HANDSOME AND HOT
The burning question of the day from Billboard: Who is the Sexiest Man in Music? Is Bruce Springsteen hotter than Adam Lambert? Than Ne-Yo? Than Nick Jonas? Only this poll will tell us for sure. Help bring sexy back with Billboard.com's online poll, results to be revealed by Valentine's Day.
- February 5, 2010

IT AIN'T ME, BABE
A New York Daily News story today names Bruce as the plaintiff in an ASCAP copyright infringement lawsuit against a New York City bar. According to a Shore Fire Media statement, however, it's all ASCAP:

In regards to the ASCAP lawsuit against Connolly's Pub and Restaurant, ASCAP was solely responsible for naming Bruce Springsteen as a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Bruce Springsteen had no knowledge of this lawsuit, was not asked if he would participate as a named plaintiff, and would not have agreed to do so if he had been asked. Upon learning of this lawsuit this morning, Bruce Springsteen's representatives demanded the immediate removal of his name from the lawsuit.

- February 4, 2010

I HAD TOO MUCH TO DREAM LAST NIGHT
Congratulations to Bruce, a winner at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards last night in Los Angeles. He was awarded the statue for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for "Working on a Dream," up against Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Prince, and Neil Young. Congrats as well to Brendan O'Brien, who took home the Producer of the Year Grammy in part for his work with Bruce (as well as with AC/DC, Pearl Jam, and more). See the full list of Grammy nominees and winners here.
- February 1, 2010

SEEING STARS
Caryn Rose, who recently reported on the "From Asbury Park to the Promised Land" exhibit extension for us, also guests this week on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's blog about her visit.

At 11 a.m. on a Saturday morning, I am reading the original lyrics to "It’s So Hard to Be a Saint in the City" -- noting the ’silver star studs on my duds like a Harley in heat’ and then, a few steps later, seeing the aforementioned Born to Run biker jacket hanging on the wall. The jacket is smaller than I thought it would be. It’s weathered, it’s worn, it’s wrinkled. Someone has undoubtedly slept in it, sweat in it, sat in the back of a van in it while it was still wet.

I step closer.

There are silver star studs on the shoulders.

Read the full entry at www.rockhall.com/blog.
- January 29, 2010

THINGS WILL GET WORSE, THEY GOT TO GET BETTER…
Talk about your Blue Mondays. On January 25, the U.S. Justice Department’s Anti-Trust Division officially approved a “watered-down” version of the merger between ticket-sales agency Ticketmaster and concert-promoter/venue-owner Live Nation, creating a new company called Live Nation Entertainment.  (One of the better initial reports/analyses of the deal can be found here.)  In reality, there’s very little “watered down” from the original proposal first made a year ago, which essentially will solidify and strengthen what many considered to be a live-entertainment monopoly already since Pearl Jam et. al. unsuccessfully sought restrictions on Ticketmaster from the Anti-Trust Division back in the ’90s, during the Clinton presidency. Springsteen fans in particular should be appalled that not a single item in the “significant changes” ordered by the Justice Department even pretends to address the blatant conflict of interest that is Ticketmaster’s wholly-owned “secondary ticket market” (legal scalping) subsidiary TicketsNow, the source of so many problems for fans who attempted to buy tickets during the Working on a Dream tour last year.

Speaking of conflicts of interest, one of the other "concessions" that the new company surprisingly did not have to make allows it to keep its artist-management wing, headed by Irving Azoff, to boot. To understand just how anti-artist and anti-fan this move is, just remember that when Springsteen was forced to mount his famous lawsuit against former manager Mike Appel, Bruce's major source of revenue to sustain him and his band through that period came from their live performances. Any artist managed by Ticketmaster could be restrained from repeating such a strategy now, with the new company's increased power to control access to venues, ticket sales, etc. Even if you're an artist who's not directly managed by Azoff, if you don't like any aspect of how you or your audience get treated by Live Nation Entertainment, it now will be even more difficult, if not impossible, to oppose the company's policies and continue to make a living as a professional musician.

This latest action (or, more accurately, inaction) from the Anti-Trust Division comes in spite of the public opposition of many, including Bruce Springsteen, his management and touring organizations, and many of his fans who wrote letters, sent e-mails and/or made phone calls urging the Anti-Trust Division to stop this merger. As Springsteen's official website previously noted, "[T]he one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing." Barring any significant actions from Congress or the President (who still could actively oppose the Anti-Trust Division's ruling if they chose to do so), it looks pretty certain now that we're headed further down that road.

Despite the discouraging news, however, the battle isn't over just yet. Click here for more information. 
- January 27, 2010

BACK TO THE FUTURE
Tramps Like Us to recreate historic 1978 Springsteen concert
With a Darkness on the Edge of Town 30th anniversary box set expected this year, popular Bruce Springsteen tribute band Tramps Like Us is set to re-create what is considered one of the single greatest live performances of his career: the September 19, 1978 Capitol Theatre concert in Passaic, NJ from the Darkness tour.

This blast to the past is set to take place just across the river from its origins, at BB King's in Times Square on Thursday February 11. The 1978 concert was originally broadcast on WNEW and bootlegged in stellar sound as the aptly named Piece De Resistance, so it should be well-known to (and in fact helped create) many Springsteen fans; among the set's highlights are "Prove It All Night" with its legendary extended piano and guitar solo intro, "She's the One" with the equally definitive prelude of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away," and the extended "Backstreets" with its rare "Sad Eyes" interlude. With the original songs and versions performed in order, as on that historic night, this will be the first time we know of that an entire Springsteen concert has been recreated.

In addition, Lawrence Kirsch, publisher of the new book about Bruce Springsteen's 1978 tour The Light in the Darkness, will be selling and signing copies of his book at the venue.

E Street Radio on Sirius XM has also set up a special roundtable discussion to coincide with the Tramps Like Us performance, to chat about the historic concert and its re-creation. The broadcast will include some notable guests who know whereof they speak:

• Richard Neer: DJ who anchored the original 1978 live broadcast from backstage at the Capitol Theater on New York's WNEW 102.7
• Kid Leo: Longtime DJ from WMMS in Cleveland and, like Neer, an early Springsteen supporter; currently a DJ on Little Steven's Underground Garage
• Stan Goldstein: Springsteen historian, tour guide, and co-author of Rock & Roll Tour of the Jersey Shore
• Mike Grenier: Sportswriter at the Salem News since the 1970s who has seen 186 Springsteen concerts since 1977
• Mark Salore: Founder and frontman of Tramps Like Us

Broadcast dates are Wednesday, January 27 at 4 p.m.; Thursday, January 28 at 12 a.m. and 8 a.m.; and Wednesday, February 3 at 4 p.m. (all times Eastern).

ROCK HALL'S SPRINGSTEEN EXHIBIT EXPANDED, EXTENDED!
Adding to an already impressive collection of previously unseen Bruce Springsteen artifacts, including numerous notebooks and many pieces of stage clothing, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museums' exhibition "From Asbury Park to the Promised Land" has recently added several additional pieces to the exhibition, some from private collectors and others from Bruce's personal archive. The Hall will also be announcing that the exhibition has now been extended and will remain until the end of 2010.

Joining the 1960 Corvette Bruce bought with his Born to Run proceeds, the first car he ever owned — a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible, which he customized by painting yellow and adding flames on the sides and dashboard — has also been acquired for display.

Two new instruments used in '80s recording sessions have also been added. The Linn drum machine that Bruce used in his Hollywood Hills studio in early 1983 is now on view. This machine can be heard on "County Fair" and was used on demos of numerous other songs, including "My Hometown." The keyboard on which Tunnel of Love songs "Walk Like a Man" and "Valentine's Day" were recorded is also new to the exhibition.

Rounding out the additions are more current objects: Bruce's 2002 Grammy Award for The Rising (in the Best Rock Album category), his 2007 Grammy Award for "Radio Nowhere" (in the Best rock song category), his 2009 Golden Globe Award for "The Wrestler," and Bruce's most recent award, the 2009 Kennedy Center Honor that he received only six weeks ago in ceremonies in Washington, D.C. Springsteen has also loaned the jacket he wore while performing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009 in the ceremonies leading up to the inauguration of President Obama.

Other items currently featured in "From Asbury Park to The Promised Land" include several dozen original handwritten lyric sheets, from very early years up until The Rising, a large quantity of iconic clothing items (including the leather jacket from the Born to Run cover, the flannel shirt on the cover of The River and the entire outfit from the cover of Born in the U.S.A.), posters, tickets, furniture, passes, a large collection of vintage hotel room keys, and much more. The breadth of previously unseen items in the exhibit is stunning. It cannot be recommended highly enough for serious Springsteen fans.
- January 26, 2010 - Glenn Radecki and Caryn Rose reporting

VEDDER'S "MY CITY OF RUINS" BENEFITS HAITI RELIEF
Here's something to add to your playlist along with Bruce's new "We Shall Overcome," as Pearljam.com reports: "Eddie Vedder's full audio performance of Bruce Springsteen's 'My City Of Ruins' from the recent Kennedy Center Honors is now available for purchase through Ten Club and iTunes for $.99. Proceeds from the sale of the track benefit Artists for Peace and Justice Haiti Relief." Vedder's December 6 live performance had him backed by the Joyce Garrtt Singers. Visit artistsforpeaceandjustice.com to learn more about their Haitian relief efforts.
- January 26, 2010

ACT GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
After reaching millions on Friday night, helping to raise more than 58 million dollars for Haiti relief, Springsteen lent a lower-profile hand in his own back yard on Saturday. The place: The Stone Pony; the occasion: another private benefit for the Ranney School, Springsteen again backed by Bobby Bandiera's band and joined by Patti Scialfa and Southside Johnny for a far more festive performance than the previous night.

The Saturday night show ran 2:43, chock full of the usual classic covers and uptempo originals. The now-traditional "634-5789" opener kicked things off, with the more recently uncovered "Higher and Higher" worked in toward the end. Brian Williams and his wife Jane joined in to sing on the Jackie Wilson tune, after watching the show from sidestage as the Springsteens' guests for the evening.

"WE SHALL OVERCOME" FOR HAITI RELIEF
For Friday night's "Hope For Haiti Now" telethon, Bruce Springsteen gathered the most recent additions to the E Street stage — all of whom were also a part of the Sessions Band tour — for a performance of "We Shall Overcome." Springsteen played acoustic guitar, accompanied by Charlie Giordano on accordion, Curt Ramm on trumpet, and on backing vocals, Patti Sciafa, Soozie Tyrell, Curtis King, and Cindy Mizelle. The telethon also featured "Hard Times Come Again No More," recently revived by the E Street Band, here performed by Mary J. Blige with the Roots.

The Hope For Haiti Now performances can be purchased digitally on iTunes or on Amazon.com, $7.99 for a full "album" of the night's music, or 99 cents for individual tunes. All proceeds, of course, further benefit the cause.

According to MTV: "As donations continue to pour in from around the world, "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" announced on Saturday (January 23) that it has raised more than $58 million to date — a new record for donations made by the general public through a disaster-relief telethon. The preliminary figure includes donations made via phone, online and mobile, and does does not include donations by corporations and large private donors, or iTunes sales figures, all of which are still being calculated."

Donations are still being accepted — and will be for the next six months — at www.hopeforhaitinow.org.
- January 24, 2010

TONIGHT: HAITI TELETHON TO STREAM LIVE ONLINE
If you're not near a TV tonight, "Hope for Haiti Now" will also be streaming live at a number of websites, including YouTube, Hulu, MySpace, Fancast, AOL, MSN, Yahoo!, Bing.com, BET.com, MTV.com, CNN.com, VH1.com and Rhapsody.

The live telethon, featuring Bruce Springsteen performing in New York, begins at 8:00 p.m.
- January 22, 2010

SO MUCH FOR GOIN' CALI
With the deal finally inked late last night, it was announced this morning: Conan O'Brien is officially exiting The Tonight Show — and with him, Max Weinberg and the Tonight Show Band (including, of course, longtime Springsteen horn guys Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg and Mark "Love Man" Pender). According to today's story in Variety, "Everyone, from the show's writers and all the way down to the janitorial team, will receive a severance package described as more generous than the company's standard exit agreements." Soak 'em, boys!

Nice to see an example of Max's farsightedness today, courtesy of thesmokinggun.com:

As it kicks Conan O'Brien to the curb with a $32 million golden parachute, NBC is reportedly seeking to maintain control of material developed over the years by the late night host and his writers. This intellectual property, as it were, would apparently include bits like "In the Year 3000" and characters such as "Pimpbot 5000." But while the "Masturbating Bear" may be headed for permanent hibernation, fans will be happy to know that the risque character's theme music (and that of the Pimpbot) is beyond NBC's grasp, thanks to the foresight of drummer Max Weinberg and guitarist Jimmy Vivino. The musicians copyrighted those compositions in 2004, according to the below United States Copyright Office records. Weinberg and Vivino registered "Masturbating bear music" and "Masturbating bear theme," as well as themes for both Pimpbot 5000 and Pimpbot 2000. Sadly, it is unclear whether these stirring instrumentals will ever again be performed.

Two episodes of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien remain, airing tonight and tomorrow night.
- January 21, 2010

SHOWTIME!
In late September, Bruce Springsteen shared the Apollo Theater stage with Elvis Costello for the better part of four hours; four months later, the wait is over to see the results. Or at least to see half of them. Springsteen's appearance on Spectacle is the first to be split into two episodes, with Part 1 debuting tonight at 10 p.m., to be followed by Part 2 next Wednesday, January 27. See sundancechannel.com for the full schedule, including repeat showings, and for sneak peek video clips, too.
- January 20, 2010

TELEPROMPTER? HE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' TELEPROMPTER
The B Street Band provided the entertainment at last night's Inaugural Evening Celebration for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie — as did the new governor himself. Christie joined the B Streeters on stage to sing along, and while we figured he'd know all the words (he's been to 125 shows, after all), the man can carry a tune, too. Visit NJ.com, where the Star-Ledger has videos of the Christie-supplemented "Born to Run" and "Badlands."
- January 20, 2010

HOPE FOR HAITI TELETHON UPDATE: SPRINGSTEEN CONFIRMED
Back in 2001, George Clooney organized the post-9/11 America: A Tribute to Heroes broadcast, which memorably opened with Bruce performing "My City of Ruins." This Friday night, January 22, George Clooney's Hope for Haiti telethon will air on multiple networks to raise funds for earthquake relief; MTV has now confirmed that Springsteen will again be taking part.

In the U.S., MTV Networks' Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief is set to air commercial-free across channels including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, the CW, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT on Friday at 8 p.m. It will also air internationally on BET International, CNN International, National Geographic and MTV Networks International.

The telethon will be hosted by Clooney in Los Angeles, Wyclef Jean in New York, and CNN's Anderson Cooper in Haiti. Springsteen will join Jean in New York, along with Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira and Sting. Other performers slated for the teleton include Jay-Z, Bono and the Edge, Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, John Legend... more than 100 artists have signed on.

All performances will available for download on iTunes for 99 cents the next day. Funds raised will benefit the Red Cross, UNICEF, Oxfam America, Partners in Health and Jean’s Yele Haiti Foundation.
- Updated January 19, 2010

WE'RE WITH MAX!
At this very moment, a rally is underway outside Chicago's NBC-5 to try and keep Conan O'Brien's The Tonight Show on the air. Outside 30 Rock, too, in New York. A third "Rally for CoCo!" takes place in downtown Seattle tonight. The main event, of course, is outside of Universal Studios in Los Angeles, where Conan — along with a swingin' combo known as Max Weinberg and the Tonight Show Band — tapes the show.

Illustrator Mike Mitchell's "I'm with CoCo" image helped galvanize the movement. And with a tip of the hat to Mike, we'll proudly make our own allegience known.

Check out "I'm with CoCo" on Facebook; proceeds from sales of the T-shirt will benefit Haiti relief.

Below, for our fellow Team Max members, two shots of the Mighty One and his new Big Band's debut late last month in Miami [photographs by John Eaton].

- January 18, 2010

SPRINGSTEEN SEES THE LIGHT
Saturday night's LOD concert brings three guest turns from the Boss
Light of Day celebrated its tenth anniversary last night with a customary program of solid performances: by newcomers Outside the Box, shore favorites like Danny White and Bruce Tunkel, and longtime participants/supporters like Willie Nile, Joe D'Urso and Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers. The marathon event, which had Asbury Park's Paramount Theater rocking past one in the moirning, did not disappoint the full house, some of whom had traveled from as far away as Italy to be a part of the festivities.

Rumors had been swirling since the previous evening’s entertainment at the Stone Pony, but just about everyone was surprised when Bruce Springsteen walked onstage late in Willie Nile's set to contribute vocals on "Heaven Help the Lonely." Dressed in his by now standard garb — dark jeans, black shirt — and sporting a brand new tan and a broad smile, Bruce was halfway into the song before most of the audience even noticed he was there. Which was, of course, the plan all along.

But that wasn't it. Springsteen aficionados and fans of Jesse Malin alike have been waiting for a live performance of their duet on the Malin tune "Broken Radio” since its release several years back, and last night they finally got it. Jesse, who has been laying low most of last year working on a new record, was partway into his usual energetic set (his hot new band features his old friend and bandmate Danny Sage on guitar) when he called his friend Bruce out to join him. They got in a solid, well-received performance of Jesse's heartfelt ballad before Springsteen once again disappeared backstage.

Light of Day newcomer and Pennsylvania native Ed Kowalczyk subsequently turned in a strong acoustic set comprised mostly of material made famous by his band Live; the stage was then set for a return engagement from Everyone’s Favorite Freehold Native, and he didn't disappoint. Bruce returned midway through Joe Grushecky’s closing slot for a powerful performance of the classic Bruce/Houserockers set, the highlight of which had to be the long-lost gem "Pink Cadillac."

The night ended with a now obligatory turn on "Light of Day" followed by an all-star jam on the Isley Brothers classic "Twist and Shout." The stage was packed with artists from all three days of Light of Day performances, and as the house lights came up, everyone — local artists, organizers, first-time participants and veterans — seemed to be in agreement that on its tenth anniversary, Light of Day was stronger than ever.

AND GIANTS PLAYED THE GAME
From the final home game at Giants Stadium, shown at halftime, a stadium tribute video set to "Wrecking Ball" now online at Giants.com.
- January 8, 2010

HAPPY 75th, ELVIS!
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the birth of Elvis Presley, born on January 8, 1935. With events marking the occasion at Graceland and around the world, we thought we'd join in the fun. A few years back, Backstreets Magazine celebrated the 50th anniversary of Elvis’ first record with a massive 14-page, multi-author feature on Presley’s enormous and enduring influence on Bruce Springsteen’s career. Shortly thereafter, one of our readers, Henry Klingeman, wrote to suggest a future exploration of what kind of album Bruce and Elvis might have made together if they had ever gotten the chance.

Shawn Poole, the main architect of our 2004 Elvis/Bruce feature, eventually took Henry’s suggestion and ran with it. The result is a fun piece of speculative fiction that nevertheless concocts a very plausible scenario in which "The King" and "The Boss" cross paths and actually record together. On his weekly radio show "Live From The E Street Nation," Dave Marsh noted, "Shawn did a great job on this story. It'll make you laugh and it'll make you think. That’s about as good as you can get." Shawn's piece, "Didn't Have to Die: How an Encounter That Never Happened Might Have Helped to Change History if It Had" recently ran in Spain's The Stone Pony magazine; to mark the King's 75th birthday, we present the complete English version a free PDF on our Downloads page.

And here's some "bonus Elvis/Bruce info" from Shawn for interested readers, too: "At the time of Backstreets' 2004 feature on Elvis and Bruce, we were able to determine through archival interviews with both Mike Appel and Bruce Springsteen that Bruce and Mike saw one of Elvis' 'great' (quoth Bruce) 1972 Madison Square Garden concerts (the only New York City shows that Presley ever performed), but it remained unclear exactly which show they saw. Some recent communication, however, with Appel and NJ-based musician Pat Karwan, who also attended the concert with Bruce and Mike, confirmed that the show they saw together took place on the night of Friday, June 9, 1972, the same date that Bruce began his professional recording career by signing with Columbia Records. Super-cool way to celebrate the record deal, eh?"

Appel is now developing a musical called In the Shadows of the King. According to Mike, "It’s about how all of us young rockers all wanted to emulate Elvis whether it’s The Beatles, The Stones, Bruce Springsteen etc., all wanted to be Elvis." You can learn more about In the Shadows of the King at mikeappel.net.

Merry Elvismas!

IT OUGHT TO BE EASY, OUGHT TO BE SIMPLE ENOUGH...
...and now it is, thanks to CalPIRG (California Public Interest Research Group). If you haven't yet contacted the U.S. Department of Justice to express your opposition to the proposed Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger (and even if you have done so already), you may want to take advantage of the new online form designed and posted by CalPIRG, which just joined the opposition. You don't have to live in California to use it, and it makes it extremely easy to add your voice to those of us who oppose this proposed merger. If you don't wish to share your contact information with CalPIRG and/or its network, there's still the "old-fashioned approach," too, outlined in Backstreets' December 3, 2009 news posting, in which we also detailed Bruce Springsteen's and our positions on this important issue.

No matter how you do it, we urge all Springsteen fans again to write, call, e-mail etc. right now, since a decision from the U.S. Department of Justice on the merger proposal is expected to be announced very soon. To get the latest updates on the merger decision, click here.
- January 8, 2010

NEW YEAR, NEW SHIRT
If you thought Mary was a vision dancing on the porch in her dress, wait'll you check her out in her Thunder Road T-shirt. Following up their Greasy Lake tee, here's another souvenir from a mythical place courtesy of our friends at Protect, the National Association to Protect Children. Their line of T-shirts from fictional locales benefits the work that they do, and like the Greasy Lake shirt, they're letting us make this one available to our readers through Backstreet Records. This shirt invites you to "Travel the legendary Thunder Road… these two lanes will take you anywhere!" In stock now, in adult sizes small through XXXL.

We also still have the official 2010 Springsteen calendar in stock, in case you didn't get one for the holidays...

IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes ringing in the new year at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ.
- January 4, 2010 - photograph by Michael Zorn

LAY DOWN YOUR MONEY AND YOU PLAY YOUR PART
Pollstar has relesed its year-end tally of the highest grossing North American tours, with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band placing at number two for 2009, behind only U2. According to The Pollstar Top 50, the Working on a Dream tour pulled in a total gross of 94.5 million in North America, with a total of 1,074,407 tickets sold.

On their list of the top touring acts of the decade, Springsteen comes in fourth — behind the Dave Matthews Band, Celine Dion, and Kenny Chesney, and ahead of the Rolling Stones and U2. According to Pollstar's calculations, Springsteen sold 5.7 million North American tickets in the oughts, grossing 444.3 mil.
- January 2, 2010

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