THE STADIUM ASS BREAKER 11.07.2009

Ottimo bootleg DVD multi camera del concerto di Springsteen e la E-band a Dublino lo scorso 11 luglio 2009 durante il tour di Working on a dream.

Setlist, DVD 1:
0. The Fields of Anthenry
1. Who’ll Stop the Rain?
2. Badlands
3. Cover Me
4. My Lucky Day
5. Outlaw Pete
6. Out in the Street
7. Working on a Dream
8. Seeds
9. Johhny 99
10. The Ghost of Tom Joad

Setlist, DVD 2:
1. Raise Your Hand
2. You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
3. Seven Nights to Rock
4. For You
5. Thunder Road
6. Because the Night
7. Waiting on a Sunny Day
8. The Promised Land
9. The River
10. Kingdom of Days

Setlist, DVD 3:
1. Lonesome Day
2. The Rising
3. Born to Run
———————
4. Hard Times
5. Tenth Ave Freeze-out
6. American Land
7. Bobby Jean
8. Dancing in the Dark
9. Ramrod
10. Twist and Shout

Qualche nota dal realizzatore di questo bootleg DVD:

First night of two in Dublin. Bruce’s first High-Definition sourced multi-camera bootleg ever. Overall, this isn’t as good as the footage from the second night, mainly due to a lack of NB filming as he did on night 2 (and he was no. 1 in line on Night 1, so it would have been a little hard to stealth from there 😉 ). My angle is complete, the other two are not. So some songs are 3-cam, some are 1. And, as we were all shooting from the pit, not all the footage is great. On the other hand, BECAUSE we were shooting from the pit, the best shots are utterly fantastic. There are times when just I am shooting when the video gets a bit crap, due to obstructions and/or shakiness caused by my relative lack of height and poor upper body strength (lightweight the cam may be, holding that fecker steadily up above your head for 3hrs straight isn’t easy). In fact, it took me until half way through Cover Me before I really got the hang of what I was doing. I managed to shoot up until Bruce’s guitar solo before CC’s Sax in Badlands with the Optical Image Stabilisation switched off. Who’ll Stop the Rain isn’t too bad because I could cut away to Skipjack’s angle fo much of it, but Badlands had only me filming, so it’s a bit of a trainwreck. Bruce’s solo is audio only as I realised the OIS was off (and so had to stop recording for the cam to let me switch it on). Even after that it’s still pretty shaky as I don’t start to hold it with both hands until halfway through Cover Me. Anyway, yeah… It’s somewhat inconsistant. Very good overall though, and the spectacular close-ups far outweigh the shaky shots of people’s feet in front of me 😉
The one availible audio source was very poor quality, so I used the in-camera audio from the HF100. It’s not brilliant, but better than the existing audio only source, and fine to listen to once your ears get used to it. Vocals a little low. Yes, the audio is in WAV, yet the cam records in AC3. I decided to do that to avoid any possible re-encoding artifacts from doing 2 levels of AC3 on it, and the video bitrates are still pretty high even with the increased WAV filesize. I was supposed to be being sent a second external audio recording, but the guy started ignoring my PMs after agreeing to mail me a copy…

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IL BOSS E L’ITALIANA – 10^PARTE

Siamo arrivati alla decima parte del racconto Tutt’ altra musica, il Boss e l’ italiana scritto da Sharonlacorta.
Buona lettura.

Bruce aprì gli occhi. Era ancora impastato e nudo, sotto il caldissimo piumino foderato di bianco, sotto il quale aveva giaciuto la sera prima insieme a Nora. Allungò un braccio. Lei non c’era. Aveva la punta del naso gelata, dedusse quindi che si stava bene soltanto sotto il piumino. Come avrebbe fatto a saltar fuori dal letto e lavarsi e vestirsi senza morire di freddo…? Il profumo persistente della legna bruciata lo confortava: significava che Nora aveva acceso la stufa. Trovò il coraggio di aprire con un movimento secco le coltri e fece una corsetta nel bagno, dove si infilò nella doccia; fece scorrere l’acqua bollente. Indugiò parecchio sotto lo scroscio, per togliersi le ultime tracce di stanchezza dalle membra, per perpetuare in qualche modo la sensazione divina che aver unito il suo corpo a quello di Nora gli regalava e per scaldarsi per bene. Uscito dal box doccia si guardò intorno: fortunatamente il bagno era di gran lunga più riscaldato della camera da letto… Rubò un accappatoio, che doveva chiaramente appartenere a Nora. Ce n’era uno soltanto e sembrava… piccolo per lui. Si strofinò la testa, continuando a guardarsi intorno. Curioso. Sulla mensola sotto lo specchio c’era una sola bottiglia di profumo. Ed era da uomo. Avrebbe giurato di esser stato inebriato anche dal profumo di Nora, oltre che da mille altre cose. Annusò il forellino dello spray: era proprio quello che usava lei. Nora usava un profumo da uomo. Le donne, quella donna soprattutto, non finivano mai di sorprenderlo.
Aprì la valigia e tirò fuori calzoni, maglia intima e camicia di flanella e si vestì. Mentre si infilava le calze e gli stivali constatò che la casa era avvolta nel silenzio. L’assenza dei bambini spiegava solo parzialmente la quiete acustica di quelle stanze, si chiese se non fosse stato lasciato da solo a soddisfare il suo bisogno di riposo. Scese piano le scale (che non scricchiolarono) e arrivò nel soggiorno. Si sporse appena nella cucina. Nora non lo vide, lui invece la colse in un momento “creativo”: era infarinata fino ai gomiti ed impastava una palla gialla che profumava di limone. Mostrava una discreta perizia nel lavorare la pasta, e andò avanti ad impastare ancora per una diecina di minuti. Bruce si sedette sugli ultimi scalini, stette a guardarla. Chissà cosa stava preparando… Una massaia. Si era innamorato di una massaia. Appassionata, dalla forte personalità ma… che soffiava sotto il suo fuoco, facendolo comunque sentire come piaceva a lui: un uomo su di un piedistallo. Si era sorpreso lui stesso, esteta quasi maniacale, ad affondare le dita nei suoi fianchi generosi, a percepire il morbido ventre di lei contro il suo, a constatare quanto ci fosse da abbracciare in quella straniera non certo filiforme. E non se lo spiegava. Ma ci stava diventando matto. Stare lì, ad osservarla mentre lavorava in cucina, pensando a tutto ciò che di lei gli piaceva e destava il suo interesse, gli portò la mente a “She’s got a way”, la bella canzone di Billy Joel. Nora diede la forma di un panetto alla pasta che ora appariva – anche da lì – liscia, poi prese un sacchetto trasparente, ce lo mise dentro, e si avvicinò ad una macchinetta che accese: fece un rumore infernale. Nora aveva messo l’impasto sottovuoto. Aprì la porta del frigo e ce lo mise dentro. Si lavò le mani nel lavandino, si asciugò, poi ripulì il piano di lavoro e mise a posto. Bruce continuava a guardarla, non riuscendo a decidersi a palesarsi. La vide apparecchiare la tavola per tre colazioni. Dunque non aveva ancora mangiato ed Evan evidentemente dormiva ancora. Aveva fame e le sue mani avevano voglia di toccarla. Si alzò dai gradini e bussò leggermente allo stipite della porta della cucina.
Nora alzò la testa.
“Ciao! Ti sei svegliato…”
Bruce la raggiunse subito e l’abbracciò e baciò sulle labbra.
“Ciao… da un pezzo, in realtà”
“Avrai fame… aspettiamo Evan? O vuoi buttar giù almeno un caffè?”
Alla parola fame Bruce sentì lo stomaco rivoltarsi in segno di protesta.
“Vorrei aspettare Evan, ma un caffè ci sta tutto – rispose – Che stavi preparando?” chiese, indicando il frigo in cui Nora aveva appena riposto l’impasto.
“Ah, mi stavi spiando?? E’ pasta frolla. I miei biscotti erano piaciuti così tanto a tuo figlio che ho pensato di riprepararli stasera, insieme ad una crostata”.
“I… tuoi biscotti? Tu fai i biscotti?”
“Semplici biscotti di pastafrolla, niente di che… una mia prozia altoatesina ne faceva alla moda tedesca di straordinari, con cannella e glassa di zucchero sopra…”
Bruce scosse la testa, incredulo. Una massaia, a tutto tondo. Sorrise.
“Il cibo… il cibo ha una grande importanza per te”
“Vero, – disse lei, sbocconcellando un pezzo di pane preparato in un cestino per la colazione – ognuno ha il suo campo: tu sei creativo scrivendo canzoni, io sono creativa in cucina…”
Fece funzionare la macchinetta del caffè e ne preparò due.
“Ecco qui. Hai dormito bene?”
“Meravigliosamente… Fa… fresco in camera da letto…” rispose Bruce.
Nora rise.
“No Bruce… non fa fresco. Fa freddo. Il riscaldamento è spento e il tepore che può esserci è soltanto quello della ole qui al piano di sotto. Io poi tengo sempre uno spiraglio di finestra aperta…”
“Sei pazza?? Col freddo che faceva ieri!”
“Sempre, caro. Dormire al freddo è più sano!”
“Tutti uguali… – borbottò tra sé e sé – Pazzi, molto pazzi…” continuò in italiano.
Nora rise.
“Questa è nota!! Ci hanno fatto pure un gruppo su Facebook…”
Vuotata la tazzina e lasciatala sul tavolo, Bruce disse:
“Vado a svegliare Evan”
“Non ci corre dietro nessuno, lascialo dormire…” tentò di fermarlo Nora
“Ho fame…” rispose Bruce, avviandosi a grandi passi verso la stanza dello yoga/camera degli ospiti dove dormiva il figlio.
Entrò piano nella stanzetta. Il letto era completamente disfatto ed Evan stava proprio svegliandosi in quel momento. Ancora a pancia in giù, ancora con la faccia nel cuscino, salutò il padre sulla soglia.
“Ehi…” biascicò.
Bruce si sedette sulla sponda del letto.
“Muoviti a vestirti, ragazzo: ho fame e Nora vuole aspettare anche te per fare colazione”
“mhh… Ci sono i biscotti di ieri?”
“Quali biscotti…?” Bruce guardò Nora, appoggiata allo stipite della porta che sorrideva infingarda.
“Il ragazzo ha buon gusto…”
“Quei biscotti?! Maledetto, li hai già provati…”
“Vado a scaldare acqua e latte…” fece Nora, allontanandosi per tornare in cucina.
“Sei riuscito a dormire bene, vedo”
“Mh, sì. Fa freddo in questo posto però… si sta bene, non so come dire”
“Dormire al freddo è più sano!” pontificò Bruce, imitando l’accento italiano.
Evan si mise a sedere sul letto.
“Papà… ho parlato con lei ieri sera”
Bruce diventò subito serio.
“Ah sì?” ostentò un disinteressato distacco: in realtà paventava di sentire i risultati di quella conversazione.
“E’ una donna normale… “
“Mh”
“Ma è così diversa dalla mamma che credo di capire perché ti sia piaciuta così tanto”
Bruce tirò dentro di sé un sospiro di sollievo. Almeno un elemento della famiglia non gli sarebbe stato ostile per la sua storia. Beh, non del tutto almeno.
“Onestamente? Non saprei spiegartelo nemmeno io. Si percepisce in lei una grande energia ma… è tutto sotto la cenere, come un vulcano spento. Senti che ha grandi potenzialità ma non è… prevaricatrice o invadente”
“Poi sa cucinare i biscotti e ieri sera mi ha fatto il grano cotto ed era strano ma buonissimo… E poi aveva preparato una carne buonissima e… oh, fattelo spiegare da lei: è un’artista a dirti in modo semplice le procedure più complicate di cottura di un cibo!”
“Lo so, ho già provato…” Bruce sorrise, pensando alla loro serata al ristorante dopo il concerto e dopo la festa di quell’estate.
Bruce si guardò le mani.
“Evan, io ho amato tua madre più di chiunque altro in vita mia. Ma il rapporto che ti lega ad una persona cambia negli anni e quello che legava lei a me è stato forse… troppo sfruttato. Nora è stata… una boccata d’aria fresca. Ti assicuro che, nonostante la sbandata presa quest’estate non confidavo più di tanto nel permanere di un sentimento. Invece… invece è successo, lei mi è mancata ogni giorno di più fino a quando finalmente l’ho rivista, ieri. Ieri ho avuto la conferma che non riuscirei più a stare con la mamma. Mi dispiace… “
“Beh… mi piace vederti sereno. Mi piaceva di più vederti sereno vicino alla mamma ma negli ultimi anni ho percepito non poche ruggini. Credo che prima o poi sarebbe successo, con Nora, senza di lei o con qualcun’altra al suo posto”
Bruce sentì una fitta al cuore. Evan aveva ragione.
“Facciamo onore a questa colazione italiana?” diede una benevola pacca sulla schiena di suo figlio.

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STILL THE BOSS

STILL THE BOSS
From blacks brownbagging it on a New York subway to Ronald Reagan in Washington, 
everyone has jumped on Bruce Springsteen’s bandwagon. But his patriotic call’s not of the 
jingoistic variety so close to the hearts of  American conservatives. Rather, the 
message from the man from New Jersey is simple. The American dream may be in t
atters,but it’s not beyond repair.
BY J. MAX ROBINS

Since the release of Bom in the USA, just about everybody has tried to grab hold
of that red kerchief in Bruce Springsteen’s back pocket and ride with him to the
top. Attempting to bask in the light of the Boss’s glory days, even Ronald Reagan
mentioned him in campaign speeches last fall in Springsteen’s home state of New
Jersey.
Perhaps Reagan had read his favorite columnist. George Will, a staunch
conservative and arguably the most powerful columnist in America, had gushed
over a Springsteen concert he had seen in Washington, D.C. “If all Americans—in
labor and management, who make steel or cars or shoes or textiles made their
products with as much energy and confidence as Springsteen and his merry
band make music, there would be no need for Congress to be thinking about
protectionism. No “domestic content” legislation is needed in the music industry.
The British and other invasions have been met and matched.”
One can imagine Ronnie settling down with some milk and cookies to watch
Dynasty with Nancy before his impending trip to New Jersey, a critical state in
the upcoming election, and saying to her: “You know, Mommy (believe it: that’s
what the leader of the most powerful country in the world calls his wife), this
young guy Springsteen is awfully popular with the kids and George Will likes
him. Why don’t I mention him on my campaign trip—might pick up a few votes
with the young people.”
Obviously Reagan and his toadies didn’t go any farther than Will’s column,
though Will admitted to having cotton in his ears and to having “not a clue
about Springsteen’s politics.”
It’s simple to interpret an album cover with “Born in the USA” emblazened
across a giant American flag as a call to the brand of old-fashioned
patriotism—read “call to arms/us against them”—that’s been the staple of
Reagan’s political career. Springsteen himself admitted as much when he said:
“The flag is a powerful image, and when you set that stuff loose, you don’t know
what’s gonna be done.”
The release of Born in the USA its huge success and that of
thetourtosupportithadcatapauitedSpringsteenfromrock’n’ roll star to media
megastar. He was in the midst of a tour that would eventually gross $30 million
from ticket sales alone and had a number one record that would sell more than
five million copies, earning him another $8 million. But Springsteen didn’t want
to be invited to the White House a la Michael Jackson for the requisite
handshake, medal and photo session . In concerts following Reagan’s attempt to
bring him into his fold, the Boss would joke that ” Mr. President obviously isn’t
listening to what I’m singing about.” Then he’d launch into a song like
“Downbound Train:”
I had a job, I had a girl
I had something going mister in this world I got laid off down at the lumberyard
Our love wen tbad, times got hard
Now I work down at the car wash, where an it ever does is rain
Don ‘t you feel like you’re a rider on a downbound train?
In an interview a couple of weeks before the election, Springsteen responded to
Reagan’s attempt to co-opt him.
“You see the Regan re-election ads on TV—you know: ‘It’s morning in America.’
And you say, well, it’s not morning in Pittsburgh. It’s not morning above 125th
Street (Harlem) in New York. It’s midnight and, like, there’s a bad moon risin’.
And that’s why when Reagan mentioned my name in New Jersey, I felt it was
another manipulation, and I had to disassociate myself from the president’s
kind words.”
Working class young people and yuppies from
America’s big cityheart, Vietnam vets and
grown-up war protesters, moms and dads with
MTV junkie kids in two—they were all part of
the Springsteen audiences.
In a way, you can’t blame Reagan for trying, even if it’s a little like Herbert
Hoover, the president who led America into the Great Depression, evoking
Woodie Guthrie. Springsteen has built a constituency that would be any
politician’s wet dream. To go to a Springsteen concert is to see America at close
to its polyglot best. Working class young people and yuppies from America’s bigcity
heart, Vietnam vets and grown-up war protesters, moms and dads
approaching middle age with MTV junkie kids in tow—they are all part of the
audiences that go to see Springsteen’s four-hour-plus concerts.
Even the one group that has never been part of Springsteen’s crowd is starting to
tune him in. Despite his strong rhythm and blues roots, he’s never had much of a
black following. But now there are signs that he’s making inroads with that
audience too.
The other night, waiting for a subway, at the end of the platform two middleaged
black men were wailing the Iyrics of “Born in the USA,” as they shared a
brown bag of wine. While that’s no litmus test, remixes of “Dancing in the Dark”
and “Born in the USA,” by Arthur Baker, who cut his funky teeth with rap master
Afrika Bambaataa, coupled with Springsteen’s show-stopping performance on
“We Are the World,” are turning his audience into a true rainbow coalition.
“The first day I can remember looking in a
mirrorand being able to stand what I saw was
the day I had a guihrin my hand. Music was a
reason to live. “
The breadth of Springsteen’s reach can be traced back to his New Jersey days. A
working class kid and lapsed Catholic, he found his salvation—his truth—early
and that was in rock ‘n’ roll.Springsteen traces his first dose of rock’n’roll
fevertoseeing Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show. “Man, when I was nine, I
couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting to be Elvis Presley,” Springsteen told Dave
Marsh in his bio, Born to Fun. Four years later, when Bruce put down $18 at the
local pawnshop for a guitar, his life changed for good. “Rock and roll has been
ever,vthing to me. The first day I can remember looking in a mirror and being
able to stand what I saw was the day I had a guitar in my hand… Music gave me
something. It was never just a hobby—it was a reason to live.”
His uncanny ability to convey that feeling in his music is key to his decade of
mushrooming success.
Springsteen’s rock ‘n’ roll obsession found outlet in a number of bands that
played the beach circuit from Asbury Park to Virginia Beach. Sucking in
disparate influences, including Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Eric
Burden and the Animals, along with nuggets from the Motown and StaxNolt
rosters, he distilled a uniquely American sound. Instrumentally his music was the
perfect foil—sometimes raucous and raunchy,other times sweet and sentimental
— strong on pathos, but always shot through with hope.
John Hammond, the legendary record producer responsible for the signing of,
among others, Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin, first heard
Springsteen in 1972 and was blown away. On Hammond’s recommendation, the
Boss was signed by Columbia Records. Soon Springsteen was being pushed by
Columbia as the “next Dylan.” The Dylan hype hurt and his first record,
Greetings From Asbury Park, flopped.
But it left little doubt where Springsteen was coming from. Songs from that
album, like “Spirits in the Night,” “Growing Up” and ” Blinded by the Light, “
were loaded with the juice of a rebel spirit, searching, albeit naively, for truth. A
year later Springsteen released The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle. It
contained more tales of the characters from the Boardwalk in Asbury Park and
streets of New York—all looking for salvation.
Meanwhile, if anyone was wanting of a little of that salvation, Bruce Springsteen
and the E Street Band, now a tight enough unit to rival the best in rock, were
ready to offer it. In certain parts of the States, people were getting the word on
the Boss. Playing the Eastern seaboard, Springsteen and the E Street Band were
achieving cult status, buoyed by fans who sung their praises with religious fervor.
It was during that period that Springsteen’s manager, John Landau, then a rock
critic, penned his famous review of a concert by the Boss in Boston, with the
prophetic statement: “I have seen the future of rock and roll, and it’s name is
Bruce Springsteen.”
I remember running into Bob Seger back then and he gave an equally ecstatic
report of a Springsteen show. “I caught Springsteen’s act in a small club in
Atlanta,” Seger said. “It was a place where nobody ever dances, and he had
everybody on their feet and shaking it. The way the guy works a crowd is
amazing.”
With 1 975’s Bom to Run, Springsteen began to reach a mass audience. When his
picture was plastered in the same week on the covers of Time and Newsweek,
there were those who thought he’d succumb, like so many before him, to all the
hype.
“The next thing you know there’ll be pictures of him in the tabloids with Britt
Eckland’s hands in his blue jeans as they tumble out of Studio 54,” said an
ardent Springsteen fan from the early days. “Then he’ll record some crummy
record about being too rich, too famous and too high.”
But the Springsteen records that followed, Darkness on the Edge of Town, The
River, and Nebraska, were a leaner, harderedged commitment to the concerns
always central to his music. Then in “No Surrender” on Born in the USA, he
summed it all up:
We busted out of class to get away from all those fools
We learned more from a three-minute record than we ever learned from school
Tonight I hear the neighborhood drummer sound
I hear my heart begin to pound
You say you ‘re tired and you just want to close your eyes and follow your dreams
down
We made a promise we swore we’d always remember no retreat no surrender. . .
Part of Springsteen’s allure, perhaps more than any other performer in rock ‘n’
roll, is that he packs a visceral hit. He taps an audience’s hidden rock ‘n’ roll
soul; if they had rock dreams for themselves, Springsteen’s the embodiment of
them. There’s a comfortable familiarity about his presence. He still lives in New
Jersey and shows up at the local bars to jam with whichever garage band is
playing that night. But there’s also a certain energy and intelligence that’s larger
than life.
“When you first meet him, you think, ‘Oh, another nice regular guy from New
Jersey.’ Then you listen to him for a while— he’s a great storyteller—and you
realize nothing much gets by him,” says John Tintori, who met Springsteen when
he was editing several of the Boss’s videos with director John Sayles. “We’ll
explain why we technically can’t do something he wants done in a video and he
immediately grasps the concept. You get the sense the guy has the kind of genius
where he could’ve excelled in any art form he were to choose.”
With Bruce there’s none of the removed other worldliness of a megastar like Michael
Jackson or the lascivious preening of a Mick Jaggerora Prince.
Fortunately, the form Springsteen chose was rock ‘n’ roll. The for-everyman spirit
he brings to it is still refreshing, especially when compared to the other
superstars who inhabit that terrain. With Bruce there’s none of the removed
otherworldliness of a megastar like Michael Jackson or the lascivious preening of
a Mick Jagger or a Prince. There’s no pretense, no posturing to stand between the
Boss and his audience.
Sure the Boss may strut and swagger once in awhile, like the young Elvis who got
him revved up when he was a kid. Hey, the best rock ‘n’ roll has always been
rebel music. But there’s no sign of degenerating, like Elvis, into the Las Vegas
shtick of coming on stage every night to tell the audience “I really mean
it—you’re beautiful.” Decadent materialism and nihilism, so often a part of the
rock ‘n’ roll star stance, get no play from Springsteen.
It is patriotism manifest in Springsteen desire
to give hope to people whose lives seem out of
controL
What does get play is the plight of the common man and his search for respect.
You see there is something patriotic about Springsteen. His is not the fierce
nationalism of a Reaganite, but simple love and devotion to his country, to his
working class roots. It is patriotism manifest in Springsteen’s desire to give hope
to people whose lives seem out of control. It’s that spirit that led Springsteen to
play disarmament rallies a couple fo years back. It’s knowing what it means to
squeeze some bucks from the paycheck to catch your favorite act—the Boss, the
guy who kept a lid on ticke tprices a t$16 for four hours when the Jacksons were
charging $30 for a 75 minutes. During that tour Springsteen voiced his support
on stage for local food banks and other community action groups, as well as
digging into his own pockets, discreetly, to help them out.
The year of Born in the USA has also been the year of the rehabilitation of the
Vietnam vet. Long-overdue tribute is finally being paid to the men who fought
and died in the politicians’ dirtiest war. Although he managed to avoid the draft
by getting classified 4F, Springsteen knows it was guys from his background who
largely did the fighting and dying in Vietnam, including the drummer from his
firs tband. It’s that knowledge, no doubt, that’s made him a champion of
Vietnam vets.
Springsteen has done benefits and reportedly has contributed large sums of
money to vet counseling and rehab groups. When the memorial to New York’s
Vietnam vets was dedicated last May, it was “Born in the USA” that played at the
finale.
Shortly after the dedication of that monument, word got out that Springsteen
was about to get married. In fact it was frontpage news in newspapers across the
country and on People magazine, which had the tasteful cover “Who’s the Boss
Now?” Something about the media circus surrounding his impending nuptials to
actress-model Julianne Phillips seemed more absurd than these things usually do.
Here was Springsteen getting the media treatment afforded a Jackie Kennedy
Onnasis or Elizabeth Taylor. Days after the wedding, Clarence Clemmons,
Bruce’s close friend and sax player, showed up on The David Letterman Show
and worked as a flak catcher for his buddy. ” Now you girls out there who are
upset about this don’t be, ” he said. “Bruce is very happy and you should be
happy for him.”
A week later Springsteen is in New Jersey to shoot a video before leaving on his
European tour. He has his band assembled across the Hudson River from
Manhattan, inside Maxwell’s bar in Hoboken, a working class town, the birth
place of Frank Sinatra. Maxwell’s is the rock afficionado’s dream club —even for
name acts like Huster Du and the Minute Men, the cover never climbs past five
bucks. Outside, despite every effort at secrecy, a crowd is gathered, joined by TV
crews from every station in New York, anxious to grab a peak at the Boss. Inside,
the band is weary from a long day of shooting, but one more take is needed
before they wrap.
Even though he has sung the song about one hundred times that day, Bruce
attacks it with all his awesome vocal force. It’s a song about people getting caught
up in thinking their best is past—all those faded scrap book achievements of
youth. And here’s the Boss at 35, still screaming like an oversexed teenager on
stage in a dive in New Jersey.
“Yes,” he sings, “faded youth don’t have to mean the end of Glory Days.”
(J. Max Robirls is a New York writer.)

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IL BOSS E L’ ITALIANA – 9^ PARTE

Siamo arrivati alla nona puntata del racconto di Sharonlacorta.

Che ne dite, vi piace?  Vi fa schifo e la finisco subito?

Che modo curioso aveva, di fare l’amore, pensò Nora. Era molto dolce, tutto fatto di carezze, movimenti lenti, e baci, un flusso costante, inarrestabile di baci sulla bocca. E poi scendeva sotto la cintola e faceva quella cosa lì, con naturalezza, trasporto, gradimento, come se fosse la cosa più naturale del mondo, come bere un bicchiere d’acqua, lavarsi le mani, fare una telefonata. E poi tornava su e continuava con le sue carezze, i suoi movimenti lenti, e anche il suo andare e venire dentro di lei era morbido, costante, instancabile. Era silenzioso, fatto salvo per qualche mugugno, più un sospiro sonoro a labbra chiuse, e qualche parola sottovoce, proferita più nel collo che nell’orecchio. E quando poi lasciava che tutto l’amore del mondo fluisse dentro di lei chiudeva gli occhi, socchiudeva la bocca ed esalava un sospiro, lievemente sonoro, per poi poggiare la fronte sul cuscino di fianco al suo viso, riposarsi un momento, uscire da lei e tornare ad abbracciarla, quasi per fugare il timore che lei avrebbe potuto avere di sentirsi abbandonata.

Quella sera sentì che l’abbraccio lentamente si ammorbidiva e si allentava… Bruce si stava addormentando. Il viaggio, il fuso orario… Nora non si sorprese. Leggermente affamata e un po’ nervosa, si liberò dal dolce abbraccio del suo celebre amante e sgusciò fuori dal letto. Lo ricoprì col piumino, e rimase un momento a guardarlo. Bruce Springsteen nel suo letto, nella sua casa. Un amante davvero interessante, specialmente per aver passato da un po’ la boa dei sessanta. Sorrise lievemente, scuotendo la testa, si vestì alla bell’e meglio e scese di sotto.
Trovò Evan seduto sul divano, in tuta, che faceva zapping sul satellite. Gli sorrise.
“Vedo che il fuso orario non ti ha stravolto come tuo padre…” si versò una tazza di tè, prese un biscotto.
Evan restituì il sorriso.
“Papà è vecchietto… Si fa un bel training per i concerti, ma un semplice viaggio in aereo lo stronca. Poi se tu gli dai il colpo di grazia…”
Nora arrossì violentemente. Beh, d’altronde il ragazzo aveva più di vent’anni, certo non gli raccontavano più la storia delle api e dei fiori da un pezzo.
“Hai fame? Vuoi qualcosa di più di una merenda?”
“Ho saccheggiato i biscotti… Erano eccellenti”
“Li ho fatti io. Questo fine settimana ne possiamo fare degli altri”
Indicò lo schermo della tv.
“Hai trovato qualcosa di interessante?”
“Sì, il fatto che c’è il doppio audio quasi su ogni canale…”
“Hai aperto il divano letto? Sei a posto?”
“Mh… no. Mi fai vedere come si fa, perfavore?”
“Vieni”
Nora lo accompagnò nella stanzetta dello yoga, e aprì il divano letto. Il letto era già fatto: Nora sapeva che Bruce avrebbe portato suo figlio con sé. Aprì l’armadio e tirò fuori il piumino, che era già vestito del copri piumino. Lo mise sul letto e lo rincalzò.
“Ecco fatto. Evan… senti, posso parlarti un attimo?”
Il ragazzo la seguì in salotto.
Si sedettero sui bei divani rossicci e Nora si avvolse in una delle coperte.
“Mh… non so nemmeno cosa dirti o come dirtelo di preciso…”
Evan sorrise, leggermente triste.
“Non devi sforzarti. Sono un adulto, e mio padre è un personaggio pubblico. Tante volte gli hanno attribuito storie adulterine che non erano vere. Questa volta nessuno ha detto nulla… tranne lui. E’ chiaro che non sono contento, men che meno per mia madre. Ma una cosa che apprezzo di mio padre è il suo non voler sconvolgere tutto per il suo piacere. Non so cosa ti abbia detto finora, ma a noi tre non ha parlato di volersi risposare. Credo che si separerà dalla mamma, ma lei è una donna molto intelligente e non credo che gli causerà delle rogne. E’ piuttosto scocciata, questo credo che lo possa immaginare anche tu.”
“Anche mio marito non è molto contento… Ma per me il problema grosso sono i bambini, hai visto quanto sono piccoli. Con questo non voglio sminuire o sottovalutare la fatica con cui voi ragazzi vi troverete a elaborare il vostro disagio… però… forse riuscite a farvene più una ragione”
Evan annuì.
“Infatti. Ma io ho rotto le palle a papà finché non mi ha portato qui con sé. Io volevo vedere di persona quale donna più fantastica di mamma fosse riuscita a fargli perdere la testa. Ora che ti ho conosciuta so che non è quello che cercava. Nessuno di noi ha in casa un atteggiamento divistico, ma papà aveva bisogno di un alto tasso di normalità”
Nora sorrise, gli occhi bassi.
“E’ quello che ho pensato anch’io. Con tutte le belle donne che gli hanno ronzato e gli ronzano intorno, pensare di essere… la prescelta… mi sconvolge ancora adesso”
“Ti dirò… – fece Evan – se fossi stata alta, bionda e della mia età probabilmente mi sarei infuriato..:”
“E se fossi stata tua madre mi sarei incavolata pure io…”
“Senti… a proposito di quell’offerta di mangiare…”
Nora sorrise e saltò fuori dalla coperta.
“Vieni con me in cucina. Ti preparo la cena”

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STOCKHOLM 3RD DREAM NIGHT 07.06.2009 CC936-938

Bootleg della Cristal Cat del terzo ed ultimo concerto di Springsteen a Stoccolma durante il tour di Working on a Dream.

I dettagli:

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
7 June 2009 Stockholm Third Dream Nignt CC936-937-938
Stockholm Stadion / Stockholm, SWE

CD1
Idas Sommarvisa (Nils solo)
No Surrender
Badlands
Night
My Lucky Day
Outlaw Pete
Spirit in the Night
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99

CD2
The River
Drums:Bruce collecting signs
Mony Mony
Trapped
Fade Away
Surprise Surprise
Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Working on the Highway
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run

CD3
Intro
Thunder Road
Jungleland
Land of Hope and Dreams
American Land
Ramrod
Dancing in the Dark
Twist and Shout

Double Shot (Of My Babys Love) 16/09/09 Bi-Lo Center / Greenville, SC
Da Doo Ron Ron 20/09/09 United Center / Chicago, IL
Rockin Robin 20/09/09 United Center / Chicago, IL
Roll Over Beethoven 25/10/09 Scottrade Center / St. Louis, MO

Al solito ottime bonus track.

THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

Qualcuno ha letto questo libro?  Le foto mi sembrano molto belle.

Bruce Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town broke new ground for The Boss in 1978. A counterpoint to the operatic elegance of Born to Run, the album was an angry, raw record that burst forth after a three-year hiatus.
Because of its darker tones, some might call Darkness a difficult album, but despite this, it’s a cherished gem for many.
Collecting stories and photos from hundreds of fans, The Light in Darkness celebrates this classic record, allowing readers to revisit the excitement of that moment when the needle found the grooves in that first cut and the thundering power of “Badlands” shook across the hi-fi for the very first time. Or the uninitiated, but soon-to-be-converted teenager, brought along by friends and finding salvation at one of the legendary three-plus hour concerts – shows that embodied all the manic fury of a revival meeting.
The book is also for those more recent converts to The Boss who may have stumbled across a dusty bootleg in a used record store – discovering the magic of the Agora or the Winterland shows.
Finally, The Light in Darkness is for those who never gave Bruce’s fourth album much consideration; those more partial to the high-polished sounds of Born to Run or the stadium-rousing choruses of Born in the U.S.A. For the skeptics, just read the tales of those who struggle with the dark and trembling frustration of “Something in the Night,” the open-road emptiness of “Racing in the Street,” and the too-faraway hope of “The Promised Land.” A troubling album indeed. But the passion, the connection, the thrill of the fans as they explore this classic record will make a convert of anyone.
The Three-Year Wait
It was a long wait. From the time Born to Run came out until the release of Darkness on the Edge of Town, fans had to suffer through a three-year hiatus, a lifetime for a musician to be off the radar back then.
And in the days before the Internet and MTV, Bruce’s devotees often had no idea what was taking him so long, and little means to find out. They resorted to scouring the pages of Rolling Stone and Creem magazines for any mention of Springsteen, any hint or clue about when the new record would be released. And when that produced no results, they turned to prayer.
We all know now that legal wrangling with his first manager, Mike Appel, kept a new record off the shelves for those three years. When Bruce finally came out victorious and replaced Appel with music writer Jon Landau, the stage was set for the next record to be released. But few would anticipate the frustration that had built up during those years, anger that Springsteen would channel into the new album.
The Light in Darkness shares the stories of fans coming to grips with this new record and this very different sound from The Boss, finding that Bruce’s struggles and frustrations often mirrored their own battles in life. A frayed relationship with a father, a body made sore with factory work, or the suffocating fear of being trapped in the badlands, fans have lived the stories Bruce tells on Darkness – the album is part of their history, a history they share in this book.
Springsteen Live 1978
From the Palladium in New York to Detroit’s Cobo Hall, from the famed Winterland to the year’s final show at Cleveland’s Richfield Coliseum, Springsteen’s 1978 tour is legendary.
Bruce, who was already famous for his incredible shows, pioneered a whole new kind of concert experience on this tour. Just the audience, Bruce and the E Street Band for a marathon three-plus hours, with an intermission in the middle just long enough to let the audience catch their breath. The Light in Darkness brings these shows to life through the testimony of those who were there, concerts that can still be heard through the magic of bootlegging. The stories fans tell from those electrifying 1978 shows only increases the power of hearing these coveted, semi-legal tapes still circulating today.
The Darkness tour also marked the last time many would get to see The Boss in small concert halls, as Bruce’s exploding popularity forced him to trade up to hockey arenas during several stops on the tour. Stadiums would soon follow. Today, many fans lucky enough to have attended the Darkness tour are glad they did whatever it took to land a ticket, a memory they can still cherish as they now watch Bruce from the nosebleeds.
Over 200 Photos
The Light in Darkness features stunning photography from the Darkness tour. With over 200 photos taken by dozens of photographers, many of them never before published, this is a book you’ll come back to time and time again.
Many notable Springsteen-era photographers contributed to the volume, including:

  • James Shive
  • P. Jay Plutzer
  • Lynn Goldsmith
  • Peter Howes
  • Anastasia Pantsios
  • Mark Wyville
  • Cliff Breining
  • Lawrence Kirsch

About the book: Limited Collector’s Edition
This 208 page, large format, 9.25” x 12” full-color book is printed on Premium Gloss 200m paper stock and contains more than 200 photographs reproduced from the original negatives and slides. The book is only available online for purchase at: www.thelightindarkness.com

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