U N C L E *B R U C E* S P R I N G S T E E N *

BRUCE AND HIS HANDSOME FRIEND
Last night in Red Bank, Jackson Browne played a benefit show for Terry Magovern's ALS charity (Joan Dancy and P.A.L.S.). No points for guessing who showed up as a special guest. At the intimate Two River Theatre, after a lengthy acoustic set (including "I Am a Patriot," "Late for the Sky," "In the Shape of a Heart," and "The Pretender") Browne was joined by his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductor, Bruce Springsteen, for two songs: "Running on Empty," and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?"

The pair also performed together the previous night, even more low-key, when Springsteen was on hand for a World Hunger Year benefit dinner honoring Browne and Jon Landau Management. For a little music at the end of the night, Springsteen joined in on Harry Chapin's "Circle," grabbing a guitar and strumming along.
-June 13, 2007

James Gandolfini told the Daily News in Friday's edition that he had "no idea" what to think was to happen to his character, the emotionally tortured mob boss and suburban dad Tony Soprano, after the hit series' final episode closed Sunday with an abrupt cut to a blank screen.

"You have to ask ("The Sopranos" creator) David Chase that. Smarter minds than mine know the answer to that," Gandolfini said. "I thought it was a great ending. You decide."

The screen went black and silent as Gandolfini's character and his family sat down to dinner, leaving fans guessing - and some complaining - about the ending's meaning or lack thereof.

Some have suggested that the movements of a man in the background portended a "Godfather"-style shooting. Others surmised that the show, which delved deeply into the domestic life of its mobster protagonist, was simply ending on an everyday note. Chase has declined to explain.

Several of Gandolfini's cast mates echoed his praise for the show's open-ended conclusion.

"A conventional ending would have been a fraud," Steven Van Zandt, who played Silvio, told the Daily News.

"Life doesn't have tidy little endings," said Van Zandt, a member of rocker Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. "Even some great songs just fade out like the last episode of 'The Sopranos."'

awesome compilation

if i had to make a criticism ( how can we when it comes to bruce )

i would have added a couple of more Seeger Sessions Band tracks, and maybe another " Ghost Of Tom Joad " and " Nebraska " tracks.

other then that , very nice mix !

from Backstreets

great news :

News updated June 23, 2007

NEWLY ENTERED INTO EVIDENCE
Amid (and perhaps belying?) rumors that a new record is already complete, the Atlanta sightings continue: as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, Springsteen and producer Brendan O'Brien took were spotted out on Thursday night, catching a show by The Nightwatchman (A.K.A. Tom Morello) at Smith's Olde Bar. (O'Brien also produced Morello's new acoustic record, The Nightwatchman's One Man Revolution.)

And for exhibit B, on the tour side of things, tomorrow's Minneapolis Star Tribune features good news from longtime music critic Jon Bream: "Look for... Bruce Springsteen in the Twin Cities in the fall."
-June 23, 2007

from Backstreets

News updated June 30, 2007

GOES TO SHOW YOU NEVER CAN TELL
Bruce Springsteen: wedding singer. Not an unjust alternate universe, but the scene Thursday night, as Bruce joined the Hank Lane-affiliated Jeff Lubin Band for two songs. People.com reports:

Guests at a private wedding at Florentine Gardens in River Vale, NJ, got a big treat recently: An impromptu (and YouTube worthy) performance by Bruce Springsteen. The Boss, a friend of the couple, jumped up on stage with Hank Lane Music – yes, the wedding band – strapped on a guitar and performed his song "If I Should Fall Behind." He then stayed up to join in for the Chuck Berry classic "C'Est La Vie," trading solos with the band's saxophonist and keyboardist. After his star turn onstage, Springsteen and his wife hit the dancefloor together.

Elaborating on that last sentence is a report on the Hank Lane website(where the above photo comes from): "The Boss could later be seen on the dance floor enjoying himself as the Jeff Lubin Band cranked out pop/rock classics such as John 'Cougar' Mellencamp's 'Hurts So Good' and Bon Jovi's 'Living on a Prayer.'" On second thought, maybe this was an alternate universe.
-June 30, 2007

from http://www.backstreets.com news


THEY REPORT. WE CLARIFY. WE CAREFULLY AVOID MAKING ANY PRONOUNCEMENT WHATSOEVER. YOU DECIDE.
Adding to the chatter about an impending Springsteen album is today's report from Fox News' Roger Friedman: "Bruce Springsteen to Release New E Street Band Album in Fall." We should point out that, despite the headline, there has been no official announcement, and this has yet to be confirmed as a sure thing. That said, Friedman's tentative scenario has a definite ring of truth, consistent with what we've been hearing from other sources. Friedman writes:

...The Boss, as we still call him, is apparently planning a new album for release in late fall. Some sources insist that this will be an E Street Band album, and not another side project like the "Seeger Sessions" or a solo collection of introspective songs....

Sources tell me that tracks have been recorded with the group, and that the hope among Bruce insiders is that he will choose their project over several others he may have cooking.

"You never know," one observer said, "but it's looking better and better."

Sony insiders definitely confirmed in the last few days that Springsteen is scheduled to release new music before the end of the year....

Thing is, it's still too early to say what's going to happen, which is why we do our best to separate rumor from fact before making any solid assertions here on Backstreets.com. For instance, let's say we had suggested in June that Springsteen and a particular house-rocking, nerve-shocking, earth-quaking, history-making band would be starting a tour in Europe in October; and then as of July, we began hearing that the plan had changed: that we were now looking at a barnstorming tour of the U.S. instead (a la the beginning of the Rising tour) in October and November, before heading to Europe for a few dates in December? When plans are still in flux, better for us to avoid such talk altogether.

Or in terms of this new record: Fox reports that "tracks have been recorded," which is true. But if one were to clarify and posit that an album isn't done yet, that Springsteen will really be getting down to business in the studio later this month, after a quick trip to Europe next week for Patti Scialfa to do some advance European press for her new album, would that suck some of the exciting certainty out of Fox's headline? And who wants to spoil that fun, especially if it's likely true even if nowhere near set in stone? Friedman mentions a "late fall" release... what if we'd heard early October? Say, October 2? Is that "late fall"? Do these jibe? Is it too early to say? Surely it is. So we'll keep our mouths shut, keep our ears to the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.
-July 10, 2007

ledvedderman wrote:

Wow I really hope it's another E Street album/tour. I've never seen them live and am dying to.

You do an awesome job on this thread, it comes in quite handy. Thanks.

the question is various mebers having different conflicts, a world tour is probably at this juncture not happening, back and forth across the pond, then a barnstorming US tour is more likely,

The Big Man has a few issues, from a detached retina and bi lateral hip replacements- its not easy being the big man - or holding up the big man and blowing the horns ! !


what i always look forward to is the reharearsal shows at convention hall down at asbury park - one advantage of geographical proximity !

heres a little something- you get the idea,
this place is like a gymnasium-= epic shows at this venue. and yeah i was at this today show thing - out in the sand on the beach- it was like 1000 degrees at 6 am .

Lonesome Day

theres speculation over at BTX that The Boss may close down Yankee Stadium in the summer of 2008 with an E Street Band Tour !


othger new news :

BRUCE PRAISES "UNDERRATED POWER POP MASTERS"
They're berry good.
Springsteen has mentioned the band before in shout-outs from the concert stage, but evidence of his admiration for 1970's power pop icons the Raspberries has now been confirmed in print. The band is primed to release Raspberries Live On Sunset Strip on July 31, and Springsteen has contributed to the liner notes:

"...they are THE great underrated power pop masters. Their best records are as fun and sound as fresh today as when they were released. Soaring choruses, Beach Boys harmonies over crunchy Who guitars, lyrics simultaneously innocent, lascivious, and all about sex, sex, sex continue to make an unbeatable combination. "Go All The Way," "I Wanna Be With You," "Let's Pretend," "Tonight," all still deliver on their three minutes of promised ecstasy, while "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" still raises the hair on your arms and should go down as one of the great mini-rock opera masterpieces of all time."

-July 16, 2007 - report by Marvin Matthews



ANOTHER LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS
Out now in the U.K., Sarfraz Manzoor's new book will be of interest to Springsteen fans, as you'd guess from the title: Greetings From Bury Park. Subtitled Race, Religion, and Rock 'n' Roll, it's a memoir of a Pakistani Muslim -- and a devoted Springsteen fan, which is no small part of his story -- growing up in Britain. A review in The Guardian observes: "...since 7/7 there seems to be a greater urgency to comprehend the particular challenges for British Muslims, and the conflicts they face between traditional and western lifestyles. In this aptly-timed memoir, it is Bruce Springsteen's lyrics that provide a route into that territory." Check out another review in The Observer, and Manzoor's blog is here. It'll be a few more months before the book is published in the States; here it is at Amazon.co.uk.
-July 16, 2007




BACK ON THE BLOCK
As they did last year, the National Priorities Project is auctioning a print of this beautiful Annie Leibovitz photograph of Springsteen in 1999, previously seen in her book, American Music. Up for auction on eBay beginning on Thursday, it's a large (20" x 24"), limited edition print (Artist Proof #6), signed by the photographer, and valued at $5,500. The auction will run from 5 p.m. Thursday, July 19 to 5 p.m. Sunday July 29. Watch this space for a link once the auction starts.

The photograph was taken on September 20, 1999, backstage at the First Union Center in Philadelphia (show #3 of the 6 nights in Philly). Clearly visible is the previous night's setlist, to ensure the requisite setlist changes from night to night. At the moment captured, Bruce had only written that night's list up to "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out." The guitar he's holding and book of songs he's looking at suggest that he's deciding -- at that very moment -- what to play in the famous "post-Tenth" slot in the setlist, often the biggest setlist surprise on any given night... Philly got "Back in Your Arms" that night.
-July 16, 2006