This week’s issue of Time magazine, includes Bruce Springsteen in their «Top 100» list of most influential people in the world. And the person chosen to write about Bruce is no other than actor/director Sean Penn (read).
Rolling Stone‘s May 1st issue («Best of 2008» issue) also has an article about Bruce Springsteen. This time to name Bruce and the E Street Band as «best live band in 2008». David Fricke writes about it (read).
Springsteen got inducted yesterday into the brand new New Jersey Hall of Fame. He’s part of the first class of inductees in the NJ Hall of Fame, along with other famous NJ citizens such as astronaut Buzz Aldrin, scientists Thomas Edison or Albert Einstein, actress Meryl Streep or the two most famous singers from the state: Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen.
La Bamba and the Hubcaps were the house band for the evening, and Springsteen closed the ceremony joining them onstage to play guitar on Sam & Dave’s «I Thank You» and sing on «Glory Days».
Upcoming show: it’s been confirmed that Bruce’s benefit concert on May 7th at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank won’t be an acoustic affair but a full band show with The E Street Band, this being their first theatre show since The River tour.
Video: «Glory Days» (Bruce Springsteen & La Bamba and the Hubcaps»)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSLMc8ez_Gw]
Video: Springsteen inducts Frank Sinatra.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxYLbKv7HO8]
Video: Springsteen’s induction speech.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L6W7q8Fxs0]
The Spring U.S. tour came to an end last night in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with a great show that found Bruce and the band in full force, opening with «The Promised Land» inmediately followed by the tour debut of «I Wanna Be With You» and the welcome comeback of «This Hard Land». Bruce told then some stories about the early days of the E Street Band, before playing «Growin’ Up».
A special guest came up for the encores, Bruce’s airplane pilot James Michael Brown, who, as Bruce said «he plays the trumpet!». His performance added some extra horn power to «Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out». After a good set of encores (which included «
Thunder Road» and «Rosalita») and the usual end with «American Land», Bruce & co went back to the stage, as it happened in Cincinnati, for a final extra encore of «Kitty’s Back».
See complete set list.
Coming next: the beginning of a 3-month European tour of stadiums, with three shows in Dublin starting May 22nd.
The penultimate concert of the U.S. Spring tour didn’t bring any song premieres. Anyway, no one will complain with a memorable opening song such as «Loose Ends», in a show that also included «For You», «Adam Raised a Cain» or «Meeting Across the River». Perhaps some hardcore fans will complain a little when they find out what Bruce wrote on his set list but choosed not to play: «Streets of Fire» (second time it’s set listed but not performed), «This Hard Land» or «I Wanna Be With You».
The U.S. tour ends Friday night with the postponed show in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
See complete set list.