From: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org (LuckyTown Digest) To: luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Subject: LuckyTown Digest V9 #103 Reply-To: luckytown@luckytown.org Sender: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Errors-To: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Precedence: bulk LuckyTown Digest Tuesday, November 5 2002 Volume 09 : Number 103 NOTE: Sale/trade posts should be emailed to luckytown-ads, *NOT* to luckytown. That includes tix wanted/tix grovels, post them to luckytown-ads, please. Contents: AUSTIN POSTPONED ["Kevin Kinder" ] FW: Bruce Springsteen European Tour Update! ["Kevin Kinder" ] It's Boss Time in Houston ["Michael R. Grabois" ] Re: The return of the stalker. [LSmith1370@aol.com] Houston show [MTTBigRed@aol.com] London ["Robert Gower" ] Re:"The Rising" Limited Edition Reissue! [John F Butland ] To Politicize or Not to Politicize [Thom Engel ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 5 Nov 2002 21:28:10 -0600 From: "Kevin Kinder" Subject: AUSTIN POSTPONED The Austin show on Wednesday has been postponed and rescheduled for March 2nd. No word yet on whether any other shows will be affected. Hope Clarence recovers soon. From the Austin American-Statesman: Springsteen concert postponed Sax player Clarence Clemons has surgery for detached retina By Michael Corcoran AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Tuesday, November 5, 2002 The Boss won't go on without the Big Man. Bruce Springsteen's concert tonight at the Erwin Center has been rescheduled for March 2 after E-Street sax player Clarence Clemons underwent surgery for a detached retina following Monday night's show in Houston. According to a statement from Springsteen's publicist, the surgery was successful. Tickets to tonight's concert, the only one that had to be rescheduled, will be honored at the make-up date or they may be returned for a refund at the point of purchase or the Erwin Center box office beginning Monday at 10 a.m. About 8,500 tickets, at $75 each, had been sold to the show by the time Tuesday's postponement was announced. The U.S. leg of "The Rising Tour" was scheduled to end Dec. 13 in Albany, N.Y. The European swing starts May 6 in the Netherlands. Erwin Center director John Graham said he received a voice mail message from Springsteen reps about 10 p.m. Monday night saying there was some concern about the Austin date. When he returned the call Tuesday morning, Graham was told that the show had to be rescheduled because of Clemons' medical treatment. "They called back later and asked if there was a date available in March and I went, 'Oh, boy,' because with the various basketball tournaments, March is always our busiest time. But when they asked for March 2, I saw that the date, a Sunday, was open and I let out a big sigh." The Springsteen tour moves on to Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday. Austin Dr. Brian Berger, who specializes in retina detachment surgery, says treatments range from surgery in an operating room that can take 7- 10 days of recovery to noninvasive treatments that can be done in a doctor's office and take only a few days from which to recover. Springsteen tour publicist Harris Cohen said he doesn't know the type of treatment Clemons received. "Only 1 to 2 percent of the cases are traumatic," Dr. Berger said, adding that Clemons' occupation as a hard-blowing saxman "would not be painful in and of itself. Moving his head around would cause some discomfort, but not the act of playing the instrument." Among those who took the news especially hard were fans who had traveled from all over the country to see the Austin show. "I thought it was a practical joke," said La Quinta, Calif., furniture maker Michael Hayes, who heard the news Tuesday afternoon just as he was exiting Interstate 35 on MLK, near the Erwin Center. "I went to the box office and they confirmed it." Hayes said he'll be back in March for the rescheduled concert. Others took the news in stride. "I'm okay with it," Austinite Stephanie Beckett, 29, shrugged as she walked away from the box office, just having heard the news. "Now my mom on the other hand . . . that's another story." Beckett bought the tickets for her mother as a gift. "If she were here, she'd be telling everybody why this was the most traumatic thing that could ever happen!" Leigh-Ann Jackson contributed to this report. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 21:11:51 -0600 From: "Kevin Kinder" Subject: FW: Bruce Springsteen European Tour Update! From brucespringsteen.net: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Sold-Out European Tour is Greeted With Raves; Additional 2003 Shows Go On Sale, With More to be Announced MTV Europe broadcast reaches unprecedented audience New album 'The Rising' achieves Gold or Platinum status in 13 countries, in addition to the U.S. and Canada. Tickets for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's shows in Rotterdam (Netherlands), Ludwigshafen (Germany), Gelsenkirchen (Germany) and Vienna (Austria) have just gone on sale, and more 2003 European dates are set to be announced. These concerts follow the success of the band's most recent European trip, which began October 14 in Paris and ended at London's Wembley Arena on October 27. Selling out immediately, the shows inspired raves from the European press and cheers from fans. In his Page 1 story for the Wall Street Journal, Phil Kuntz described the atmosphere at Springsteen's October 16 concert at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain. "Pandemonium, with fans exhibiting soccer-like hysteria... a rhythmic, undulating sea of arms. Few speak English, but most sang all the words." The Barcelona concert aired live on MTV Europe and VH-1 UK, reaching over 127 million homes. The commercial-free broadcast, with a one-hour backstage special airing in advance, was an unprecedented European TV event. The tour also drew praise from the European press: "Is there any sound in popular music that is more exhilarating, more joyful, more uplifting, more life-affirming than that of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in full flight?" asked the UK's Daily Telegraph. The Guardian wrote, "It is Springsteen's non-stop action that generates the kinetic energy at the heart of the performance. Skidding across the stage on his knees, he burns with a million megawatts of energy." The Financial Times called Springsteen, "High Priest of Blue Collar Rock," and raved, "His stage presence was absolute: he is one of those performers whose movements and singing style energize the crowd as much as the music." According to Paris's La Parisien, "Bruce Springsteen was acclaimed by 18,000 people in Bercy, Paris... The Boss and Bercy became one." Germany's Berliner Kurier wrote, "No one was able to sit still... cheering, singing along, dancing - an amazing concert!" Fans worldwide have been equally excited about Springsteen's July 30 Columbia Records release 'The Rising.' The album has been certified Gold in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Turkey, the U.K., India and Australia. It is certified Platinum in Poland, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Norway, and Canada, as well as double-Platinum in the U.S. 'The Rising,' Springsteen's first album of new songs with the E Street Band since 1984, debuted at number one on the album charts in eleven different countries, including the United States. The band returned to the U.S. on November 3 with a show in Dallas, TX. http://www.brucespringsteen.net/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 19:48:43 +0200 From: "Evi Eleftheriadou " Subject: On the European road with Bruce and the best band in the land > Just a few thoughts after seeing Bologna, Berlin, Stockholm and London from > the first row during the best trip of my life :-) > > These are the best shows I've seen since my first one at Mountain View 88. > Bruce is better and more energetic than ever and the band smokes. It was > even better than what I had hoped for. I guess for me the most incredible > thing about a Bruce show is how the man plays like it's the last night of > his life. Such passion and energy for the same note, night after night after > night, is what makes the difference between him and most other performers. > That's what's the most inspiring thing for me. I mean, just watch him during > Born to Run. How many thousands of times has he played this song? And yet he > does it like it's the first and the last time of his life. And can someone > please tell me where does he find the energy to do all those moves during > Ramrod after 3 hrs of playing his heart and screaming his lungs out? > > The Rising songs sound great live, most better than the album (Into the > Fire, City of Ruins - both incredible versions, Fuse, Rising, Missing etc). > I didnt like Worlds Apart, I think it's better on the album but I have to > say that even there it's not one my favorites. I'd love to hear Nothing Man > live. > > Bologna was by far the best show because of the most amazing crowd I've seen > (along with Barcelona 99). There are no words to describe the passion of the > crowd, they sang every single word, they were quiet when they should be, > they were incredibly enthusiastic, simply fantastic. You cannot imagine what > it is like seeing a show in these countries until you actually experience it > yourselves. It's definitely Spain and Italy in May-June for me! > > Stockholm was the second best show (a great gift for my 33rd birthday!), the > crowd was almost as good and the setlist was great. Gloria was the > highlight. He had River and Hometown on the setlist but instead did For You > and Incident after seeing 2 signs for those songs. In London, he had Lost in > the Flood I think on the setlist but instead did Incident. Berlin and London > were the worst crowds, very quiet in comparison, definitely making me enjoy > the experience less. They were also much older than Bologna or Stockholm. > > But in Berlin, hearing Incident for the first time in my 22 shows was a > dream - excellent version on the piano - and in London Bruce was in a great > mood. There were at least 4 audibles in London, 3 in Stockholm and 2 in > Bologna. > > The GA lines worked perfect in London and Stockholm but not in Berlin or > Bologna. The people I met - old and new faces - and the parties before or > after the shows added to the enjoyment. > > Some of the highlights were the opening 2 songs, Missing, Into the Fire, No Surrender, Sunny Day > MCOR, DITD, Incident, Mary's Place (although I prefer what he did during > 10th Ave in the reunion tour) always BRTR and definitely Thunder Road, my > favorite song. I've seen this at all shows and I can assure all you doubters > that both the crowd and the band absolutely love it. I dont think he'll keep > this as a closer but in Europe it was the perfect ending. Especially in > Bologna, where I nearly had a heart attack when he came back to play the > piano! > > Interesting tidbit: In Stockholm, Steve invited The Hives to dinner at their > hotel and then Max joined them and they went to a nearby bar. > > Enjoy the rest of 02. C u in May :-) > Evi > E Street Band power! > All Rise > ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Oct 2002 11:07:36 -0000 From: "j.robertson9" Subject: Danny & B.T.RUN/LONDON hi Got front row in London after lining up for nine hours every second was worth it as i was a fraction to the left of the big man and straight in line with Danny, Saw John Landou come out for to hear Clarence first solo and he give him a nod and thumbs up sign . I was watching Danny as Born To Run started and after approximately 1 minute into the song he looked down at the techinician's, closed his eyes for a while put one hand behind his back and smiled and played. While he soon opened his eye's the hand was behind him for a about 2 minute's then he just grin at the techinician's and played with two hands.So he can play B.T.RUN with one hand tied behind his back! i dont know if thats good thing or his just fed up with the song,but not a real issue as the show was great and to me it felt like a religous experience which I'm not ashamed to admit. For some reason which i cant understand!! Wembly doorman took all your ticket -why ? Catfish JIM [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Nov 2002 23:52:51 -0600 From: "Michael R. Grabois" Subject: It's Boss Time in Houston Here's the set list for an awesome 2-1/2 hour show in Houston on 11/2/02: 01. The Rising 02. Lonesome Day 03. The Ties That Bind 04. Atlantic City 05. Empty Sky 06. You're Missing 07. Waiting on a Sunny Day 08. Does This Bus Stop at 82nd St? 09. No Surrender 10. Worlds Apart 11. Badlands 12. She's the One 13. Mary's Place 14. Counting on a Miracle 15. For You (piano solo) 16. Into the Fire 17. Dancing in the Dark 18. Ramrod 19. Born to Run 20. My City of Ruins (1st half solo on piano) 21. Born in the USA 22. Land of Hope and Dreams 23. Working on the Highway After the concert was over and people were clearing out of the floor, I went down and asked the sound guy for a copy of the set list. The only difference from the planned list was that tracks 8-9 were supposed to be (in order) No Surrender and Two Hearts. While they were clearing out, I noticed the video monitors were playing a video, and it sure looked like Bruce. It was a sepia-toned view of him on the couch with an acoustic guitar playing some heavy-duty old-style country song. The only words I was able to make out were "counting on a miracle" but it didn't sound like a country version of that new song. The show started 45 minutes late, at 8:15 instead of the scheduled 7:30. Once I get my digital photos downloaded to my computer and pick out the good ones, I'll post them to alt.binaries.music.springsteen later tonight or tomorrow. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 18:56:03 -0500 From: Garry Simon Subject: scandinavian tickets Does anybody know a website where tickets can be purchased for these shows? June 14 Copenhagen, Denmark Parken June 17 Helsinki, Finland Olympic Stadium June 19 Oslo, Norway Valle Hovin June 21 Gothenberg, Sweden Ullevi Stadium Thanks, Garry ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Nov 2002 03:15:58 EST From: LSmith1370@aol.com Subject: Re: The return of the stalker. The London show at the Wembley Arena was obviously at a venue that Bruce remembered well. He also remembered the now legendary "Hey Bruce -We still fookin love ya " -guy. This fan (whoever he may be) became famous for (in Bruce's words) "stalking" him during the 1996 GOTJ London concerts. Just before "Mansion on the Hill" he screamed out -"Hey, Bruce -We fookin luv ya". To which Bruce replied -" Thats it ! I 'm being stalked !. Its the fookin love you guy My nightmare is he will come to the States. the whole hilarious exchange is caught on "Brixton Nights" -CC -which is, by the way, one of the few CDs which combine high quality sound with a fantastic show even by Bruce' s standards. In Birmingham 1999, the fan struck again which caused Bruce to say "Oh no - -He's back" At Wembley the other night, just before Empty Sky it happened again but this time Bruce was waiting for him saying - " I knew it. Too much love can drive a man insane -or so says Jerry Lee...". LS [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Nov 2002 01:39:51 EST From: MTTBigRed@aol.com Subject: Houston show Just got home from the show and it was great! Thanks Bruce for coming up with the idea of general admission for the floor. For the first time I was surrounded by other people that were just as crazy as me about the music and I didn't have to worry about blocking somebody's view or distracting other folks from the show. I looked around me and everybody just had the biggest smiles on their faces. Everyone was dancing and having a great time. What a wonderful feeling that must be for Bruce to see how much sheer joy he can bring to a place. PS Thanks Matt for the GA ticket!! Terry Meet me at Mary' s place, we're gonna have a party [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 22:16:39 -0000 From: "Robert Gower" Subject: London Another sensational performance. Celebrated my 25th show over the past 21 years ! I can think of no other performer who has consistently come up with the goods time and time again. A whole raft of wonderful press reviews in the past couple of days. The Rising material is so powerful live, after all without it we would have had no tour anyway. It's great that Bruce has been able to re-generate himself so much in the past few months. The Sunday show rounded off a memorable weekend after yet another barnstorming live performance by Ian McNabb in Glasgow ( Southside was also in town the same night ! ). Check him out on ianmcnabb.com - the UK's most underrated singer songwriter who plays gigs of Springsteen proportions ! A message to John Landau management :- 1. Don't let Harvey Goldsmith promote another London gig unless more tickets are made available to the true fan ( large corporate gethering at the smallest venue on the tour ! ) 2. Now that 2003 European dates have started to be announced how about a Scottish gig again. It would be a stormer. Great to see both Micky & Steve on Sunday + most of the Badlands tour party who went to NYC 2 years ago Rob Gower [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Nov 2002 20:03:14 -0400 From: John F Butland Subject: Re:"The Rising" Limited Edition Reissue! At 04:24 PM 02-11-04 GMT, Bruce Springsteen wrote: "The Rising" Limited Edition Reissue! The original limited edition deluxe package will again be available in US stores on Tuesday, November 12th. ************************ OK, limited to what? The number of copies that they can sell? Is this somehow different? Will it be clearly marked as a second edition? Jus' wonderin'. best, jfb John F Butland O- butland@nbnet.nb.ca ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 19:55:17 -0700 From: "Eric Douglas" Subject: Re: Real fans vs. pretenders > 1. Real Springsteen fans never, never leave until the very, very last > note is played I disagree. Individuals may have an important reason to leave a show early, something that is - believe it or not - more important than a Springsteen concert, and feel lucky enough to have been able to attend as much as they could. Conversely, many casual fans will stay to the end to appreciate an entire concert. > 3. Real Springsteen fans do not leave to get refreshments or to go the > rest rooms Again, I disagree. Many times, people have individual needs that necessitate a quick trip. It is a long concert with no intermission. > 4. Real Springsteen fans understand that "Born in the U.S.A." is a > pissed-off, angry song, not a jingoistic, celebratory anthem. Please see Bill Conlon's excellent post in Digest #100 about song interpretations. If yelling "BORN IN THE USAAAAAA" at the top of your lungs makes you feel more patriotic, then go for it, and it doesn't make you a non-fan. > To me Springsteen is like a religion, and the same rules for going to > church apply to his concerts - no coming and going and no conversation. Agreed about the conversation, but I wish there wasn't this need to turn Springsteen fandom into an elitist movement where only those that conform are accepted. I forget who wrote it (just kidding), but maybe you'll recognize these lines: This train carries saints and sinners This train carries losers and winners ...and so forth. You're certainly welcome to your opinions, but I just don't think it is possible to lump people into these categories, and assume that the same rules apply to all people. I recently spent an 8-hour car ride with someone who has seen Springsteen in concert just once - on the GOTJ tour - yet I would call him a "real" Springsteen fan, as he appreciates the music in his own way. And that is what this should be about, not some "rules". Respectfully, Eric Phoenix, AZ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Oct 2002 23:09:35 -0800 From: Thom Engel Subject: To Politicize or Not to Politicize I've been reading with some confusion in my feeble head the ascertions by Ed Miller that Bruce's political kahunas are not as big as Steve Earle's. I'm lost here. What does it matter? When has Bruce ever been known as a political activist, or even one to take a firm stand on any political issue? For that matter; who cares? All I've ever heard Bruce say is: "If you put your faith in your leaders, you will get killed." He's also asked us to pump money into the various food banks, and, on occasion, he's hinted that we should vote democratic. I'm not exactly sure I need Bruce telling me how to think politically. I'm not sure it would do anybody any good if Bruce Springsteen were to stand in front of a camera or a microphone and emit a political statement about something. What would be the point? The plays a Telecaster. What else does he need to do? Steve Earle's song about our misguided Bay Area Taliban Wantabe may be more overt than some of Bruce's songs on The Rising, but so what? He can't make his guitar talk! You'll never see Steve Earle slide across the stage and pucker up to Clarence Clemons! On not one occasion will Steve Earle ever play a three to four hour set and end with the same smile he wore when he started it. I'm plenty political enough for my own good. I'm content to hear Bruce write about things I can't write about. I'm happy to listen to him sing a sad song painted with imagery that breaks my heart. I don't need to hear him sing point blank lyrics that a sixth grader can understand. Nor do I want to hear him urge me to kick some Muslim butt and send "them there fereners back to the desert." I'd rather figure it out for myself, and I'd much rather hear Bruce do what he knows how to do, instead of tyring to impress me by doing something he doesn't need to be doing. We have a president that does that. As for the postulation that Bruce makes his decisions based on economic strategy; I again say so what? Who doesn't? What actor or musician does anything that is going to be damaging to their product. Tell me one! Just ONE! Steve Earle can say anything he wants to say, and his sales won't be affected one way or the other. He sells to a small, set audience. What he says isn't important. What is important is for Bruce to do his job and do it well. If he wants to write apolitcal songs, he will, but he doesn't want to, and he never has. If he wants to write songs that help us see how others work through their pain and grief, he'll do that. But PLEASE, don't tell me he is required to confront the American conscious, confront the American government, or persuade people to free the Taliban warriors. Having said all of that, I think Bruce's writing says more than Ed Miller is giving him credit for. "Murder, Inc." is a blast against what gun ownership in this country amounts to. But as loud and bombastic as it is, it is subtle. His music is full of subtle comments on our society that most people miss. The Rising is full of subtle comments on 9/11 and its aftermath. I think it is best that way. And now, I've got "one last thing"......... Ed wrote: >Any doubts I had about Springsteen's reluctance to take political stands >were snuffed out when I read Thomas Bernardo's response to my post. >Whenever anyone responds by using the words he does (calling my explanation >"ridiculous," "inane," having "no appreciation for the distinct styles of >these two artists" and having "no sense of what the musicians are trying to >convey through their music.") I have even more faith in my opinion -- after >all, when you can't beat the argument, you attack the speaker. > Ed? How in the world does your last sentence make any sense at all? How could Thomas Bernardo's comments give creedence to what you said? Just because he may have "attacked" the speaker, doesn't make you right. The only thing that could possibly make you correct, is if you presented a worthwhile argument. And, my friend, that isn't up to you to decide. It is up to the reader. Your paragraph simply makes you appear unsure of yourself and grasping for something on which to hold. I do agree with Ed's comment about Tom Joad. It is Bruce's most political work, and it is a very good example of how he best makes his political case. Bruce isn't a warrior, and he doesn't need to anger Americans who have been kicked in the balls by a nut in the desert. He is best to comment on what moves him most, and that seems to be the plight of the American worker, the average American citizen, and the common man. I don't see his argument extending into the chaotic, nutso world of George and Osama. Let them fight it out. Me? I just want to make it into the pit one more time! I want to see Bruce look down at my wife and give her another knowing smile. It makes her day, and that's all that matters to me! ------------------------------ End of LuckyTown Digest V9 #103 ******************************* ********************************************************************* ** LuckyTown WWW URL ** The LuckyTown FAQ, back issues, web-based subscription/unsubscription, and many other things can be found on the LuckyTown WWW Page: http://www.luckytown.org ** LuckyTown mailing list addresses ** You can send email to go into the next LuckyTown Digest to: luckytown@luckytown.org You can send email to go into the next LuckyTown-Ads Digest to: luckytown-ads@luckytown.org Any questions for the list admin should be emailed to: owner-luckytown@luckytown.org To unsubscribe, send email to majordomo@luckytown.org with message body: unsubscribe luckytown-digest To get further information on how to subscribe/unsubscribe/change your subscription address, as well as the other available commands, send email to majordomo@luckytown.org with message body: help ********************************************************************* The contents of this digest are not necessarily approved by the list admin.