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August 27, 2024 Okay, gang, first a bit of personal as well as musical history, just about as condensed as I can make it... It was late summer in 1984 when I experienced my first concerts by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. I was seventeen years old and still living in Southwest Philadelphia, the working-class neighborhood where I grew up, so it's not surprising that those early concert experiences also occurred within Philadelphia's city limits. In September of that year, Springsteen and the E Streeters held court at Philly's old Spectrum arena for a six-show stand, and I got to see two of those shows (both the opening night and the closing one, if I recall correctly.) Although my serious Springsteen fandom began in the early eighties, it wasn't until more than eight months into '84 that I first got to experience a live concert in person, just as Springsteen's national and international popularity had begun to explode exponentially with that year's release of the Born in the U.S.A. album, along with the string of hit-singles, music-videos, and the 1984-85 tour that followed it. Those September '84 Philly shows also were the final Springsteen concerts performed before President Ronald Reagan, then running for re-election, would attempt just a few days later to capitalize on Springsteen's popularity by name-checking him in a New Jersey campaign-stop speech. Shortly thereafter Reagan's '84 Democratic Party opponent, Walter Mondale, made the false claim that he had received Springsteen's endorsement, but was quickly forced to retract that statement, since in actuality Springsteen never endorsed either Presidential candidate that year. Reagan's and Mondale's moves inspired Springsteen to begin making a variety of his own countermoves and responses as the Born in the U.S.A. tour and juggernaut continued. One of Bruce's most notable actions, however, occurred very quickly and had a long-lasting effect. In just under a month after that '84 Philly run at the Spectrum had ended, Springsteen had begun spotlighting at each show a local organization focused on hunger, poverty, and/or other important economic or social concerns. For a few minutes during each concert, he'd take a moment while introducing one of his songs and talk to his audience a bit about how the organization's goals and activities connected with the ideals expressed in his music, and he'd encourage his audience to support the organization with a donation and/or other forms of support. It became an essential element of his live shows, something that has occurred virtually each and every night on every tour since then, and continues to do so. Flash forward now, four decades later. It's late summer in 2024, and once again - as I've done previously in the late summers of 2012 and 2016 - I am standing inside Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Phillies, the City of Brotherly Love's baseball team (Go, Phils!,) watching Springsteen and the latest version of his " heart-stoppin', pants-droppin', earth-shockin', hard-rockin', booty-shakin', earthquakin', love-makin', Viagra-takin', history-makin' ...legendary E Street Band!" once more hold court over the course of two evenings, just last Wednesday and Friday. The two venues where I saw my earliest Springsteen concerts back in 1984-85, the Spectrum arena and Veterans Stadium, have long since fallen to the wrecking ball. Two more big changes, of course, forty years down the road...Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici are no longer onstage. The great Charlie Giordano took on the simultaneously enviable and unenviable job of replacing Danny on keyboards and accordion back in 2008, shortly after Danny's passing. For the first tour to follow Clarence's death in 2011, just as when Stevie Van Zandt left the band in the early eighties for about sixteen years, it took more than one person to fill the void that was left behind. (In Stevie's case, it took Nils Lofgren on guitar and Patti Scialfa on vocals. In the Big Man's case, however, it appropriately took an entire horn section!) And having passed just recently, music-journalist/writer/editor/publisher Charley Cross is now also gone , as is his Backstreets magazine and website for Springsteen fans, to which I first subscribed back in the early eighties and later became a contributing writer for almost two decades. (For all intents and purposes, Backstreets already had ceased all of its major operations, more than a year ago, which is the main reason I started this website last year.) Shortly before this pair of Philly shows, while performing at the tour's previous stop in Pittsburgh, Springsteen delivered a sweet, beautiful little onstage tribute to both Charley and Backstreets . (Incidentally I felt Bruce's tribute to be especially significant, generous, and graceful on his part, given Charley's and Backstreets ' very public disagreements with Bruce over his current concert-ticketing policies.) Charley's passing, and Bruce's public response to it just days before he began his two-night Philly stand, probably drove all of this home in my head even further, but in case it isn't obvious already, I witnessed last week's two Philadelphia shows while very, very aware of my own personally significant anniversary of first seeing Bruce Springsteen in concert, just across the street from where I first caught one of his performances back in '84 in a building that no longer exists, and everything else that also has changed over the four decades since then. In addition to all of those changes already referenced above, there are, of course, the myriad of other kinds of personal changes that anyone is bound to experience if you've been fortunate enough to reach your late fifties as I have. Lots of folks in and out of my life over the past forty years, for sure, due to births, deaths, disputes, and various other forms of departure, as well as of arrival. I also began and ended a lengthy career with Philly's public schools, and am now enjoying semi-retirement, still living in the Philly area where I was born and raised - though now in a nearby suburb - with the woman I've loved for more than three decades. Of course, Bruce Springsteen himself certainly has been through more than a few changes, as well. Among the most notable, he eventually married that redheaded backup singer who helped to replace Stevie Van Zandt, they're now grandparents, and in the years since all of that '84 Reagan/Mondale ridiculousness, Springsteen has become much more active in electoral politics than he ever was back then, openly endorsing and supporting a string of Democratic Presidential candidates beginning in 2004, and even recording a podcast and co-writing a book with the only winner he's backed to date: former U.S. President Barack Obama. But despite all of those various changes involving the folks onstage and those of us in their audience like myself, some very important through lines still exist. First and foremost, a Bruce Springsteen concert in Philadelphia remains something very special indeed, as it feels like it's always been. Philly is one of his oldest and strongest fanbases; every single one of his Philadelphia concerts that I've attended (and I've managed to catch at least one Philly show on every one of his tours since '84, with the exception of that '88 "Tunnel of Love Express" tour that scheduled only two nights at the 18K-or-so-capacity Spectrum, making it one super-tough ticket to score) has been filled to the rafters with rabid fans. And Springsteen remains the masterful songwriter and live performer that he became after starting out as a scraggly, struggling working-class kid leading his New Jersey-based band in the 1970s, always finding a way somehow to connect with all of us in the crowd, and... this is the important part... directly in that space, directly in that moment... so very much live and in person. Last week in Philly definitely was no exception. "I expect nothing less," said Springsteen onstage, with a grin and a chuckle, on Night One. So once more he went about doing what he does so well every time he performs with the E Street Band in Philadelphia: constructing one awesome setlist and performing it with all of the heart, soul, intensity, and skill they can muster. The state-of-the-art video projection and vastly improved sound - especially compared to what was possible back in '84 - help him immensely in connecting to all sections of larger arenas and outdoor venues like ballparks, but we're still experiencing very much the same basic thing that Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band have been offering onstage here for more than fifty years, since the days when they were playing tiny Philly-area clubs like the legendary Main Point: a nightly attempt - and one that virtually always succeeds far, far more than it fails - to deliver the best, deepest, funniest, most inspiring, powerful, and ultimately life-affirming mix of rock, folk, funk, soul, stage-schtick and artful drama that anyone possibly could - with every single note played and sung live, and very much in the moment, no matter how much rehearsal may or may not have preceded it. Night One opened up with a blistering version of one of the two Springsteen songs that actually name-check the City of Brotherly Love in their lyrics: "Atlantic City." Two weeks earlier, Springsteen also had performed "Atlantic City" in Philly, duetting with Zac Brown as a special guest at one of Brown's two Philadelphia concerts. That countryfied version with Brown was great, but of course it rocked nowhere near as hard as what Bruce and the E Streeters laid down as Night One's Song One. Bruce and the band played it like they were out to draw blood from the get-go, and the intensity of their performances never let up moving forward. From there Night One featured much of the core material on which Springsteen has relied for his current setlists, but of course with some pleasing curveballs for a summer ballpark show in Philly, beginning with the great Born in the U.S.A. raveup "Working on the Highway," brought in to pinch-hit at the last minute for the setlisted "Letter to You" (which meant that the title track of Bruce's latest album with the E Street Band didn't get played at all in either of his Philly shows,) and marking the first time that "Working..." has been played in a U.S. show this year. The guaranteed sing-along crowd-pleaser "Hungry Heart," the first-ever Springsteen-recorded top-ten single, also was a smart non-setlisted addition. The one-two punch of "Youngstown" followed by "Long Walk Home," a sequence that got added to the set only about a month ago while the band was still touring Europe, has given the current tour - on a regular nightly basis - the most explicit political component it's had since it began. The looming 2024 U.S. Presidential election was most likely on Springsteen's mind as he added these two songs in sequence to his set last month. Coincidentally, the day after this new sequence debuted in Helsinki on July 12, the Pennsylvania campaign-rally assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump occurred, killing a rally attendee, critically injuring two other attendees, and minorly injuring Trump himself. Since that time, Bruce has consistently introduced "Long Walk Home" at each show as "a prayer for my country," just as he did on both nights in Philadelphia last week. It's a moving, powerful, and inspiring moment added to a show that's already packed with them. Another "Philly Special" highlight of Night One was the tour debut of "Streets of Philadelphia," the other Springsteen song that name-checked the City of Brotherly Love. He wrote and recorded "Streets..." over thirty years ago for the late, great Jonathan Demme's excellent and groundbreaking anti-homophobia/anti-AIDS-ignorance-and-disinformation film Philadelphia , marking the last time to date that Bruce has scored a top-ten hit single. Among his most moving, powerful, and accessible songs, it still holds up extremely well, and it fits perfectly in a show so focused on loss and grieving. "Streets..." was followed immediately by another of Springsteen's greatest ballads: "Racing in the Street." (The setlist had "Racing..." scheduled to be played before "Streets...," but apparently it was decided at the last minute to reverse that sequence.) It's always something special to hear this hauntingly beautiful, sad, and healing song from the masterpiece that is Darkness on the Edge of Town . And of course the live piano-led outro is one of "Professor" Roy Bittan's greatest moments to shine, every time it's played to heartbreaking perfection, without fail. The current show's consistent loss-and-grief-themed setpiece of the solo-acoustic-with-accompanying-trumpet "Last Man Standing," followed immediately by a full-band "Backstreets," remains one of the best things that Bruce Springsteen ever has pulled off in concert. It's also one of the most scripted things he's ever done, but that doesn't diminish any of its power at all, any more than all of those heavily scripted moments in Springsteen on Broadway felt any less moving or powerful when you viewed or heard them repeatedly. In fact, this sequence of the show almost always - if not actually always - manages to temporarily and amazingly bring a Springsteen on Broadway feel to an E Street Band concert taking place in a giant arena, stadium or ballpark. It remains an incredible thing to witness, and one unique example of why Bruce Springsteen stands among the greatest live performers to ever stand on a stage. As Dan DeLuca noted in his Philadelphia Inquirer review of Night One, "You could have heard a pin drop. It was an astonishingly intimate performance in a vast public space, of a song casual fans aren’t even familiar with — a testament to the bond of mutual respect Springsteen has forged over many decades." The story that Bruce consistently tells before "Last Man Standing," centered around the passing of his old friend and early bandmate George Theiss, was enhanced on Night One with some extra Philly-flavored details about how much Philadelphia-based television Springsteen got to watch - especially the music-based TV shows like American Bandstand  and Summertime on the Pier! - while growing up in Central New Jersey. He also noted that George Theiss' widow, Diana "Dee" Theiss, was in the audience. (Springsteen later dedicated the consistent show-closer - his solo-acoustic version of "I'll See You In My Dreams" - to Dee Theiss, as well as to the memory of his nephew Michael Shave, who died last year. Speaking about The River 's title track in a 2023 interview conducted shortly after Shave's death, Springsteen noted, "You can't get any more personal than the very title of that record. That was my sister, my brother-in-law. The baby that I wrote about in that song just passed away last week. So that song is at the center of a lot of my work.") Night Two opened with a sequence of five - count 'em, five... in a row - songs not played on Night One: "Seeds," "Prove It All Night," "My Love Will Not Let You Down," "Two Hearts," and "Darkness on the Edge of Town." What a stellar way to open, with a super-high-energy delivery of some of his all-time-best intense rockers (even if there was a bit of rare - and hilarious - minor flubbing on "Two Hearts.") The guitar work in this sequence, provided by that amazing (and often underrated) trio of onstage guitar-wizards - Bruce, "Reverend" Nils Lofgren, and relatively recently designated Musical Director Stevie Van Zandt - was simply off the charts, and they continued - both individually and collectively - to impress throughout the evening. "Fun Fact" about "Seeds," by the way... I'm 99.99% sure that it's now one of only three officially released Springsteen-penned songs - "Light of Day" and "Red-Headed Woman" being the other two - that he has yet to release in studio-recorded form. "Hungry Heart" was the first Night One song to get played again on Night Two, though this time around it actually appeared on the written setlist, as well. What followed it, however, was not on the setlist, nor had it been played at a U.S. show in almost a decade. "Waitin' On A Sunny Day," complete with the schtick of letting some little kids in the audience sing part of it, apparently was a last-minute call-up to replace the setlisted "Darlington County." I'm sure there remains a group of fans who are less than thrilled whenever this song and its accompanying schtick reappears, but it is a sweet little number, fitting in well with the important aspect of Springsteen's show that emphasizes the more positive, upbeat, and hopeful aspects of life, and there actually still are many other fans who enjoy not just the song, but also the bit where those cute little darlin's try their best to sing along. So lighten up, folks, to each..., live and let live, etc. and just enjoy (or possibly just "endure," depending on your perspective) the relatively brief, pleasant interlude for what it is. The show then quickly returned to much darker and more adult concerns as both Nebraska 's "Reason To Believe" and "Atlantic City" were setlisted and played back-to-back instead of Night One's "Youngstown," to pave the way for this night's performance of "Long Walk Home." The "Electric Nebraska " versions of these two early-eighties songs worked just as well in that tension-before-the-release-of-some-sorely-needed-hope slot preceding the 2024 tour version of "Long Walk Home," as the late-nineties song "Youngstown" had been doing consistently ever since "Long Walk Home" made its tour debut in Europe last month. Two other setlisted items for Philly 2024 Night Two that got nixed at the last minute were another performance of "Streets of Philadelphia" and a performance of "The River." But I'd much rather focus on all that we got on Night Two, rather than what we didn't get: to wit, the return of "The E Street Shuffle," but this time with a spoken intro that hearkened back to those legendary Main Point shows, followed by a non-setlisted "Growin' Up" complete with an actual old-school story inserted into the performance, totally 1970s-retro-style! (It was a cleverly humorous little tale, too, fusing Bruce's battles with peptic ulcer disease last year to that classic W.C. Fields line about our fair city.) It also was cool to hear "I'm On Fire" performed in Philly for the first time in almost a decade, especially since the song hasn't been played here very much since those Born in the U.S.A. Tour shows way back in '84-'85. The crowd really got into it, too. Each night's performance of "The Rising" sounded especially good to me, as well. I don't know how new or old the use of this effect is, and perhaps it was just more noticeable given the especially good, consistent sound quality over both Philly nights, but using an immediate-digital-repeat effect for just certain phrases that Bruce sang, such as "in front of me," "this darkness," "sixty pound stone," etc. added immense power to what already is one of his strongest vocals. Speaking of strong vocals, Springsteen's singing over these two nights sounded consistently strong and impressive to these ears, especially given that there was only one day off scheduled between the two shows. I'm glad, however, that overall the "new normal" for Bruce is now generally at least two days off between each of his concerts, with few if any exceptions. There is absolutely no shame in such an energetic, healthy performer in his mid-seventies just getting some extra rest in between performances, especially if the end result is consistently stronger singing. This current touring version of the expanded E Street Band (a concept first explored on the 2012-2013 Wrecking Ball Tour) deserves special recognition, too. With the additional horn players, percussionist, and vocalists, the song arrangements have become so much more interesting and powerful, which is quite a feat to pull off when you're dealing with the already high-quality E Street Band arrangements. For example, when Jake Clemons hits that triumphant sax solo at the end of "Thunder Road," playing it through the very same instrument that his late, great Uncle Clarence used to play onstage, and then it's followed by an entire horn section echoing those notes with him, that is quite an additional lump-in-the-throat moment to supplement what already is such an emotional musical climax. Kudos to Jake, too, for carefully developing - over the past decade or so since his uncle's passing - an onstage persona that is clearly distinct from the role that Clarence "Big Man" Clemons played onstage, while simultaneously honoring and extending the spirit, purpose, and complexity behind what Scooter and the Big Man got up to together, both musically and theatrically. It also has been equally interesting and moving to watch Stevie Van Zandt take on more of the "longtime friend" part of what was Clarence's onstage role with Bruce. a part that Jake can't possibly take on as a much younger man. My presumption, admittedly as just another audience member witnessing it all unfold, is that even now all of this remains very sensitive ground for everybody involved, and that they continue to work very consciously and diligently to recognize and continue in the best possible ways the important legacy of such a significant fallen comrade. The best part, of course, is getting to see them succeed so consistently in doing so, at least in my view. Some other "only-in-Philly" Night Two moments that I'll continue to treasure... my finding out (or possibly having forgotten and being reminded) that the great Curtis King, Jr. is a fellow Philadelphia native, and hearing Stevie repeatedly reply "Yo!" to Bruce every time Bruce attempted to consult with Stevie (and us) about just how tired and ready to go home we all were during "Twist and Shout." (Yeah, I know Stevie probably says "Yo!" onstage elsewhere, too, but it has an especially pleasing local ring 'round these parts.) Oh, and also yet another brief spotlight/microphone moment for "The Philly Elvis," Bruce expressing onstage just how much he really could go for a cheesesteak once the idea came up, and hilariously doubling down even harder on the "And we ain't going to quit" part only recently added to his "Last Man Standing" intro: "We ain't doin' no farewell tour bullshit. Jesus Christ! No farewell tour for the E Street Band! Hell, no! Farewell to what?! Thousands of people screamin' your name?! Yeah, I wanna quit that!" Then at the very end of the evening, perhaps best of all, "Thank you, Philly! Thanks for two great nights! The E Street Band loves you! We'll be seein' ya!" Forty years later, I find myself still enjoying immensely this part of the ride, still intrigued, inspired, and excited by the prospect of whatever and whenever Bruce Springsteen might record or perform next, with or perhaps even without his great E Street Band again at some point. He's apparently now grown richer than he was even at the height of his popularity, but his best art - whether on record or onstage - always has found a way to remember and reconnect with what his life and his loved ones' lives were like before all of that fame and fortune, and/or a way to connect with the experiences of people whose lives always have at least seemed to be very different from his anyway. And as long as nights like the two that I experienced last week remain possible, I'll continue looking forward to it all. So keep bringin' it all home, Bruce. I intend to still be there with everything that I've got, ready to experience and re-experience this music's power as an audience member, and to continue covering and analyzing it with some of my other fellow travelers via this website. Play ball! All Citizens Bank Park photos by Jo Arlow and Mark Krajnak , as credited individually. All photos are used with permission from the photographers.

August 23, 2024 The music of Bruce Springsteen was heard at two (UPDATE: make that three - see below) key moments during this week's 2024 Democratic National Convention, occurring during Tuesday night's and Thursday night's proceedings of the convention. On Tuesday night, instrumental portions of "Born in the U.S.A." were played as the New Jersey delegation pledged its support for the Harris-Walz ticket during the official in-person "roll call" nomination process. Later that evening, during former President Barack Obama's speech expressing his full support of the Harris-Walz campaign, "Land of Hope and Dreams" was played as his walk-off music: And thanks to useful information from The Asbury Park Press 's Chris Jordan's report , as well as from helpful fellow fan Bernie Dougan, we know that the Democratic Party's candidate for Vice-President, Tim Walz, entered the convention on Thursday night to both "We Take Care of Our Own" and "Born in the U.S.A.": While it certainly wouldn't be surprising if Bruce Springsteen approved the use of his music in these ways, it's also worth noting that the process for things like this is probably at least a bit different than it was during the last U.S. Presidential election season back in 2020. This is because just over a year after that electoral campaign ended, Springsteen sold all of his music rights to Sony Music Entertainment. Nevertheless, Bruce himself recently made the following comment, during his Ivors Academy Fellowship acceptance speech last May: "I’ve met many folks over the last fifty years, who worked at all levels at Sony Music, and one thing they all have in common is the dedication and respect that they’ve shown me, my songs, and my work, none more, of course, than Sony Music chairman Rob Stringer. Rob, thanks... I mean... I sold all my music and they still treat it like it’s mine." Given what Springsteen said at last May's Ivors ceremony about his post-music-rights-sale relationship with Sony Music, a plausible scenario is that the Springsteen tracks played last Tuesday night during the 2024 Democratic National Convention's were played with the official licensing permission of Sony Music Entertainment, after Sony first consulted with and got approval from the artist himself. While such permission also might signal a forthcoming full-scale endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket on the part of Bruce Springsteen, nothing further is yet known officially or publicly about whether that will indeed happen. It's yet another somewhat complex "wait-and-see" moment in an electoral season that's certainly been full of them (though of course it's also a relatively small such moment overall, in comparison to so many of the others.) Stay tuned, political (and music) junkies...

August 22, 2024 Night One of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's 2024 takeover of the Philadelphia Phillies' ballpark is now in the history books. Not surprisingly, Bruce and the band hit another live-performance home-run last night, metaphorically knocking that ball "outta here," to quote the immortal Harry Kalas . Stay tuned for our deep dive into this week's long-awaited return to the streets of Philadelphia, with much more of Mark Krajnak 's beautiful photography, after Night Two takes place tomorrow.

August 12, 2024 We at Letters To You were very saddened to learn that Charles R. "Charley" Cross died last Friday. He was only 67 years old, and died in his sleep of natural causes. In 1980, Charley founded Backstreets Magazine - the premier Springsteen fanzine that eventually grew into a great fan website, too. Charley was Backstreets ' first Editor/Publisher from 1980 through 1997, at which point Chris Phillips took over the Editor position with Charley's blessings, while Charley shifted his focus to pursuing many of his other important projects. A few years later, Charley agreed to hand over the Backstreets publishing reins to Chris, as well, though Charley always remained a key member and advisor of the Backstreets editorial team throughout the magazine/website's entire run, from 1980 through early 2023, at which time Backstreets ceased all regular operations. Charley also served as editor/publisher of The Rocket , Seattle's important music and entertainment magazine, from 1986 to 2000. It was during this time, of course, that The Rocket became the first publication to feature and support Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and many of the other key bands and figures in what would become the highly important and influential 1990s Seattle scene. In addition, Charley went on to write nine books, many of which were focused on major Seattle and Washington-based musicians such as Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, and the Wilson sisters of Heart. Upon learning of Charley's passing, esteemed Los Angeles Times music critic Robert Hilburn tweeted that Charley's Cobain biography Heavier Than Heaven is "high on my short-list of best music biographies ever." On a much more personal note, I just want to express publicly how deeply indebted and appreciative I feel towards Charley and the role he played in building, sustaining, and supporting everything that Backstreets , my former "stomping grounds," became. I fondly recall first corresponding with him by mail in the 1980s as just another Backstreets subscriber and fellow Springsteen fanatic, and he couldn't have been kinder or more supportive, accessible, and down-to-Earth. As the years went by, I began writing regularly for both the magazine and the website. By that time, Charley's activities with Backstreets were mainly in an advisory/behind-the-scenes capacity, and as a writer I usually dealt much more directly with Chris Phillips as the formal editor/publisher. Nevertheless, I still treasure a 2019 email message I received from Charley that read in part, "Hope you’re well over there and thanks for all your contributions... Cheers, Charles." It meant so very much to me then, and means even more now, of course. It's no big secret that I also had some strong disagreements with Charley regarding some Springsteen-related matters, especially in later years. But disagreements like that often can arise when you're dealing with someone else who cares as deeply and passionately about the music and career of Bruce Springsteen, what it means, why it's so important, etc., as you do. And regardless of any or even all of those differences, it always remained clear to me just how strong and passionate a fellow Springsteen fan Charley Cross was. In that sense, he still remained very much a friend and a mentor to me. Still does , actually. So much of what I and others have learned from Charley Cross over the years, the legacy of high standards that he provided to so many of his fellow Springsteen fans, is embedded in what Letters To You strives for and in how we aim to continue covering Springsteen's artistry... what we'll do and what we won't, in other words. So thanks a million for all of that, Charley. Rest in peace, brother, and our deepest condolences to all of your loved ones. "Cheers, Charles." More on the passing of Charles R. Cross: Variety : "Charles R. Cross, Music Journalist Who Wrote Heralded Kurt Cobain Biography and Edited Seattle’s Alt-Weekly The Rocket , Dies at 67" The Seattle Times : "Charles R. Cross, influential Seattle music journalist, dead at 67" Official statement from the Backstreets Magazine editorial team, posted on the Backstreets  Magazine Facebook page "A Word About Our Friend, Charley Cross" by Bob Santelli, Executive Director of The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music "On the Backstreets, Until the End" (the final "On the backstreets" column) by Charles R. Cross Official statement from Bruce Springsteen, via his social media: [ Note: Springsteen also made a similar statement onstage during his August 18 Pittsburgh concert with the E Street Band , dedicating that night's performance of "Backstreets" to Charley.]

August 10, 2024 Click here for more information. (This special PBS "Passport" streaming option currently is the only way for interested fans to watch this program, though other PBS viewing options are expected to become available as early as later this month.) Also check out the official trailer and preview videos embedded below:

August 20, 2024 Last year, when the hardcover, eBook, and audio editions of Dave Marsh's excellent anthology Kick Out The Jams: Jibes, Barbs, Tributes, and Rallying Cries from 35 Years of Music Writing were published, Letters To You published an extensive feature on Marsh, his writing and commentary's importance to fans of Bruce Springsteen's music, as well as of course to those interested in popular music as a whole, and its various roles in reflecting and shaping societal changes. You can click here to read our September 2023 feature. With the arrival this year of the trade-paperback edition of Kick Out The Jams , which officially becomes available today, we at Letters To You are pleased to present to our readers a special new podcast. Earlier this month, editor/publisher Shawn Poole was joined by contributing writers Greg Drew and Lisa Iannucci in recording an extensive and interesting conversation with Kick Out The Jams co-editors Daniel Wolff and Danny Alexander . For over an hour, we discussed in depth with Alexander and Wolff the latest Marsh anthology, focusing mainly on eight pieces in the anthology with strong connections to the work of Bruce Springsteen: “Elvis: The New Deal Origins of Rock ‘n’ Roll” “Dance With the Devil” “John Hammond: Remembering The Conscience of American Music” “The Death of Rock” “They Can’t Kill Rock and Roll But They’re Trying” “I Shall Be Free: The Blacklisting of the Dixie Chicks” “Greetings From New Orleans, LA” “To Set Our Souls Free” Not surprisingly, at times the conversation also veered off E Street a bit, diving deep into not just Springsteen but some of the many other artists and issues that Dave Marsh has explored in more than five decades of music-based criticism, journalism, and activism. You can hear it all on either our SoundCloud or YouTube platforms, both of which are linked below: And if you haven't done so yet, click here to order your copy of Kick Out The Jams: Jibes, Barbs, Tributes, and Rallying Cries from 35 Years of Music Writing , now available in hardcover, eBook, audio, and trade-paperback editions. We think you'll be very glad that you did. As our friend and fellow fan of both Springsteen and Marsh, Dr. Lauren Onkey , wrote in her excellent introduction to the anthology, "There’s a maturity in these pieces, a desire not to escape through the music but to use it to embrace life’s pain and complexities. It’s adult in the best sense of that word. What shines through is the belief that rock and soul and rap and pop and folk are an opportunity for possibility, for hope. Not because they offer a free ride, but because the music—and the communal experience of making and listening to the music—gives us a chance to change ourselves and our communities...In addition to turning you on to a lot of great music, I hope this collection pushes you to act. Our lives depend on it."

September 15, 2023 Today marks the 60th anniversary of the racist/terrorist bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL, a major historical event in the Civil Rights Movement. Back in 1963, September 15th fell on a Sunday morning. A pre-planted bomb had been set to explode during Sunday-morning activities at the church, which also had become one of the most important venues for Civil Rights Movement meetings and gatherings. The bomb killed four young girls - none older than fourteen - and injured almost two dozen other congregants. "Well, I was killed in 1963, one Sunday morning in Birmingham," sings Bruce Springsteen in Wrecking Ball 's closing track, "We Are Alive." Cleopatra "Cleo" Kennedy, who sang in Springsteen's 1992-93 touring band, was a key member of 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963, though fortunately she wasn't present at the church on the day of its bombing. Nevertheless, she knew the four girls who had been killed, and of course endured the pain and grief of the bombing's aftermath, along with the rest of her community. Although she was just barely out of her teens at the time, Kennedy had become a standout member of 16th Street Baptist Church's choir, often called upon to deliver solo performances in addition to singing with the choir, preparing the congregation for an inspiring sermon from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I first connected with Cleo Kennedy a little more than a decade ago, when I was a contributing writer for Backstreets.com. Thanks to my friend Dave Marsh, I already knew of Cleo's historical ties to the Civil Rights Movement and 16th Street Baptist Church. After hearing Wrecking Ball and "We Are Alive," I thought it would be great to give Cleo a chance to hear "We Are Alive" and share her reactions with our readers. Not surprisingly, Cleo found the track to be very moving and inspiring. "[It] really touched my heart," she told me. "We are still alive, after all that we have been through and all of the stuff that happened during that time. We are still alive; we're still here, and it took a lot of faith, a lot of determination, a lot of standing up... It took a lot for us to make it to this point... I was involved in the [Civil Rights] Movement and I did the whole nine yards. I went to jail, and I did it all in the course of fighting for freedom, and I don't regret anything that I did because had it not been for people doing what they did up until this point, we wouldn't be where we are now. And I don't feel like we’re totally where we should be anyway, but we're much further than where we would have been." (Click here to read my full archived 2012 Backstreets.com report.) Since that time, happily, my friendship with Cleo has grown, and I have gotten to learn so much more about her fascinating and inspirational life story. In the latter part of the 1960s, Kennedy's next-door neighbor, the legendary gospel singer Dorothy Love Coates (from whom Phil Spector and Darlene Love derived Darlene's stage-name, due to their mutual love of Coates' singing,) invited Cleo to join her group, Dorothy Love Coates & The Gospel Harmonettes. Cleo sang with the group through the early 1970s and recorded four albums with them: The Handwriting on the Wall , The Separation Line , 'Till My Change Comes , and The Winner . In the mid-1970s Cleo connected with another gospel legend, Reverend James Cleveland. He quickly made Kennedy a featured member of The James Cleveland Singers and later his Southern California Community Choir and L.A. Gospel Messengers groups. Cleveland also became a beloved mentor and friend to Cleo for the rest of his days, until his untimely death in 1991. Two decades after Cleveland died, gospel-music scholar Bob Marovich assembled and released the Grammy-nominated book/box-set The King of Gospel Music: The Life and Music of Reverend James Cleveland . Marovich interviewed Cleo Kennedy for the project, and she recalled lovingly how supportive Cleveland was when she got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the late 1970s. She had to move to L.A. for regular treatments at the UCLA Medical Center, and James Cleveland invited her to live with him and recuperate at his View Park home. "He brought me food on a tray just like he was a maid," Kennedy told Marovich. "He loved me and he treated me like a part of his family. I will never forget him for that." It also was through her work and association with James Cleveland that Cleo began to get offered gigs in the secular world of pop music. One of her earliest and most notable such jobs was singing the backing vocals on the opening and closing tracks of Ray Charles ' 1977 album True to Life : Charles' versions of "I Can See Clearly Now" and "Let It Be." Charles had heard Cleo singing on a James Cleveland recording, and specifically requested her for the recording session. As Cleo recently told me, "I was sitting in the waiting-room [of the recording studio] by myself, wondering where everybody else was and why they hadn't gotten there yet. I looked at the time and thought, 'They're supposed to be here by now, and there ain't nobody here but me.' Then, all of a sudden, Ray came out of this other room, saying, 'Are we ready yet?' I said, 'No, because the rest of them didn't come yet.' He said, 'There's no rest of them; it's just me and you, mama.' And I almost fainted. He said, 'I picked your voice out of the background [on the James Cleveland record,] and your voice was the one I wanted.' He recorded me singing soprano, then he recorded me singing alto, then he recorded me singing tenor, and then he put it all together." Cleo added to Bob Marovich in his interview with her, "There's no girls - it's all me!" Indeed, Cleo Kennedy may be one of the few singers - if not the only singer on the planet - who can lay claim to having been all of The Raelettes for a day. Both tracks were included on the 2021 box-set True Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection , and you also can hear them below: Cleo and other members of James Cleveland's groups also got to play singing peripheral characters in the original 1977 television adaptation of Roots (in a scene now available only on the Complete Original Series Blu-ray/DVD editions) and with James Brown in the 1980 Blues Brothers film. By the late 1970s, Cleo had found regular backup-vocalist work in the studio and/or on the road with popular secular artists like Graham Nash, Diana Ross, and Paul Williams. In fact, an interesting coincidental crossing of paths with her future employer, Bruce Springsteen, occurred in 1979 when she sang with Graham Nash's band during the series of MUSE "No Nukes" concerts at Madison Square Garden, where of course Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band also delivered their now-legendary performances. Both Cleo and Bruce appear, though not together, in the original 1980 No Nukes film. (An additional coincidence at those same "No Nukes" shows: Cleo's future 1992-93 Springsteen touring bandmate Bobby King sang with Ry Cooder's band during his "No Nukes" set. Bobby can't be found with Cleo and Bruce in the 1980 No Nukes film, but he can be heard on the Ry Cooder track "Little Sister" on the accompanying multi-artist No Nukes album, while Cleo can be heard there backing Graham Nash on "Cathedral," and of course Bruce can be heard there on his two tracks with the E Street Band and onstage guests Jackson Browne and Rosemary Butler. Cleo doesn't recall having any direct encounters with Bruce or Bobby King during the 1979 MUSE-concerts series.) In 1992, when Bruce Springsteen assembled a new band to tour behind his simultaneously released Human Touch and Lucky Town albums, Cleo became an invaluable member of such a great gospel-and-soul-infused group. I think that her solo spotlight on the epic outtake version of "Roll of the Dice" from Springsteen's MTV Plugged is definitely one of her all-time greatest moments. She doesn't kick into high gear until about nine minutes into an eleven-minutes-long performance, but WOW is it worth the wait! Cleo recently told me that one common trait that she believes that James Cleveland and Bruce Springsteen shared was that as bandleaders they cared deeply not just about their music, but also about their band-members. In the spring of 1993, Cleo's grandmother passed away, and she needed to take a temporary leave of absence from the tour. "I had to fly back home for the funeral and everything, and Bruce gave me an envelope with my plane-tickets in it, and put some money inside the envelope with the tickets. He said, 'If you need anything else, we're just a phone-call away. Honor your grandmother, take your time, and we'll see you when you come back.' And when I met them back on the tour, during my first show back [on May 9, 1993,] all through the show he kept yelling [off-mic, towards the backup-singers' riser] things like, 'Cleopatra, baby, we're so glad to have you back! Honey, we missed you!' He did that all through the show, and I will never forget him for doing that...telling me all that night how happy he was that I was back." Like James Cleveland, Cleo told me, "Bruce made us feel like we were a part of his family. He didn't make us feel like we were strangers. I remember one time we had finished a show, got back to the hotel, and they were having a wedding-reception in the lobby part. Bruce turned around to us all and said, 'Let's crash it!' I said to myself, 'Oh my God, he's not gonna do it,' and I started laughing because I knew he was gonna do it anyway. And of course he went up on the stage with that guitar and started singing. And those people went wild; it made their wedding reception what they wished it would be!" Cleo kept her struggles with MS relatively private, so not everyone in the 1992-93 touring organization was aware of it. At one point on the tour, however, she felt somewhat ill and didn't feel up to eating anything. "Bruce sent someone up to my room," Cleo told me, "who was to take me to get checked out at the local hospital." Cleo thought that wasn't necessary, but the person at her hotel-room door made it clear that he was expected to do what Springsteen had requested, so she complied. The hospital team determined that Cleo needed a humidifier. Cleo told me that in short order Springsteen purchased a humidifier for each and every band-member's hotel-room. "He was very considerate and very concerned like that," she said, "and just treated us like anybody would want to be treated. I will never forget him for that, and I would love to be up on the stage with him one more time for anything. I don't care if it's shortening-bread...I would be there with roller-skates on," she added with a laugh. In November 2019, Cleo's house sustained extensive damages in a fire. Fortunately neither Cleo nor anyone else was harmed physically in the fire, but she lost many of her most treasured personal mementoes, and rebuilding became extra-challenging for her once the COVID-19 pandemic began. I was honored to join with Bob Marovich, Dave Marsh, Chris Phillips, and many others in supporting a fully successful GoFundMe campaign that helped to provide Cleo with what she needed to rebuild. Cleo asked me to thank once again everyone involved and all donors for helping her in her time of need. "They don't know how they blessed my soul," she said. "I've been able to regain so much of what I've lost. With their help, I was able to get back everything that I really wanted. [The GoFundMe campaign] was a big, big blessing for me." Cleo, who continues to live in Birmingham, AL, turned 80 last spring, and her current church hosted a major birthday celebration of her life's ongoing and lasting musical, spiritual, and social-justice legacy. I was so happy and honored to be there personally to celebrate my friend's birthday with her family and other friends. And with some help from my pal Chris Phillips, I was able to provide her with a very special little birthday-gift package of Springsteen CDs and DVDs that included all of her officially released work with him to date, as well as other gospel-influenced music from Bruce's official catalog. It fully replaced and enhanced a similar set of CDs/DVDs that she had lost in the 2019 fire. I also got to make my first visits to many of the historical sites in Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma that are tied to the Civil Rights Movement, including 16th Street Baptist Church and the Edmund Pettus Bridge. It was a deeply moving and inspirational experience, of course, and one that continues to provide me with much-needed insight and hope during our current troubled days. And finally, I got to hear Cleo Kennedy sing once more, live and in person again. It had been almost thirty years since that last happened for me, and I am happy to report that she still can hit those beautiful high notes. (I've told her that if she ever does get to sing with Bruce Springsteen somewhere on stage once more, I intend to be "the first in line" to buy tickets.) She also continues to inspire, not just with her voice but also with how she's chosen consistently to live her life, remaining an extraordinarily positive force in the face of every obstacle that's ever stood or continues to stand in her way. She truly "lives it every day" and "keeps pushing 'til it's understood." And I think once more of what she told me back in 2012 after hearing "We Are Alive" for the first time: "We are still alive...we're still here, and it took a lot of faith, a lot of determination, a lot of standing up..." On this day especially, I am filled with gratitude for all of those freedom-fighters who are no longer with us physically, but whose legacy still stands with us, shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart. And I thank my friend and hero Cleo Kennedy, for standing up and continuing to do so, inspiring me and so many others to do the same.

August 14, 2024 While it's August and summer-vacation season is still in full swing along the Jersey Shore, The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University certainly ain't takin' it easy. Archives activity remains strong this month, with some post-summer Archives programming having been announced recently, as well. Speakin' of summer vacation, if you happen to find yourself on the Asbury Park boardwalk at any point this summer, you can check out the Archives' pop-up exhibit space and shop, located inside the Convention Hall complex at 1317 Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ. Officially dubbed The Springsteen Archives Asbury Park Outpost, it offers visitors a place to check out some items on rotating display from the Archives (with the current display focused on the 50th anniversary of The Stone Pony,) attend one of the various special events and programs planned for the space, and - of course - purchase some exclusive Archives merch, with profits benefiting the Archives. The Springsteen Archives Asbury Park Outpost opened in June, with plans to remain in operation all summer and through the end of the year. From now through the end of this month, you can visit the Outpost 11am-7pm Monday through Thursday, and 11am-8pm Friday through Sunday. After August, plans are in place for the Outpost to remain in operation through the rest of 2024, but on just five days each week - Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday - with specific hours for each day to be announced later. If you can't visit the Outpost in person, the Archives' recently launched online store offers another opportunity to score some exclusive Archives merch. Click here to visit the online store. There also are two special book-signing events happening at the Outpost this month: On Saturday, August 17 beginning at 2pm, you can meet author/photographer Nicki Germaine and obtain a signed copy of her book Springsteen: Liberty Hall . Click here for more information. On Saturday, August 24 beginning at 1pm, you can meet author Nick Corasaniti and obtain a signed copy of his book I Don't Want to Go Home: The Oral History of The Stone Pony . Click here for more information. Corasaniti also has been added as a special additional author this month in the Archives' ongoing Conversations With Our Curator series, in which Archives curator Melissa Ziobro holds an online conversation with one or more authors, followed by an audience Q&A session. Registration to attend any of these online events (via Zoom) is free and open to the public. The conversation with Corasaniti will take place on Wednesday, August 28, beginning at 7pm ET. The Archives recently announced Conversations With Our Curator online events for September, October, and November, as well, featuring authors Kenneth Campbell & Kenneth Womack, Steven Hyden, and Letters To You contributor Caroline Madden. Click here for more information - including Zoom registration links - for all upcoming online Conversations With Our Curator events. And click here to view the Archives' Conversations with our Curator   YouTube playlist for all past conversations. Finally, some tickets still remain available for the Archives-hosted - and co-presented with the Spring-Nuts Facebook group - solo benefit concert by Adam Weiner of Low Cut Connie , taking place at Monmouth University's Pollak Theatre on Saturday August 24 at 8pm. All tickets are general admission (individually seated) and cost only $25 each, with proceeds from the concert benefiting the Archives, Fulfill Monmouth & Ocean Counties , and TeachRock . Click here for more information, and to purchase tickets for the Adam Weiner solo benefit concert.

August 9, 2024 EDITOR'S NOTE: London-based journalist and Letters To You contributor Herpreet Grewal attended both of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's concerts on July 25 and 27 at London's Wembley Stadium, wrapping up their 2024 Tour's European leg, with the next North American leg of the tour scheduled to kick off next week in Pittsburgh, PA. We're pleased to present below Herpreet's reflections on both of London's shows, accompanied by the superb photography of   René van Diemen . Night 1 - 25 July, 2024 It’s a bit surreal going to a Bruce Springsteen show on a weekday work night. Usually I am queuing for days or combining a holiday with a tour stop. I got to Wembley Stadium twenty minutes before he took to the stage. Oddly, as I rushed through the turnstiles I bumped into a friend who was sitting in the exact same section as me, albeit ten rows apart. Halfway through the show, I saw him standing on the pitch and wondered how he had got there. He later told me he’d left the show to do the roll call for the second show's queue, and had to buy a second ticket to re-enter the gig after he was done! I was flabbergasted at the latest queue politics; apparently this has been the norm recently in the U.S., as well as in Europe. It made me even more glad to have a no-stress seat ticket. As soon as Bruce bellowed an enthusiastic greeting to London, he got right down to business, launching into "Lonesome Day." "Seeds," a dark tale - featured on Springsteen’s Live/1975-85 collection - of a homeless man looking for work and trying to care for his family, was next. The gig’s seamless and fiery start only built as the show went on, with Bruce’s full-throated affirmations of “London!!” in between "My Love Will Not Let You Down," "No Surrender," "Ghosts," "Letter to You," and "The Promised Land." But it was during "Hungry Heart" that crowd participation went up several notches, with the approximately 90,000-strong audience singing the entire first verse, leading Bruce to make several approving sounds. Performer and audience were in sync.  It was exactly the right moment for Bruce to take a spiritual temperature check in his preacher-like way. As the band segued into "Spirit in the Night," Bruce roared, “Can you feel the spirit? I want you to answer! Let me see your hands!” Then we got the existential and pensive chain of "Reason to Believe," "Atlantic City," "Youngstown" - as politically relevant today as they were decades ago when they were written - and then "Long Walk Home," which he said was a “prayer for my country." The mood became lighter and more party-like with "The E Street Shuffle," which spotlighted the differing drum and percussion talents of Max Weinberg and Anthony Almonte. This was perfectly followed by the most popular soul cover from the Only the Strong Survive album: "Nightshift." The two upbeat tracks led into a majestic "Racing in the Street," which had hundreds of people holding up their phones as torches while dusk started to fall, truly creating the peak enchanted moment of the show. "Last Man Standing" was next, preceded by the always touchingly told story of Bruce’s late former bandmate George Theiss. Many speak about how grief has been on Bruce’s mind recently, and no doubt it has been, since he lost his mother only this year, but he was also talking like this at shows ten years ago when dealing with the deaths of bandmates Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici. It’s a fact of life that you lose people as you age. The magic of Springsteen is always in embracing this lesson, even before these more explicit explorations of grief and death in his own life. As he says, death gives life a clarity and “grief is the price we pay for having loved well." Unlike the show in Dublin, though, his meditation on death was shorter, which made the show slightly less somber and more balanced but without lacking any of the depth. "Backstreets" and "Because the Night" were next. (I wondered if Patti Smith, who is also on tour at the moment, had been in London this weekend instead of last weekend, if she would have joined him on stage.) "She’s the One," "Wrecking Ball," and "The Rising" segued into "Badlands" in a powerhouse quartet of songs. The usual show-finishers such as "Thunder Road" followed, which also included an audience singalong of the entire first verse with Bruce cooing as it happened, softening him into the idealistic "Land of Hope and Dreams" and the communal jamboree of "Born to Run," "Bobby Jean," "Dancing in the Dark," "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," and "Twist and Shout." He brought the crowd back to earth (and mortality) with "I’ll See You In My Dreams," an uplifting paean (as is the rock ‘n’ roll way) to loss, with hope we will see our loved ones once again. As Bruce was left by himself on stage with his acoustic guitar to sing the bittersweet number, night had fallen and so had a hush, but peoples’ phone-torches were out again, lighting up Wembley like fireflies in the dark. There was definitely magic in the night, right until the end. Night 2 - 27 July, 2024 The last show of the European leg had more of a relaxed, post-working-week feel. Maybe Bruce was feeling that vibe as he came out and greeted the crowd. “ Hello, London! It’s Saturday night! ” he bellowed, before kicking off with "Lonesome Day," just like on Night 1. I was attending with a friend who was seeing Bruce for the first time, so it was certainly interesting to see some aspects of the show through the eyes of a more recent fan. My friend pointed to some of the band members as they came on stage at the start, asking if one of the women was Patti Scialfa. I said "No," and explained that she hasn’t been on this tour much. Bruce’s choice to play a double-whammy from the Darkness on the Edge of Town album, "Candy’s Room" and "Adam Raised A Cain," sent me into a frenzy. His guitar work on the latter was especially passionate and powerful. Those early songs are imprinted on the band. "Death To My Hometown" and "The Promised Land" were next, followed by another "Hungry Heart" with strong audience participation, but the timing and spontaneity were not as impeccable as the first night.  After "Darlington County," Bruce announced, “What better treat on a Saturday night than to have the entire E Street Band with Patti Scialfa," and then she appeared, almost like out of nowhere, wearing a sparkly black top and ready to sing "Tougher Than the Rest" with her husband. I turned to my friend to say what a surprise her appearance was; she hadn’t been onstage with the band for months. Her presence brought a tangible, heartfelt softness to the rendition, which they both performed standing face-to-face, almost touching, with the microphone stand between them. Some fans said she looked like she had missed him, and the tender hugs and kisses held this observation to be true. After the soulful performance, and with one more kiss and hug, she left the stage. Bruce launched into "Darkness on the Edge of Town," "Youngstown," and "Long Walk Home," a trio slightly different from the first night’s show, but still powerful and with the same political message. "Youngstown" spotlighted a fierce Nils guitar solo to screams and applause. I have to mention that I had been sitting in the deaf section, and I was amazed at the energy of the two women using sign language. They were almost as energetic as Bruce, as they took turns signing the intricate Springsteen lyrics. I’d never seen that at a show before. "The E Street Shuffle," "Nightshift," "Mary’s Place," "The River," "Last Man Standing," "Backstreets," "Because the Night," "She’s the One," "Wrecking Ball," "The Rising," "Badlands," and "Thunder Road" followed in the standard barnstorming way. Before he started to play "Last Man Standing," Bruce gave his usual rap about the nature of death and the meaning of life using the memory of late friend George Theiss, with whom he was in his first band, The Castiles. That band lasted for three years. "For teenagers, that’s pretty incredible,” Bruce noted, as he often does. Then came something not usually stated so explicitly, though clearly heartfelt and lived up to at every single show. “Now the E Street Band... We’ve been here for fifty fuckin’ years!” The crowd applauded, to which Springsteen quickly responded, “And we ain’t going to quit, either!”   A friend had told me "Jungleland" had been on the setlist for Thursday but was not played, so it was expected on the second night. During Saturday night, a core contingent of diehard fans in the pit started chanting for it and Bruce reportedly said, “Okay!" But it never came, and instead we got "Born in the U.S.A." in that slot. Springsteen was visibly more tired than Thursday night, and this was later confirmed by those close enough to see his face. (Perhaps having more than just one day off between shows, which has been the case for most of the 2024 touring schedule and seems to have had an overall positive impact, should be "the new normal" moving forward.) As a result, on Night 2 he played a somewhat shorter show and one less song than Night 1. It also was not quite as flowing and majestic, but still a great show with amazing surprises. And that "we ain't going to quit" moment was priceless. All photos by René van Diemen; used with permission. Connect with René on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter/X , and/or via email .

August 8, 2024 Last night, two weeks before he's scheduled to visit Philadelphia for his own two-show stand with the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen was in the City of Brotherly Love as a special surprise guest at Zach Bryan's final Philly show in 2024. Springsteen first appeared as a surprise guest at one of Bryan's concerts last March, in Brooklyn, NY, where they performed a live version of "Sandpaper," Bryan's then-unreleased song that he later issued as a studio version featuring Springsteen on his latest album just last month . This time around, Bryan and Springsteen performed together one of Springsteen's compositions: "Atlantic City," live at the Philadelphia Eagles' football stadium (with Bryan sporting an Eagles shirt) in South Philly, no less, not very far from where mobster Phillip "The Chicken Man" Testa was killed back in 1981, inspiring the song's opening lines. They then performed "Sandpaper" together, as they did together in Brooklyn last March. Later in the show, also just as he did last March, Springsteen returned to the stage to join Bryan, his band, and their other special guests - who last night were The Lumineers and Shane Gillis - for Bryan's standard show-closer "Revival," delivered to the Philly audience in an epic lotsa-solo-spotlights version which also was accompanied by fireworks. Fan-shot YouTube videos of "Atlantic City," "Sandpaper," and "Revival" are embedded below:

August 5, 2024 Yesterday TeachRock launched another surprise pop-up raffle for a pair of tickets to its special August 22 Thom Zimny-hosted Stories From The Road fundraising event in Asbury Park, NJ . And this time around, the pot is sweetened with two GA tix to see Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band perform on the Asbury Park beach at Sea.Hear.Now 2024 on September 15 , as well! The Stories From The Road tickets aren't just any old pair of tickets, either. The raffle winner will be seated at the table of the E Street Choir's own Curtis King, Jr. Curtis also will have some extra goodies on hand to present personally to the winner and their guest: two signed copies of Nicki Germaine's Springsteen: Liberty Hall book and a promise to have a video-chat with Curtis at a later date. Every $25 donation to TeachRock made between now and tomorrow, Tuesday August 6, at 11:59 a.m. ET will score you a chance to win this awesome prize package. And if you donate $100 or more at one time, every $20 of your donation scores you a chance to win. Click here to donate/enter , and here for your easy reference are all of the important details... Each donation is an opportunity to receive: 2 seated tickets for the Stories From the Road Event at the Asbury Lanes, August 22, 2024 2 GA @ Sea.Hear.Now Tickets for Sunday, September 15, 2024 2 signed Springsteen: Liberty Hall books by Nicki Germaine 1 Video call chat with Curtis King, Jr. Enter as often as you wish until 11:59 a.m. ET, Tuesday, August 6, 2024. Please note: This package does not include meet and greets or photo lines with any E Street Band Members. Winner will be notified sometime after 12:00 p.m. ET on August 6, 2024. Packages are non-transferable. Packages do not include parking. Must be 21 years old to attend. Click here to enter now , and good luck!

July 4, 2024 Now here's some MUCH more positive and uplifting Stevie Van Zandt-/Independence Day-related news! As per the official announcement , on August 22, 2024 in Asbury Park, NJ, there will be a VERY special benefit event for TeachRock . Here are all of the known details, directly from the official TeachRock announcement: In celebration of Independence Day, we have a special event announcement to share! Film director Thom Zimny will moderate TeachRock's 2024 marquee benefit event, showing never before seen videos of the E Street Band and discussing stories from the road with band members. All funds raised support TeachRock's programs. Stories From the Road, Main Event: Asbury Lanes, 7pm Pictures From the Road, Pre-event: Stone Pony, 4:30pm SPACE IS LIMITED. FOR TABLE RESERVATIONS AND SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION CONTACT MICHAEL-ANN HADERS, MICHAEL@TEACHROCK.ORG CLOSED TO PRESS. THIS WILL BE A PHONE-FREE EVENT, SECURITY BAGS WILL BE SUPPLIED UPON ARRIVAL. Tix are expensive, for sure, but if you and/or your group can afford it, this promises to be a very special evening indeed, with super-rare footage, beautiful photography, and personal memories shared directly by key E Street Band members... all in support of a great cause, of course. Here for your easy reference are the various ticket-purchase options and levels, including the benefits associated with each level, again directly from the official TeachRock announcement : $25,000 The First Song Sponsor Acknowledgment from the stage Logo placements on all promotional materials 6 Guests / private table 6 Guests - private Tour Photography Reception A Signed Pam Springsteen or Rob DeMartin Print 3 Personally Signed Nicki Germaine Springsteen: Liberty Hall Books Ask a Question to E Street Open Bar and Snacks for you and your guests $10,000 The Audible Sponsor Acknowledgment from the stage Logo placements on all promotional materials 4 Guests / private table 4 Guests - private Tour Photography Reception A Signed Pam Springsteen or Rob DeMartin Print 2 Personally Signed Nicki Germaine Springsteen: Liberty Hall Books Open Bar and Snacks for you and your guests $5,000 The Melody Sponsor Acknowledgment from the stage Logo placements on all promotional materials 2 Guests / private table 2 Guests - private Tour Photography Reception A Signed Pam Springsteen or Rob DeMartin Print 1 Personally Signed Nicki Germaine Springsteen: Liberty Hall Books Open Bar and Snacks for you and your guests $2,000 The Last Song Sponsor Acknowledgment from the stage Logo placements on all promotional materials 2 Guests / private table A Signed Pam Springsteen or Rob DeMartin Print 1 Personally Signed Nicki Germaine Springsteen: Liberty Hall Books Open Bar and Snacks for you and your guests $500 The Encore Supporter Logo placements on all promotional materials 1 Guest / Seated A Pam Springsteen or Rob DeMartin Photo Again, for all ticket-purchases, table-reservations, and sponsorship information, please email TeachRock's Michael-Ann Haders at this address: michael@teachrock.org [behind-the-scenes images from the 2024 tour's current European leg by Rob DeMartin; used with permission]