Countdown to Springsteen: TODAY Favorites
Posted: Thursday, September 27, 2007 8:30 AM by Dan Fleschner
Filed Under:
Live from Studio 1A
We're just one day away from Bruce Springsteen's appearance on TODAY, and everyone here is abuzz with anticipation to hear some of his and the E Street Band's new material as well as two classic songs.
With that in mind, I asked some of the TODAY staff's biggest Bruce fans to share their top five songs and favorite Bruce memories. I invite you to scroll through our lists and post yours as well in the comments section below.
Take a look:
Mel Evans/AP
Bruce and the band warmed up for the upcoming tour and appearance
on TODAY with the first of two rehearsal shows at the Paramount
Theater in Asbury Park on Monday.
Dan Fleschner -- Your Loyal Scribe (and TODAY producer)
Top five songs (I get to list 10, because I make the rules):
Incident on 57th Street
Thunder Road
Backstreets
This Hard Land
Land of Hope and Dreams
Roulette
My Love Will Not Let You Down
Point Blank
Stolen Car
Downbound Train
Favorite Bruce memory:
I'll be brief, because there are some great stories from my colleagues below. But my favorites begin with my first Bruce show, August 1, 1999, at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. I went with my sister, Andrea, who was about four months pregnant with her first child. Seeing Bruce for the first time was a borderline religious experience. Opened with "Backstreets" and closed with "Land of Hope and Dreams," two of my favorite songs of all time.
Two other quick memories that come to mind -- seeing Bruce and Eddie Vedder perform three songs together on the "Vote For Change" tour in October 2004 was incredible, especially "Betterman" (even though Bruce didn't seem to know the words that well); and Bruce and Bob Dylan hacking their way through "Highway 61 Revisited" at the finale of the Rising tour at Shea Stadium in October 2003.
Erin Reynolds -- TODAY production manager
Top five songs:
Loose Ends
For You
She's the One
The Ties That Bind
Out in the Street
Favorite Bruce memory:
It was less than two months after 9/11, and my father was still grieving the loss of his best friend, who had passed away that day. After hearing that Bruce may be showing up at a Parkinson's Disease charity event, my father and I took a road trip to "Tradewinds," a popular Jersey Shore hangout.
We had already spent a few unsuccessful nights at the Stone Pony, staring at the door, anxiously waiting for Bruce to walk in...and it never happened.
So why would this night be any different? After hours of listening to band after band, no Bruce. Then suddenly, he just walked onto the stage, grabbed a guitar and starting playing...and playing. It felt like forever.
Just as he was getting ready to play his last song, he said, "I would like to dedicate this song to Gerry Nevins, a firefighter from FDNY's Rescue 1, who is no longer with us." He then busted into his own version of "Twist and Shout." Apparently, my father had caught him as he walked in and asked him for the favor. He didn't have to honor it, but he did it. It was a moment my father and I will never forget.
Tammy Fine -- TODAY producer
Top five songs:
The River
Hungry Heart
Streets of Philadelphia
Thunder Road
Secret Garden
Favorite Bruce memory:
I am not sure you know that asking this question would open you up to the ridiculous opportunity you presented me with: waxing poetic on one of my all-time favorite musicians. You see, I hate music. Well, hate may be a little strong, but when asked to do a profile of Led Zeppelin, I asked, Who? To me, music is two groups: Bruce and the E Street Band and U2. Everything is is noise.
So when, a few years ago, my bosses asked if I wanted to go to Asbury Park with Matt Lauer and do an interview with Bruce Springsteen at the Stone Pony... Well, if only I could include a .wav file of the scream.
The interview was fun. But, as if to see how much my young heart could take, Matt and Bruce hit it off so well, Bruce invited us back a week later to take a tour of his old and favorite haunts. We went, and the piece is still among the best things I ever did here. I can't believe I was paid for the day.
Bruce Springsteen is the first concert I ever went to, at The Spectrum in Philly. And I still remember sneaking a lighter in so I could add my flicker to the thousands of others when the lights went down.
Antoinette Machiaverna -- TODAY producer
Top five songs:
Thunder Road
Because the Night
Born to Run (particularly the acoustic version on the Chimes of Freedom EP)
Streets of Philadelphia
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Favorite Bruce memory:
As a student of journalism, I knew it was something momentous when Bruce Springsteen appeared simultaneously on the covers of Time and Newsweek on October 27, 1975. I saved the magazines, which survived many moves and my kids without getting a tear or a wrinkle.
I never dreamt that 27 years later, I'd be working for TODAY and be assigned to the Bruce Springsteen Live From Asbury Park show. I thought to myself, I'm going to get his autograph on at least one of those magazines and frame them. How cool is that!
The staff was leaving right after the show the day before the concert. I had several segments on that day and in my rush to pack, I simply forgot the magazines. I thought I'd missed a golden opportunity that probably would never come my way again. But before I left the office to get on the bus, I checked my mailbox for something to read...and in my mailbox was the latest issue of Time. The cover story: Bruce Springsteen and The Rising. It was a gift, and I took it as a sign that there were greater powers at work. I was given a second chance and vowed to get it autographed.
We got to Asbury Park, attended a private rehearsal, and as soon as it was finished, as unprofessional as it was, I jumped on stage and asked Bruce to sign the Time magazine. Today, that magazine is framed, proudly flanked by the 1975 magazines on either side. It's one of my most prized possessions, and it proves not only Bruce Springsteen's longevity and survival, but mine, too!
P.S. The 1975 Newsweek story was written by Maureen Orth, Tim Russert's wife...and one of the reporters was TODAY Travel Editor Peter Greenberg. Small world!
Sarah Clagett -- TODAY producer
Favorite songs:
Glory Days
Born to Run
The Rising
Favorite Bruce memory:
I was the researcher when Bruce gave Matt a tour of his old stomping grounds in Asbury Park back in 2002. One of my responsibilities: get the car Bruce would drive Matt around town in. So I rented a Ford Mustang convertible and headed down to the Jersey Shore.
With cameras in the car, Bruce and Matt headed around town. During the interview, I sat in the chase car with producer Tammy Fine, listening to Bruce and Matt's conversation. Towards the end of the day, the car started "dinging" -- like you'd hear if your seat belt isn't on -- or perhaps if your gas level is low.
After a few minutes, I realized that I hadn't filled the gas tank, and the car Bruce was driving was about to run out of fuel. So, of course, I panicked. But luckily, there were still a few reserve gallons. I can't even imagine what would have happened if the car had run out of gas.
After some initial trouble, Sarah eventually got her photo.
At our last stop on Bruce's tour, he performed a few songs off The Rising... I brought my camera, and at the end of the day, I finally got enough nerve to ask Bruce for a picture. Someone snapped a picture of us, and after he snapped the shot, I wanted to make sure I got it. But I soon realized that my camera didn't work -- no picture.
I told Bruce, "It didn't work," and he responded, "That happens to me all the time. Sometimes, it just doesn't work." We both laughed, and needless to say, we took another photo. And I love that he's holding the keys to the Ford Mustang I rented for him that day.
Sara Pines -- TODAY editor and producer
Top five songs:
Thunder Road
Born to Run (particularly the acoustic version on the Chimes of Freedom EP)
Racing in the Street
Nebraska
Chimes of Freedom (Bob Dylan cover)
Favorite Bruce memory:
I would say I've seen The Boss in concert about 15 times, and I have never been disappointed. Even when my friends were hating the Tom Joad tour, I thought he was great. Different, but great.
The best show I ever saw was at the Asbury Park Convention Hall (yes, the same place we did the live Bruce show on TODAY several years ago), but this was an "open rehearsal" for an earlier tour. I would say it was 1997 or 1998.
It was 2000 dedicated Bruce fans who waited out on a windy boardwalk in the dark to get into Convention Hall...and IT WAS AMAZING. He may have even peeled the paint from the walls (or maybe the Hall was like that anyway). It just felt like Bruce and the boys were a garage band in the neighborhood, and you were there to hang out with them.
Then, I was back at Convention Hall when TODAY was there and was able to be there for early morning rehearsals as well as the on-air performance. I would say that runs a very close second.
Robin Sherman -- TODAY producer
Top five songs:
Thunder Road
Jungleland
Born to Run
Badlands
Growin' Up
Favorite Bruce memory:
One of my favorite Bruce moments was actually here on TODAY, when we did the show from Asbury Park. I worked on that show, and there were two great things. First, I went to Matt's interview a few weeks earlier that he did with Bruce at the Stone Pony -- nothing more authentic Bruce than that!
Then, the day before the live show, since we were all there getting ready for it, Bruce was practicing at the Convention Center there, and literally gave our staff a full concert. The setting was perfect, though it was brutally hot, but it didn't matter -- we had our own private concert right there in Asbury Park.
Dave Scheier -- TODAY set writer
Top five songs:
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Born to Run
My City of Ruins
Land of Hope and Dreams
Jungleland
Favorite Bruce memory:
My wife and I were lucky enough to have Bruce Springsteen's violinist, Soozie Tyrell, perform at our wedding. We remember jamming with her along with 200 other people...now she performs with the E Street Band and the Seeger Sessions band in front of tens of thousands!
My Bruce encounter -- I usually don't get star-struck, but one time I was at a loss for words. Bruce's wife, Patti Scialfa, was performing on the show a couple years ago, and I asked our audio guys to play his song that's a tribute to her. It's called "Red Headed Woman." The only problem is that the first section of the song is a little racy.
I walked into the audio booth and told the guys to watch out, not realizing until too late that Bruce himself was sitting there in the room. I'm not sure he appreciated being edited. I'll keep my eyes open a little wider next time.
Jen Brown -- MSNBC.com senior producer
Top five songs:
Thunder Road
Human Touch
Candy's Room
Happy
I'm Going Down
Comments on "Thunder Road":
Bruce traditionalists will tell you this song is about a young girl named Mary and her lover looking for their "last chance" out of town. They're wrong. This song is about me when I'm 40. I'm not sure how Bruce pulled this off as I wasn't born when he wrote it.
But who am I to question genius? While the lyrics do suggest a bit of sad desperation in my future life, the good news is, apparently I have a porch. Anyway, there's just something about this song that defines home to this Jersey Girl.
Ryan Osborn -- TODAY Producer
Top five songs:
Jungleland
Drive All Night
Brilliant Disguise
Tunnel of Love
New York City Serenade
Ryan's comments:
Even as a kid, I remember hearing Born to Run and knowing it was somehow different. It was happy, sad, fun and serious all at once.
People feel so passionate about Bruce. Is it the man? Is it his music? Is it his message? I think it is his passion and ambition that one person with a guitar can change the world that brings us all together. It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive.
Here are my attempts to explain why those five songs above mean so much to me:
Jungleland -- I guess it's possible that one day I will listen to the sax solo and feel nothing.
Drive All Night -- I like to joke that it's the only song that I've ever truly loved. "I'd drive all night, just to buy you some shoes"...
Brilliant Disguise -- Is it a break-up or a love song? It is so honest that it doesn't make a difference.
Tunnel of Love -- Every day this whole album seems to make more sense to me.
New York City Serenade -- A great song about the greatest city in the world.
Dan Barbossa -- TODAY associate producer
Top five songs:
Thunder Road
Growin' Up
Because the Night
Jersey Girl
10th Avenue Freeze Out
Favorite Bruce memory:
It was October 2003, and unfortunately, I wasn't at Shea Stadium to see my New York Metropolitans in the World Series. But I was seeing Jersey's own Bruce and the E Street Band. I was kind of far from the stage -- like upper deck -- and Bruce was playing Carlos Beltran (deep center field).
It was a good show, though no "Thunder Road" (Bruce, you owe me), BUT Al Leiter, then a New York Mets pitcher, came on stage for "Rosalita" and they closed the show with "Twist and Shout" with Gary "US" Bonds.
