Idolator
Posts Tagged “Bruce Springsteen”
The title track of Bruce Springsteen's forthcoming Working On A Dream is available as a free download from the Boss' official site and iTunes—but only today. After the clock strikes midnight on the East Coast tonight, anyone interested in acquiring the track will have to pony up 99 cents. There's a joke about change we can believe in to be made here, but it's not quite coming to me yet. [BruceSpringsteen.net / iTunes]
upcoming releases
Sure, Jay-Z, Eminem, and (hee hee) 50 Cent might have albums coming out in the first quarter of '09, but I doubt none of their splashes will match that made by Bruce Springsteen's album push. His Presidential candidate of choice will be inaugurated Jan. 20; he'll be entertaining the cheese-dip-eating masses when he's the halftime performer at Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 1; and now Working On A Dream will drop right in between those two dates, on Jan. 27. A snippet of the studio version of the title track—which The Boss premiered at a pre-Election Day for President-Elect Barack Obama—aired during the halftime of last night's Cowboys-Redskins game. Wouldn't it have been better for New Jersey if that premiere had happened last week? See, this is why I should be in charge of scheduling everything. [YouTube]
Bruce Springsteen To Use NFL As Gathering Place For The People
Sure, Jay-Z, Eminem, and (hee hee) 50 Cent might have albums coming out in the first quarter of '09, but I doubt none of their splashes will match that made by Bruce Springsteen's album push. His Presidential candidate of choice will be inaugurated Jan. 20; he'll be entertaining the cheese-dip-eating masses when he's the halftime performer at Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 1; and now Working On A Dream will drop right in between those two dates, on Jan. 27. A snippet of the studio version of the title track—which The Boss premiered at a pre-Election Day for President-Elect Barack Obama—aired during the halftime of last night's Cowboys-Redskins game. Wouldn't it have been better for New Jersey if that premiere had happened last week? See, this is why I should be in charge of scheduling everything. [YouTube]
synergies
The Bruce Springsteen fansite Backstreets.com is claiming that the Boss, who debuted a new song at a Barack Obama rally in Cleveland over the weekend, has been working on a new album all this time. The expected release date? "Around the time of the Presidential Inauguration in January 2009." Oh man, this is going to make the crowd at the inauguration even more ridiculous, isn't it. Clip of Springsteen debuting the new track—titled "Workin' On A Dream"—after the jump.
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Barack Obama's Inauguration To Double As Bruce Springsteen's Album Release Party?
The Bruce Springsteen fansite Backstreets.com is claiming that the Boss, who debuted a new song at a Barack Obama rally in Cleveland over the weekend, has been working on a new album all this time. The expected release date? "Around the time of the Presidential Inauguration in January 2009." Oh man, this is going to make the crowd at the inauguration even more ridiculous, isn't it. Clip of Springsteen debuting the new track—titled "Workin' On A Dream"—after the jump.
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songs in the news
Judging by the search queries we've received over the past five minutes, a lot of people are curious about the song that played right after President-elect Barack Obama exited the stage after his acceptance speech at Grant Park in Chicago. Well, it was Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising," from his 2002 album of the same name. Springsteen wrote the song after Sept. 11, and it was frequently played at the end of Obama's campaign rallies; the Boss himself has performed the song at the Obama benefits he played over the course of last month. This performance was taken from a 2002 show he performed at the Asbury Park Convention Center—yes, that Asbury Park—that was simulcast on NBC's Today. (And the instrumental that preceded "The Rising," according to The Caucus, was a piece of John Williams' score from the 2000 film The Patriot.) [YouTube]
Barack Obama Picks A Bruce Springsteen Song As His Acceptance Speech's Running Mate
Judging by the search queries we've received over the past five minutes, a lot of people are curious about the song that played right after President-elect Barack Obama exited the stage after his acceptance speech at Grant Park in Chicago. Well, it was Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising," from his 2002 album of the same name. Springsteen wrote the song after Sept. 11, and it was frequently played at the end of Obama's campaign rallies; the Boss himself has performed the song at the Obama benefits he played over the course of last month. This performance was taken from a 2002 show he performed at the Asbury Park Convention Center—yes, that Asbury Park—that was simulcast on NBC's Today. (And the instrumental that preceded "The Rising," according to The Caucus, was a piece of John Williams' score from the 2000 film The Patriot.) [YouTube]
pointless listmaking
Congratulations, world! You somehow made it all the way to Oct. 1, 2008, which means one thing: It's time for Rocktober to start. How will you celebrate? Some people are linking to YouTubes of Who songs. Others are hoping that you'll have a hankering to hear the Divinyls and Foreigner within the same span of time. One guy who got the coveted domain name "rocktober.com" is even saying that we should bring back Metallica Monday, although I know of a few people who might disagree with that idea. Which is why I have five Rocktober-celebration suggestions of my own, all of which are located after the jump.
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Idolator Presents Five Not-All-That-Ridiculous Ways To Celebrate Rocktober
Congratulations, world! You somehow made it all the way to Oct. 1, 2008, which means one thing: It's time for Rocktober to start. How will you celebrate? Some people are linking to YouTubes of Who songs. Others are hoping that you'll have a hankering to hear the Divinyls and Foreigner within the same span of time. One guy who got the coveted domain name "rocktober.com" is even saying that we should bring back Metallica Monday, although I know of a few people who might disagree with that idea. Which is why I have five Rocktober-celebration suggestions of my own, all of which are located after the jump.
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benefits
Well, sort of. The hip-hop mogul and the rock poet laureate of New Jersey are both playing free shows this weekend to encourage voter registration, as well as volunteerism for the Democratic Presidential nominee. Springsteen will perform an acoustic set on Philadelphia's Ben Franklin Parkway this Saturday, the same day that Jay-Z will headline Detroit's Cobo Arena; Jay is also performing at Miami's Bayfront Park on Sunday. (Monday is the voter-registration deadline in Philadelphia, Michigan, and Florida.) Me, I'm just waiting for Billy Joel to announce his one-off show before New York's voting rolls close next Friday. Hey, it's not like either of the city's baseball stadiums have much else going on right now (sigh). [Philebrity / MTV]
Barack Obama's Latest Double Bill: Jay-Z And Bruce Springsteen?
Well, sort of. The hip-hop mogul and the rock poet laureate of New Jersey are both playing free shows this weekend to encourage voter registration, as well as volunteerism for the Democratic Presidential nominee. Springsteen will perform an acoustic set on Philadelphia's Ben Franklin Parkway this Saturday, the same day that Jay-Z will headline Detroit's Cobo Arena; Jay is also performing at Miami's Bayfront Park on Sunday. (Monday is the voter-registration deadline in Philadelphia, Michigan, and Florida.) Me, I'm just waiting for Billy Joel to announce his one-off show before New York's voting rolls close next Friday. Hey, it's not like either of the city's baseball stadiums have much else going on right now (sigh). [Philebrity / MTV]
upcoming concerts
Yes, the one show that a good chunk of the Tri-State area would sell its children and/or plasma to see has finally been announced: Long Island poet laureate Billy Joel and New Jersey big boss Bruce Springsteen will share a stage next month, when they play a Barack Obama benefit (with ticket prices ranging from $500 to $10,000) at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. (Why this show won't be at Madison Square Garden, which is just around the corner and which would surely sell out even at these prices, is a mystery.) Sure, there are apparently other guests on the bill—including the Democratic presidential nominee himself—but I bet you if this show goes well, many people residing on both sides of Manhattan will be lobbying for this particular bill to be taken on the road, or at least rotated between MSG, Nassau Coliseum, and the Meadowlands for the next, oh, six months or so. Even in these trying economic times, those shows would print money—and all the merch could be themed on the wide variety of transportation options that terminate at Penn Station! [Billboard]
Bruce Springsteen And Billy Joel Team Up To Bring Obamamania To New York
Yes, the one show that a good chunk of the Tri-State area would sell its children and/or plasma to see has finally been announced: Long Island poet laureate Billy Joel and New Jersey big boss Bruce Springsteen will share a stage next month, when they play a Barack Obama benefit (with ticket prices ranging from $500 to $10,000) at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. (Why this show won't be at Madison Square Garden, which is just around the corner and which would surely sell out even at these prices, is a mystery.) Sure, there are apparently other guests on the bill—including the Democratic presidential nominee himself—but I bet you if this show goes well, many people residing on both sides of Manhattan will be lobbying for this particular bill to be taken on the road, or at least rotated between MSG, Nassau Coliseum, and the Meadowlands for the next, oh, six months or so. Even in these trying economic times, those shows would print money—and all the merch could be themed on the wide variety of transportation options that terminate at Penn Station! [Billboard]
As rumored last month, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will provide the halftime entertainment for Super Bowl XLIII next February. Just think: If the Super Bowl producers can score U2 to get in there for Super Bowl XLIV, then they'll have a six-musical-act rotation—McCartney, the Stones, Prince, Tom Petty, the Boss, and Bono et al—that will definitely appeal to what's left of the masses! Sure, they're collectively long in the tooth, but maybe by the time 2020 rolls around the NFL will have moved on to 100% holographic halftimes, thanks to their only other "mainstream music" possibility by then being an Elvis Presto impersonator. [Marketwatch]
videodrone
Austin legend Alejandro Escovedo has (sadly) mostly dwelled in alt-country obscurity, despite an impressive solo catalog and a number of famous fans. Tonight, though, Escovedo will get some airtime on national TV; he's scheduled to perform "People (We're Only Gonna Live So Long)" from his Tony Visconti-produced album Real Animal as a warmup act for Hillary Clinton's appearance at the Democratic National Convention. A few clips from Alejandro's career after the cut.
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Alejandro Escovedo Gets To Play On The Big Stage
Austin legend Alejandro Escovedo has (sadly) mostly dwelled in alt-country obscurity, despite an impressive solo catalog and a number of famous fans. Tonight, though, Escovedo will get some airtime on national TV; he's scheduled to perform "People (We're Only Gonna Live So Long)" from his Tony Visconti-produced album Real Animal as a warmup act for Hillary Clinton's appearance at the Democratic National Convention. A few clips from Alejandro's career after the cut.
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oh well
Rumors that Bruce Springsteen would formally give the Barack Obama Presidential campaign his blessing by performing after his acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination on Thursday in Denver are 100% not true, according to sources in the Boss' camp. The story was that Springsteen would perform an unplugged song or two after Obama's big speech at Invesco Field, and that he'd share the bill with fellow New Jerseyan Jon Bon Jovi. But "he's definitely not performing nor attending and has never planned to do so," one campaign insider told the Washington Post. Man, who's going to fill the rumor void now? We still have two and a half days to go, and the stories about a new John Legend song aren't really cutting it. [Post Rock]
Bruce Springsteen Will Not Give Barack Obama A "Dancing In The Dark" Moment
Rumors that Bruce Springsteen would formally give the Barack Obama Presidential campaign his blessing by performing after his acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination on Thursday in Denver are 100% not true, according to sources in the Boss' camp. The story was that Springsteen would perform an unplugged song or two after Obama's big speech at Invesco Field, and that he'd share the bill with fellow New Jerseyan Jon Bon Jovi. But "he's definitely not performing nor attending and has never planned to do so," one campaign insider told the Washington Post. Man, who's going to fill the rumor void now? We still have two and a half days to go, and the stories about a new John Legend song aren't really cutting it. [Post Rock]
show-stoppers
George Steinbrenner and his whiny son Hank are looking into having Bruce Springsteen play a "final show" or two at Yankee Stadium, which is closing its doors at the end of the season in favor of a newer, shinier model. The shows are reportedly supposed to "rival" the ones Billy Joel put on at Shea Stadium last July. (Cough.) The one sticking point? The Steinbrenners want the shows to be in November, when it's cold and crappy in the general New York metropolitan area. Why not just schedule them for October, Steinbrenner and son? Weather conditions aren't as raw, and it doesn't look like your ballclub will be needing the facilities by that point... [NYDN]
Is Bruce Springsteen Going To Be Charged With Saying Goodbye To Yankee Stadium?
George Steinbrenner and his whiny son Hank are looking into having Bruce Springsteen play a "final show" or two at Yankee Stadium, which is closing its doors at the end of the season in favor of a newer, shinier model. The shows are reportedly supposed to "rival" the ones Billy Joel put on at Shea Stadium last July. (Cough.) The one sticking point? The Steinbrenners want the shows to be in November, when it's cold and crappy in the general New York metropolitan area. Why not just schedule them for October, Steinbrenner and son? Weather conditions aren't as raw, and it doesn't look like your ballclub will be needing the facilities by that point... [NYDN]
rumors
Page Six is helpfully passing along the rumor that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will headline the Super Bowl halftime show next February, a story that was supposedly confirmed by an all-tables reservation E Streeter Steven Van Zandt made at a Tampa-area Hard Rock Cafe. While this move makes sense on a lot of levels—just look at the results of our "Who Should Play Super Bowl XLIII?" poll, in which the Boss was just beaten out by Van Halen—it also brings up the semi-inevitable "so, OK, where do they go from there?" question, since aging rock stars with something resembling a mass appeal in this highly fragmented media age aren't exactly an endlessly renewable resource. Perhaps the plan is just to have Prince, Tom Petty, and the Boss switch off for the next couple of years, what with the world being slated to end before Super Bowl XLVII rolls around and all? [Page Six]
Bruce Springsteen May Be The Boss Of Super Bowl XLIII
Page Six is helpfully passing along the rumor that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will headline the Super Bowl halftime show next February, a story that was supposedly confirmed by an all-tables reservation E Streeter Steven Van Zandt made at a Tampa-area Hard Rock Cafe. While this move makes sense on a lot of levels—just look at the results of our "Who Should Play Super Bowl XLIII?" poll, in which the Boss was just beaten out by Van Halen—it also brings up the semi-inevitable "so, OK, where do they go from there?" question, since aging rock stars with something resembling a mass appeal in this highly fragmented media age aren't exactly an endlessly renewable resource. Perhaps the plan is just to have Prince, Tom Petty, and the Boss switch off for the next couple of years, what with the world being slated to end before Super Bowl XLVII rolls around and all? [Page Six]
throwin' bricks
In keeping with an earlier insinuation that I would pun lazily throughout the day, here's a project some folks "blocked" out time for: They re-created famous album covers using Legos. (I'm still waiting for the Illuminated Manuscript-style Lego retelling of "Brick" by Ben Folds.) While the creators pegged themselves a little narrowly by saturating the thing with Beatles albums, I think that the Born In The U.S.A. cover shown at left is a true coup. It's faithful to the original, sure. But it's really a feat of mathematical precision, awkward and anatomically disconcerting to the point that you'd almost think The Boss's plastic avatar was sprouting an ass tumor instead of holstering his hat. This is why little girls puke to be pretty and little boys sand themselves into square shapes. Now, on to the fun part of any music-related list—complaining about how there aren't enough people of color on it, and claiming that Radiohead is overrated just to see who takes the bait. [The Toy Zone via digg/ "Born in the USA" image via minifig on flickr]
Legos And Egos
In keeping with an earlier insinuation that I would pun lazily throughout the day, here's a project some folks "blocked" out time for: They re-created famous album covers using Legos. (I'm still waiting for the Illuminated Manuscript-style Lego retelling of "Brick" by Ben Folds.) While the creators pegged themselves a little narrowly by saturating the thing with Beatles albums, I think that the Born In The U.S.A. cover shown at left is a true coup. It's faithful to the original, sure. But it's really a feat of mathematical precision, awkward and anatomically disconcerting to the point that you'd almost think The Boss's plastic avatar was sprouting an ass tumor instead of holstering his hat. This is why little girls puke to be pretty and little boys sand themselves into square shapes. Now, on to the fun part of any music-related list—complaining about how there aren't enough people of color on it, and claiming that Radiohead is overrated just to see who takes the bait. [The Toy Zone via digg/ "Born in the USA" image via minifig on flickr]
alternate histories
The attention the media gives to Guns N' Roses and My Bloody Valentine may give young bands the idea that it'd actually be good for their legacy to record regularly for six years, then hold off for at least another 15 so that fan excitement can build and their myth can blossom. (Hey, if Sting and Joe Strummer had waited that long to record follow-ups to Synchronicity and Combat Rock, maybe people would have cared more about Brand New Day and Rock Art And The X-Ray Style!) So I looked at what would have happened to some of rock's most legendary figures if they, too, had waited 15 years to release new albums once their first six years of putting out records were done—and found that extended absences rarely make later projects look much better.
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Ten Artists Who Should Be Very Glad They're Not Axl Rose
The attention the media gives to Guns N' Roses and My Bloody Valentine may give young bands the idea that it'd actually be good for their legacy to record regularly for six years, then hold off for at least another 15 so that fan excitement can build and their myth can blossom. (Hey, if Sting and Joe Strummer had waited that long to record follow-ups to Synchronicity and Combat Rock, maybe people would have cared more about Brand New Day and Rock Art And The X-Ray Style!) So I looked at what would have happened to some of rock's most legendary figures if they, too, had waited 15 years to release new albums once their first six years of putting out records were done—and found that extended absences rarely make later projects look much better.
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interactivity
If you're not a fan of Bon Jovi's second-tier hit "In These Arms," you can skip forward to about the 2:30 mark to watch as an Irish fan tries to have her own "Dancing With The Dark" moment with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi. The twist, of course, is that the "happy ending" involves her being dragged away by security. (At least she tried slipping him some tongue before being forcibly restrained, right? Talk about moxie!) [YouTube]
Irish Bon Jovi Fan Gets Her New Jersey-Bred Rock Stars Mixed Up
If you're not a fan of Bon Jovi's second-tier hit "In These Arms," you can skip forward to about the 2:30 mark to watch as an Irish fan tries to have her own "Dancing With The Dark" moment with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi. The twist, of course, is that the "happy ending" involves her being dragged away by security. (At least she tried slipping him some tongue before being forcibly restrained, right? Talk about moxie!) [YouTube]
obituaries
E Street Band keyboardist/accordionist Danny Federici passed away Thursday after a three-year battle with melanoma. Federici, a New Jersey native, had played with Bruce Springsteen since the late 1960s. In November, the band announced that he was taking leave from its tour to receive treatment for melanoma, but he returned for a few shows last month. (The Bruce Springsteen shows scheduled for this weekend were postponed shortly after the announcement of Federici's death.) Federici was 58. [AP]
Danny Federici, R.I.P.
E Street Band keyboardist/accordionist Danny Federici passed away Thursday after a three-year battle with melanoma. Federici, a New Jersey native, had played with Bruce Springsteen since the late 1960s. In November, the band announced that he was taking leave from its tour to receive treatment for melanoma, but he returned for a few shows last month. (The Bruce Springsteen shows scheduled for this weekend were postponed shortly after the announcement of Federici's death.) Federici was 58. [AP]
or perhaps a song-by-song recreation of 'nebraska'
Bruce Springsteen, not unlike Carmen SanDiego, is hopping from continent to continent, always one step ahead of Nelly, who still dreams of finding the wily rocker and forcing him to collaborate on a song that would hopefully be titled "Over & Over Again & Again." "I was really trying to get The Boss, but The Boss is all over the world," said Nelly at the Kids' Choice Awards last night. "It didn't really work out. I know he's interested in doing it. And I'm interested in doing it." But there is still hope. "We still might get a chance to get it off. We're saving it. We might repackage it for the holidays." Perhaps a snap remix of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," then.
Nelly wants Springsteen Collaboration [Yahoo via AP]
Itinerant Bruce Springsteen Eludes A Collabo-Hungry Nelly
Bruce Springsteen, not unlike Carmen SanDiego, is hopping from continent to continent, always one step ahead of Nelly, who still dreams of finding the wily rocker and forcing him to collaborate on a song that would hopefully be titled "Over & Over Again & Again." "I was really trying to get The Boss, but The Boss is all over the world," said Nelly at the Kids' Choice Awards last night. "It didn't really work out. I know he's interested in doing it. And I'm interested in doing it." But there is still hope. "We still might get a chance to get it off. We're saving it. We might repackage it for the holidays." Perhaps a snap remix of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," then.Nelly wants Springsteen Collaboration [Yahoo via AP]
