GUEST POST: PASTOR CHRISTOPHER B. WOLF REVIEWS BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND

Christopher is a family friend and a fellow New Jersey resident. So when he told me that he was going to Bruce's show at MetLife Stadium, and it was going to be his first Bruce show, I asked him to write a review for No Expiration and he graciously agreed to do it. Also, he's a published author! And a Pastor.  So when he says "Bruce is a preacher and a very effective one," he knows what he's talking about.  Anyway, thanks for sharing this Chris.  By the way, how have you lived in NJ for so long and never saw Springsteen before last week?

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Worth the wait.

 I finally saw my first live Bruce Springsteen concert last week - and it was the first one at MetLife Stadium for Bruce and the E Street Band. I've always heard about the energy, the duration, catalog breadth, and the atmosphere of a Bruce concert. It was all there Wednesday night.

 As a concert, it truly is an amazing event. Nearly four hours of almost continuous music. Even the encore breaks don't last for more than three minutes. The music itself is something to behold. The arrangements, the brass section, the back-up singers (who frequently sounded like a church choir), Bruce's singing and his interaction with the crowd. Bruce's early guitar solo was impressive as well as later in the concert when Bruce and "The Professor" Roy Bittan on the piano collaborated on an extended guitar and piano duet - just a beautiful serenade.

 In particular, crowd singing and participation seemed to peak with “Waitin' on a Sunny Day,” “Dancing in the Dark,” “Born to Run” and “Rosalita.” The audience responded affectionately nearly every time the Big Man's nephew Jake Clemons had a solo; as well as during the tribute to the Big Man himself during "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out."

Thematically, Bruce spoke often about ghosts throughout the concert. Prior to “Spirit in the Night,” and other songs; as if to honor Clemons but also to acknowledge that the ones we love are always near. Continuing with the spiritual, Bruce spoke of the E Street Band "consecrating" the proceedings, as well as prior to “Spirit,” leading a near musical revival along with his back-up singers.

 In particular, spiritual or not, Bruce's music continues to move the faithful. I couldn't help but weep when he sang "The Rising" knowing that within view of the stadium outside the new One World Trade Center rises and sparkles in the night. To live in North Jersey, one can't help but think of September 11th when we hear the lyrics, "Sky of love, sky of tears...Sky of glory and sadness...Sky of mercy, sky of fear."

Whether he would admit it or not, Bruce is a preacher; and a very effective one. You see, too often today, it's very easy to preach all good news. But real, true preaching includes, as Bruce said Wednesday night, "The good news and the bad news and all the rest of it." Because, in Gospel terms, it's bad news before it's good news...we're lost before we're found, we're hurting before we're healed. And this is perhaps the essential quality of Bruce's work and catalog, it's not trivial pop music, it's angrier and louder than folk, and it's deeper than rock; yet it somehow mixes elements of all these. Because for nearly 40 years Bruce has been articulating and speaking for you and me. The pain, the struggle, the loss, the lament - the truth about life in America; “Death of My Hometown,” “My City Of Ruins” and more. This is why stadium-sized audiences keep coming out to hear him.

 But fortunately and appropriately, he doesn't leave it there in lament and tears. The last 40 minutes of the show were just pure party and celebration. Perhaps that it is no coincidence that the last four songs could rightly be considered New Jersey anthems – “Thunder Road,” “Born to Run,” “Dancing in the Dark” and “Rosalita.” And for me, who admittedly favors earlier titles, the highpoint, what made it worth the wait of thirty some years to hear Bruce live - was to sing “Born to Run” with Bruce and 50 thousand of my fellow "tramps." Bruce and E Street Band have been all over the world. But being at a stadium in the Meadowlands, listening to a Jersey guy so poignantly sing about us and for us on many levels makes it not just a rock concert, but part community, part sacred.

Christopher B. Wolf is a pastor and author living Saddle Brook, NJ.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: MY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN @ IZOD REVIEW

Photo by Maria Ives

I've been a bit behind on my blogging, but I couldn't NOT review the Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band show that I recently saw. Actually, I did review it for my day job -- but I wanted to give my more personal account.

I went to the show a bit apprehensive.  I've reviewed lots of Bruce shows at my blog, and they've pretty much always been glowing.  One of the things that I respect about Bruce is that he always makes it matter. Unlike so many of his peers,  he doesn't simply glide on his greatest hits, and he still has something to say. His new albums (generally) feel important. I also always have gotten the sense that he will know when to call it a day.   After Clarence Clemons passed away, I thought that it might be time to retire The E Street Band. I was really surprised to find out that he was bringing them out on tour, and even more so when I found out that Wrecking Ball isn't an E Street Band album.  But I think Clarence's passing - and Danny Federici's - reminded Bruce that time is passing, and a five year break between tours might be too long of a break to return from.

Still, I wasn't sure if this would be one tour too many. How long can this band - most of whom are over 60 years old - continue to be the best band in the land?

Well, it turns out that they can hold on to their collective crowns a bit longer. They kicked ass, and Bruce has lost none of his power.  And - importantly - Wrecking Ball is great, and it goes over well in concert.

As I mentioned in my CBS piece, all eyes were on Jake Clemons, nephew of Clarence, and one of two sax players in the newly installed horn section. He did great, playing iconic solos on "Badlands," "Promised Land," "Out In The Street" and "Dancing In The Dark."

The emotional center of the show, for me, was "My City Of Ruins." The song was originally written for Asbury Park, but Bruce played it, famously, at the post-9/11 telethon, and at that point it became about 9/11. But now, it's more personal. During the song, he takes a "band roll call," introducing everyone in the group, and noting the absence of Clarence and Danny. When he said, "If you're here, and we're here, they're here," there may have been some dry eyes in the house, but my eyes weren't among them.  I could only think of my boss and dear friend Allyson, who took me to two Bruce shows over the past few years. I did feel like she was there.

The setlist was great - it didn't feel like a retro show, they played a lot of Wrecking Ball, and although they skipped Working On A Dream (fine with me), Magic and Devils & Dust, they also played four songs from the now-classic Rising album. Because it's not a greatest hits revue, that gives the hits that they play - "Born To Run," "Badlands," "Thunder Road" - even more power. And it was cool to hear real rarities like "So Young and In Love" and "Seaside Bar Song."

Judging by the setlists and reports on Backstreets, the shows have gotten even better... so I'm glad I have tickets to see the band two more times in the fall when they play Metlife Stadium.

STORIFY VERSION OF BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TOUR OPENER

I'm new to Storify, and I'm using this to experiment with it. I wasn't able to go to opening night of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's tour for Wrecking Ball, so I have been following the show on Twitter and Instagram. Storify allows you to use people's public social media posts to tell a story, so this is how I'm telling the story of the concert I wish I'd attended tonight!

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN "WRECKING BALL"

Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball is, I guess, to the financial crisis as The Rising was to 9/11. Does it hold up to The Rising?  Tough to say, time will tell.  This Rising is a classic.  It also dealt with an event that was much more cut and dried than the meltdown. We were attacked by terrorists, people died that day. Despite that, Bruce sounds a bit angrier on Wrecking Ball, because, of course, this time we were attacked from within.  This time the attackers aren't on the run hiding in a cave; they're giving themselves bonuses, paying non-union workers to clean their yachts, bending the rules, and generally being celebrated by a large portion of the country.

I just painted in broad stroke, and that's what Bruce is doing on this album, he's not being too subtle. "Wherever this flag's flown/We take care of our own" is very slogan-y, but it works for me. We need rallying cries right now. And, in this era where people are calling basic heath care and retirement benefits "entitlements" (while arguing against any government regulation to any business, regardless of the harm certain businesses do to the environment, economy or our health)... I think reminding people that in America, some of us do want to take care of our own is a lovely, strong and ballsy sentiment. It's one that might have been echoed by a pretty high authority, as Bruce points out on "Jack Of All Trades": "We'll start caring for each other, like Jesus said that we might."

When I listen to the album, I think of the guy from "Factory," off of Darkness On The Edge Of Town. In that song, there was no real sense that things could get better, but it's shocking how much worse that they've actually gotten.  I think that that is sort of the theme of the album.   The mansions of fear and the mansions of pain are tough enough, now you're tellin' me they might not be here tomorrow, because you can get someone to work the working life for even less money? And if I get cancer, I'm out of luck?

Throughout the album, fat-cats steal money and party. It's not too thinly veiled, and it seems like some critics lament this lack of nuance.  I get it: but at the same time, sometimes you fight with finesse, and other times you're just so enraged you go for the roundhouse punch.

I do love that he ended the album with "American Land," which he first started playing on the Seeger Sessions Band tour, and is the one song from that era that he's brought to the E Street Band. It's one of my favorite Bruce songs, and, in my mind, a modern day folk classic. It ends the LP on a somewhat upbeat and optimistic note, which I think we needed.  It reminds me of "Reason To Believe" closing Nebraska.

Sonically, the album is a bit different for Bruce.  I was surprised that he didn't make the LP with producer Brendan O'Brien, who produced The Rising, Devils & Dust, Magic and Working On A Dream. Instead, he went with Ron Aniello, who produced one of Patti Scialfa's albums, and is more known for mainstream pop like Guster, Sixpence None The Richer and Jars Of Clay. Bruce and Ron recorded most of the tracks themselves, with a number of musicians helping out, including some members of The E Street Band. Max Weinberg plays drums on three tracks, Little Steven plays mandolin and sings on "American Land," Patti is all over the album, and there are even two solos by Clarence Clemons (on "Wrecking Ball," which the band performed towards the end of their last tour, and "Land Of Hope And Dreams," which they've been playing since the 1999 reunion tour). Extended E Street Band members show up: keyboardist Charlie Giordano is on a number of tracks (but Roy Bittan isn't on the album at all) as is violinist/singer Soozie Tyrell.  There are other familiar names including Steve Jordan, Lisa Lowell and even Bruce fan #1 Tom Morello. Bruce combines the big-band-party-like-it's-1939 sound of the Seeger Sessions Band with the anthemic power of E Street.  I suspect that if this was 10 or 15 years ago, he may have thought about using a different band on the road, but with the passing of Clarence and Danny Federici, I don't think Bruce wants to take another band on the road, and push back the next E Street tour a few more years.

He knows that to bring his most powerful messages to the people, he needs the E Street Band. Doesn't matter if the band didn't make the music, they are the best band to deliver it.  And really, who else is bringing it the way Bruce does, and has been doing, for decades?

These days, "selling out" and not "selling out" are almost antiquated ideas.  The very idea of worrying about it seems quaint. But I'm glad Bruce is still out there not selling out and keeping the faith. Since he did "41 Shots" on the reunion tour, Bruce has been expressing his beliefs and standing behind them, no matter what the cost in fans, dollars or headaches, and I'm glad he's still doing it.

MY FIRST BRUCE SHOW: CRISTINA PALUMBO

I've seen Bruce Springsteen in concert 20+ times, and it's still exciting every time.  On his last tour, two of my friends went to see him for the first time. I thought that it was so cool, after hearing people rave about Bruce for decades, that they finally got around to seeing him.  So, on this tour, I'm looking for people who are going to see Bruce for the first time to guest blog, and write about the experience.

First up: a former SiriusXM colleague Cristina Palumbo. She is a on-air sidekick on two SiriusXM shows: The Alex Bennett Program (hear it weekdays 7-10am ETon SiriusXM Left)
and The Jay Thomas Show (weekdays 3-6pm ET on SiriusXM Stars Too). You can follow her on Twitter (and I recommend that you do) and follow her hijinks on Facebook. First time I met Cristina I was producing a shoot where people were trying out to be on a reality show on Playboy TV. Everything Cristina said in the control room was hilarious. She's made me laugh many times since then, and one of these days, someone is going to give her her own radio show.

Anyway, she was fortunate enough to attend Bruce Springsteen's concert at the Apollo Theater last Friday night and was generous enough to offer to review it for No Expiration.  So, here's what she said:

"By no means have I ever considered myself a die hard Springsteen fan. If I had to choose sides of the never ending new jersey battle I was always half way there and living on a prayer. All that changed Friday night when I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live at the Apollo for the 10th birthday of SiriusXM. I've been to a handful of concerts in my life including two of Cher's many farewell tours (go ahead and laugh but you haven’t lived until you have partied in a stadium filled with gay men in sailor hats) but I have never seen a show like this before.

Growing up my parents were fans of different types of music and exposed me to all of it. As an only child I kept myself occupied by 'choreographing' dance routines and 'hosting' radio shows in my bedroom for hours. I would tap into my parents collection of music which introduced me to Bruce for the first time. I can remember spotting the iconic Born in the USA cover art preserved behind the cloudy cassette plastic cover. I put it in my duel cassette player, envisioned myself in a stadium at halftime and performed the number of a lifetime. At 31 years old I remember this like it was yesterday, and Friday night's concert put my awesome bedroom performance to shame.

Once I got over the fact that I was getting drinks from the same bar as Paul Rudd I found my seat and was prepared to sing 'Born in the USA' louder than any real Springsteen fan. To my disappointment it's not 1984. No 'Born to Run' or '57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)' either. To be under the same roof doing the same thing as Tom Hanks only 5 rows behind him was an experience in itself. Turns out there is way more to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band than terrestrial radio ever told me. Only a few songs rang a bell, I only knew four of them. I know, that’s a total disgrace, but my appreciation for Bruce and the band has certainly changed dramatically!

The energy in the room was electric. The space at the Apollo was so intimate that the sound from the horns bounced off the walls and into my intestines. Bruce was up every aisle, hanging from the balconies and at one point basically singing in Ben Stiller’s lap. The energy coming out of this 62 year old man makes me want to drink green vegetables three times a day. From start to finish the show was incredible and at times inspirational as Bruce told little anecdotes of how the band got their start, through the years of being on the road and giving people along the way a chance to show their talents. If I don’t leave my seat at least once to use the restroom, chalk it up to awesome.

I can honestly say I walked into the Apollo with the appreciation any regular person would have of someone with a very real gift. I left the Apollo a fan.

P.S.  iTunes, you're welcome for my most recent purchases."


So there you have it!  Thank you Cristina for taking the time, and hopefully there's a couple of more accounts of first-time Springsteen concert goers to come.   (and by the way, the photo is Cristina's as well.)

DARLENE LOVE - ROCKET QUEEN'S TESTIMONIAL

Today on SiriusXM OutQ's Morning Jolt with Larry Flick, Larry mentioned that Darlene Love had one of her first hit singles about 48 years ago.  So, it's about time that she is getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next week!

I'm really honored that Rocket Queen, guitarist from one of my favorite bands, The Cocktail Slippers, agreed to write up something brief for me about Darlene.  Take it, Rocket Queen!


"Darlene Love simply fills me with admiration; she's got an amazing voice and she's a role model - for the way she sings, for the way she puts her soul into the songs she's singing, for her beauty and grace and for simply just being a strong modern woman. Needless to say, there's no Christmas without Darlene Love's 'Christmas (baby please come home)'."

Like Darlene's greatest songs, and those of The Cocktail Slippers, it's short, sweet, to the point and awesome.  Thank you Rocket Queen!

But that's not all: watch the video below, filmed at Madison Square Garden, October 29, 2009 at the concerts celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band had Darlene join them for "Fine, Fine Boy" and "Da Doo Ron Ron."  Bruce asks the voters in the audience to vote for Darlene, "Her singing and her stage presence is an inspirational joy, she's really blown all our minds.  She's the voice of some of Phil Spector's greatest creations... and if there's any justice, she's a future member of the Hall of Fame! She's on the ballot this year, so let's get those votes in! She's a one woman 'wall of sound,' the lovely Darlene Love!"

TOMORROW ON OUTQ: SPRINGSTEEN, PETTY, OZZY

For those of you who are new to No Expiration, every Wednesday morning at 9 am ET, I go on the SIRIUS XM Channel OutQ to talk about music.  I'm a weekly guest on The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick. This week I'll be talking about some new releases from some pretty big legends.

First up is Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, who just released the DVD London Calling: Live In Hyde Park. I wrote about this a few weeks ago. But I'm still knocked out by what a great show it is. I love it as a DVD, but I think they should release it on CD at some point. Of course, the main complaint about this DVD is that there were better shows on the tour: namely the shows in the U.S. where he played complete albums. Those would make great CDs also. Actually my request would be to get a live version of Joe Strummer's "Coma Girl," recorded at Glastonbury, the night before the show that was filmed for this DVD. Pretty cool that he opened two huge shows with Strummer compositions (London Calling opens with a cover of The Clash song of the same name).

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers have a new album, Mojo, which I'm digging. I don't know if I love it as much as his last two efforts: his reunion/debut album with his pre-Heartbreakers band Mudcrutch, or his solo album Highway Companion. Mojo was definitely inspired by Mudcrutch though: on Mojo the band would record a song within one day, all live on the floor. It sounds like they had a great time on it, and I bet the songs will be great live.

I was a bit cynical when I heard about Cyndi Lauper's new album Memphis Blues, which is, as it sounds, a blues album. Lots of legendary artists do blues albums, either in some bid for some kind of credibility, or because they're out of ideas. I don't think Cyndi worries about cred, and I don't know why she did this album, but I think she did a great job with it. She is a great singer, and knows what she's doing. I think if people listen to this with an open mind, they'll dig it. There are guest shots from harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite, Ann Peebles, Allen Toussaint and (of course) B.B. King, but Cyndi is really the star of her own show.

I started making fun of Sting's Symphonicities last week. Sorry, I can't help it. It's Sting, backed by a symphony orchestra, doing new versions of songs from his Police and solo catalog. This, from the guy who doesn't want to dwell in nostalgia. I'd pay to hear Stewart Copeland review this album. From listening a bit: The Police songs sound goofy, but some of his solo songs work in this context. But they're not as good as the originals. So what's really the point?

I don't think anyone ever expected Devo to do a brand new album, of all new songs. But they did, and it's getting good reviews too. I like a few songs off of the misleadingly titled Something For Everyone. Their philosophy has always been that they don't believe in evolution: in fact, they think the human race is DE-volving. Hard to argue that point, sometimes.

Finally, Ozzy Osbourne's album, Scream, exceeded my expectations. This is his first album in a while without guitarist Zakk Wylde, now he's got a guy named Gus G. and a new drummer Tommy Clufetos (formerly of Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie's bands). Cluefetos replaces Mike Bordin who is back with the reunited Faith No More. Scream is really rocking and very contemporary sounding without condescending. Good job, Oz.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND - LIVE IN HYDE PARK

I've written a lot about Bruce Springsteen since starting No Expiration. His live shows with The E Street Band over the past few years have been incredible. If you don't believe me, or you didn't get to go to one of the shows, or you did and you want to see what is quite possibly the best rock and roll band in the land again, pick up the new DVD London Calling: Live In Hyde Park.

Recorded at the Hard Rock Calling Festival in Hyde Park last summer, Bruce opens the show with a cover of The Clash's "London Calling" (possibly inspired by a fax Joe Strummer sent to a British TV producer about Bruce). There's lots of songs that have been on other recent DVD releases (Live In New York City from the 1999/2000 reunion tour and Live In Barcelona from the 2002/2003 tour for The Rising). But I don't get tired of seeing songs like "Badlands," "She's The One" and "Out In The Street." Watching this enormous crowd going crazy gives chills - and the fact that the show starts during the day and you actually watch the sunset adds to the vibe.  But there's also some great unique things here.  The aforementioned "London Calling," but also "Night" which is a great live song, "Seeds," the rocking version of the Nebraska classic "Johnny 99," "American Land," Jimmy Cliff's "Trapped" and "No Surrender" with Brian Fallon from Gaslight Anthem. I mean, a 20-something year old Jersey punk rocker made good, joining Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band on stage in England for "No Surrender," and the crowd goes wild?  It gave me chills to watch it.

The main critique of this that I've read is that there were more "interesting" shows on the tour, mainly the full album sets.  I'd agree with that, but that isn't really a critique of this release, it's a complaint that he didn't release the show you wanted. Which is fine, but this release is awesome.  Of course, I'd love it if he released any (or all) of the shows where he played albums in their entirety on DVD or CD, but I'm not mad about Hyde Park. I will say that the bonus tracks are random: "The River," recorded the night before at the Glastonbury Festival, and the video for "Wrecking Ball," the song he wrote for Giants Stadium's last date. I would have loved the opening song from Glastonbury, a cover of the Joe Strummer solo classic "Coma Girl," but I won't complain.

I wonder if this was the last E Street Band tour. People seem to think that there's one left.  Well, if there isn't: they went out on top, and this DVD is exhibit A.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TO RELEASE "LONDON CALLING" DVD

Bruce Springsteen has kept a low profile this year: he hasn't done much since performing "We Shall Overcome" at the Hope For Haiti Now telethon. What we have been hearing is that 2010 is a year off for Bruce, and the two projects that would be coming would be a live DVD from the Magic tour and the long-awaited Darkness On The Edge Of Town box set. Well, the live DVD was announced todya.  London Calling: Live In Hyde Park recorded at the Hard Rock Calling festvial on June 28 last year will be out on DVD nearly a year later, on June 22. Bruce opened the show with a cover of The Clash's "London Calling," which was possibly inspired by this fax that Joe Strummer sent when asked about his feelings about the man.  (Bruce played another British fest the same week as the one documented on this DVD: that night, he opened with Strummer's great solo song "Coma Girl"). Other covers include Jimmy Cliff 's "Trapped," The Young Rascals ' "Good Lovin'" and Eddie Floyd's "Raise Your Hand." In a way, I'm kind of bummed: I thought Bruce might have released something with his full album performances that he was doing on the end of the tour.

LITTLE STEVEN'S END-OF-DECADE CHARTS

Little Steven has just posted his top albums and songs of the decade on his website. Some really great stuff there: I immeadiately made a rockin' ipod mix based on his songs list. Well, a slightly altered version, but "best of" lists are subjective, right?  And, sorry, Kelly Osbourne didn't have one of the best garage rock songs of the decade. Aerosmith may have: but it wasn't "Girls Of Summer."

The coolest song of the decade?  Joey Ramone's "Maria Bartiromo." Good pick. Rounding out the top ten: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's "My Lucky Day" (great underappreciated song from Working On A Dream), Oasis' "Lyla" (really underrated, I'd only heard it on Underground Garage) and at number 4, Mick Jagger's "Too Many Cooks (Spoil The Soup)," produced by John Lennon. I would call foul on that one, as it was obviously not recorded this decade, but in the '70s.  But it was only released on the 2007 The Very Best Of Mick Jagger collection, so OK. At #5, one of my personal favorites, Foxboro Hot Tubs with "Stop, Drop and Roll." At #6 is Locksley, one of those bands I would never ever ever have heard of if it wasn't for Little Steven.  Cool band: the song he choose was "There's A Love." At #7 is another personal favorite of mine, The Cocktail Slippers with "Don't Ever Leave Me" from my second favorite album of 2009, Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. And that's another band that I would never have heard if not for Steven. Thank you Little Steven! The top ten was rounded out by Cheap Trick's "If It Takes A Lifetime," Primal Scream's "Dolls" and Tinted Windows' "Nothing To Me" (Bun E. Carlos makes the top 10 twice!). I don't know if I would have choose that Cheap Trick song, or even Tinted Windows, but that's what I'm talking about!

Other entries included legends: Aerosmith, Iggy Pop (a collaboration with Sum 41!), The Pretty Things, Steve Earle, Ray Davies, Neil Young, one-time Underground Garage DJ Joan Jett, Les Paul with Jeff Beck and Sam Cooke, John Fogerty, The New York Dolls, Pearl Jam, The Go-Go's, The Dictators (featuring Underground Garage DJ Handsome Dick Manitoba), The Buzzcocks, U2 and The Rolling Stones.  But there's also younger acts too: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Tegan & Sara, Noisettes, The Breakers, The Grip Weeds, The Red Button, The Catholic Girls, The Urges, The Forty-Fives, The Hives, The Len Price 3 and The White Stripes.

The albums chart was a bit rigged. Well, not rigged, but The Beatles In Mono box set was the #1 "album." Not fair. Then at #2 was the Nuggets II box set.  Come on, that's tough to compete with! So the best album that actually contained music that was new during the past decade was Bruce Springsteen's Magic. which is one of my favorite albums of the decade as well. Some people may complain about Bruce placing so high in both charts when Little Steven is a member of the band, but hey, in the Underground Garage, Steven is the boss! #4: The Chesterfield Kings with Psychadelic Sunrise #5: Primal Scream's Riot City Blues #6: Tinted Windows #7: Foxboro Hot Tubs' Stop Drop and Roll!!! #8: The Cocktail Slippers' Saint Valentine's Day Massacre #9:  Iggy Pop's Skull Ring and at #10: Ray Davies' Other People's Lives. Most of the same bands on the singles chart were on the albums chart, which also featured the One Kiss Can Lead To Another box set, of classic girl groups music.

I always check out the year and decade end charts in all the magazines, but I like Steven's the best, even when I disagree with them. (Where was King Khan & The Shrines???)

BEST OF THE '00s: LITTLE STEVEN VAN ZANDT

As the '90s were moving toward their close, it looked like Little Steven Van Zandt was getting ready for retirement.  He hadn't released a record all decade and hadn't done much production work (the exceptions being for Southside Johnny, Meat Loaf and The Arc Angels - an Austin Texas group featuring Charlie Sexton, Doyle Bramhall II and the Double Trouble rhythm section of Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton).

And then 1999 happened.

A few years prior, his beloved Rascals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Steven gave the speech introducing them. That speech led directly to his acting career. He'd never acted but David Chase offered him the role of Silvio Dante in the HBO-transforming series The Sopranos. The show debuted on January 10, 1999, introducing Steven to a new audience. Later that year, Bruce Springsteen announced
that he was reactivating The E Street Band, complete with Little Steven (making them a three-guitar band, with Bruce, Steven and Nils Lofgren all playing, as well as occasionally Patti Scialfa).

In the 00s, Steven has spent a lot of time on the road with The E Street Band, playing some of the best concerts this planet has ever seen.

But he's also spent a lot of time trying to rescue rock and roll. Not metal, not indie rock, and not adult contemporary, but rock and roll.  He started with his syndicated Underground Garage radio show, which brought non-formatted (and not always old, and not always male-driven and not always white!) rock and roll, one night a week, to the embarassingly boring and dull classic rock format. I heard it on the local classic rock station here, and could not believe it. It was amazing.

He started promoting concerts by garage rock bands old and new.  He also started his own record label, Wicked Cool, for old school garage rock bands, and he also started a twenty-four hour channel at SIRIUS Satellite Radio, with a lineup of DJs that include Dictators frontman Handsome Dick Manitoba, KO & The Knockouts frontwoman Ko Molina, former Rolling Stones manager/producer Andrew Loog Oldham, Radio Legend (and when I say Radio Legend, I mean from the awesome, pre-corporate radio era) Kid Leo and Steven himself.  At one point, Joan Jett was a DJ also. Comedian/actor/game show host Drew Carey hosts a show once a month. And Little Steven gets on the mic as well. (That channel is what made me a SIRIUS subscriber, and that was what gave me the idea to try and get a job at SIRIUS when I needed a job... and that's where I am today).

My second favorite album of 2009 was Saint Valentine's Day Massacre by The Cocktail Slippers, produced by Little Steven and released domestically by Wicked Cool; a bunch of the songs got played fairly frequently on The Underground Garage, and now they are becoming one of my favorite new bands. I would never, ever have heard of this band if it weren't for Little Steven.  But I also have gotten turned on to many others that I would never had heard of without the Garage: The Charms, The Chesterfield Kings, Creatures of the Golden Dawn, The Downbeat 5, The Contrast, The Grip Weeds, The Fondas, The High Dials, The Len Price 3, The Night Marchers (even though I'm a fan of Rocket From The Crypt), The Pigeon Detectives, Vibeke Saugestad and The Jessica Fletchers, among others. I may very well hear something for the first time tommorrow when I'm listening. Do I buy full albums by these bands? Sometimes. Sometimes, it's just about havng a song on one of Steven's many Coolest Songs In The World compilations. Sometimes I'll just buy a song or two on iTunes. But with rock bands, it isn't always about the legends with box sets, tribute albums and huge tours. Sometimes it's about just having one classic 45". Just one 45". That's the magic of the Nuggets collections, and that's kind of what Steven curates with the Garage. He is a man on a mission, you should join him. Check out his radio show, or his radio station, or his website and order some albums. You'll be glad you did. It's the kind of music that makes your life better!

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TO RELEASE DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN BOX SET IN 2010

Tomorrow night, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band wrap up about three years of on-and-off touring with a concert in Buffalo, New York, where they will be playing Bruce's debut album, 1973's Greetings From Asbury Park, New Jersey, start to finish, for the first time ever. I am so bummed that I won't be there, I love that album.

Springsteen's manager Jon Landau just did an interview with the magazine he used to write for, Rolling Stone, and talked about Bruce's plans for 2010. First off, he's going to have a live DVD from the current Working On A Dream tour. I have no idea how they will boil that down to a DVD, given all the requests they did, one off covers, and full album performances.

Also, he's going to put out an expanded box set version of his 1978 classic, Darkness On The Edge Of Town. Like the Born To Run box set that came out a few years back, it will have the full album remastered (other than Born To Run, Bruce hasn't remastered any of his albums), a DVD with a live concert from the era (hopefully it will be available on CD or MP3 as well), and a documentary about the making of, and the impact of, the album. The Born To Run doc was awesome, I hope this one is as good.

No word on any new albums, but he's put out five new records in the past eight years, which is a pretty great pace. Still, he seems to be on a creative roll, it wouldn't suprise me to see a new album in 2010.

"GREETINGS" FROM BUFFALO

This weekend, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band will wrap up three years of on-and-off touring (for two albums, Magic and Working On A Dream) with their concert in Buffalo, New York. To make this show special, they'll be performing his debut album, 1973's Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., start to finish. Damn! How can I get to Buffalo?

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN PERFORMS THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E STREET SHUFFLE IN NYC

It was great news when it was announced that Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band would be playing their 1973 classic, The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle in full at their 11/7 show at Madison Square Garden. On paper, it sounded like a great idea. And in reality, it was even better.

You've got to give the guy credit, too. To be cyincal, the idea of the "full album performance" that he's been doing on this tour (usually Born To Run or Born In The U.S.A.) was to improve sales in places where sales may not have been great. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band have toured so much in the past decade (and Bruce has also toured quite a bit without The E Street Band, both solo acoustic and with The Sessions Band). Unlike many other artists, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band do not put tickets on "sale" if sales are soft at a venue (many artists have been doing ticket markdowns, 2-for-1 deals and stuff like that). Playing one of the Born albums start to finish is a great way to stimulate sales. But this week's two Madison Square Garden shows have been sold out for months, and he didn't have to get the band rehearsing all of these songs that they haven't been playing. Plus, the tour is going to be over in two weeks! But that's how Bruce is.

The performance of The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle was amazing. He had a full horn section on some of the songs, a string section led by Sam Barfield of The (Seeger) Sessions Band, and percussionist Richard Blackwell, a session guy who played on the original album. It was amazing. Other than "Rosalita," most of these songs don't get too much play (although when I saw them in May, they did "Kitty's Back," "Incident On 57th Street" and "The E Street Shuffle"). Those songs were all great, and "The E Street Shuffle" benefited from having a full horn section. "Wild Billy's Circus Story," with Gary Tallent on tuba, was lovely, and "NYC Serenade" took the cake.

But the show came off like one long highlight, really. They opened with "Thundercrack," an outtake from The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle, then played another of my favorite non-album tracks, "Seeds" (from the Born In The U.S.A. sessions) and the classic "Prove It All Night." Other highlights included "Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?," the best version of "Human Touch" I'd ever heard (the first time I'd heard The E Street Band do it), "Lonesome Day," "The Rising," "Born To Run" (sorry, I don't get tired of it), "Bobby Jean," "American Land" and the last encore, "Higher & Higher" with Elvis Costello. I wish I was there tonight - they played The River. But man, what a show. I don't think that The E Street Band has any more huge tours in them - but here's hoping that they still do shows in New York and New Jersey!

SPRINGSTEEN'S NYC SERENADES

(image taken from Backstreets) This weekend when Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band perform a pair of shows at Madison Square Garden, they'll be taking on two more full albums. So far this tour, at different stops, they've played Born To Run, Darkness On The Edge Of Town and Born In The U.S.A. (I saw the U.S.A. show twice, on October 3 and October 9).

Today, Bruce's official website announced that on November 7, they'll play 1973's The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle, and and on November 8 they'll play 1980's double album The River. I'm going Saturday, and am kind of figuring out how to get tickets for the sold out Sunday show.

It really does amaze me that, at the end of nearly three years of touring, Bruce and the band are learning so many new songs. I saw them at the end of The Rising tour in 2003 - they were playing songs for the first time on the very last night of the tour! Bruce doesn't do "cruise control." He's always resisted this kind of nostalgia, I wonder why he's going with it now. It kind of feels like a blow-out closing down sale, I hope that isn't what the deal is. The tour ends later this month in Buffalo. With all due respect to that fine city, I can't believe the last E Street Band concert ever would be in Buffalo. My personal theory is that the band are no longer going to go on these huge tours, but they may do long residencies in New Jersey and a few other cities.

In other Bruce news, The New York Post (I'm not linking to it) says that Bruce may get a $10 million dollar payday for his autobiography. But that newspaper isn't what I consider to be a good source of info on, really, anything. And especially not Bruce Springsteen. I could see Bruce doing something like Bob Dylan's Chronicles - his selected memoirs. I don't see him going into his divorce, or any alleged rifts between him and his wife. I felt Dylan's book was phenomonal, and I never really read rock star bios. He is such a great writer, I was satisified reading the stories that he felt comfortable telling. I don't really need to know about what happened with Jakob Dylan's mom or whatever.

CATCH IT ON HBO: THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME CONCERT

If, like me, you aren't a millionaire and weren't able to attend the two-night Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert at Madison Square Garden last week and were really bummed about it, here's a small bit of consolation: HBO will be broadcasting highlights from the show on November 29 (and probably broadcasting repeats afterwards? I don't know, I don't have HBO). You can see the lineup at the right.

In 1995, I attended the "Concert For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" celebrating the opening of the actual museum (the Hall of Fame existed in the abstract for years before the building was finally built and opened to the public). The lineup featured Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (an especially big deal, as they hadn't performed together in a few years at that point), Al Green, The Allman Brothers Band, Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, George Clinton & The P-Funk Allstars, John Fogerty (his first performance in a long time), Robbie Robertson (one of his only solo performances ever), John Mellencamp, The Kinks (I think it was their final public performance), Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Soul Asylum (who backed Lou Reed and then Iggy Pop). There were some cool combos: Bruce and The E Street Band backed Chuck and Jerry Lee (although I read that Bruce was unhappy with their performance), Bruce sang "Forever Young" with Dylan, Al and Aretha snag together, Sheryl sang with the Allmans, Larry Graham of The Family Stone performed with P-Funk, it was a pretty good time.

But last week's shows were even better. Rollling Stone wrote up both nights, which were filled with highlights. This time, Bruce & E Street (in top form as opposed to last time) backed up Sam Moore of Sam & Dave, John Fogerty and Darlene Love, plus they were joined by Tom Morello for "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" and The Clash's "London Calling." Wow. They also backed up Billy Joel on a few of his songs. Stevie Wonder collaborted with John Legend (who came to MSG straight from singing the National Anthem at Yankee Stadium at The World Series!), B.B. King, Sting, Smokey Robinson and Jeff Beck. Paul Simon collaborated with Dion and Little Anthony & The Imperials, and did a Simon & Garfunkel set after his solo set. And Crosby Stills & Nash were joined by Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor and Jackson Browne. That was just night one!

On night two, Aretha Franklin was joined by Annie Lennox and Lenny Kravitz, and Jeff Beck (filling in for Eric Clapton) was joined by Sting, Buddy Guy and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Then stuff got really crazy as Metallica took the stage. Opening with "For Whom The Bell Tolls," "One" and Bob Seger's "Turn The Page," they were then joined by Lou Reed for versions of The Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" and "White Light/White Heat." Whoa. Then Ozzy Osbourne joined them for Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" and "Paranoid." Finally, Ray Davies for The Kinks' "You Really Got Me." Then it was U2, who played their own songs, but also backed Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith for "Because The Night." The Black Eyed Peas also joined u2, as did Mick Jagger for "Gimme Shelter" and "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of." Wow, I can't wait to see this on TV, and hopefully they release an album of this. And hopefully it will be more affordable than the DVD box set of induction ceremony highlights. (Get it here).

"WRECKING BALL" FOR SALE ON iTUNES

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band opened all of their Giants Stadium shows (and some of thier Spectrum shows) with a brand new song written for the occasions of both venues closing down, "Wrecking Ball." Now you can buy it at iTunes for 99 cents, or $1.99 with the video. I wonder if Pearl Jam will cover it when they play the actual final concert at The Spectrum on Halloween.

LAST DANCE AT GIANTS STADIUM - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 10/09/09

"Mick Jagger is gonna be there!" "Eric Clapton!" "Southside Johnny!" "Billy Joel!" "Jon Bon Jovi!"

Rumors were rampant about what incredible guest stars would be joining Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band on stage at the final concert ever at Giants Stadium Friday night. In the end, it was just trumpet player Curt Ramm (who joined the band at every night of the Giants Stadium stand), sometime fill-in drummer Jay Weinberg. And, happily, Patti Scialfa was back with the band (she was with them Thursday night also). My opinion: Bruce is the guy who you want to see showing up at other people's shows: he doens't need any "special guests" at his concerts. There were also rumors that Billy Joel and Jon Bon Jovi pitched in to pay the "curfew breaking" fee, and so Bruce and the band would try and do a four hour show like they did twenty-some-odd years ago. That didn't happen either.

So what we got was "only" a three-hour plus show that was one long high note (albeit one very similar to the one he did the prior Saturday night - both nights featured Born In The U.S.A. performed start to finish, and other songs that Bruce probably felt fit in with the theme of that album, including "Last To Die" and "Long Walk Home"). Still, there were a few differences from last week's show: "Spirit In The Night," a cover of The Rolling Stones' "The Last Time," "Seven Nights To Rock" and "Tougher Than The Rest."

There were more fireworks than previous nights, and I felt that Born In The U.S.A. was a bit tighter, but nothing other than that making it more "special" than the four other Giants Stadium shows. After the show, people were complaining that there weren't guests and he didn't play longer. I was a bit shocked by how churlish and shrill some people were. Taken on its own, it was an incredible show. In fact, by any standard it was an incredible show. There were just rumors that turned out not to be true. I had a blast, and can't wait to see Bruce and the band next month at Madison Square Garden.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND AT GIANTS STADIUM 10/03/09

When Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band played their first stadium shows at Giants Stadium, I wasn't super interested in going to see them - it was the concert that "everyone" was going to. It was on the Born In The U.S.A. tour, and those songs were unavoidable. Last night, at night three of their five night stand - which will be the final concerts at the current Giants Stadium before it is torn down, Bruce and Co. played U.S.A. from start to finish. Wow.

It's no secret to No Expiration readers that I'm a huge Bruce fan, but until a few years ago, I didn't spend much time with Born In The U.S.A. The production always bugged me as being a bit too dated (as opposed to his albums both before and after, which I feel have aged better, production wise). But a few years back, I listened to it on a plane ride, I don't remember why I chose it, but I was blown away. I made my peace with "Born In The U.S.A." years earlier, but that song has only gained power. "No Surrender," "Downbound Train" and "Bobby Jean" have gotten better as the years go by, and "Dancing In The Dark," "My Hometown" and "Glory Days" are just not songs that I really "got" as a teenager, but they resonate with me now. Bruce and The E Street Band performed the songs, not as a period piece, but as an album that is still just as relevant, if not more, 25 years on. And I appreciate that, just as I appreciate the inclusion of songs like Magic's "Long Walk Home" (maybe my favorite performance of the night), "The Rising" and The Seeger Sessions classic "American Land." To me, those songs show that he's just as vital in the '00s as he was in the '80s and '70s. On his debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, New Jersey he had a song called "Growin' Up," and he's shown us how it is possible to do that with dignity and class... and at the same time, to be able to do it in a way where you don't mellow out or fade away.

So thank you Bruce, see you Friday, and here's hoping that Patti's back for that show.

YOUR FAVORITE RECORD'S ON THE TURNTABLE... SPRINGSTEEN TO PLAY FULL ALBUMS AT GIANTS STADIUM

At their upcoming five night stand closing down Giants Stadium, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band will play one album in its entirety each night, either Born To Run, Darkness On The Edge Of Town or Born In The U.S.A. I have tickets for two of the shows - both of them are Born In The U.S.A. nights. I'd like to see two different albums, but I'm not mad, I'm really looking forward to the shows. (And I have tickets to see the tour in November at MSG). It's really exciting that he's doing this - I guess he wanted to do something different, as these are the last concerts ever at Giants Stadium.