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Bruce Gives The Fan A Thrill: Let Springsteen Mania Begin

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By Anthony “Zute” George

When it was announced that Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes were playing at the Stone Pony at Asbury Park on July 6th, with Garry Tallent as an opening act, one thought went through the minds of avid Bruce Springsteen fans. Could it be possible? Well, that questioned was answered early in the night when Bruce was spotted watching Tallent, longtime bassist in the E Street Band, play his opening set. Fans who were there quickly began posting pictures of Bruce on social media. Sporting a Yankees cap; excellent choice, Bruce look relaxed as he enjoyed watching Garry as the front man. But I also saw a Springsteen chomping at the bit to get back into the action. He had that look like he needed to play.

And play he did. Bruce played with Garry for one song, Tallent is promoting his new album, more like me, which will be released on August 2nd. Tallent has been with Bruce since the early ‘70s. Garry was seen as a guy who always played, he never craved the spotlight. Nor was he involved in those tense arguments between Bruce and those around him over the years. Save for a disagreement about how Billy Chinnock, a close friend of Tallent, came up with the album title Badlands during the same time period as Bruce’s Darkness album; Bruce insists Gerry tip him off, while Garry suggests Chinnock merely saw the same inspirational Terrence Malick, Garry has always been the guy who just showed up and played. Well.

Make no mistake about it, Garry showed up during some very lean years with the E Street Band. While it may be hard to believe now, there was a time when Bruce was far from being Mr. Gates, and Tallent stuck with him even when it seemed the band was going nowhere. Now, Tallent has his own album where he displays surprisingly good singing chops and hopes to play on the teased new Springsteen album with the E Street Band.

When Garry and the band ended their set, it was far from the end of Bruce’s night. He joined Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes for an epic seven-song set to end this magical evening. It was the first time Bruce performed on the Stone Pony since 2008. So much has already been said about this surprise appearance, so I will not get into detail. Thankfully, there are videos of the performance on YouTube. What I will say is Bruce presented as if he was having a great time playing the guitar and to the crowd. Not exactly news, I know, but during this set, Bruce did not take up as much mic time as one would think, and he didn’t need too. That time will come.

Which brings me to my next point. The fans euphoria of seeing Bruce onstage brought their insatiable thirst of seeing Bruce live in concert to a fever pitch. As far as I know, this is Bruce’s first time performing since the full album release of Western Stars, so, it may feel like agony for fans who will probably have to wait until 2020 to see Bruce go on tour with the E Street Band. By that time, Western Stars would have had more prolonged exposure, and an album with the E Street Band is anticipated to be released. That is the equivalent of a seven-course meal. How will all these songs fit, along with all the classics, as well as obscures, Bruce always churns out.

Such a concert should have the same feel as the Born in the USA tour, where Bruce played quite a few tracks from the Nebraska album, along with the songs from Born in the USA. I anticipate the same magic in 2020. I do not mean to rush things, but 2020 cannot come soon enough.

Stay tuned…

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