, said, “I love Bruce,” and hoped he would sing “Born in the U.S.A.” “He’s got a lot of swag about himself, he’s very confident,” Ward said. “When he’s up there performing, it’s all about him.” But Pittsburgh defensive end Aaron Smith said he did not care his music. “I never really grew up listening to Springsteen, no,” Smith said. “You might have to find someone a little older than me, probably.” And how old is Smith? “I’m 32,” he said. And linebacker Bruce Davis of the Steelers said of Springsteen’s music: “That’s not really my genre. But you’ve got to love a man named Bruce, right?”

Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano
Garry Tallent – bass guitar, tuba
Clarence “Big Man” Clemons – saxophone, percussion, backing vocals, larger-than-life persona and Springsteen foil
Max Weinberg – drums, percussion (joined September 1974)
Roy Bittan – piano, synthesizer (joined September 1974)
Steven Van Zandt – lead guitar, backing vocals, mandolin (officially joined July 1975 after playing in previous bands; left in 1984 to go solo; rejoined in early 1995, however made appearances during the “Other Band” Tour).
Nils Lofgren – guitar, pedal steel guitar, backing vocals (replaced Steve Van Zandt in June 1984; remained in group after Van Zandt returned)
Patti Scialfa – backing and duet vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion (joined June 1984; became Springsteen’s wife in 1991)
Soozie Tyrell – violin, acoustic guitar, percussion, backing vocals (joined 2002,occasional appearances before that)
Charles Giordano – organ, accordion (Giordano, originally a Sessions Band member, joined the E Street Band on a temporary basis in late 2007 during the illness of Danny Federici. He continued playing with the E Street Band after Federici died in April 2008.)

Thanks to Rollingstone.com

The E Street Band are the people who know Bruce Springsteen best, and in his own words, “They are my greatest friendships, my deepest friendships — irreplaceable things.” Springsteen started the band in 1972, gave it its official name two years later and recorded some of his most iconic albums — Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, Born in the U.S.A. — with them in the 1970s and ’80s. In 1989 he decided to venture on alone as a solo artist, breaking up the family for 10 years he refers to now as “a lost period.” In 1999 Springsteen reunited the group, and he says the second half of last year’s acclaimed, energetic Magic tour was the band “at its best.”

David Fricke got close to Bruce Springsteen for his cover story in the new issue (on newsstands now). Here’s an intimate look at the musicians who have played by his side for decades — The E Street band — in their own words. Guitarist Steven Van Zandt discusses how Springsteen’s songwriting process has changed since the Darkness on the Edge of Town days. Drummer Max Weinberg opens up about taking the stage for his debut show with the E Street Band in 1974. Guitarist Nils Lofgren recalls the nervous moments before Springsteen’s first big set at Neil Young’s 1986 Bridge School Benefit. And pianist Roy Bittan shares stories about Springsteen’s special relationship with Danny Federici, and how the band reads Bruce’s body language onstage.

Steven Van ZandtWhen I first heard Working on a Dream it made me think of The River crossed with Exile on Main Street, with all of those guitars and the vocal harmonies shooting up in the mix. But on headphones, I could hear all of the little details too, in those guitars, the harmonies and the strings.
I see these records [The Rising, Magic and Working on a Dream] as a trilogy. They make sense together in terms of sound, concept and writing style. The three records have been a projection more toward the pop-rock form — this one more than the other two.

Is Bruce loosening up? It’s like he’s going back to something he did a long time ago.
Very much so, I think. Every song on Tracks [Springsteen's 1998 box set of outtakes] was a lost argument — I’m not kidding. That is my own personal favorite style of writing. It was extremely frustrating for me to see him suppressing that side of his talent, which he is ridiculously gifted at. He was consciously squashing that.

I’m a pop-rock-band guy. That’s all I am. Intellectually, I understood what he was doing. I respected and supported it. But you’re throwing away “Restless Nights?” [Laughs] “Loose Ends”? What’s wrong with that? I think if you asked him it now, he could see what I meant. But he wasn’t wrong. He was doing it for a specific reason. He had his eye on  history. He knew that in order to have a place in history, to be relevant in the truest sense of the word, you must find your own place.

When did you first hear the songs on the new record, before you played on them? Bruce cut the rhythm tracks with that core four: him, Max, Garry and Roy. When do you come in?
It’s a different world now, a different process. [Producer] Brendan O’Brien has become his partner, and by the time I get involved now, it’s no longer in the early stages of arrangement and discussion. It’s been arranged; the stuff is there. You play whatever they have in mind for you, and you add whatever you have as an idea. I think it’s probably the way most normal bands record.

Does it still feel organic — like a band?
Yeah, it does. Because now he’s self-editing. He’s self-arranging with us in mind. It’s like writers on a TV show. By the third or fourth year, you know the actors so well that you’re writing for them. It’s very seamless, effortless. and occasionally we cut something all together. We did that a couple of times for this album.

How different was it on Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River?
It was, “I wrote a song last night. This is how it goes.” I got an arranging credit on Darkness, because at that point, he wanted to start tightening things up from the epic nature of Born to Run. And that’s up my alley. I’m Mr. Two-and-a-Half Minutes.

How much of that tightening up was a running away from the sudden pop success of Born to Run, from the Time and Newsweek covers in 1975?
That was part of it. I’m not going to psychoanalyze it, but it was the easiest way to gain control of one’s own destiny, one’s own career, in a funny way — to not be too successful. He knew that we had an advantage over almost everybody live, because we came from that old school: Our job was to make people dance. And if we didn’t make people dance, you were fired. You didn’t pay the rent. In the early days, we had an apartment together down in Asbury Park. There was no mommy and daddy paying the rent. We had to do the right thing — and that meant making people dance, just like the Stones did, just like the Beatles. That creates an energy — there is no substitute for it. By the time we broke through, forget it — that energy was unstoppable.

I think perhaps Bruce felt, there’s always that: “You can do whatever you want, Mr. Music Industry, Mr. Journalist, Mr. Cover-of-Time. We’ve got something that’s mine. We can play live. The records — whatever, we’ll get around to it.”

There is a sense in the new, rapid turnaround ¬— two E Street albums in just over a year, all of the touring — of time running out, especially with Danny’s passing.
That keeps the energy going until it does run out, rather than waiting ’til it does. What you’re getting at, though, is something we will have to face: Which is, at what point is it still the band? How many people can be replaced? That remains to be seen. And we’ll see what that means, in terms of the communication. Because the communication, the friendship, is where it all begins. That’s what makes a band. That’s why bands are different than individuals. They communicate something different, by their nature. You are not just communicating music. You are communicating friendship, brotherhood, sisterhood and ultimately your community. It doesn’t matter if there’s one guy who’s a leader. It’s a band. You are communicating community, and an individual cannot do that. The way to do is to be. And as long as you are there being, then nothing needs to be said.

How much rehearsal time do you need for a tour now?
There is no getting ready, no advance preparation. We are ready at any moment to do anything. We rehearsed three days for the last tour. [Laughs] I mean, that stuff’s all done. It’s just “Let’s go.”

This time, we’ll rehearse to learn some of the new songs. We don’t even learn the old songs we haven’t played for awhile. There are at least four or five guys in the band that know them. And the rest of us pick it up.

Max WeinbergProducer Brendan O’Brien said that for The Rising, Magic and the new album, most of the rhythm tracks were cut live by a core four — yourself, Bruce, Garry Tallent and Roy Bittan. That’s like a band inside a band.
Rhythm sections typically are. The basic tracks for Born to Run were bass, drums, piano and vocal. But because we’ve played together for so long, the four of us play like a four-piece power group. Any of those basic tracks on the [new] record — they sound like a record, like you could release them just like that. My son, Jay, who is a drummer, came to the session in New York where we did “Kingdom of Days.” He was in the control room. He was amazed at how it sounded like a record as we were playing it. The thousands and thousands of hours we played in live concerts and studio work — it all comes out now. We get a lot of results very quickly.

How much did you see Bruce live before you joined the band?
I never saw Bruce and the E Street Band before I joined them. I went to Seton Hall University, played in a pickup band there — the singer wrote all the songs. He was from the Jersey Shore. He somehow he got a job to open for Bruce and the E Sreet Band at Seton Hall in April of ‘74. So I played the opening set. But before that, I felt myself getting sick, so I left immediately after. I never saw Bruce.

The only thing I knew about Bruce when I saw the [musicians wanted] ad in the Village Voice was it said he was on Columbia Records. That indicated he was doing better than me. I remember at my audition Bruce asked me if I knew any of his songs. I knew “Sandy” ["4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)"]. My guy covered that song. I knew it the way he played it. I’d never heard the record. But I’m a good mimic. I’m good at following people and improvising.

The first time I played with the E Street Band, it was me, Bruce, Clarence [Clemons], Danny [Federici] and Garry. I had never played with a group where everybody was focused on one individual. Every group I’d ever played in was fairly chaotic. Here, there was no doubt where the inspiration is coming from. I’ll never forget it. It was the third week of August, 1974. And there was no piano player at that point. It was on a Monday. I came back a week later, and Roy was in the band.

It could be a little thing. In the middle of “The Wanderer” by Dion, there is a drum part by Panama Francis, a brilliant drum part, one of the classics. He plays it on the snare drum. Then in the sax solo, he goes to the cymbal. Bruce got such a kick out of it. Then when Dion goes back to the vocal, you hear the cymbals just shut down [makes a "zip" sound], and Francis goes back to the snare beat. It was those little details that Bruce would point out to me, what he thought was brilliance in drumming.

There was another thing, in another Dion song, “Love Came to Me” [1962]. At one moment, one of the background singers goes “Hey, hey!” It’s real quiet — you can barely hear it. But to Bruce, that was a perfect moment. In the early days, we always used to talk about these perfect little moments.

Nils LofgrenYou joined the E Street Band in 1984, after it had been going for a decade. How often did you see Bruce and the band before you became a member?
I’m a big fan. I used to buy a ticket and see the band in the ’70s and early ’80s. When I hit the road in 1968 with my band Grin, we were on kind of the same circuit. Actually, we both did an audition night at Bill Graham’s Fillmore West in 1970. He was with Steel Mill. We happened to get the same night. The first time I saw the E Street Band was in 1975. My first solo album came out, and I was playing my first show at the Bottom Line [in New York] as a solo artist. I got into New York a night early to see the last night of the famous stand at the club by Bruce and the E Street Band. Obviously, between 1970 and Steel Mill and 1975 and the E Street Band, it was a huge growth. I was really inspired by it.

What impressed you the most?
You take the material and the intensity of the leader, then you mix it with everyone on board. You get everyone as focused as you, on the intent of the music, the rest is how you navigate it. Bruce is a master at that. It goes beyond doing it well. It becomes a calling. When you mix the love of performing and leading a band with a catalog of songs you can call on, if you keep everyone around you focused with the same commitment for three hours, it’s a formidable thing. He had that early on.

Take this last tour, which I think was our best. It went from our normal audible signals to him grabbing 20 or 30 request signs from the audience. The last three months, the set list was useless. It surprised all of us — even Bruce, because I don’t think it was that premeditated. It grew into a completely improvised show, but still with the intent of having it grow and explode into this finality of emotion, something Bruce insists on.

When you joined in ‘84, did Bruce give you an idea of what he was looking for? How verbal was he in what he wanted from you?
Bruce knew I was a bandleader. He’d seen me play. We had a very open dialogue about his specific needs. The one problem was, I got the job four weeks before opening night [of the Born in the U.S.A. tour]. He was a bachelor at the time, and I moved into his house in Rumson [New Jersey]. We’d get up, have a light breakfast, then we’d jog five miles, real easy, through Rumson. Then I’d go up to this little rehearsal room and isolate myself. He gave me a big list of songs to start with, in addition to the new Born in the U.S.A. album, and I had a giant notebook with these different sections: music, instruments, harmony singing, where do I stand. He was always available if I had questions. He’d walk in every once in awhile, give me pointers.

For example?
“Here’s a harmony you’re singing on this song. But you know what? At these two or three points, why don’t you come over to my mike and sing them with me center stage?” Or “Here’s a song I was thinking of playing guitar on, but I don’t want to play guitar. Forget that part you were learning, play mine, and bleed in some of that second part.”

Bruce played this great rhythm guitar in “Girls in Their Summer Clothes” on most of the last tour. Then out of the blue, for the last two months, he says, “I don’t want to play guitar on this anymore.” So I stopped playing my pedal steel part from the record. Bruce said, “Leave that alone and take over my guitar part.” He wanted to prowl the front of the stage. He’s not only an instrumentalist and the singer. He’s gotta navigate the harmony singing and the stage presence.

My impression is he thinks as big as possible. Then when he get there, he goes, “Can I top that?” I remember when me and Danny [Federici] and Bruce did the Bridge School benefit for Neil [Young] in 1986. It was Bruce’s first, big acoustic show. We rehearsed in New York — he was feeling a bit nervous, to do something on such a large scale. We had a little show planned, and sure enough, at the last minute, just before we started with our three-piece acoustic set, Bruce said, “I’m gonna just go out and do something by myself. Then you guys come out.” That was the wheels turning. As nervous as he might have been, instead of starting with one of the numbers we had down, he goes out and does “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)” [from The River] a cappella, snapping his fingers on the mike. Despite his apprehension of the unknown, he challenged himself, and found a way to completely put himself on the spot, in the hardest way possible.

Roy BittanBruce now records basic tracks for the E Street albums with a core four — himself, you, Max Weinberg and Garry Talent. How does the music feel when you record that way, compared to E Street sessions in the Seventies and Eighties?
Some history first: when we recorded Born to Run, we cut the basic tracks with piano, bass, drums and Bruce. So this is not the first time we have relied on that process, of cutting a basic track and then overdubbing. We strayed from that as we progressed. Darkness on the Edge of Town was cut pretty much with everybody playing.

Today, Bruce has a more specific idea of in his head of what he wants the songs to sound like. It works very efficiently for us to cut a basic track. That gives him all the freedom in the world to add guitar, more guitars, background vocals, strings and anything else that behooves him.

His first allegiance, at this point, is to his songwriting. We do whatever we want to interpret the song when we cut the basics. He does rely on us for that. But as far as sweetening the tracks, he’s interested in trying to eke out the song’s potential that he hears in his head. Which is evident on this new record. It’s almost a little shocking to hear the songs at first, because the album is different than our classic E Street records, which were recorded mostly live.

Are there examples of things you played on the basic tracks of the new album, a little improvisation, that stayed in the arrangements?
“Working on a Dream” — there’s a spot in the chorus when he sings “Working on a dream,” a little space immediately after that where I go down to the bottom of the piano and do a double hit on the real low end. It seemed to work itself into the final arrangement, almost as a tiny hook.

What do you look for when Bruce is improvising on stage? Are there signals or gestures he makes when he’s about to change gears in a song?
The connective architecture of my parts means I often have to play a phrase going into a new section, a phrase that musically pulls us to the next bridge or the chorus. I have to watch and make sure he’s going there [laughs]. It can be extremely subtle. You have to read the river. If he’s down at the end of the stage, not near the microphone, and you know a new verse is coming up, he may need a couple of measures to get back. Or he may want to go around one more time before he gets back there.

I watch everything. I listen to him. I watch his body English — and certainly watch his arms. He may point to something, and that means we’re changing.

As the other keyboard player in the group, how would you describe Danny Federici’s role in the E Street Band? What kind of hole did he leave in the music when he died last year? Steven Van Zandt said Danny couldn’t tell you the chords to “Born to Run” but always played the right notes.
What Steven said was an exaggeration but not far from the truth [laughs]. Danny would play what he felt. If you asked him in the studio, “Could you play that part again?”, I don’t know if it would come out exactly the same. If you asked him to replicate something, he would shrug and say, “I’ll play it again. I don’t know if I can do it the same way.” That was the beauty of Danny for me, as the other keyboard player in the group.

Often there is only room for one keyboard player in a group. One of the things that made it work was that Danny was an extremely different player than me. I was more architectural, more about the song form. Danny would just play around — play around me and everybody else. He was like the wind. He would blow in and around everybody else. He was glue, he was excitement. Unfortunately, you don’t truly appreciate things until they’re gone. We appreciated him, but I think a lot of people didn’t realize exactly what he did in the band until it wasn’t there. We were always more than the sum of our parts. But when you take one of those parts out, the machine is not working in quite the same way.

Bruce always nicknames band members with a purpose. Danny was Dangerous Dan. Clarence Clemons is the Big Man. How did you become the Professor?
I think it was because I seemed to have a plausible answer for any question that came up, whether it was true or not. [Laughs] I was the answer man.

Not just musically?
Bruce once called me to the back of the bus and said, “Professor, what exactly is E=MC2?” I said. “Well, it’s energy equals mass times the speed of light squared, which is 186,000 miles per second.” And he said, “Uh, okay.”

The Reading Eagle…
Technicians from Robesonia, PA, revive Bruce Springsteen’s touring piano
By Mike Urban
Reading Eagle

When the e-mail arrived, Miriam Snyder figured it was a joke, or maybe even a computer virus.

There was no way that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band could really be asking Miriam’s husband, David, to repair their touring piano.

“I almost deleted it,” she said of the e-mail.

But the message turned out to be the real deal, sent by a band technician.

It was a request for the Robesonia couple, who run Snyder’s Piano Service from their home, to overhaul the band’s 10-year old Yamaha piano.

David, a rock ‘n’ roll fan, was honored to get the job. The piano was dropped off Dec. 21.

But it came with a tight deadline. He needed to have the work done in less than a month for pickup Thursday.

Springsteen needs the piano in Tampa on Feb. 1 for his show at halftime of Super Bowl XLIII, which will be broadcast to 100 million people in 232 countries.

David put more than 100 hours into the job, replacing worn-out parts and altering it so Springsteen’s pianist Roy Bittan doesn’t have to press on the keys as forcefully to produce notes.

Springsteen also plays the piano on some tunes.

And there are times when he dances or plays guitar while standing on the piano, which explains the nonskid strips that run along its top.

This was David’s first assignment fixing a rock ‘n’ roll piano.

Previously, the Snyders’ biggest jobs involved classic concert pianos. They split their work between privately owned and institutional pianos.

David’s father, Willis, started the business in 1955, retiring four years ago. David and Miriam’s son Michael began working with them about a year ago.

Springsteen’s band picked them on a recommendation from Yamaha, for which David used to do warranty work.

“Yamaha told us he is the man,” said Marty Gelhaar, keyboard technician for the band.

“We’ve been around a long time and people are aware of the kind of work we do,” David said. “A lot of this business is referrals through word of mouth.”

Springsteen’s piano shows the scars of being on the road and being played for hours at a time during The Boss’ lengthy shows.

“In 10 years it probably has about 40 to 50 years worth of wear and tear,” David said.

He offered to remove some of its nicks, but the band declined, saying they add character.

“It’s a very reliable piano, but it’s been set up thousands of times and has been through some use and abuse,” Gelhaar said.

The Snyders were already looking forward to watching the Super Bowl because it could include their favorite team, the Philadelphia Eagles.

But now, even if the Eagles don’t make it, the game will take on a whole new meaning for them.

When they hear “Thunder Road,” “Born to Run” or some other Springsteen classic, they’ll know they helped it to sound that much better.

•Contact reporter Mike Urban at 610-371-5023 or murban@readingeagle.com.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s emotional ten-night stand at Madison Square Garden inspired an Emmy-winning HBO special, a critically acclaimed live album, and now this 2-DVD set, featuring 11 songs not included in the HBO broadcast, as well as “NYC Serenade,” a 15-minute featurette culled from rare interview, concert and rehearsal footage. Songs: My Love Will Not Let You Down, Prove It All Night, Two Hearts, Atlantic City, Mansion on the Hill, The River, Youngstown, Murder Incorporated, Badlands, Out in the Street, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Born to Run, Land of Hope and Dreams, American Skin (41 Shots), Backstreets, Don’t Look Back, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Lost in the Flood, Born in the U.S.A., Jungleland, Light of Day, The Promise, Thunder Road, Ramrod, If I Should Fall Behind. 190 minutes.

There’s only one better way to experience these performances by Bruce Springsteen and his reunited E Street Band, and that’s if you were actually in Madison Square Garden when they were recorded in June and July 2000. This two-disc set includes more than three hours of music. Disc One features the 14 songs that were aired by HBO in 2001, while Disc Two adds another 11 tunes released here for the first time. The Boss and his band are in top form; their sheer exuberance at playing together, not to mention the joy and inspiration they provide their audience, are palpable, thanks in no small part to the excellent direction and superb sound (Dolby Digital 5.1 or PCM stereo). Highlights? Almost everything, from timeless anthems like “Born to Run” and “Thunder Road” to the riveting “American Skin (41 Shots)” and a bluesy, solo “Born in the U.S.A.” All together now: Bruuuuuuce! –Sam Graham

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band – Live in New York City is available at Amazon for $14.97. To Order click here
Amazon Product Pages contain a lot of other details on this product as Customer Reviews, Sales Ranking, Special Offers, Alternate products that customers are going for and much more.Want to read these details? click here

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Other Products of Interest

• Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band – Live in Barcelona
• Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band: Live In Dublin
• Bruce Springsteen – The Complete Video Anthology, 1978-2000
• Magic
• Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band – Blood Brothers

50 Christmas Things (Part 1 – 1/20)

Well, Christmas is fast approaching. I’m writing this prematurely, but television screens are starting to light up with adverts featuring big stars like Lulu and that guy from that gardening show, so it must be near. This is big time! As Lenny Henry’s manager might say.

So, anyway, these are just a few things that sprang to mind when I was thinking about Christmas. There is no order, I simply just wanted to talk about Christmas things because Christmas is that magical time of year where everyone sells out to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birthday. So don’t worry, remember, these are all commercial things. We all know the real meaning of Christmas, we’ve seen all seen Jingle All The Way.

Anyway, why not make yourself a hot mug of hot chocolate, sit down, unwrap that Ryan Giggs Sunball and read this tediously long list I’ve written? Or not, spend your time looking at pictures of yourself on facebook for all I care!

Merry premature Christmas.

Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992)

Now, it’s easy to say this film’s just a remake of a pretty stupid, crappy children’s comedy. The plot is pretty much the same as the original, with one small difference: It’s set in New York…. Gee, what a twist. That doesn’t even make the title of the move valid. In fact, the first part of the title actually contradicts the other part of the title. I don’t even think there’s one shot of him being “home” alone in the whole film. Well, there was that bit where he was in “someone’s” home and he was, to be fair, by himself, but that’s a stretch.

I don’t know what it is. It’s a truly awful film in many respects, but I think years of watching it as a child has given me some fond memories. There’s just something nostalgic about it. There’s some nice shots of New York City—even if they are a bit cliché. The soundtrack isn’t bad either, with Darlene Love teaming up with The E Street Band to record especially for the film; not to mention the film has Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci! I just imagine they were won over by the prospect of working with Macaulay Culkin.

As a child, the idea of going around New York City by your own, ordering pizza and limos, and eating giant bowls of ice cream seemed like the greatest thing ever… in the universe! Of course, in reality, that’s an awful idea, but at the time I wanted to be Kevin McCallister even if he is excruciatingly annoying at times.

The older I get, the more I seem to wonder why Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci didn’t kill Kevin when they had the chance. I mean, it would have been a pretty dark ending, but really, even as a child there was a small part of me that wanted to see Kevin get his comeuppance. After all, he hit Daniel Stern in the face with several bricks. That’s pretty dark. I really hope many kids didn’t try. I’ve grown up with the idea that men can survive a brick to the face. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Home Alone 2 had lied to me.

Come Home To Sky This Christmas (2008)

Okay, I just thought I’d throw this one in because it’s currently on television and it features “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”. I think I was fooled by the music because the first time I saw it, I thought it was quite nice. The second time, however, all I could think was, “What the hell is wrong with this family?” Seriously, they laugh at anything. It’s like they’ve all received lobotomies, or Rupert Murdoch’s holding a gun to their heads: “Come on kids, laugh! It’s funny, sky is funny! Laugh louder, dammit!”

A Charlie Brown Christmas (album) – Vince Guaraldi (1965)

One of my all-time favourite albums. I almost melt every time I hear songs like Skating or Christmastime Is Here. It just summons thoughts of frosty days with streets decorated with snow and people skating on lakes. Basically, things that don’t really exist—in this country, at least. But it’s escapism for me. It’s like being a child again. It’s sophisticated, cool jazz that appeals to non-jazz fans just as much as it appeals to jazz fans and it’s simply a beautiful album.

This is a pretty good live version of Christmastime Is Here by youtube user “alexbt”:

Yellow Pages (1990’s)

I always use the Yellow Pages to kiss girls, but I’m physically adequate, unlike that loser. I usually just bash them round the head with it until they drift out of conciousness. I bet he wish he thought of that.

Pringles

I don’t know about others, but we always seem to stock Pringles at Christmas. I have a love/hate relationship with them. On the one hand: A tasty, addictive treat. On the other: Excessive eating can leave your hand with “Pringle Rash”, the terrible condition where your hand is forced into the tube so many times, the friction begins to wear away at your hand leaving it sore and painful. Every year dozens of people suffer from Pringle Rash, raise awareness and help me end this madness.

The Simpsons – Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (1989)

This is the first episode of The Simpsons ever and it’s a Christmas show. There’s no couch or black board gags, it just starts with Homer and Marge driving to Springfield elementary in the snow. It’s a nice, modest set-up for a show that was yet to realise its potential.

If I had a show, I think that’s how I’d start it. There’s just something endearing about starting a show with a Christmas episode. Though it does make it hard to revisit Christmas in later shows as Matt Groening has pointed out. But luckily the writers did return to the subject of Christmas, in episodes like Marge Be Not Proud, which could have just as easily made it onto this list.

The Simpsons obviously went on to be one of the most influential and beloved comedy shows ever, and looking back, perhaps that’s what makes this episode seem so charming. It has a few good jokes and one-liners, but generally, like some of the early episodes, it’s not up to the high standards set in the later seasons.

I think it’s got a very “Charlie Brown” quality to it. It’s got a simple story with a moral message and it’s just a real joy to watch. Again, like A Charlie Brown Christmas, it’s also got those little mistakes and imperfections that only adds to the appeal of it. Generally, though, the animation is probably the best in the whole season, even if some of the characters are slightly off model, but that’s to be expected considering the makers of the show didn’t really know how it was going to turn out.

I’m not even sure if this would make a my list of favourite Simpsons episodes, but I almost always end up digging this episode out around Christmas. It never fails to entertain.

Six Feet Under – Pilot (2001)

Speaking of TV shows that started with Christmas episodes, the pilot of Six Feet Under begins on a typical sunny Christmas eve in Los Angeles. Nate Fisher is returning home to his family for Christmas, when his father, Nathaniel, is killed in a car accident. It’s not exactly an episode full of seasonal cheer, but nevertheless, it’s great TV. It blends genuine emotion with humour and the everyday personal lives of the characters to great effect. No matter how dark Six Feet Under gets, it never seems to feel cold and inhumane. The characters personalities really add a human side to dark subject matters and the writers always seem to remind us that, though death is a part of life, life still goes on. Claire, David, Nate and Ruth still have to balance everyday life as they deal with the passing of a family member, which is true to life.

Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 (1987)

If there was an award for lousiest move ever, this would definitely be in the runnings. It’s not like this film makes me feel all Christmasy like most of the others on this list it’s just hilariously bad, and believe it or not took eight writers to write.

For starters, I’m not even joking when I say a big percentage of the film is simply footage from the first one. Which, by the way, is almost just as bad. The few scenes which aren’t flashbacks are badly and acted and just bizarrely written. I’m not even going to say badly written. It’s just weird. It’s just lines that don’t really make any sense, they’re just there to fuel another flashback.

So, I suppose you’re wondering why this is even on my list. Well, it’s primarily here because it’s so bad, it’s kind of good. I mean, I really did laugh a lot the first time I saw this film. Almost every scene has something hilariously bad in it. It’s as if the main actor in the film’s been told, “Good acting doesn’t come from the heart, kid, it comes from the eyebrows!” They never cease to stay still! I suggest people play the drinking game where you need to drink every time Ricky moves his eyebrows, you’ll be drunk in seconds.

What also bothers me about this mess is the move tagline: “Prayers won’t save you in the silent part of this night!” Sorry, excuse me? What the fuck does that mean? Seriously, that’s ridiculous.

Anyway, despite being one of the worst films ever made, I can almost guarantee I’ll be watching it this Christmas for a few laughs.

Oh, and, “GARBAGE DAY!”

A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (1963)

Now, it’s no mystery that Phil Spector’s a big weirdo creep. You’re probably familiar with Spector if you’ve woken up in the middle of the night screaming. He looks a little bit like the grinch, so in away, this isn’t his only appearance on the list..

To me, this album pretty much sums up Christmas (remember this is purely commercial, Jesus won’t be making an appearance) in 34 minutes and twelve seconds. In fact, this record is better than Christmas. This is actually one of the big things I look forward to every year. You can tell it’s Christmas when you start hearing songs from this album on the radio/TV. It sounds just like Christmas should. It sounds like getting hit in the face with a snowball… But good.

Toys “R” Us (1990’s)

This always seems to on coming up to Christmas and I think almost every child who grew up in the ’90’s can sing you this song, although I have no idea what they’re saying in some parts: There’s millions of debris all under one roof?

The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) – Nat King Cole (1946)

Written by vocalist Mel Tormé, The Christmas Song was apparently written on a hot summers day in an effort to “stay cool by thinking cool,” which almost spoils it a bit for me. It’s such a beautiful song and it’s just one of those songs that makes you feel Christmasy. It really takes you to a warm place on a cold winters day. Everything about it is gorgeous: The melody, the chords, the lyrics; it’s Christmas compressed into song form.

I’ve chosen Nat King Cole’s version simply because it’s the one I’ve grown up listening to.

Always Coca-Cola (Holidays Are Coming!) (1997)

I remember, as a child, not really enjoying the “Holidays are coming” music, but there was definitely something quite great about the advert itself. I think it’s only now, after hearing it every Christmas for the last eleven years or so, that I truly can appreciate how awesome it is. This really gets me quite pumped now. As the music builds I find myself close to rising out of my seat and running after the nearest red truck.

Also, this song NEVER leaves your head once you hear it. You find yourself humming it at the most inappropriate moments. Just be careful when you watch the video bellow.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV Special) (1964)

The charming little animated TV special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, needs to be watched every Christmas. The animation (stop motion) can seem a little crude, but there’s something that makes me go, “Aw..” every time I watch it. Man, I love the Reindeer.

Arthur’s Perfect Christmas (2000)

You just don’t hit girls, and I imagine the same rule applies to Aardvarks. I’m usually such a calm guy, but I have to say, when I watched Arthur’s Perfect Christmas for the first time, I did want to punch DW. She’s just such a brat. Arthur is awesome, to be fair. His parents must be very proud, but it must have been shock when DW came along.

Anyway, it’s a nice little story that makes you really want Arthur to get his way in the end. It does seem to end a little too early, though. Arthur didn’t really get his perfect Christmas after all, he put thought into buying a present for his mother and it was broken and replaced by a less thoughtful gift. Sure, his uncle was a nice character, but really, that wasn’t a perfect Christmas. Still, it was a nice Christmas special.

Full Movie:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

The Office (US) Christmas Party (2005)

This is definitely one of my favourite episodes of the American Office. It’s just a really strong episode with a lot of great jokes. My favourite part is probably bit where they’re all drinking at the end and it shows all the different conversations, which, apparently, according to the DVD commentary, was inspired by the party scene near the end of Rushmore.

Favourite quotes:

Michael Scott: Happy birthday, Jesus. Sorry your party’s so lame.

———————————————————

Michael Scott: Hey, you’re the expert; Is this enough to get twenty people plastered?

Clerk: [Seriously considers] Fifteen bottles of vodka?… Yeah, that should do it.

The Wonder Years – A Very Cutlip Christmas (1990)

The episode where Kevin discovers that coach Cutlip is moonlighting as Santa at an out of town shopping mall. It’s funny, but there’s an underlying sense of humanity. You sort of find Cutlip both pathetic and likeable at the same time. This is probably one of my favourite episodes, mainly because it’s got a lot of range to it. There’s genuine pathos here, but there’s also some funny scenes too.

Frasier – Miracle on 3rd or 4th Street (1993)

It turns out, Frasier’s son isn’t coming for Christmas after all, so instead he ends up working Christmas day because he doesn’t want to be stuck at home feeling lonely. After his show finishes, he drives to a small café. He eats his meal before finding out that he’s left his wallet in his coat pocket back at the studio. Some homeless people step in and eventually come up with the money to buy the meal for him, mistaking him for a fellow homeless person.

It’s odd, that doesn’t sound like a great episode, but it’s one of my favourite episodes in the entire series. There’s surprisingly a lot of heart in it. It’s sort of a typical feel good Christmas episode, but with a lot of good one-liners and gags. I especially like the part where Dr. Crane sneaks out to his expensive car only to find he’s left his keys in the café.

Tales From The Crypt (1972)

Now, I watched this when I was fairly young and it scared the hell out of me. The end especially. I still think it’s a pretty good scene and probably the best in the whole film. It was on a few years ago on New Years Day in the early hours of the morning. I was inebriated at the time, but I tell you, that Father Christmas still gives me the creeps.

It’s Garry Shandling’s Show – Garry’s Christmas Show (1987)

Ah, this is a great little Christmas special featuring regular guest star Tom Petty. It’s very much in the same vein as a traditional sitcom Christmas show, but obviously primarily a parody on the format.

Favourite Quotes:

Garry: I’ve always wanted to have one of those old fashioned Christmas shows ever since I was a kid and had my own imaginary television series, which was cancelled because it was on opposite a guy who had a better imaginary television series.

————————————————————-

Nancy: I’m telling you, I really like this guy!

Garry: So, what? You gonna to sleep with him?

Nancy: …… Yeah, I think so.

Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

It’s compelling, original and comes with a Christmas message that isn’t ridiculously saccharin like a lot of Christmas films. After all these years, the animation still looks great and the story is surprisingly poignant. The music numbers are delightful and Boris Karloff’s narration is very compelling and striking. Simply a classic holiday move.

The Full Movie:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

And, 1 extra…

Bruce Sprinsteen – Merry Christmas, Baby (Late Night with Conan O’brien)

I enjoyed this fun performance of a classic, so I thought I’d throw it in. It’s cool to see Conan on the guitar and Bruce clearly have a lot of fun.

När vi glider in på planen till Ullevi inför Konserten, slås jag av tanken på att detta inte är någon konsert. Detta känns mer som en reunion. Så fungerar ju fans. Jag fungerar så på två ställen: Söderstadion och Springsteenkonserter. Att se Bossen och hans band är att återknyta den bekantskap som varat längst i mitt vuxna liv. Barndomskamrater har jag kvar två stycken på riktigt. Gymnasiekompisar ett gäng. Ännu fler från handels och sedan har bekantskapskretsen tillåtits att växa mycket sparsamt. Jag snackar riktiga polare.

Bossen och hans gäng har jag känt i 27 år. Det var gitarrsolot i Candys Room som väckte min uppmärksamhet. På samma sätt som ett JAS-plan som störtar i centrala Stockholm under vattenfestivalen väcker ens uppmärksamhet, ungefär. Och sedan Hovet har jag sett otaliga konserter, minst en på varje turné, give or take.

Bruce har blivit som en väldigt avlägsen livskamrat. Konserter och plattsläpp relateras till andra stora händelser, få så stora som konserten på C’s födelsedag 1992, bara fyra dagar innan den förstfödda levererades till Lucky Town med en Human Touch.

Och sedan blir det reunion, då alltså, igen i Göteborg och pressen närmast skiter på sig av extas över konserten dagen innan. Mina konsertvänner, C, C och M läser och undrar stillsamt om det där går att toppa. Efter hyllning brukar ju “Är du slut nu, Bruce”-draporna komma. Jag konstaterar iskallt, eller kanske bara med berättigat förtroende, att extrakonserten alltid är bäst: Extrakonserten är alltid bäst.

Hur det blir? Om jag vore den sortens artist som försökte försörja mig på att åka världen runt och spela, skulle jag helt sonika välja att bortse från konkurrenten Springsteen.

Han gör precis tvärtemot alla andra. Och där han gör som de andra gör han det så mycket bättre att allt motstånd måste vara meningslöst, totalt väck. Snurrandet med setlistor väcker stor uppmärksamhet i tidningarna, men allt han egentligen säger med det är “Jag har hela världen i min hand. Jag styr mina konserter dit jag vill and please, hope you’ll like it”.

5 juli 2008 gör han det mer än någonsin. Han har aldrig riktigt betett sig så förut i min närvaro. Det är en softare och mer intensivt brinnande låga än någonsin. Springsteen KAN förvisso napalmbomba hela tillställningen med sina mest magnifika stadiumknäckare och han GÖR det också, men som en skicklig älskare eller en dådkraftig regissör – sannolikt både och – drar han ut på saker och ting och får hela djävla västsverige upp i brygga innan han släpper ner det igen och drar vidare.

Borta är merparten av Magic-numren och i dess ställe slänger han in högt och lågt – Roulette och Drive all Night är några minnesvärda ting. Borta är flera av flirtarna med The River-fansen, varken Point Blank eller, mer överraskande The River är med. Men vi får så mycket i stället att jag blir alldeles tårögd.

E-street band har sett mer energiska ut. Men musiken tar de till ännu en ny nivå. Om någon påstår att Clarence Clemons börjar tappa greppet är han mer koreografiintresserad än musikintresserad. Tonen skär alltjämt igenom pansarplåt och den största gåtan är hur en saxofon, byggd av så tunn plåt över huvudtaget håller ihop när man spelar på den sådär. Gesten med en egen guldtron till the big, heavy på scenen är briljant; både självironisk och hjärtknipande.

Little Steven är i högform och överträffas endast av Nils Lofgren som blir en blandning av Van Halen, Jedimästaren Yoda och en elvisp av valfri modell i en Because the Night-version som kommer att spelas i såväl himmel som helvete i evighet amen. Max Weinberg och Gary Tallent är som vanligt hur stadiga som helst. Är det någon därute som inte hajar den globala betydelsen av denna dynamiska bas-trum-duo? Roy Bittan och han den nygamle Federiciersättaren får också höga betyg. Soozie Tyrell fyller lätt tomrummet vid sin sida efter The First Lady of Rock. Också.

Bossens röst har låtit väsentligt värre. -92 och -97, till exempel. Nu fixar han både intonation och höjdvrål med den rutinerade klättarens smartness och vi ryser, inte minst just i “Drive all Night”.

Man vet aldrig hur livet utvecklas. Vem som överlever och vem som inte gör det. Just nu kan det här bandet sin grej så bra att de transcenderar musiken, tar den till ett nytt tillstånd av vad det nu är de åstadkommer. Man ser få band som klarar det, och de senaste åren tycker jag att jag fått gott om jämförmaterial. Ta Rolling Stones eller Judas. De gör sin pryl tillräckligt bra för att man skall vara lycklig, men jag kan inte med bästa vilja i världen påstå att de kan frälsa många nya. I Göteborg stuffar människor som inte var födda när stadion knäcktes på åttiotalet och man riktigt ser – som i en actionfilm, sådär ultrarapidinspirerat – hur de träffas av musiken, känslan, människorna.

Själv är jag bara så djäkla lycklig över att Stefan slängde på “Darkness on the edge of town” den där vårdagen 1980, Där började alltsammans. Och det slutar aldrig.

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