As a music fan, I understand that if we live long enough, it is inevitable that we lose some of our heroes. Clarence Clemons wasn’t so much a hero to me, as an icon in rock and roll music – a symbol of power, spirituality, and an undefinable and immeasurably important piece of the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band equation. A link to the rock sax sounds of the 50’s and 60’s; a bodyguard to the band, even in failing health.
Springsteen introduced him last at shows for a reason: because he was the Big Man. We understood, and waited for Clarence to raise his sax into air and let loose a shout. Bruce would plant a kiss on the Big Man’s lips at the end of “Thunder Road”, sliding across the stage on his knees as Clarence finished the song with a sax solo. It was a beautiful representation of the power of loyalty and love.
Clemons died Saturday night after suffering a stroke on June 12. He was 69. And the rock and roll feels different tonight. How exactly? To be honest, I am not sure. Other musicians, from U2 to Bon Jovi to Eddie Vedder, seem to sense it too – all three heard about his passing while playing their own concerts, and immediately paid tribute from the stage Saturday night.
It’s feels like we have lost a man who seemed to make those around him better, sometimes by playing, and sometimes just by being close. Larger than life? That seems to fit pretty damn well.
And maybe he was. Maybe now he is playing his King Curtis-inspired riffs someplace else.
God, I hope so.
Jungleland – September 19, 1978
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH_NvYPBDY0]
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce on American Idol tonight?
Here’s the big fuzzy buzz on this 4/20: Time-wasting speculation as to whether Bruce Springsteen will make an appearance on “American Idol” this tonight or Thursday.
The show, on its official Twitter account, last Friday tweeted: “Holy pride of New Jersey….BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN in the studio right now listening to the idols sing!!!!”
If we are to believe the Twitter post (and why wouldn’t we? It’s Twitter, dammit), the Boss came in last Friday to discuss some performing tips with the contestants. Was it taped? Had to have been. Will we see it? I would bet we will.
Springsteen has a long relationship with Jimmy Iovine that goes back several decades, and Iovine is with Interscope Records, and close to the show.
And we must never forget that Idol judge Randy Jackson played bass on “Human Touch”, one of the weakest Springsteen albums of his career.
How did it ever take so long?
The only “huh?” this week is the song selection: Bruce helps out the Idol karaoke singers for “Songs from the 21st Century”.
Still, he’s a big “get” for the show, and if I were in the Top 7, I’d take that performing advice from Bruce, lock that info deep in my brain, and build a career on it.
Justin Townes Earle covers Bruce's "Racing in the Streets"
Justin Townes Earle must have got the Darkness” box set… because Earle broke out his version of Springsteen’s “Racing in the Street” while in Dublin last week. Smooth and powerful, I love this slow-burn version. Pretty damn good sound too.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQbr2og4_J4&feature=player_embedded]
New Springsteen five-song concert – watch here
In an old building in Asbury Park last week, Bruce Springsteen and the E St. Band (plus horns and longtime Jackson Browne musical partner David Lindley on violin) taped a live show. They invited about 60 fans. The premise? Live versions of songs from the new/old The Promise album, which are mostly great-but-unused songs from 1978’s Darkness on the Edge of Town sessions.
The result. An amazing, intimate, loose and intense 30 minutes slice of Springsteen. Thom Zimny (who has become Bruce’s filmmaker) puts us on the stage, as close as most will ever get.
Songs From The Promise” was filmed on December 7 inside the Asbury Park boardwalk’s historic Carousel House. The concert features the world premiere E Street Band performances of four tracks from The Promise (“Racing in the Street (’78),” “Gotta Get That Feeling,” “Ain’t Good Enough For You,” and the title track), plus “Blue Christmas.”
WATCH HERE
Springsteen, E St. Band recording new video for pre-Christmas webcast
On Tuesday, December 7, Bruce will be convening the E Street Band on the Jersey Shore to play tracks from The Promise for a future webcast.
The webcast, to be added sometime between now and Christmas, is a new venture into the digital media for Bruce, and his first exclusive self-produced webcast.
And unlike the Darkness ’09 film that is included in the new box set, a small number of fans will be extras for this filming. It’s a video shoot, with all the stops and starts that come with it. And it’s likely gonna be a cold, windy December afternoon.
Bruce and the band will playing performance debuts of songs from The Promise, and a small crowd will be allowed into in an intimate space when they capture it on film.
VIDEO: Can't stop watching Springsteen's Tuesday performance of "Because the Night"
Sure, the duet of Bruce circa ’75 and Jimmy Fallon (doing an impeccable Neil Young imitiation) performing “Whip Your Hair” is garnering much of the internet buzz from the Boss’ Tuesday night appearance on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
But it was the incendiary performance of “Because the Night” that was the real star. It will go down (in my little book of lists) as one of the great late night music performances ever.
Backed by The Roots and anchored by E Streeters Little Steven on guitar and Roy Bittan on piano, from the opening vocal moments to a see-to-be-believe guitar-driven ending, they, to paraphrase the words of the original time slot/show host Dave Letterman, “they blew the roof off the fucking place”.
Watch the video and then read a great Rolling Stone blog post with Roots drummer ?uestlove, who said “I mean, I’ve done some intense playing on our show, but that was the most intense playing I’ve ever done.
“If you look at the last 20 seconds [of “Because the Night”], all of us are literally in a circle,” he says. “We’re totally disregarding the minute mark and the deadline – Lord knows we went 32 bars over. We were supposed to end after the end of the bridge, but we just kept going. None of that stuff was expected — the guitar solo.” – READ STORY
They reportedly rehearsed for 90 minutes on the two songs they were to play – no surprise given Bruce’s once-legendary two-hour soundchecks.
I can’t stop watching the performance. The last minute is everything rock and roll should be. And bands who want to see how to deliver when the light comes on should study the video. Not tomorrow. Not later. Now.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg_8N6nULIA]