Bruce Springsteen To Bid Giants Stadium Farewell

Bruce Springsteen To Bid Giants Stadium Farewell

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will play three shows at Giants Stadium in New Jersey this fall before the arena is torn down, the Boss announced onstage last night (May 21) at a concert at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ.

The shows will take place on Sept. 30 and October 2 and 3, Springsteen announced at his concert tonight. Tickets go on sale June 1, according to a flyer distributed following the gig.

Springsteen and his band have been digging deep into their catalog this tour playing a number of rare tracks and fan favorites, as well as as selection of cover songs, each night. Thursday was no exception, with the band pulling out gems like “Rosalita,” “I’m Going Down,” “Growin’ Up” and “Jungleland” to the delight of the home-state crowd.

Springsteen’s current North American jaunt wraps up Saturday night at the Izod Center, and a European tour begins the following week.  The band will return to the U.S. in June to headline the Bonnaroo festival IN Manchester, Tennessee during a break in the European trek. Further U.S. dates have been expected, but tonight’s announcement was the first confirmation of an actual venue and dates.

Born to Cheat? No Way, Says Bruce Springsteen

Born to Cheat? No Way, Says Bruce Springsteen

The Boss is no homewrecker.

Bruce Springsteen has spoken out about being named the other man in a New Jersey man’s divorce filing, denying—just as he did when the first round of affair allegations popped up three years ago—any infidelity against his wife of nearly two decades, Patti Scialfa.

A rep for the “Thunder Road” rocker told the New Jersey Star-Ledger that the singer stands by a statement he issued on his website in August 2006.

“Patti and I have been together for 18 years—the best 18 years of my life,” he wrote then—and reiterates now. “We have built a beautiful family we love and want to protect and our commitment to one another remains as strong as the day we were married.”

In other words, the only place Springsteen’s crotch has been that it shouldn’t recently is in high definition on millions of TV screens.

“I hesitate to use this website for anything personal believing it should remain a place where fans of my music can come free of the distractions that occasionally arise with the rest of my job,” the nearly three-year-old message continues.

“However, due to the unfounded and ugly rumors that have appeared in the papers over the last few days, I felt they shouldn’t pass without comment.”

This time around, those rumors were sparked by a March 27 divorce filing by a man named Arthur Kelly, who alleged in court papers that his estranged wife of 17 years, Ann C. Kelly, “has committed adultery with one Bruce Springsteen…at various times and places too numerous to mention.”

While the news was grabbing headlines yesterday, Springsteen, the consummate pro, made no mention of the brewing brouhaha at a concert last night in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler

Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler - The title song from the Oscar winning movie “The Wrestler” is starting to get some buzz due to the movie. It’s got some great lyrics, but I can’t really see it becoming a huge hit. 7/10

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Bruce Springsteen opens tour with flawed but rousing show

Bruce Springsteen opens tour with flawed but rousing show

Opening nights drum up any number of feelings: anticipation, nervousness, optimism, trepidation. But mostly they are a peek at what’s to come, and Bruce Springsteen and company made a statement Wednesday night: Maybe we ain’t that young anymore, but we can still bring it.

The first show of the new tour, at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, certainly wasn’t flawless; in fact, there was plenty to grumble about, from a cut-and-paste set list to Springsteen’s surprising lack of interaction with the crowd. But it provided enough moments of sheer rock ‘n’ roll glee to offset any shortcomings.

When they’re clicking, Springsteen and the E Street Band are among rock’s greatest live acts. Still, some of the elements that traditionally have separated them from the pack were missing Wednesday: For one, Springsteen didn’t offer any of those legendary tall tales of his misspent youth — or really any other chatter. That was curious and frustrating.

There was the usual pre-encore plea to support the local food bank, which supports “people who have fallen out of the middle class.” But if there ever was a time to expect a good ol’ political rant, it’s this tour. And the absence had to be a conscious decision, as was leaving “The Rising” off the set list. “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day”? Sure, we all are, but a call to action is more likely to resonate than “everything’ll be OK.”

In fact, there was no mention of the recession during the main set, but Springsteen showed that it’s on his mind with one bracing three-song run. He fairly spat out the bitter “Seeds” — the night’s big set-list surprise — and wrapped it with an intense, angry guitar solo; “Johnny 99,” among Springsteen’s most pliant songs, this time got a rollicking roadhouse workup; and a poignant, full-band delivery of “The Ghost of Tom Joad” drove its point home. The band later began the encore with a stirring take on Stephen Foster’s “Hard Times Come Again No More,” written in 1854.

Springsteen is a master of pacing — knowing exactly when to play a Big One or a new one. And the half-dozen tracks from the current “Working on a Dream” were positioned for maximum effectiveness with minimal intrusion.

But therein lies another bump in the roadshow. Springsteen’s new album lacks the memorable material that fuels anticipation for a tour. “The Wrestler” was the only new song that made any real connection — despite Springsteen’s efforts during “Good Eye,” with its gimmicky vocal distortion.

The polarizing new track “Outlaw Pete” came early. The odd “Jungleland” wannabe — with its tempo shifts, false ending and epic aspirations — came off a little better than on the album, but it’s not the live beast he seems to want it to be. New one “My Lucky Day” followed, with its choppy, familiar melody and a nuance-swatting five guitarists.

The crowd, ranging from pre-K to post-401(k), predictably ate up what they knew and politely applauded what they didn’t. Springsteen’s trademark monosyllabic sing-alongs got them involved as always, likely because they were eager for that communal, revival-like experience that long has been the hallmark of his concerts.

Meanwhile, the E Street Big Band — bulked up to 10 these days, plus two backup singers, worked hard, melding songs nonstop for the first 50 minutes. Soon-to-be-”Tonight Show” drummer Max Weinberg hasn’t lost a step, which meant everyone else had to keep up. That said, “Out in the Street” was a little slow, but the rendition of “Born to Run” — usually a beat or two behind in concert — was one of the most memorable in years as the band drove the song rather than simply riding it. It was a surprise highlight.

As Springsteen stares at 60 this year — and we should all look so good at that age — his legacy is secure. There’s really no need to dedicate almost 40 percent of his set list to post-2000 songs. But that’s a quibble when he and the band continue to deliver onstage.

Bruce Springsteen - Working On A Dream

Bruce Springsteen - Working On A Dream - Probably the best track off his new album. Should do very well as a single. 8/10

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Bruce Springsteen to headline UK’s Glastonbury festival

Bruce Springsteen will headline this year’s Glastonbury music festival, organizers said on Monday.

The 59-year-old rock star, who recently released his 24th album “Working on a Dream,” has already announced a 47-date world tour starting on April 1 in California.

“He’s one of the all-time rock legends and I’m confident that this will be one of our best shows ever,” said Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis.

Last year’s headliner, U.S. hip-hop star Jay-Z, was a hit with fans despite criticism of the choice.

Tickets for this year’s festival, which will take place before more than 150,000 people on a dairy farm in southwest England at the end of June, are already sold out.

Ticketmaster Responds To Bruce Springsteen, Fans

Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff has responded to the Bruce Springsteen camp in an “open letter of apology to Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau and the entire Springsteen Tour Team.”

The Springsteen camp stated on Brucespringsteen.net that it was “furious” fans had been directed to Ticketmaster’s secondary site TicketsNow when regularly priced seats were still available. Ticketmaster’s stance is that fans were only redirected when their specific ticket request could not be met.

Rather than acknowledging any “conflict of interest” as was expressed by Springsteen’s withering online post, Ticketmaster admits it could have handled the matter better.

“While we were genuinely trying to do the right thing for fans in providing more choices when the tickets they requested from the primary on-sale were not available, we clearly missed the mark,” Azoff says in the response. “Fans are confused and angry, which is the opposite of what we hoped to accomplish. We sincerely apologize to Bruce, his organization and, above all, his fans.”

“We recognize that we need to change our course,” Azoff continues. “We have committed to Bruce and state publicly here that we have taken down all links for Bruce’s shows directing fans from Ticketmaster to TicketsNow. This redirection only occurred as a choice when we could not satisfy fans’ specific search request for primary ticket inventory, but to make sure there is no misunderstanding in the future, we also publicly state that we will never again link to TicketsNow in a manner that can possibly create any confusion during a high-demand on-sale.

“Specifically, we will not present an option to go to TicketsNow from Ticketmaster without the consent of the artist and the venue, both of whom work together to bring the joy of live entertainment to millions of fans.”

Saying that fans won’t be linked to TicketsNow as before is not an insignificant move, as Ticketmaster has positioned TicketsNow to compete with the dominant players in the secondary market.

Furthermore, Azoff says Ticketmaster will refund the difference between the face value and resale value for any fan that “inadvertently purchased tickets in the resale marketplace believing in error they were purchasing from the initial on-sale.” He adds, “Please don’t abuse this good faith gesture — we did not give brokers any preferential access to tickets.”

Bruce Springsteen says he’s `furious’ with Ticketmaster

Bruce Springsteen said Wednesday he is angry with Ticketmaster and believes its selling practices constitute a conflict of interest.

When tickets for Springsteen’s show at New Jersey’s Meadowlands went on sale Monday, some fans got an error message on their computer screen that shut them out. The potential ticket-buyers then saw an ad for Ticketmaster subsidiary TicketsNow offering tickets for hundreds of dollars more than face value.

Springsteen said on his Web site Wednesday that he and the E Street Band are “furious.”

“We perceive this as a pure conflict of interest,” the band said. “Ticketmaster is there to ensure that we have a good, fair sale of our tickets at their face value plus normal ticketing charges.”

TicketsNow allows people who have tickets to exchange, trade or sell them at marked-up prices. The band said it has received assurances from Ticketmaster that it will stop redirecting Springsteen fans to TicketsNow.

The snub to Springsteen fans led U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell to call on the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department to investigate possible conflicts of interest involving Ticketmaster and TicketsNow. The New Jersey attorney general’s office is also investigating whether Ticketmaster violated any consumer fraud or ticket resale laws.

Ticketmaster Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff issued a statement Wednesday apologizing to the band and its fans.

“While we were genuinely trying to do the right thing for fans in providing more choices when the tickets they requested from the primary on-sale were not available, we clearly missed the mark,” the statement said. “Fans are confused and angry, which is the opposite of what we hoped to accomplish. We sincerely apologize to Bruce, his organization and, above all, his fans.”

Azoff said the company had taken down all links for Springsteen shows directing fans from Ticketmaster to TicketsNow.

On Tuesday, a company spokesman said only a few fans reported problems. But state attorney general’s spokesman David Wald said the office has received more than 250 complaints since Monday.

Heather Dunham, of Great Meadows, said she and about a dozen of her friends were among those who tried to buy tickets when they went on sale Monday.

“The Web site just kept throwing us all off, telling you it was down for routine maintenance. That’s the same message we got routinely for the better part of an hour,” she said. “Then it started redirecting us to the premium ticket site,” where prices were double.

“It was outrageous,” said Dunham, who has previously purchased Springsteen tickets from Ticketmaster. “It’s corporate greed at its worst.”

Bruce Springsteen, Phish head lineup for Bonnaroo

Bruce Springsteen, fresh off his Super Bowl halftime performance, has been announced as a headliner at this year’s Bonnaroo Arts & Music Festival, along with the recently reunited Phish.

It is scheduled to be the only performance by Springsteen and his E Street Band at a festival in North America this year.

Other performers scheduled to perform from June 11-14 include Snoop Dogg, the Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Wilco, Elvis Costello, TV on the Radio, Al Green, Merle Haggard, David Byrne, Erykah Badu, Animal Collective, the Decemberists and Lucinda Williams.

The annual event, which is held on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tenn., 60 miles south of Nashville, draws about 80,000 fans each year.

Springsteen, who released the CD “Working on a Dream” last week, is making the Bonnaroo pit stop during a nationwide tour; Phish is also launching a tour later this year, and Bonnaroo is also slated to be its only festival performance in North America.

More acts will be announced later. More than 120 bands and 20 comedians are expected to perform on 13 stages.

Bruce Springsteen Rocks Super Bowl With Classic Hits

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band made the most of their 12 minutes during the Super Bowl XLIII halftime show tonight (Feb. 1) in Tampa, Fla., rocking through the classics “10th Avenue Freeze Out,” “Born To Run,” “Glory Days” and the new song “Working on a Dream.”

“I want you to put the chicken fingers down and turn your television all the way up,” Springsteen commanded as the band jumped into the vintage sing-a-long “10th Avenue Freeze Out,” which was played at the three-minute running time of its studio version on the album “Born To Run.” In live performance, the song is frequently stretched into a 15-minute jam.

With Springsteen and guitarists Steven Van Zandt and Patti Scialfa on a platform in front of the stage, a choir joined the group for “Working on a Dream,” the title cut of the new Springsteen album released on Jan. 27.

The set concluded with the “Born in the U.S.A.” chestnut “Glory Days,” an appropriate Super Bowl choice for its reference to a “hail mary” pass. After the final note sounded, Springsteen shouted, “I’m going to Disneyland!”

The Super Bowl performance capped a Springsteen media blitz tied into “Working on a Dream.” The artist also made available a new “Greatest Hits” package exclusively at Wal-Mart, prompting a host of negative comments from fans and observers.
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Manager Jon Landau defended the move in a recent Billboard interview, but Springsteen told the New York Times this weekend that the decision was “a mistake.”

Springsteen and the E Street Band kick off a world tour April 1 in San Jose, Calif.

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