FOURTH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK DOCUMENATRY
Greetings from Asbury Park, an award-winning documentary feature film that offers a personal perspective on how eminent domain abuse has affected the Jersey Shore town, will air on PBS stations in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia throughout the month of July, starting on the 4th.

The film follows 91-year-old Angie Hampilos, a Greek immigrant and the great aunt of filmmaker Christina Eliopoulos, as she learns that her seaside bungalow—her home of over 50 years—will be taken by eminent domain to make way for luxury condominiums. In fact, 29 city blocks of homes, businesses, apartments and historic boardwalk attractions are now boarded up and ready for the wrecking ball. They belong to a private developer and will be razed to make way for 3,100 luxury condos.

The movie combines intimate recollections, home movies, rare archival footage, thrilling cinematography and a dynamic soundtrack to recreate the postcard playland and boardwalk dreamland that was the resort city of Asbury Park.

An orchestral score by composers George Vahamonde and Nik Everett employs the evocative strains of acoustic guitar, piano as well as toy instruments and music boxes to recall the mythic ideal of Asbury Park. Two rare, turn of the century piano compositions, "On the Boardwalk in Asbury Park" and "Wear a Boardwalk Smile," long considered lost artifacts, were found and recorded for the film.

“Both George and Nik are children of the boardwalk with longtime ties to Asbury Park,” said Eliopoulos. “They created an incredible score with exquisite sensitivity. The music takes us from the boardwalk funland to a wistful kind of memory or dream-like state, and on through to the city’s decline and frustration.” The film’s dynamic soundtrack includes archival works, and numerous compositions from noted area bands and singer-songwriters including Jeff Saxon, The Misteriosos, as well as bandleaders from the fabulous '50s including Irvin Bell and Martin Weinblatt and Jersey favorite Red Mascara, who wrote and performed the jaunty little ditty "I’m from New Jersey."

Bruce Springsteen also approved the use of his music for the film: in one poignant sequence, "Tunnel of Love” plays over images of teenagers on the famous fun house rides of Palace Amusements and is followed by footage of the dismantling of the carousel horses, and finally, the destruction of the Palace.

"The Palace was a cultural touchstone and playland for those of us who grew up Asbury Park, and of course for anyone who knows Mr. Springsteen's music," director Eliopoulos tells Backstreets. "I am very grateful that Mr. Springsteen granted me permission to employ his achingly beautiful song, 'Tunnel of Love,' for the film. I've been in love with the song, hearing it not just on my iPod but in my head, for most of my life."

Stations airing the documentary in July include WHYY, NJN2 and WLIW. Check your local listings for details. For more information about the film, the broadcast schedule and to view a short trailer, visit greetingsfromasburyparkmovie.com.
- July 2, 2009

MICHAEL JACKSON, 1958-2009
It’s become increasingly difficult yet still important to remember that, before he became the butt of numerous jokes, center of scandalous trials and just plain freak-show fodder for the tabloids, Michael Jackson was one of popular music’s most revolutionary and influential figures. Fame came early to Jackson as the truly amazing prepubescent lead singer of the Jackson Five, cutting some of Motown's most exciting and enduring tracks. Later, as an adult solo artist, Jackson made music on his classic albums Off the Wall and Thriller that significantly challenged the racial barriers of early-'80s radio and (thanks to his groundbreaking music videos) MTV.

Jackson's breakthroughs also paved the way for a series of mid-'80s blockbuster albums by U.S. artists, each of which contained multiple hit singles and accompanying music videos, and each of which sold millions of copies. The list includes Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual, Madonna's Like a Virgin, Prince's Purple Rain and, of course, Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A., its sales among this group second only to Jackson's record-setting Thriller. In his second Springsteen biography, Glory Days, critic Dave Marsh later noted, "The result was both the greatest degree of hegemony in popular music history and also the most exciting Top Forty radio in more than a decade."

During the Born in the U.S.A. tour, Springsteen got the chance to see The Jacksons in concert in Philadelphia and meet Michael after the show. In a 1984 Rolling Stone interview with Kurt Loder, Bruce raved about the experience: "I thought it was a really great show. Real different from what I do, but the night I saw 'em, I thought they were really, really good. Michael was unbelievable—I mean unbelievable. He’s a real gentleman, and he’s real communicative... and he’s tall, which I don’t know if most people realize.”

Springsteen also discussed Jackson’s fame: "The type of fame that Elvis had, and that I think Michael Jackson has, the pressure of it, and the isolation that it seems to require, has gotta be really painful. I wasn't gonna let that happen to me. I wasn't gonna get to a place where I said, 'I can't go in here. I can't go to this bar. I can’t go outside.'... I believe that the life of a rock 'n' roll band will last as long as you look down into the audience and can see yourself, and your audience looks up at you and can see themselves—and as long as those reflections are human, realistic ones. The biggest gift that your fans can give you is just treatin' you like a human being, because anything else dehumanizes you. And that’s one of the things that has shortened the life spans, both physically and creatively, of some of the best rock 'n' roll musicians—that cruel isolation. If the price of fame is that you have to be isolated from the people you write for, then that's too fuckin' high a price to pay."

Rest in peace, Michael.
- June 26, 2009 - Shawn Poole reporting

GEARING UP FOR GLASTONBURY
Saturday night, Bruce and the E Street Band play their first-ever U.K. festival, on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. Part of what gets us psyched is the broadcast potential—many Glastonbury sets go out on the airwaves, so keep your eye on BBC (both TV and BBC Radio 6Music) for some E Street action.

6Music will have a new interview with Springsteen from Bergen airing on Saturday—listen to Steve Lamacq's show and watch for video on www.bbc.co.uk to hear how Bruce skipped Woodstock to play the Student Prince, what he did in a tent with an 18-year-old-girl and a grizzly bear, how he feels about turning 60, and more.

Q Magazine celebrates Springsteen's headliner set on the cover of their July issue, and you'll find interview outakes online that didn't fit into the magazine.

And finally, don't miss our favorite Glastonbury news story, courtesy of Mark Hagen an the Guardian: how Joe Strummer helped get Bruce booked.

- June 25, 2009

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR GLORY DAYS SYMPOSIUM
Registration for "Glory Days: A Bruce Springsteen Symposium," organized by Virginia Tech and Penn State Altoona, is now open! The symposium, set to run from September 25-27, 2009 in New Jersey, will feature presentations by Grammy Museum President (and longtime Backstreets Associate Editor) Robert Santelli; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Vice President for Education and Outreach Lauren Onkey; original E Street Band drummer Vini Lopez; Jim Musselman, founder of Appleseed Recordings; Eric Alterman, author of It Ain't No Sin To Be Glad You’re Alive; and many more sessions including over 130 presentations by people representing 30 states and eight countries. Singer-songwriter sessions will also be featured at the symposium with performances by Joe Grushecky, Joe D'Urso, Jen Chapin and Joe Rapolla confirmed. See here for a draft agenda.

The symposium will take place on the beautiful campus of Monmouth University, the Sheraton Eatontown Center, and at The Stone Pony. The Stone Pony will feature musical performances on September 24, 25 and 26 with artists including Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, Willie Nile, Stewart Francke, Boccigalupe and the Badboys, Jon Caspi and Hans Ludvigsson. Additional performers will be announced shortly.

For more information, please see www.cpe.vt.edu/glorydays or email symposium organizer Mark Bernhard at mcb7@vt.edu.
- June 24, 2009

LANDAU ADDRESSES TICKETING ACCUSATIONS
After critical articles in the Newark Star Ledger and the New York Post regarding ticketing issues for Springsteen concerts, Jon Landau has responded at length on Brucespringsteen.net. Within a couple hours, a Billboard headline read "Springsteen Escalates Ticketmaster War," though Landau notes, "We have no interest in having an ongoing conflict with Ticketmaster/TicketsNow or anyone else. That has not been part of our history. And it is generally not our purpose to spend time on this site on matters of this kind. But we do get upset when we see fans being taken advantage of, as they were on February 6th."

Folllowing is Landau/Thrill Hill's take on ticket holds, the TicketsNow "bait and switch," and more.

An Update on Ticketing Issues from Jon Landau
Somehow, a new flurry of interest has been created around Thrill Hill’s ticket holds for the recent Izod Center shows. These are the same shows that became such a subject of controversy when they went on sale on February 6th. The new theory is that Bruce’s holds were the problem on February 6th, and not Ticketmaster’s already acknowledged failures on that day. But the truth is that Bruce’s holds had nothing to do at all with the breakdown of Ticketmaster’s system.

These are the undisputed facts about February 6th. On that morning, when our fans went to buy their Bruce and Band tickets for the face value of $95, they were in many cases immediately linked to Ticketmaster’s wholly owned ticket reselling company TicketsNow, where prices were many times higher than $95. We call this “bait and switch.” As a result, an undetermined but large amount of money flowed into TicketsNow (and eventually Ticketmaster) even though there were still tickets at normal prices yet to be made available on Ticketmaster. We perceived this to have been a major abuse of
our fans, complained about it mightily, and added that because of behavior like this, the pending merger of the number one ticketing company and number one management company (both owned by Ticketmaster) with the number one venue owner and operator (Live Nation) might not be such a hot idea.

How do we know that all this is true?

1. On February 6th, when the ticket fiasco occurred, Ticketmaster’s CEO wrote to Bruce, myself, and our fans to generously apologize, which apology we promptly and graciously posted on our site. The letter stated that the problem was the product of an inexplicable “glitch.”

2. The volume of complaints received by New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram exceeded anything ever experienced before and she ultimately secured a consent degree from Ticketmaster, in which they promised that some of their practices (”glitches”) with regard to its sister company TicketsNow will never be repeated.

3. The CEO of Ticketmaster openly testified as to their responsibility for these “glitches” in front of Committees of Congress.

Based on all of the above, we can safely conclude that on February 6th, Ticketmaster transferred legitimate requests for tickets at face value over to their TicketsNow site, where they could charge people hundreds and hundreds more dollars for the same ticket. The amount of additional profit generated by scalper type prices through this now famous “glitch” remains unknown. Whether this was merely an extremely profitable “glitch” for Ticketmaster/TicketsNow or something else, we have no way of knowing.

Last Sunday, June 14, the Newark Star Ledger ran an article entitled “Springsteen withheld best tickets from the public at NJ concert, records show.” This is the same article that the Star Ledger runs whenever we do a few indoor shows in New Jersey. It suggested that we were in someway responsible for the Ticketmaster/TicketsNow problem. On Thursday, June 18, Hits Magazine ran a summary of this article, On Friday, June 19, Ticketmaster’s Chairman attacked Bruce personally in the New York Post, in an article called “Ticket Blitzkrieg.” In this article, Ticketmaster’s Chairman deploys by implication Ticketmaster’s new line: despite their apology, despite the consent decree with Attorney General Milgram, and despite their testimony in Congress, the ticket catastrophe was actually Bruce’s fault.

Of course, the only thing wrong with the Chairman’s spin is that it’s flatly untrue. He is merely using the time honored tradition of blowing smoke to distract attention away from Ticketmaster’s already acknowledged responsibility for their “glitches” on February 6th, the on-sale date of the two Izod Center shows.

Now lets talk a little about Thrill Hill’s ticket practices. Perhaps the first thing to be said is that when we play New Jersey, our fans know that we are usually going to do more than two indoor shows in order to ensure, among other things, that during the course of a tour, Springsteen tickets will be plentiful so as many fans as possible will have a chance to get great seats (hence the five upcoming shows at Giants Stadium.) As our fans also know, we have kept all of our tickets under $100 and do all that we can to ensure that as many as possible are sold at face value.

Yes, we do hold significant numbers of tickets when we play New Jersey, New York and Los Angeles, as does every arena headliner. These holds are used by Bruce, his band members, and longtime members of his extended organization, their families and close relations; by the record label for its staff, for reviewers, and for radio stations; by charities who are provided with tickets for fund raising purposes, such as special auctions; for service people who help us on a year-round basis; and for other similar purposes. Unlike some Ticketmaster managed artists, no tickets are held for high dollar resale on TicketsNow, or through any other means.

Where are the Bruce holds? The 2,000 to 3,500 tickets closest to the stage are on the floor and more than 95% of them go to the public, making the basic premise of the Star Ledger headline inaccurate. Secondly, with regard to seats held in the best sections on either side, we always blend guest seats with fan seats so that there are never any sections consisting entirely of guest seats.

In addition, it is well known that we sometimes release a significant number of excellent tickets on the day of the show at the box office, which can only be bought with direct entrance to the venue. It’s known as the “drop.” Many think that is done on purpose to help combat the scalpers who prey on fans at the last minute. That is a good thought.

(Also, in connection with the Izod Center shows in particular, we released some of our holds to Attorney General Milgram to go into the lottery she created to help deal with people who were penalized by the Ticketmaster/TicketsNow “glitch” on February 6th.)

Those are our ticket practices, as they have evolved over more than 30 years of experience. Does anyone seriously imagine that any element of these practices caused Ticketmaster to redirect ticket requests to TicketsNow for the Izod Center shows? What would our incentive have been? It’s not we who earned vastly larger sums when fans paid way over the face value of the tickets. It was Ticketmaster/TicketsNow.

Final thoughts: We have no interest in having an ongoing conflict with Ticketmaster/TicketsNow or anyone else. That has not been part of our history. And it is generally not our purpose to spend time on this site on matters of this kind. But we do get upset when we see fans being taken advantage of, as they were on February 6th. So, when that stuff stops happening (and the Ticketmaster/TicketsNow problems surrounding our recent show in Washington D.C. shows that these issues are far from resolved) we will stop complaining. And when the facts cease to be misrepresented, we will stop explaining.

6/24 update: The Newark Star Ledger, in a story posted on its website last night, corrected its earlier statement on Springsteen ticket holds.
- Updated June 24, 2009

COOL ROCKIN' DADDIES Firstly, happy birthday to Nils Lofgren, who turns 58 today. Check out his latest blog post upon returning from Scandinavia. And happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, too! NPR celebrates the day with "Max and Jay Weinberg: Like Drummer, Like Son." - June 21, 2009

BONNAROO SPECIAL DEBUTS TOMORROW
Don't forget, "The Best of Bonnaroo 2009" airs Saturday night at 9:00 on Fuse—Springsteen and the E Street Band headline the hour-long special, and we're told two of their songs will be part of the mix.

Billboard.com has more on the Springsteen/Phish performance on the final night at Bonnaroo. Trey Anastasio: "I got to play with Bruce. That's my hero." Bassist Mike Gordon: "It's great to know that it's not all hype or anything, there's such a solid musician and songsmith standing there... When he walked in, his guitar playing and his singing and his presence, it became clear to me why he became a megastar."
- June 19, 2009

BIG MAN: "THERE'S NO TIME FOR PAIN"
Clarence Clemons talks with Arthritis Today about having dual knee replacement surgery last fall: "There’s no shame in having arthritis or undergoing surgeries... It takes courage to live life to the best of one’s ability. And if that means having surgery, then so be it." An Editor's Note adds: "Clarence plans to have surgery on his lower spine to correct joint damage from his osteoarthritis once the current world tour ends in late summer and he can devote 12 months to his recovery."
- June 19, 2009

WOOT A BARGAIN
Surely you have these already... but if you need to indoctrinate a friend, it's hard to beat $49.95 for Tracks, Live/1975-85, and the Video Anthology DVD. As with all daily deals on Woot, offer ends at 11:59 tonight.
- June 19, 2009

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO: ALWAYS A FRIEND
Last year, Alejandro Escovedo joined Bruce and the E Street Band onstage in Houston to perform one of his own songs, "Always a Friend." He has since talked about that night as a high point in his life, recently saying he was "blown away by the whole event."

Alejandro is a brilliant live performer in his own right, of course, and this weekend, you can catch him playing two benefit concerts. Saturday brings him to the Clearwater Festival, celebrating Pete Seeger's 90th birthday and raising funds for the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater non-profit.

On Sunday, June 21, Alejandro will play a charity concert in New Canaan, CT, where he'll be joined David Pulkingham on guitar and Susan Voelz on violin for a special 5:00 p.m. performance at St. Mark's Church. His manager, Jon Landau Management's Jan Stabile, tells us, "The concert is to benefit my son Michael's Scholarship Fund (he passed away six years ago) and also a local camp, Hand-in-Hand."

The Michael B. Stabile Memorial Scholarship Fund and Camp Hand-in-Hand will benefit not only from the concert proceeds (tickets are $100 for adults, $50 for students), but also by a silent auction that will follow the performance. "That will include two Bruce Springsteen tickets for Giants Stadium, a choice of one of the fall dates," says Stabile, "plus two E Street Lounge passes with a Stevie Van Zandt meet-and-greet, as well as a copy of the book Bruce Springsteen: On Tour signed by Dave Marsh."

To reserve tickets for the event, call (203) 966-6920. See this press release and www.alejandroescovedo.com for additional information.
- June 16, 2009

E STREET RADIO: LONG MAY YOU RUN
Good news for SIRIUS XM subscribers: E Street Radio has just gotten another extension. According to a press release, "This is the third time the popular music channel's limited run has been extended by SIRIUS XM due to overwhelming subscriber demand."
- June 16, 2009

CLEVELAND ROCKS
Just back from a weekend at the Rock Hall, where I had my mind sufficiently blown by the "From Asbury Park to the Promised Land" exhibit. Some of the knockouts I was expecting, like getting to see the legendary Esquire up close and personal, and taking in the plethora of handwritten pages from Springsteen's notebooks. Others I didn't even know would be there, like Bruce's black leather jacket from the cover of Born to Run (a late addition to the exhibit), and Marion Vineyard's scrapbook from the Castiles days. Over the course of the FanFest weekend, I asked curator Jim Henke if there was anything he had hoped to get for the exhibit but couldn't... his answer in a nutshell: Nope. Which is completely believable. It's a comprehensive collection, thanks in no small part to Springsteen's own involvement, and well worth the trip. You've got until spring 2010...

Check out yesterday's Inquirer article on the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, tasked with the preservation and restoration of these documents, for more about the ephemera on display at the Rock Hall.

Yesterday brought Thom Zimny's FanFest presentation, which promised "rare footage" and delivered. In addition to his "Wrestler" and "Night With the Jersey Devil" clips, and some historical footage from 1975 (a Born to Run television commercial, "Jungleland" in the studio), Thom pulled a bunch of live stuff out of his magic bag, including:

• "Sandy" and "New York City Serenade," Nassau Colllege, 1973
• "E Street Shuffle," Lenox, MA, 1975
• "Thunder Road" and "Every Time You Walk in the Room," Bottom Line, NYC, 1975
• "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out" with Miami Horns, Carlton Theatre, Red Bank, NJ, 1976
• "Born to Run," Tower Theater, Philly, New Year's Eve 1975
• "Prove It All Night" live, 1978
• "Sherry Darling," River tour rehearsals, 1980

Thanks to Jim Henke, Lauren Onkey, Margaret Thresher, and everyone at the Rock Hall who made it such a memorable weekend—and to everyone who attended my talk, it was great to see so many friendly faces there.

For more photos from FanFest, visit the Rock Hall's Flickr page.
- June 15, 2009

BRUCE GOES PHISHING TO HELP WRAP BONNAROO SUNDAY NIGHT
The Saturday night show not "jammy" enough for ya? Well, Springsteen stuck around Bonnaroo for another day, and really got into the spirit of things with Phish for the festival finale. Springsteen joined the band for three songs at the end of their first set late Sunday night, after guitarist Trey Anastasio gave a lengthy introduction about Bruce and the E Street Band being the first concert he'd ever seen. The Boss traded solos with Trey on a ten-minute "Mustang Sally," and led Phish through his own "Bobby Jean" and "Glory Days." Read more from Jon Pareles in the New York Times.

One thing we like about Phish: they offer high quality, unedited soundboard recordings for many shows online. Preview and download individual tracks—21 minutes of Bruce and Phish, all told—at livephish.com.

More on Bonnaroo from CNN.com's The Marquee Blog, the Associated Press, and SPIN.com.

SPRINGSTEEN'S SUPER BOWL JOURNAL COMES TO LIFE
For this year's Super Bowl, much was made of the fact that Springsteen and the E Street Band had just 12 minutes to rock: "Fundamentally, it's a 12-minute party," Bruce told the New York Times, "It was very challenging to try and get that exact 12 minutes." So considering that a new TV special about the halftime show runs more than 45 minutes, you'll be guaranteed to see a lot you haven't seen before.

Working on a Dream: A Super Bowl Journal is a new behind-the-scenes documentary directed and edited by Thom Zimny. Remember the Super Bowl Journal Bruce published online? Springsteen himself narrates the film, sharing both his fears and his excitement as footage takes us from the first rehearsal in Jersey to a Tampa rehearsal in the pouring rain, from working with the gospel choir to working out the knee-slide with the cameraman, and onward. Zimny combines never-before-seen footage from the press conference, the rehearsals, the game, band meetings, in Bruce's trailer backstage, and on the field with the E Street Band for the main event.

Zimny co-produced the film along with Jon Landau and George Travis. No U.S. broadcast is scheduled at the moment, but Europeans can look for showings to coincide with upcoming tour stops as the summer goes along. Watch your local schedules:

• Austria: ZIB 1; Winterzeit; Cafe Plus
• Denmark: (to be confirmed)
• Finland: MTV Max
• France: Canal+
• Germany: ZDF
• Holland: NPS/VPRO/VARA
• Ireland: City Channel
• Italy: (to be confirmed)
• Norway: NRK
• Spain: Spanish National Television
• Sweden: TV4
• Switzerland: Swiss National TV
• UK: Channel 4

- June 11, 2009

AH, THE ENERGY OF AN 18-YEAR-OLD...
New contender for the Hardest Working Man in Show Business: Jay Weinberg. If you've seen Jay behind the kit with the E Street Band, you know he's got the power, hour after hour, and all the rest of that like-father-like-son stuff. On June 11, Jay tells Backstreets: "Just got home from Europe, and I'm gearing up to go back on the road tomorrow..." Yep, for the next two weeks, while the E Street Band takes a break from the European tour, Jay will be touring and playing nearly every night with his own band, The Reveling. Catch them live:

Date	Time	Venue	City
June 12	7:00 p.m.	Valentines	Albany, NY
June 14	9:00 p.m.	Now That's Class	Cleveland, OH
June 15	7:00 p.m.	Beat Kitchen	Chicago, IL
June 16	8:00 p.m.	Louie's Trophy House Grille	Kalamazoo, MI
June 17	6:00 p.m.	Ohio University	Athens, OH
June 18	8:00 p.m.	Legion of Doom	Columbus, OH
June 19	8:00 p.m.	Mill Hill Saloon	Trenton, NJ
June 20	2:15 p.m.	Wave Gathering	Asbury Park, NJ
June 21	2:00 p.m.	Retox	Brooklyn, NY

- Updated June 15, 2009

ROCK HALL'S "SPRINGSTEEN FAN FEST" KICKS OFF TOMORROW
With their exhibit "From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen" in full swing on two floors, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Mueseum is inviting Bruce fans to Cleveland for a special weekend, June 12-14. Each day, big-screen showings of Springsteen performances will be running in the 4th Floor Theater, with additional events throughout the weekend.

Friday: Just after lunch, catch the first showing of a collection of Bruce footage from Rock Hall induction ceremonies, including Bob Dylan, CCR, U2, and Springsteen's own. This program, which runs more than an hour and a half, will repeat several times over the weekend.

Saturday: Programs include a talk from exhibit curator Jim Henke; a performance by Colin Gawel of Watershed; VP of Education Lauren Onkey offering a multimedia class on the making of Born in the U.S.A.; and whattaya know, an interview with me! Better make sure I know my stuff. It's Springsteen, not Springstein, right?

Sunday: Thom Zimny, Bruce's go-to filmmaker, editor, and archivist, will be on hand to present rare, never-before-seen Springsteen footage. Don't miss this if you can help it. And he'll be fresh in from Bonnaroo, so somebody bring that man a Red Bull.

Click here for the full schedule—hope to see you there!
- June 11, 2009

E STREET MEETS AVENUE Q
On June 27 in the U.K., Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will take the Pyramid Stage, playing the Glastonbury Festival for the first time. Q Magazine whets the appetite with Springsteen on the cover of their July 2009 issue, and a U.K. exclsuive interview inside. The ten-page feature finds Paul Rees talking with Bruce in his dressing room as well as up in the sky, mid-flight, with backstage and onstage photos by John Wright.

Elsewhere in the magazine, Q teases "a forthcoming Bruce Springsteen boxset containing alternate takes and unreleased tracks drawn from the recording sessions for 1975's Born to Run and '78's Darkness on the Edge of Town albums." We assume they're referring to a long-gestating Darkness box, in the vein of the Born to Run 30th Anniversary set, originally expected in 2008. There's yet to be any official word about the Darkness reissue package seeing the light of day, but just because the album's actual 30th anniversary came and went without the anticipated release doesn't mean we're out of luck. Gibing with the Q report, sources say work on a deluxe box has continued, with potential for release this year. More here as we know it.
- June 10, 2009

I'M JUST A BOY WITH A NEW HAIRCUT
“I have this sort of dual-sided musical personality, and an ability to just go where the music takes me,” said Max Weinberg shortly before kicking off his new role as The Tonight Show bandleader this week. “When I play with Bruce, I grow my hair long. And as soon as I am back on TV, I cut it off.” The New York Times' Jaques Steinberg talked to Max and members of his Tonight Show Band in "For TV Band, Jet Lag is Part of the Job."
- June 9, 2009

SPRINGSTEEN RIDES WITH THE BLUE RIDGE RANGERS
John Fogerty is following up his 1973 Blue Ridge Rangers solo album this year, 36 years later, with another collection of covers, The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again. "I'd long thought I'd do another Blue Ridge Rangers album," says Fogerty, "and not make the mistake of playing all the instruments." Among the addditional players: Bruce Springsteen, dueting with his Vote for Change tourmate on "When Will I Be Loved." From a press release:

"That was Julie's idea," Fogerty says of his wife's concept to have the legends work out a duet on the Everly Brothers' 1960 classic. "I'd hoped we be able to work together some day; I'm a fan of his and he's a fan of mine and we're friends," said Fogerty. Springsteen and Julie discussed the idea and "The Boss" immediately agreed to the idea.

Later, during a very busy time for him—Super Bowl half-time performance, appearance at the Obama Inaugural celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, ongoing preparations for a national tour—the collaboration came to pass. The track was cut at Berkeley Street [Studios in Santa Monica, CA], and the Fogertys flew to New Jersey where the vocals were completed.

The album is due for release in late summer/early fall.
- June 9, 2009

B'ROO B'CAST
This weekend, Bruce and the E Street Band come back to these shores to play Bonnaroo on Saturday night, June 13. Fuse is the festival's "exclusive television partner," gearing up for the main event with a three-hour "Best of the Boss" on Thursday night: Live in New York City from 8 to 10 p.m. Eastern, followed by Bruce Springsteen: Making of Working on a Dream and Loaded: Bruce Springsteen to take it to 11:00.

But if you wanna see something you ain't never seen before... a week after the E Street Band's B'roo performance, the network will air Fuse Fest: Bonnaroo 2009, which a press release describes as "a concert special highlighting the best performances from this year’s festival including Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Phish, Beastie Boys, Snoop Dogg and more." Tune in Saturday, June 20, at 9 p.m. Eastern.
- June 9, 2009

MORE SHOWS FOR THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
August continues to fill in with outdoor U.S. dates. There are now two more on the E Street schedule: August 19 in Hartford, CT (tickets on sale this Friday at 9 a.m.), and August 25 in Saratoga, NY (tickets on sale this Thursday at 10 a.m.).
- June 9, 2009

TICKET ALERT: GIANTS STADIUM 4 AND 5 ON SALE AT NOON
Don't forget, the final two Giants Stadium concerts (Thursday, October 8 and Friday, October 9) go on sale today, Monday, June 8, at noon Eastern via Ticketmaster. See our Tour/Ticket Info page for links and the complete itinerary as it stands.
- June 8, 2009

WORKING ON A STREAM: STOCKHOLM VIDEO
Bruce on Stockholm: "This is one of our most dependable and excitable audiences in the world, so it's always a pleasure." Watch a ten-minute interview at expressen.tv. Look for Stockholm 1 performance clips there, too, including "Who'll Stop the Rain" with Nils' accordion intro.
- June 5, 2009

MR. MARSH GOES TO CLEVELAND
Dave Marsh appeared last night at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum as part of its "From Songwriters to Soundmen: The People Behind the Hits" series. Interviewed by Dr. Lauren Onkey, the Vice President of Education at the Rock Hall, the music critic, historian, anti-censorship activist, and Sirius XM host raved about the current Springsteen exhibit, "From Asbury Park to the Promised Land."

He also spoke of Springsteen's public move towards humanitarian efforts following his popularity with the Born in the U.S.A. album and the title track's misinterpretation as a patriotic anthem. A statement at a Pittsburgh concert eventually led to the now familiar collections for local food banks. Afterwards, Marsh signed copies of his numerous books including his recent work on Springsteen, "On Tour."

Tomorrow morning, Marsh will host his Friday Sirius XM program "Live From E Street Nation" from the Rock Hall's Alan Freed radio studio. He plans on discussing the Springsteen exhibit with curator Jim Henke, as well as with visitors who have just walked through its life-spanning two floors of memorabilia, instruments, interviews and personal items.

Marsh's Cleveland visit launches the Rock Hall's Bruce Springsteen FanFest, which takes place June 12-14. Event schedule posted now!
- June 4, 2009 - report and photograph by John Patrick Gatta

ONLINE, A NEW HOME FOR THE SPECIAL COLLECTION
Ladies and gentlemen, change your bookmarks! There's a new online home for the Bruce Springsteen Special Collection and you'll find it at www.brucespringsteenspecialcollection.net. The site contains the most up-to-date listing of the more than 11,100 documents in the Collection, including the results of the microfilming project made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission to The Friends of the Bruce Springsteen Special Collection. The new site is the first step in a long-anticipated reorganization of the Collection that will eventually allow The Friends to begin accepting historic Bruce items in formats other than books, magazines, fanzines and other printed documents.
- June 4, 2009

25 YEARS BURNIN' DOWN THE ROAD
Hey Born in the U.S.A. "bandwagoners": happy silver anniversary! The album that elevated Springsteen to intergalactic superstar was released 25 years ago today, on June 4, 1984. It spent a total of seven weeks at number one. By 1985, the album spawned seven Top Ten hits and had gone 10 x platinum (that's ten million copies, now called "Diamond" status by the RIAA); to date, more than 15 million Born in the U.S.A. albums have been sold in the U.S. alone.

World Hunger Year and Hard Rock International are celebrating the anniversary with some exclusive new merch, sales of which will benefit WHY's Artists Against Hunger & Poverty program. Men's and women's T-shirts feature the album cover image with a "25th Anniversary" logo; a weathered red cap is perfect for your back pocket. Check 'em out at the Hard Rock shop online.
- June 4, 2009

SHIPPING UP TO BOSTON
More U.S. dates for the second half of '09!
Earlier today, two more Giants Stadium dates were added to the schedule. Now we're looking at more post-Europe, but not necessarily in gargantuan venues. Bruce and the E Street Band will play the Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA—a 19,000-capacity amphitheater—on Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23. Tickets will go on sale Tuesday, June 9, at 10 a.m. See our Tour/Ticket Info page for links and the complete itinerary as it stands.
- June 2, 2009

THE BIG MAN AND THE BOOK EXPO
Last week, before resuming the E Street Band tour in Europe, Clarence Clemons appeared at BookExpo America to talk about his upcoming book, Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales. Chatting with Publishers Weekly, Clarence suggested he'll be doing a book tour to promote the memoir, due in October from Grand Central Publishing: "he’s looking forward to going to bookstores on a still-to-be-scheduled national tour to 'meet people,' talk about his life and play a little music."

As Publishers Weekly reports, Clemons was interviewed by Chuck Klosterman on stage at BEA: "Clemons opened up about his life and times with 'The Boss,' saying Springsteen offstage really is like the public persona he’s created on stage. 'For his music to be real, he has to live that life. He’s the boss of his own world,' Clemons said, disclosing that he and the rest of the band really do call Springsteen 'The Boss' offstage, while Springsteen in turn refers to Clemons as 'The Big Man.'

"'Because I am,' Clemons insisted, before taking out his sax and playing 'Jungleland' riffs for the appreciative crowd, while explaining the evolution of the song during a marathon jam session, when Springsteen sought to find words for the feeling evoked by Clemons's sax playing...."

More on the event in the L.A. Times.
- June 2, 2009

GIANTS STADIUM STAND EXPANDS TO FIVE SHOWS
After yesterday's quick sellouts for three shows at Giants Stadium, two additional nights have just been added: Thursday, October 8 and Friday, October 9. The latter date will be the final concert at Giants Stadium. Tickets for these dates go on sale Monday, June 8 at noon Eastern via Ticketmaster. See our Tour/Ticket Info page for links and the complete itinerary as it stands.
- June 2, 2009

ROCK HALL INVITES BRUCE FANS TO "FANFEST," JUNE 12 - 14
Thom Zimny will screen rare footage, and much more in Cleveland
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum welcomes fans from across the region and country for a weekend of events celebrating Hall of Famer Bruce Springsteen, beginning Friday, June 12 through Sunday, June 14. If you've been wanting to check out the new exhibit, "From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen," this is a great time to make the trip to Cleveland, with Springsteen-related programs and film screenings to fill the weekend.

Special event partners for "Bruce Springsteen FanFest at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum" include Brucespringsteen.net, Backstreets.com, and media partner SIRIUS XM’s E Street Radio. In less than two weeks, music scholars, industry experts, Springsteen fans, musicians and bands from around the country will travel to Cleveland for a weekend devoted to telling the story of Springsteen’s career.

To launch the event, music critic and SIRIUS XM radio host Dave Marsh will be the Rock Hall’s guest for "From Songwriters to Soundmen: The People Behind the Hits" on Wednesday, June 3 at 7 p.m. in the Museum’s 4th Floor Theater. Marsh will be interviewed by Dr. Lauren Onkey, vice president of Educational Programs. For the FanFest weekend, Onkey will also spotlight the Born in the U.S.A. album, and interview Backstreets editor Chris Phillips.

Additional FanFest programs include exhibit curator Jim Henke talking about "From Asbury Park to the Promised Land"; Emmy and Grammy-award winning producer Thom Zimny showing rare Springsteen film footage. More big-screen showings will include Blood Brothers, VH1 Storytellers, Hammersmith Odeon London '75, Live in New York City, and Rock Hall induction ceremony highlights (Springsteen inducted Bob Dylan, U2, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, and following his own induction, performed with the E Street Band and Wilson Pickett).

Full schedule coming soon, both here and at rockhall.com; hope to see you in Cleveland!
- May 31, 2009

TICKET ALERT
Don't forget, tickets for the three Giants Stadium shows go on sale Monday morning at 10 a.m. Eastern. Prices range from $33 to $98. Be sure to note: unlike previous Giants Stadium shows, the entire field is now general admission, no seats. GA and reserved seats must be pucrhased in separate transactions, with an eight-ticket limit per person altogether. See Ticketmaster.com for full details.
- May 31, 2009

ANYONE NEED A PAIR? SECTION 603ZK, ROW 92-AND-A-HALF!
In yesterday's Star Ledger, "Springsteen's Giants Stadium tickets are already offered by online brokers" addresses the fact that, once again, secondary sellers are jumping the gun with tickets at inflated prices. According to the story, "A spokesman for the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, the state agency that runs the Meadowlands, says no tickets have been sold and any re-sale offers are 'all speculation at this point.' He said none of the websites in question have any tickets and won't until after the official sale." The Star Ledger article, however, goes on to provide theories that contradict the NJSEA rep.

Today, Backstreets corresponded with NJSEA VP of Event Marketing Helen Strus, who defended the Sports Authority's statement and took issue with the article. For one thing, Strus says, "The story mentions the tickets may come from fan clubs or presales. Everyone on Backstreets knows there is no official Bruce Springsteen fan club and there are no presales for a Springsteen concert."

But more pertinently, she says, "the majority of tickets listed [by resellers] do not exist nor can they ever exist."

"A pair in section 125, row 42 for Oct. 3 are going for $2,200," states the article. Strus counters, "Those tickets can't be in hand—and never will be—because there are only 37 rows in that section." She continues:

For Giants Stadium, the lower tier (100 level) sections range from 37-41 rows. The mezzanine (200 level) has 11 rows in every section. The upper tier (300 level) has 31 rows in every section.

Let's look at the article's main source:

Molly Martinez, marketing director for the Connecticut-based TicketNetwork, one of the nation's leading ticket exchange sites... said brokers can't offer tickets they don't yet have.

"That is part of the ticket network policy," she said....

"I have a certain degree of skepticism," she said about the sports authority's claim that no tickets have been distributed.

Martinez's quote about skepticism discredits the NJSEA, and she has no leg to stand on. Her site is posting multiple locations that do not exist. The same locations are also listed for all three shows. Ticket Network lists the following for the 9/30 show and none of these rows exist in Giants Stadium—so how can Molly say her site does not allow brokers to post tickets they do not have?

Sample of tickets listed on Ticket Network:

• Section 119, row 42 (37 rows in that section)
• Section 214, row 30 (11 rows)
• Section 217, row 30 (11 rows)
• Section 223, row 30, (11 rows)
• Section 130, row 45 has the priciest tickets at $1131 each. There are 41 rows in this section.

As of 3 p.m. today, our box office is still creating the event on the Ticketmaster ticketing system for the Monday, June 1 onsale. It is impossible for anyone to have a ticket to one of these concerts at this time.

The bogus seat locations Strus points out serve to further confirm what was suggested by the recent TicketsNow snafu for the "oversold" show in DC—resellers listing tickets in advance of an on sale, particularly for a Springsteen show, don't necessarily have those tickets.

Today, TicketNetwork, Inc. was one of three ticket sellers (along with Select-A-Ticket and Orbitz Worldwide) named in a suit by NJ Attorney General Anne Milgram, "for allegedly violating the state’s Consumer Fraud Act and Advertising Regulations by advertising and selling tickets to three upcoming Bruce Springsteen concerts at Giants Stadium before the tickets are available for sale." The lawsuit also charges that "Some tickets offered by Orbitz Worldwide and TicketNetwork are for seats which do not physically exist within Giants Stadium." Read the full press release from the Division of Consumer Affairs here.
- May 27, 2009

LITTLE STEVEN'S STATE OF THE TOUR
While the E Street Band starts a two-month European tour this weekend, don't forget that U.S. fans will be getting another taste in a matter of weeks: the band's performance at the Bonnaroo festival, which will bring Bruce and the band briefly back Stateside, is coming right up on June 13.

In a recent teleconference, Steve Van Zandt spoke with a group of journalists looking ahead to the festival in Tennessee—"Bonnaroo's right around the corner!" Here we present the higlights:

On tailoring the set for a festival crowd
I don't think you can change things too much. You are who you are—in our case, I think we change things a lot normally. I mean, every night is different, every tour is different. There is a very wide range of songs that we've done over the years that Bruce has written over the course of whatever it is, 30, 35 years—there is a lot of stuff to pick from.

Every time he writes a new album, he is basically writing a new show. He is saying something with that particular album, and then we build the show around that, with the other songs from the past, and then see what connects to it, what amplifies that idea, what complements that idea. So, we don't particularly change things according to who the audience is. We kind of do what we do, and then you just hope people dig it.

And then on top of that, we build in a certain amount of spontaneity right into the show. These last couple tours, in particular, we've been taking requests from the audience and really turning arenas and stadiums into clubs. Last tour, people would come with signs for a lot of obscure Bruce songs. And this tour, there’s been any kind of songs. We've played The Ramones, The Clash, and Tommy James... "Wild Thing"... all kinds of fun, sort of bar band type of songs. It just loosens everybody up and keeps the thing fresh—and there's nothing like playing a song you've never played before and never rehearsed before in front of 20,000 people. It's just an immediate sort of electric jolt that keeps everybody very awake.

So, we won't change a thing. We are who we are. I love the fact that we're playing to, I don't know, probably half of the audience who maybe never even heard of us. And that's nothing but fun, and nothing but exciting.

On the mechanics of covers
Believe it or not, we do a sort of 20-second talk-through right there on stage, you can actually hear us rehearsing in our heads. We try and run through the song in our minds—it's usually something we've never played, and something we may remember from when we were a kid. We'll say, "Are there any tricky moments in this thing?" or "What's sort of happening in the bridge?"... you know, is there a bridge, where the solo comes? We do a 20- or 30-second, maybe as much as a minute sometimes standing there.

Most of our show [is like a] hurricane. We only do a couple slow songs out of the 25 songs or so we do. So it's a funny moment, because everything sort of halts for a minute, and we discuss it... and then we just jump in. Like last night, we did "Mony Mony" by Tommy James, and we're like going through this thing in our heads. And Bruce says, "Isn’t there like a funny riff in the middle or something?" And we're asking around, "anybody remember that riff?" "Nah." So alright, we'll figure it out when we get there. We just jump in, and we get to the middle of the song, and if nobody remembers the riff, we skip to the next part. You just got to do the best you can with it. But its fun—it’s really just true spontaneity in the truest sense of the word.

On the paucity of Working on a Dream songs in the set:
I think what happened at rehearsal this time... we learned all the new songs, and we will be playing them. But the theme of the show—which is having to do with what's going on out there with the economy and everything—conjured up other sorts of songs that we hadn't played before or played rarely. And all of a sudden we're going through "Seeds" and "Johnny 99," and brought back "Land of Hope and Dreams," and you found the song "Hard Times" by Stephen Foster and brought back this "American Land" song that Bruce had done.

And before you know it, an interesting sort of show just coalesced using some of these more obscure songs of his and others. And I think part of the reason is that the new songs have [a] bigger size to them. I mean, "Outlaw Pete" plays a big role in the show, as does "Kingdom of Days," "The Wrestler." We were doing "Lucky Day." We'll probably do that again, that's going to come and go, and "This Life."

There are a few coming and going, but the ones we are doing—"Working on a Dream," Kingdom of Days," "Outlaw Pete"—are just gigantic. You know, they’re big. They have quite a lot of size to them. So maybe, in a way, that sort of does the job and expresses the idea in fewer songs.

On the best crowd so far:
Well, I say this every year: the loudest crowd... I mean, we have the best crowd in the world, it's very consistent. But the loudest, rowdiest crowd is always in the Carolinas. I don't know why, nobody knows why, but every year it's true. South Carolina, North Carolina—there is something about that area that's just extremely vocal, extremely enthusiastic and [they] participate at the show in a level that's a little bit higher than everybody else.

But, truthfully, everywhere we go, it’s just the best audience I think, ever in history, for any artist. We have a very, very consistent audience who is very, very understanding about the fact that we did some things and do new things. I looked at the setlist of the day, and two-thirds of the setlist was from the last ten years and only about a third from the first 25 years. That's very unusual I think. And it's a tribute to our audience that they encourage it and support the new ideas, the new songs. And they're not expecting a nostalgia type of act, which we're just not. We're an ongoing concern here, still creating things. Bruce is still writing just fantastic things and vital things and is very, very much inspired and motivated to continue doing things as we have all along.

We don't go on stage with a different attitude than we... you know, we're the same as we were when we were 25. So, it's great. It's a tribute to our audience that they really support that.

On songs he'd like to play:
Well, some of my favorites we very rarely play. And one of my very favorites is "Restless Nights"—we've never played it live. So I'm hoping at some point here, one of these tours, we actually do. That's probably my favorite issued band album, the album that never came out, which ended up on Tracks, the second disc of Tracks which was a collection of outtakes.

Most of the pop/rock stuff that Bruce was writing in that late '70s, early '80s period is my favorite stuff. That's my favorite genre, obviously. You could tell from my radio format, the Underground Garage, that's my favorite genre. And a lot of those songs... just didn't really get released, tragically. And so, I'm hoping someday we do "Restless Nights" and some of those songs on that record. It's great.

On playing festivals:
There is an interesting phenomenon going on right now that really wasn't going on ten years ago. And it's not as evident here in the states. I think Bonnaroo is certainly a great one, and Coachella. You’ve got maybe a handful of great festivals here. In Europe, it's a festival every week in almost every country. It's an incredible phenomenon right now.

But I think what they have in common is that young people are starting to use these festivals as a way of balancing out what has been a kind of isolated generation or two between computers and video games and that sort of thing. There's been a lot of young kids coming home instead of hanging out in the park or something like we used to do, or even hanging out at the mall like the previous generation. It's sort of: come home, go in your room, turn your computer on, or text on your cell phone. It's been a very isolated sort of way of socializing in a funny kind of way. Now all of a sudden I think that's being balanced out... where they are coming out and being with other young people and it's a very, very healthy thing.

This is just my own observation; I haven't seen anybody talking about this. But that's what I'm seeing lately. It's just a very, very healthy and cool thing. Like I say, in Europe, it's exploding. I mean, Norway, Spain... literally, they overlap. They can't even do one a week, it's more than one a week. So I'm hoping we do a whole lot more of these, and I think what I'm expecting at Bonnaroo is just—I hope a lot of young people see us that have never seen us before, and it's going to be fun.

On the call: Adam Gold (Village Voice), Gary Graff (Billboard), Rachel Stein (Fuse), Ryan Snyder (Yes! Weekly), Rob Turbovsky (Boston Phoenix), and Byron Hensley (Saturday Independent).

More on Steven at Knoxville.com, and CNN.com.
- May 27, 2009

SUNDAY WE'LL LOOK BACK ON THIS...
Updating our Sirius XM update: Fans of “Live From E Street Nation,” the weekly live call-in show for Springsteen fans hosted by Dave Marsh on E Street Radio, now have another chance to catch the show. It continues airing live every Friday from 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. ET (at which time fans who want to talk about anything Bruce-related can call 1-877-70-BRUCE to join the discussion), with a repeat of each Friday’s show now airing on the following Sunday night from 8-10 p.m. ET. Whether you’ve already got Friday, or Sunday, on your mind, you can tune in at Sirius channel 10 or XM channel 58.
- May 27, 2009 - Shawn Poole reporting

GREAT NEWS FOR HARD TIMES: FANS DONATE BIG TO THE NJ FOODBANK
Saturday brought to a close not only Springsteen and the E Street Band's North American spring tour, but also our "Photographers Agains Hunger" campaign to benefit the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. Thanks to everyone who particpated, together we raised more than $135,000 to fight hunger in New Jersey.

That's through individual fan donations of $25 each—as the man said, "From small things, big things one day come"!

Here's what FoodBank President & CEO Kathleen DiChiara said via e-mail:

Just amazing, and what a team effort by the fans!

We are all energized and inspired by the goodness this represents. This is what you all have made possible: for every dollar of our operating budget we are able to provide about $7.00 in food to those in need. This wonderful project will enable us to provide just about $1 million in food to the poor and hungry in NJ.

Way to go, fans!!

Saturday afternoon, names were drawn and matched to the prints, using the photographers' names, in alphabetical order. Though the winners came from places as diverse as the birthplace of the Beatles to the swamps of New Jersey, from Florida to Washington state, perhaps the most poignant match was that of Andrea Tyrrell from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Defying odds, mathematics and the gods of chance, she was miraculously paired with fellow Okie Barbara Pyle's shot of the E Street Band, titled "My Hometown" made 34 years ago just a few hundred miles away in the small town of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma.

Here are the winners:

Name	City, State/Country	Photo
Anthony Woodley	Plymouth, UK	Mary Alfieri
Kimberly Doan	Lake Hamilton, FL	Danny Clinch
Joanna Arlow	Olympia, WA	Anton Corbijn
Shirley de Knegt-Kuzik	Sparta, NJ	Lynn Goldsmith
Tony Rea	Cave Creek, AZ	David Michael Kennedy
Lynn Hilditch	Liverpool, UK	Annie Leibovitz
Susanne Yurasits	Frankoin Lakes, NJ	Eric Meola
Kerry Flynn	Nantucket, MA	Neal Preston
Erik Carlson	South Orange, NJ	Barbara Pyle
Lance Tibbetts	Stamford, CT	David Rose
Dominic Tolli	Wayne, NJ	Pam Springsteen
Cynthia Wolfe	Saint Clair Shores, MI	Frank Stefanko
Frank Orlich	Mahwah, NJ	Albert Watson
Jeffrey Grubbs	Boca Raton, FL	Timothy White
Bonus Prints
Rosemarie Korbelak	Red Bank, NJ	Danny Clinch - Bonus
Kerry Nolan	Atlantic Highlands, NJ	Eric Meola - Bonus
Lloyd Scholss	White Plains, NY	Neal Preston - Bonus
Andrea Tyrrell	Tulsa, OK	Barbara Pyle - Bonus

Thanks again to all who chose to be part of this—the generosity during hard times has been astounding and heartwarming, from the photogaphers themselves jumping at the chance to make a difference, to the support and number of donations this project received from fans around the world.
- May 25, 2009

SATURDAY NIGHT VIDEOS
Courtesy of the Star Ledger and NJ.com, three video clips from the May 23 Meadowlands leg-closer:

• "Badlands"
• "Spirit in the Night"
• "Outlaw Pete"

- May 25, 2009

LIVE FROM THE SWAMPS OF JERSEY
Courtesy of the Star Ledger and NJ.com, four video clips from last night's Meadowlands opener:

• "Badlands"
• "Adam Raised a Cain"
• "Outlaw Pete"
• "Working on a Dream"

- May 22, 2009

HELPING HUNGRY HEARTS IN THE GARDEN STATE
As usual, Springsteen has been supporting hunger-fighting orignizations across the country on this tour. With these final shows of the leg in New Jersey, of course, it's his own local food bank that gets a boost: the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, to which Bruce also lent his image for their "We Can't Let This Bank Fail!" campaign.

Above left: a representative from the FoodBank selects a raffle ticket to upgrade a lucky fan plus a guest to the pit at the Izod Center. All a raffle ticket costs you is a donation of five non-perishable food items, and they'll be doing it again on Saturday night. Click here for details.

Above right: As shown on the video screens before last night's show started, there's just one day left in our Photographers Against Hunger campaign—less than 24 hours now. Make your $25 donation by noon on Saturday to be entered into the drawing (and support the NJ FoodBank too, of course). This is an extremely rare chance to own a stunning work of art by a renowned photographer, for a small fraction of its value. Each $25 donation you make gives you another chance at one of 18 original, gallery-quality prints of Springsteen, or Springsteen and the E Street Band.
- May 22, 2009 - photographs by A.M. Saddler

A SORT OF HOMECOMING
Bruce and the Band bring it home to Jersey before heading overseas
Gearing up for the last two shows of the first North American leg tonight and Saturday, May 21 and 23, at the Izod Arena at the Meadowlands... lots to report:

Help support the Community FoodBank of New Jersey by bringing five items of non-perishable food, and you'll be entered to win pit passes! For the first time at a Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert at the Meadowlands, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey is collecting food, and patrons who bring five or more items will have the chance to be upgraded to the pit. There will be a winner each night.

Here’s how it works: For every five (5) food items you bring, you will get one (1) raffle ticket for a chance to be upgraded to the pit for you and a guest. (10 items = 2 raffle tickets, 15 items = 3 raffle tickets, etc). For full details, check out the following PDFs.

Food drive details
Food drive details PLUS info about GA admission, transit, and more

You can also help the FoodBank through monetary donations at the venue, and through our "Photographers Against Hunger" campaign, less than 48 hours left!

SIRIUS XM's E Street Radio channel will be on location, with special Memorial Day weekend coverage. Dave Marsh will broadcast live from the parking lot (near Gate A) for a tailgate special tonight, starting at 6 p.m. Friday morning at 10 a.m., Marsh will host a special edition of his "Live From E Street Nation" program (listeners are invited to call Dave at 877-70-BRUCE to join the show). And all weekend, E Street Radio will be broadcasting a series of archival concerts recorded at the Meadowands, from 1984-'85 Born in the U.S.A. shows to Rising and Magic concerts at Giants Stadium. The series begins in the wee hours tonight, at 12:30 a.m., with the August 5, 1984 concert at what was then the Brendan Byrne Arena. See the E Street Radio page for the full schedule.

Speaking of Giants Stadium, lots of buzz going around about E Street Band shows there in the fall. Back in April, the NFL's Rich Eisen explained (at the 4:10 mark) why the new York Giants have three straight away games scheduled: "Three straight on the road, a scheduling anomaly they can thank in part Bruce Springsteen [for, who] in week number four is going to be taking over Giants Stadium...."

Word now has it that Bruce and the E Streeters will play the final concerts at the soon-to-be-closed venue, over three nights in late September and early October. There's talk of tickets going on sale on Monday, June 1. And if you don't believe your eyes, how about your ears?

Despite the authority in that voice, this is not yet official. We'll let you know when there's an announcement.

The Star Ledger analyzes the ticket sales for these Meadowlands shows, based on "documents submitted by Ticketmaster as part of the Attorney General's investigation into its business practices. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the ticket industry and prove what concert-goers have long suspected and more. For a hot show, the odds are long, the seats are few and the sale window slams shut in minutes." Read Peggy McGlone's "Getting into a NJ Bruce Springsteen concert is harder than imagined."

Also note that the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority counters the report with their own figures.

We'll be back with a post-show report tonight!
- May 21, 2009

"PHOTOGRAPHERS AGAINST HUNGER" CAMPAIGN ENDS SATURDAY
With four bonus prints in the pot, last chance to be one of 18 winners!
Our month-long Photographers Against Hunger campaign comes to a close this Saturday, May 23, when we'll stop accepting donations at noon. This is an extremely rare chance to win a large, original print from 14 renowned photographers who have all created notable images of Bruce Springsteen.

Two of them, Barbara Pyle and Eric Meola, have just contributed two more bonus prints (above and right, respectively), bringing the total number of signed, original prints—and the number of winners in Saturday's drawing—to 18. For each $25 donation you make to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, you'll get a chance to have one of these on your wall. We'll announce the winners right here on Monday.

We hope you'll join us, and the photographers assembled for the cause, in helping to fight hunger. But even if you're unable to donate, we encourage you to visit the Photographers Against Hunger page, where this gallery of 18 photographs is something to see in and of itself, including great stories behind the images from Pyle, Meola, Neal Preston, Pam Springsteen, and more. Click here for full details and to see all the images!
- May 20, 2009

LAST WEEK OF U.S. TOUR BRINGS LOTS OF E STREET CHAT
We're rounding the final corner of the Working on a Dream tour's first leg, with just one more week of shows left: DC tonight, Pittsburgh tomorrow, and the two Meadowlands shows at the end of the week. A media roundup as we enter the home stretch:

• Gearing up for tonight's DC show, the Washington Post talks with "Bethesda's former boy wonder" Nils Lofgren about E Street improv ("Bruce has discovered we don't even have to know a song to play it"), setlist nitpicking, and the "spiritual peace" of rock 'n' roll.
• Lofgren also spoke with the District's WTOP—read the article here, with online audio of Nils on Springsteen and the E Street Band, and on his own "musical journey."
• More with Nils from Gary Graff at Billboard.com, addressing the possibility of extending the tour after Europe: "Certainly there's talk about (more shows)... but it's kind of stream of consciousness, not something that's booked a year and a half in advance. I'm sure Bruce and Patti will evaluate what's going with their family and decide whether or not they're gonna do (more), and we'll go from there."
• In the Star-Ledger, Jay Lustig spoke with father and son for "Born to Drum: Two generations of Weinbergs do the E Street Shuffle." You can also read full transcripts of his interviews with Max and Jay.
• Jon Bream also spoke with Max earlier this month for the Star Tribune.

And remember, of course, the Jersey shows on Thursday and Saturday aren't the last U.S. stops on the current schedule; in the midst of the European leg, Bruce and the E Street Band will return to the states for the Bonnaroo festival, where they're scheduled to play Saturday, June 13 on the What Stage.
- May 18, 2009

I GOT THE RADIO ON AND I'M JUST CHANGIN' TIMES....
Sirius/XM Satellite Radio's "Live From E Street Nation", the weekly call-in show for Springsteen fans hosted by Dave Marsh on E Street Radio (Sirius channel 10; XM channel 58), has undergone a slight time shift. It now airs one half-hour later on Fridays from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET. The shift is a twofold improvement: it allows many listeners in the Mountain and Pacific time zones to enjoy more of the show during the traditional morning "drive-time," and it allows "You Be The Boss," the daily segment where Bruce's fans turn into "guest DJs" for 30 minutes, to return to airing every day—weekends included—from 10 a.m.-10:30 a.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to call "Live From E Street Nation" at 1-877-70-BRUCE while the show airs to discuss all things Springsteen. Marsh also continues to build an interesting lineup of co-hosts. This week, he is scheduled to be joined by Craig Werner, author of A Change Is Gonna Come: Music, Race & The Soul of America, one of the best books ever written about U.S. popular music and its role in social and political change. Naturally, it includes more than a few pages on Bruce Springsteen.

Fans of Marsh's other show about music and politics, "Kick Out The Jams with Dave Marsh," which continues to air live on Sundays from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. ET on "The Loft" channel (Sirius 29/XM 50), can now catch a repeat airing of each week's show as well, on Wednesday nights (or more accurately, Thursday mornings) from 12 a.m.-2 a.m. ET. Rockers who are nite-owls and/or prefer to sleep in late on Sundays, no matter in which time zone you live, set your 007 watches now!
- May 14, 2009 - Shawn Poole reporting

ANOTHER BONUS PRINT FOR "PHOTOGRAPHERS AGAINST HUNGER"
And if you thnk it looks good here, imagine it at 30" x 40"
In our Photographers Against Hunger campaign, you've got the rare chance to win a large, original print from 14 renowned photographers who have all created notable images of Bruce Springsteen. Last week, we added a bonus print from Danny Clinch, to increase the number of winners in the May 23 random drawing, and to significantly increase your odds.

The response was so good, and the photographers' dedication to the cause so great, that we're adding another one to the pot today. Neal Preston has offered up a second image for the drawing, this Fourth of July shot, above, from Wembley Stadium in 1985. (Read his notes in the gallery to find out how he pulled this one off.) While all of the prints donated to the drawing are large format, averaging 16" x 20", Preston's new addition is stunning at 30" x 40".

So instead of 14 photographs, we now have 16 signed, original prints to give away to 16 lucky fans as part of our campaign to fight hunger. Through your donation to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, you'll get the chance to have one of these on your wall.

Just ten days left until the drawing; click here for full details and to see all the images!
- May 13, 2009

THE HITS KEEP COMING!
In 1995, after more than two decades of recording, a Bruce Springsteen Greatest Hits package offered a first official "Best of." Not to be confused with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's Greatest Hits, released earlier this year as a Wal-Mart exclusive. Which, in turn, is not to be confused with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's Greatest Hits, due next month. Or maybe it is. Let's clarify.

On June 1, a new Greatest Hits package will be released in Europe, mirroring the U.S.-only GH release from January, and again focusing on E Street material. The new collection, a "Europe-only Limited Tour Edition CD," will hit shelves just as Springsteen and the E Streeters play the Pinkpop festival, as well as Glastonbury and Hard Rock Calling later in the month, and is clearly appealing to a new audience, much like the Wal-Mart title for the Superbowl. While expanding on the Wal-Mart release, with 18 tracks instead of 12, the new comp still doesn't include any rare material (though the addition of live versions of "Because the Night" and "Fire," charting singles from the Live/1975-'85 box, is a nice touch for newbies). So we won't need to pay this one much mind. But as long as we're on the topic... here's how the Hits hit the fans:

1. Blinded By the Light	x
2. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)	x	x
3. Born to Run	x	x	x
4. Thunder Road	x	x	x
5. Badlands	x	x	x
6. Darkness on the Edge of Town	x	x
7. Hungry Heart	x	x	x
8. The River	x		x
9. Born in the U.S.A.	x	x	x
10. I'm on Fire	x
11. Glory Days	x	x	x
12. Dancing in the Dark	x	x	x
13. The Rising	x	x
14. Lonesome Day	x	x
15. Radio Nowhere	x	x
16. Long Walk Home	x
17. Because the Night (Live)	x
18. Fire (Live)	x
Atlantic City			x
My Hometown			x
Brilliant Disguise			x
Human Touch			x
Better Days			x
Streets of Philadelphia			x
Secret Garden			x
Murder Incorporated			x
Blood Brothers			x
This Hard Land			x

- May 13, 2009

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT COULDN'T GET SCREWIER
Washington DC Springsteen concert oversold by TicketsNow
First, an item from our mailbag this morning. A fan writes:

The Ticketmaster/TicketsNow saga continues. In February, I was one of many who tried to buy tickets via Ticketmaster to the Bruce Springsteen concert in Washington DC scheduled for May 18. I was led to TicketsNow, where I inadvertently bought two $98 tickets at $305 each. When Ticketmaster offered to reimburse those of us who inadvertently overpaid, it took two months to get a $400 refund. TicketsNow said they would still provide tickets, but at face value. TicketsNow called yesterday to say that they would not be able to provide tickets to the Washington concert as promised.

Now, an Associated Press story reveals: "Thousands of Bruce Springsteen fans who bought premium seats to his concert at the Verizon Center next week are being told they don't actually have tickets. TicketsNow.com, a resale company owned by Ticketmaster, says it sold too many tickets.... Customers are getting refunds, along with free seats much further from the stage than the ones they had paid for."

So as to that recurring question, "How can resellers have these tickets when the show hasn't even gone on sale yet?" Answer: they don't.

In the "with us" column, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed "the Bruce Springsteen bill" into law on the day of the St. Paul show, as the Star Tribune reports, prohibiting "online ticket sellers from pushing buyers to resale sites that offer tickets far above face value."
- May 13, 2009

MORE PHOTOGRAPHERS COMING UP ON THE BRUCE BRUNCH
Last week on the Bruce Brunch, host Tom Cunningham had photographers Eric Meola and Frank Stefanko on the air to talk about Photographers Against Hunger. (That's Tom and Frank, L-R, in the studio.) As the campaign continues for just a couple more weeks, Tom is keeping it up: tune in tomorrow, Mother's Day, to hear Lynn Goldsmith on the program at 10:30 a.m., and next week, Sunday June 17, Danny Clinch will be on at the same time.

The Bruce Brunch is on 105-7 The Hawk Sunday mornings from 9 to 11. Listen live anywhere at www.1057thehawk.com.
- May 9, 2009

MEET-AND-GREET AUCTIONS UPDATE
As previously reported, Springsteen has been donating "meet and greet" packages for foodbanks to auction that include tickets to the local show, E Street Lounge passes, and a face-to-face meeting with the man himself for winning bids over $10,000. Plus, Bruce is matching the winning bids -- up to $50,000 -- in each city. Here are the ongoing auctions we know of:

• May 19, Pittsburgh, PA: Rainbow Kitchen (auction ends May 12, 1:30 p.m.); and Just Harvest (auction ends May 8, noon)
• May 21 and 23, East Rutherford, NJ: The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (auctions end May 18, 5:00 p.m.)

If you're involved in or have information on similar fundraisers in other cities, please email us the details, and we'll list it here.
- May 7, 2009

THE WRESTLER VS. HANNAH MONTANA
Wanna help Bruce bring home the golden popcorn? "The Wrestler" has been nominated for "Best Song From a Movie" in the MTV movie awards. It's up against tunes from Slumdog Millionaire, Hannah Montana: The Movie, and Twilight—vote here. The award show airs live on Sunday, May 31.
- May 7, 2009

SEEGER ON SCREEN: CLIPS ON BILLBOARD.COM, CONCERT COMING TO PBS
More from Pete Seeger's 90th courtesy of Billboard.com, with video clips including "The Ghost of Tom Joad" and "This Land is Your Land." Alexander P. Sherman's revew of the concert also notes that the night was filmed for a documentary; according to musicnewsnet.com, the concert will air in HD "in late summer on PBS" as part of the Great Performances series.
- May 7, 2009

BONUS PRINT ADDED TO "PHOTOGRAPHERS AGAINST HUNGER"
In our Photographers Against Hunger campaign, you've got the rare chance to win a large, original print from 14 renowned photographers who have all created notable images of Bruce Springsteen. We've capped the number of entries at 14,000—with 14 photographs to give away in a random drawing, that made the odds nice and easy: a one-in-a-thousand shot.

Well, now we've added a 15th print to the pot, so the math goes all to hell. But to your advantage. Odds are now better than one-in-a-thousand that, through your donation to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, you'll get the chance to have one of these on your wall.

The photograph above—courtesy of Danny Clinch, a Photographer Against Hunger who has now donated two prints to the cause—was taken in Springsteen's New Jersey farmhouse in 2005, when Clinch was on location to shoot the Devils & Dust film. And now it's one of 15 signed, original prints that will be given away to 15 lucky fans when we do a random drawing on May 23, or when we reach 14,000 donations, whichever comes first.

If you've been putting it off, we hope you'll join the effort now; click here for full details and to see all the images!
- May 6, 2009

"YOU OUTLASTED THE BASTARDS, MAN"
Springsteen salutes Seeger at Madison Square Garden for the big 9-0
Last night in New York, on an off night between Working on a Dream tour stops, Bruce appeared at The Clearwater Concert at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night in honor of Pete Seeger. Seeger's 90th birthday celebration was bookended by appearances from the honoree himself, nine decades under his belt and still going strong. In between, a wide variety of artists were there to celebrate the man and play his music: Emmylou Harris recounting correspondence she had with Pete as a young folk singer; Patterson Hood and Michael Franti teaming up for "Dear Mr. President," with other pairings including Tom Morello and Taj Mahal (on "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy"), and Ani DiFranco with Bruce Cockburn; Tim Robbins popping in and out; John Mellencamp offering up "If I Had a Hammer."

And then came Bruce. As the last artist of the night, Springsteen had the lengthiest remarks, with a speech that was an appreciation of Pete's place in history and of Pete as a repository of American history in himself. Bruce spoke of the folk legend's "stubborn, nasty, defiant optimism," and of Seeger as "the stealth dagger through the heart of our country's illusions about itself." Springsteen talked about his own youth, growing up in a town that endured race riots, and how times have changed: "Pete, you outlasted the bastards, man." He spoke about "We Shall Overcome," which he said Seeger moved from an anthem of the labor movement to one of the civil rights movement, and he described preparing for their duet on "This Land is Your Land" at the Inauguration, when Pete said: "I know I want to sing all the verses—all the ones that Woody wrote, even the two that usually get left out." Bruce summed up: "He sings all the verses, all the time—especially the ones we'd like to leave out of our history as a people."

"Pete's gonna come out," Bruce added, "He's gonna look like your granddad—if your granddad could kick your ass." But first, a performance from the Boss. Tom Morello joined him for "The Ghost of Tom Joad," on acoustics this time, trading verses and harmonizing on the chorus. It was a very energetic performance, clearly benefiting from their recent collaborations on the song with the E Street Band. After that, the stage filled with the night's artists for a grand finale. Seeger returned to the stage, and Patti Scialfa came out, too, for "This Land is Your Land." Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, Pete's grandson, led the throng through "Well May the World Go." Bruce was on guitar for "This Little Light of Mine," and joined in at the mic for the show-closing "Goodnight Irene." John Seeger, Pete's older brother, had one last birthday wish: "If I'm 95"—and he is—Pete's gonna live to be 100!

- May 4, 2009

TURN ON THE RADIO: MEOLA & STEFANKO JOIN THE BRUCE BRUNCH
Sunday morning, May 3, on his "Bruce Brunch" radio show, Tom Cunningham will be spotlighting our Photographers Against Hunger campaign, in which 14 lucky donors to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey will bring home large, original Springsteen images by 14 prominent photographers.

Cunningham says, "Two of those 14 renowned photographers will be on the show this week. Thinking about it, between the two of them, they've shot three of the most iconic album covers in rock history. Eric Meola (Born to Run) and Frank Stefanko (Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River) will share their great stories and give us insight into Bruce Springsteen, 'subject.' I am very much looking forward to having them on."

The Bruce Brunch is on 105-7 The Hawk Sunday mornings from 9 to 11. Listen live anywhere at www.1057thehawk.com.
- May 2, 2009

HARRY THE K MAKES THE CALL
More on the Harry Kalas clip played Wednesday night in Philly: Dan Deluca reports that the recording was made in 1985 for WIOQ, when Springsteen and the E Street Band played Philly's Veterans Stadium. "We're going to have a pinch hitter here with the bases loaded and two outs in the 9th innning. It looks like Bruce Springsteen, just called up. They call him the Boss..." Listen here.
- May 1, 2009

THEASBURYPARKBOARDWALK.COM UP FOR A WEBBY
Fans of Bruce and The Stone Pony can show their support for Asbury Park by voting in the Webby Awards — basically, the Oscars of the web, hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by The New York Times. Asbury Park's official site has been nominated, and you can help make the win happen by registering and voting here. The site is listed in the Website category, under Tourism (pitted against sites for destinations such as Sweden and Montreal). Just one day left — public voting is open until April 30.
- April 29, 2009

YOU CAN'T SIT DOWN!
Unless it's to watch video from last night's Philly show, in which case, please go right ahead. Three clips from Philly 1, courtesy of the Star-Ledger, are up at NJ.com now: Badlands / Out in the Street / Outlaw Pete. Jay Lustig's review is here.
- April 29, 2009

A FRIEND IN NEED
The family of Paul Williams, founder of Crawdaddy! magazine, needs help. In 1995, Williams suffered a traumatic brain injury in a bicycle accident, leading to early onset of dementia, and a steady decline to the point where he now requires full-time care—as Bob Hill writes at Crawdaddy! online, "the type that's difficult to afford when you've spent your entire career working as a freelance writer."

Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. rock magazine, and the first publication to devote major coverage to Springsteen, in early 1973. Williams himself interviewed Springsteen in 1974, later reprinted in Racing in the Street: The Bruce Springsteen Reader.

Read Hill's "When Bad Things Happen to Great Writers," and visit paulwilliams.com to lend your support.
- April 28, 2009

STOP BENDIN' THE SHAFTS!
Tonight, Springsteen's night off between Atlanta and Philly shows, he'll be helping to celebrate a bosom buddy at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Gala Tribute to Tom Hanks.
- April 27, 2009

"PHOTOGRAPHERS AGAINST HUNGER" CAMPAIGN BEGINS NOW!
Stefanko. Goldsmith. Meola. Corbijn. Leibovitz. Fourteen famous photographers in all, in conjunction with Backstreets magazine, are teaming up to fight hunger—and to give you a chance to own one of their original prints of Bruce Springsteen. Today's the first day of our month-long fundraiser for the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, and we hope you'll be a part of it. Visit backstreets.com/hunger now!
- April 22, 2009

IN THE WORKS: THE LIGHT IN DARKNESS
Lawrence Kirsch Communications, creator of the recent book For You, is beginning work on a new book called The Light in Darkness, to focus specifically on the Darkness on the Edge of Town era. Like For You, the forthcoming book will feature concert photography and stories from fans. Kirsch tells Backstreets, "This tribute to Darkness will be something special: more passionate stories, breathtaking never-seen-before photos, and some discovered artwork and memorabilia gems that will be of great interest to fans no matter when they were introduced to Bruce's music." Visit thelightindarkness.com for more information and to contribute.
- April 21, 2009

GREETINGS FROM THE FRIENDS
With the Working on a Dream tour hitting full stride, The Friends of the Springsteen Special Collection are working to fully document the tour for the collection, and we once again turn to you for help. We're specifically interested newspaper and magazine articles that preview, and review, Bruce as he and the E Street Band sweep across the U.S. and into Europe this summer. If you can help with articles from shows in your area, please contact us at pbjcrane@erols.com to make arrangements. Many thanks!
- April 21, 2009

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE
Don't forget Record Store Day tomorrow—Saturday, April 18—when an exclusive Springsteen seven-inch will be available at indie shops around the country. We may be able to get our hands on some of these here at Backstreet Records in time... but for now we hope you'll support this endeavor, helping keep brick & mortar stores alive by visiting your local mom & pop record shop (if it's still there!). The single is "What Love Can Do" b/w/ "A Night with the Jersey Devil." See Recordstoreday.com for more information, including a list of Particpating Stores.

Thinking of Danny: With today marking one year since we lost Danny Federici, the weekend will bring a few tributes to the man and his music. On Sunday, Danny's son Jason, Tom Morello, and a whole host of other musicians will play a "Memorial Fundraiser" for the Danny Fund, at the Troubadour in L.A.

That same day on the Jersey Shore, tune in to 105.7 The Hawk from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., when Tom Cunningham's weekly "Bruce Brunch" program will be a tribute to Phantom Dan. Stream it online here—and while you're at it, pair that with the "2nd Annual "Remembering Danny BTX Bruce Brunch Fundraiser," generating more help for the Danny Fund, with some fun giveaways to boot.
- April 17, 2009

THEY'RE GONNA MAKE A TV MOVIE OUTTA ME
Update: But they ain't gonna show it yet
The debut of Biography: Bruce Springsteen. was on the schedule for last night, but it got yanked. If you tuned in at 10, you got to learn about the chrome wheeled, fuel injected Hell's Angels instead. No word yet on a new air date for the Bruce bio, but we'll post it here when we know.
- Updated April 16, 2009

NATIVE "AMERICAN"
In Los Angeles early, for the pair of E Street Band shows tonight and tomorrow, Little Steven spent last night in the audience for American Idol's Top 7. Along with his wife Maureen, Steve got a couple close-ups during Tuesday night's live broadcast. Next time, we wanna see him as a mentor—Garage Rock week, anyone?
- April 15, 2009

REMINDER: "GLORY DAYS" SYMPOSIUM PROPOSAL DEADLINE IS APRIL 30
"Glory Days: A Bruce Springsteen Symposium," which was a great success in September 2005, will see a second go-round this fall, September 25 - 27, 2009.  Organized by Virginia Tech in conjunction with Penn State Altoona, the three-day event will take place on the campus of Monmouth University with evening musical performances (bands TBA) to be held at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park. The 2005 event attracted 330 participants from all across the U.S. and around the world.  Proposals are now being accepted for presentations, and information regarding proposing a presentation can be accessed at the conference web site.  For more information, you can contact symposium organizer Mark Bernhard at mcb7@vt.edu
- April 13, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAX! The Mighty One turns 58 today, born April 13, 1951. - photograph by Alan Chitlik

MEET-AND-GREET AUCTIONS FIGHT HUNGER AT EACH TOUR STOP
It's been decades since Springsteen has toured the U.S. without supporting foodbanks and hunger-fighting organizations in each city, and inviting them to collect donations at his shows. It's rarely publicized exactly how much support he lends to each, but this time around it looks like he's upped the ante.

Springsteen has been donating "meet and greet" packages for foodbanks to auction that include tickets to the local show, E Street Lounge passes, and a face-to-face meeting with the man himself for winning bids over $10,000. Plus, Bruce is matching the winning bids -- up to $50,000 -- in each city. Here are the upcoming auctions we know of:

• April 21, Boston, MA: Greater Boston Food Bank (auction ends April 15, 8:00 p.m.)
• April 22, Boston, MA: Greater Boston Food Bank (auction ends April 15, 8:00 p.m.)
• April 24, Hartford, CT: Hartford Food System (live auction, April 17)
• April 26, Atlanta, GA: Atlanta Community Food Bank (auction ends April 16, 3:00 p.m.)
• May 2, Greensboro, NC: Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina (auction ends April 16, 6 p.m.)
• May 4, Uniondale, NY: Long Island Cares, The Harry Chapin Food Bank
• May 11, St. Paul, MN: Second Harvest Heartland (live auction, April 30)
• May 12, Chicago, IL: Greater Chicago Food Depository (auction ends May 1, 5:00 p.m.)
• May 19, Pittsburgh, PA: Rainbow Kitchen (auction ends May 12, 1:30 p.m.)

If you're involved in or have information on similar fundraisers in other cities, please email us the details, and we'll list it here.
- Updated April 13, 2009

DANNY FEDERICI MEMORIAL FUNDRAISER, SUNDAY 4/19 IN L.A.
On Sunday, April 19, Tom Morello, Joe Purdy, and other artists will gather at the Troubadour to put on a concert for the Danny Fund, hosted by Robert Schimmel.

Danny's son Jason Federici -- who is also playing the event with his band Jason Heath & the Greedy Souls -- asked us to pass along the news to Backstreets readers: "I am honored to be able to get some great friends together to play a musical tribute to my father. It's been almost a year since he died from melanoma after a three-year battle. Since then, with your help, we created the 'Danny Fund,' a worldwide initiative to raise awareness and find a cure for for Melanoma.

"If you find yourself in LA on April 19th, come on down for a memorable night at the Troubadour. Thank you for your continued love and support!"

All proceeds will benefit the Danny Fund. Tickets, going fast, are through Ticketmaster.com, or check troubadour.com for more information.

Don't miss some free mp3 downloads that Jason has recently posted to the Danny Fund website.

Jason is also contributing to Backstreets magazine #88, currently nearing completion, which will feature a hefty tribute to the Phantom, including our exclusive interviews with E Street Band members on Danny's life and legacy, and much more. Look for this new, long-awaited issue just a bit later this spring -- we'll provide further updates here when it's on the way.
- April 10, 2009

WHAT WE'LL DO AND WHAT WE WON'T
With a tabloid report today bringing a flurry of emails to our inbox, this is a good time for a reminder that Backstreets has long been committed to covering Bruce Springsteen's professional career, and not his personal life. We'll offer simply this:

Springsteen's reps said today that he stands by the statement he posted on his website on August 28, 2006 regarding rumors relating to his marriage. That statement is no longer on Brucespringsteen.net, but in it, Springsteen countered "unfounded and ugly rumors" by expressing that his years with Patti have been the best of his life, and that "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."
- April 8, 2009