The Boss is coming! Great news.

http://www.efestivals.co.uk/news/11/111121c.shtml

Scooter confirms live dates at Hyde Park and headlining the Isle of Wight festival next summer.

The first tour (and possibly promoting some new material) without the Big Man. It will feel strange to see them without his huge presence on stage. One hopes everything will be "the same as it was before" but can't help feeling that it will be dialled down a notch. When Bruce toured "Working on a Dream" after Federici passed, I felt something had gone - can't help feeling that Clarence's absence will be a yawning chasm and Born to Run and Jungleland will feel to me somewhat sullied by a sessioneer (no disrespect intended).

Feeling extra sad after seeing him on The Wire last Wednesday.

edit - just seen the other thread - Fraser - feel free to merge or move this one. Apols!

of the Phoenix 78 concert?

... (just a couple of years ago) when I would be counting down to the ticket on sale date, working out the best strategy to get great tickets and generally getting over excited.

Not any more, I think the E Street band should have died with Clarence, I would have liked another solo tour.

as when I saw Bruce last time in Hyde Park in 2009, Clarence's wonderful playing during 'Jungleland' was a special moment that night

That being said I'm still going cos its Bruce Springsteen and I'm sure he wouldn't be doing it unless he was sure its would be respectful and right.

how do you replace Clarence? Not at all, and rearrange songs for different instrumentation, or with a full four man horn section? The E Street Soul Revue? Either could be brilliant. Or awful.

Jungleland reaches its climax. Instead of a sax solo, the piano takes over, slows things down, lights go low....and a spotlight picks out the empty spot on stage. Not a dry eye in the house.

Or you could go slapstick. Bruce goes to lean against the Big Man and falls over. Rimshot from Max.

I'm with the Dog Faced Boy on this one. I bought my first Springsteen records while still in school and saw my first E Street Band concert in Edinburgh on The River Tour 30 years ago. Since then I've seen the E Street Band many times and Bruce solo, with the other band and with the Seeger Sessions Band. For me it's a journey I'm happy to take with him and one I'm sure he will not continue without considerable thought and dignity. The story that began with the two kids on Born To Run and continued with them dealing with being older will continue and it may find them dealing with loss this time around. The loss of life long friends is a part of life we will all have to face and deal with sometime and I doubt that Bruce will shirk from this.

The contract between Bruce and his audience is a two way agreement and I feel I have a duty to continue to lend my support until such time as The Boss lets me down. It hasn't happened yet. As usual the Boss says it best check out the attached clip from 3.20 onwards

It's about as interesting to witness as a tortoise on valium. What will be a lot more interesting to see though, will be whether Mr Springgrab will finally grant an interview to the fawning Hepwumf. To plug the forthcoming, heavily publicised exercise in repetition and predictability. Be interesting to see wont it..