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September 17, 2009
‘The Boss’ Heading For The Break Room
It seems as though we’ve been seeing reviews of Springsteen & Co. shows for the past couple of years, and I suppose that’s because they have spent a great deal of time on the road during that time. There’s no question they they are a 
hard-working band and have succeeded in delighting fans with their live shows throughout North America and Europe.
Nearing the end of their current tour, which – according to guitarist Steven Van Zandt – could be their last, the group plans to take some time off. That “could be the last tour” language is something we’ve heard from other groups comprised of aging rockers. Considering the recent spell of health-related problems that plagued Aerosmith recently and caused them to cancel their tour, it’s understandable that some of these veteran groups are leaving their options open and making no secret of it.
During a recent conference call, Van Zandt didn’t sound certain about the length of the break the group is planning to take, and, as mentioned previously, whether or not the break will become permanent.
“I don’t know how long, one year, year-and-a-half, two years off. This is a good time to see us. We may not be as pretty, [but] we seem to be getting better in funny ways. You never know. This could be be the last tour. We do every show like it’s our last show anyway,” Van Zandt said.
Fans still have a chance to catch Springsteen and his band mates live if they snag tickets to one of the upcoming shows – some of which have yet to go on sale.
There’s still a bit of work left for the group to finish up, including five dates at the famed Giants Stadium in their home state of New Jersey, as well as shows in Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C. among others.
More information is available at Live Daily.
March 24, 2009
E Street Guitarist Lashes Out At Primal Scream
As Scottish rockers Primal Scream were finishing up a performance at the South By South-West festival in Austin, they probably did not expect the storm of criticism that was about to hit them like a Texas twister.
E Street guitarist Steve Van Zandt spoke in rather unkind terms about the group during a question and answer session that touched on the topic of bands from the U.K. and the difficulties they have making a name for themselves in the U.S. these days.
Van Zandt, also known for his role in the highly-acclaimed HBO series The Sopranos, cited Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie’s alleged drug addiction as the reason that the group refused an offer to join Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band on an upcoming tour consisting of 20 shows.
Van Zandt obviously thinks highly of Primal Scream’s creative ability, calling one of their albums “one of the greatest records in ten years", and seemed to badly want them to back Springsteen and Co. on tour. An opportunity which Van Zandt probably saw as a way for them to garner more recognition in the U.S. market, saying that they “could be the biggest band in the world.”
Having mentioned that he had tried to get Primal Scream to come over to the U.S. several times, Van Zandt had apparently reached the point where he felt strongly enough to publicly vent his frustrations over his failed attempts to lure the group over for some work in America.
In an ironic twist, it was the group’s manager that actually talked Van Zandt out of the notion of including his clients as a backing act on tour. The E Street guitarist seemed incredulous regarding their inability to do 20 shows, adding, “Come on, man. We do 20 shows a month.”
Now the waiting game begins. Will this be another public back-and-forth like we witnessed with the recently-reconciled Def Leppard-Poison spat, or might the boys from Primal Scream simply ignore it.
For more on this story, check out the Daily Record.
June 26, 2008
Springsteen Extends Tour While Exclusive SIRIUS Channel Endures
Currently on tour in Europe, Bruce Springsteen, affectionately known as “The Boss” by his loyal fans, has decided to treat more of the stateside faithful to some additional tour dates when Springsteen and his E Street Band return.
Promoting their most recent album, Magic, the group’s current tour has so far grossed $84 million and packed in more than 800,000 fans. The new album has so far sold more than a million copies.
More good news for Springsteen fans comes from satellite radio broadcaster SIRIUS, which has recently announced that “E Street Radio” will continue to air until at least mid-2009. SIRIUS reports that fan demand had influenced their decision to continue with the commercial-free channel that features music, interviews and news exclusively devoted to Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band.
Upon their return to the United States, the group has the following dates on their tour agenda:
July 27-28, 31 – East Rutherford, NJ – Giants Stadium
August 2 -Foxboro, MA – Gillette Stadium
August 15 – Jacksonville, FL – Veterans Memorial Coliseum
August 16 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Coliseum
August 18 – Richmond, VA – Richmond Coliseum
August 19 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
August 21 – Nashville, TN – Sommet Center
August 23 – St. Louis, MO – Scottrade Center
August 24 – Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
August 30 – Milwaukee, WI – Harley Davidson 105th Anniversary Festival
April 18, 2008
E Street Band Keyboardist Loses Battle With Cancer
It’s being reported that E Street Band keyboard player Danny Federici has lost his battle with melanoma. He passed away at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City after fighting the disease for the past three years.
After a long personal and working relationship, Bruce Springsteen had the following to say about Federici: "Danny and I worked together for 40 years – he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much…we grew up together."
Although they did not realize it at the time, Springsteen fans in attendance at the Indianapolis show on March 20 saw Federici’s last performance with Springsteen and the E Street Band when he joined them on stage for a surprise appearance.
The Springsteen shows scheduled for Friday in Ft. Lauderdale and Saturday in Orlando are being postponed. New dates for those shows will be announced soon.
Danny Federici was 58 years old.
