How Bruce Springsteen Helped Create ‘Lost’ and ‘Star Trek,’ Sort Of

NYTimes.com

By Dave Itzkoff

Art Streiber/ABC The cast of “Lost,” which may owe its show’s existence to a fateful Bruce Springsteen concert.Many great partnerships are forged in unusual places: Would we have airplanes today if not for Orville and Wilbur Wright’s bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio? Would Microsoft exist if Bill Gates and Paul Allen hadn’t met in a prep-school computer club? And would we be watching “Lost,” and looking ahead to the summer reboot of “Star Trek,” if its creators hadn’t first encountered each other at a fateful Bruce Springsteen concert?

Fred Prouser/Reuters Damon Lindelof, a creator and executive producer of “Lost” at a summer press tour in 2008.In this audio excerpt from a longer conversation with the brain trust behind “Star Trek” (which we’ll have finished wading through and written up by next month), Damon Lindelof, a creator and executive producer of “Lost” and a producer of “Star Trek,” recalls how he first encountered J.J. Abrams, his “Lost” co-creator and “Star Trek” director, with a little help from the Boss.

Damon Lindelof on Bruce Springsteen and J.J. Abrams (mp3)

Bruce Springsteen, To Play Heavy Dose Of “Dream” On Upcoming Tour

FMBQ.com

When Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band go on the road, they usually like to give fans a big helping of their latest album during their live set. And this time, guitarist Steven Van Zandt expects the set to be no different. He says the band will play plenty of tunes from Working On A Dream when the tour opens on Wednesday night in San Jose.

“We usually want to get the new album in,” the guitarist told Billboard.com while in Austin, TX for the SXSW festival. “We usually play more of our new record than most groups do, and our audiences are used to it and they really like it, which is a wonderful thing. So we’ll probably go out and do half the record, like we usually do.”

Van Zandt named “Lucky Day” as a big crowd pleaser, and he said that “Surprise Surprise” has been fun to play. “‘(Kingdom of) Days’ was coming out really great… They’re all sounding great,” he said. “It’s just a matter of seeing where (Springsteen) wants to go theme-wise… and we fit the rest of the show around it, more or less.”

Van Zandt added that he does expect the group to play more shows than the currently announced North American and European dates. “I would think there’s a bit more than that,” he predicted. ”I gotta believe we’re gonna (tour) until at least Thanksgiving or Christmas, somehow, somewhere. I hope so. I hope we take a month off and then go back out.”

As of now, the U.S. leg of the tour is scheduled to run through two hometown shows in East Rutherford, NJ on May 21 and 23, then head to Europe starting May 30 in Holland. The European leg is booked until August 2 in Santiago, Spain. As previously reported, Van Zandt is also celebrating the 7th anniversary of his radio show, Little Steven’s Underground Garage.

Bruce Springsteen, Little Steven Ready To Hit The Road With The Boss

Billboard.com

March 31, 2009 08:56 AM ET

Gary Graff, Detroit

With opening night on Wednesday in San Jose, the E Street Band is ready to rock with Bruce Springsteen. And Little Steven Van Zandt anticipates giving the crowds a healthy dose of the new “Working on a Dream” album.

Little Steven and the E Street Band kick off Springsteen tour tomorrow.

“We usually want to get the new album in,” the guitarist told Billboard.com while in Austin, Texas, to promote his “Underground Garage” radio show and Wicked Cool record label at this year’s South By Southwest Music & Media Conference. “We usually play more of our new record than most groups do, and our audiences are used to it and they really like it, which is a wonderful thing. So we’ll probably go out and do half the record, like we usually do.”

Of the songs from the album, which came out in late January and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Van Zandt said that ” ‘Lucky Day’ just kills, as you expect. ‘Surprise Surprise’ has been fun. ‘(Kingdom of) Days’ was coming out really great…They’re all sounding great. It’s just a matter of seeing where (Springsteen) wants to go theme-wise…and we fit the rest of the show around it, more or less. That’s all developing as we speak, literally.”

After the highly spontaneous shows on the last North American leg of Springsteen’s “Magic” tour in 2008, Van Zandt said he expects at least the early shows will “probably (be) coming back to more of an organized set for a minute.” But, knowing Springsteen, he adds, “Who really knows?”

Van Zandt added that he does expect the group will play more shows than the currently announced North American and European dates. “I would think there’s a bit more than that. I gotta believe we’re gonna (tour) until at least Thanksgiving or Christmas, somehow, somewhere. I hope so. I hope we take a month off and then go back out.”
 
He’s also not fazed by the idea of not having drummer Max Weinberg out of some shows in order to help launch Conan O’Brien’s run on “The Tonight Show,” while his son Jay Weinberg takes over his stool.

“I think it’s gonna be fine,” said  Van Zandt, who produced the new album by Norway’s the Cocktail Slippers, “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre,” due out April 28. “And knowing Max, he’s not going to miss much…He [i]is[/i] the E Street Band. Conan has been absolutely terrific about this…I don’t think we thank him often enough. Max is a big part of that show, and for (O’Brien) to just say, ‘Go whenever you feel like it,’ I mean, Jesus, how nice. So we’ll see.”

Bruce Springsteen, 24 Hours to Kickoff!

Wednesday, Apr 1 8:00p

at HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA

 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to launch 2009 US and European Tour!

5-star (Rolling Stone) new album ‘Working on a Dream’ (Columbia Records) out now!

Response to first ticket sales in Scandinavia causes system crash with unprecedented sales in Stockholm, Sweden and Bergen, Norway!

Springsteen recently performed at the Presidential Inauguration and at Super Bowl XLIII….

 

Price: $39.50 – $98.00

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Greensboro Ticket Sale

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Date: Saturday, May 2, 2009

Phone: 336-373-7400

Location: Greensboro Coliseum

Details:
Tickets for Bruce Springsteen’s Working On A Dream tour are on sale now and may be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets including participating area Lowes Foods locations, FYE and Macy’s stores, charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000 or at the Greensboro Coliseum box office. Two types of tickets will be offered: general admission tickets on the arena floor that allow patrons to stand, club-style, in a relaxed atmosphere, and reserved arena seating around the perimeter of the Coliseum in the lower and upper bowls.

For additional information, please visit

http://www.greensborocoliseum.com/calendar_details.cfm?id=1266#start7

Bruce Springsteen, Basic Biittner: Third Time’s the Charm

The Chronicle Times

Monday, March 30, 2009
By Dan Whitney

I’ve been very fortunate, during my 53 years as a fan of Rock and Roll and comedy, to have been able to see many of my favorite performers live in concert. Paul McCartney, Elton John and Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, The Righteous Brothers, Neil Diamond, Willie Nelson, Bob Hope, Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, Steven Wright, Three Dog Night, Chicago, John Mellencamp, Paul Simon, Simon and Garfunkel, CSN, Crosby and Nash, and The Crickets are just some of the artists I’ve been able to enjoy in person.

Sometimes, getting tickets to these events can be a struggle. I remember, spending several hours on the phone one Saturday morning, receiving innumerable busy signals while trying to call for the McCartney tickets. Of course, when I finally “scored,” all of that “wasted” time was quickly forgotten.

On the other hand … sometimes it can just be a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Here’s the story – I happened to be in the Twin Cities when a young Bruce Springsteen was playing there back in 1975, and I probably could have gotten tickets, since this was in the days before the release of the “Born To Run” album, before Springsteen became “The Boss.” Now that I think of it – and I admit I may be wrong about this – Roy Orbison, another of my favorites, may have been appearing with him that night, too, either as the opening act or as the headliner, with the young Springsteen being second billed. Didn’t happen, though, as I couldn’t interest anyone else in going.

In the meantime, of course, “The Boss” became huge, and I’ve heard more than once that he and the E Street Band put on the best live Rock and Roll show on Earth, and I’ve wished I could get a chance to recover from my 1975 disappointment, and get to see him perform live.

My brother Doug and I were hoping that he might appear at the “Fifty Winters Later” we attended in February of this year at the Surf Ballroom, but strong rumors of a Springsteen appearance that night turned out to be just that – rumors.

I knew that Bruce and the E Street Band were going to tour this spring, and I was checking a web site a few weeks ago to see where all they were going to be playing, and, what do you know? The tour starts in San Jose, California and the second concert is at an arena in Glendale, Arizona. It just so happens that we are flying out to Phoenix the night before that concert for my nephew’s wedding, and guess what? We’re flying in late Thursday night, and the wedding isn’t until Saturday night. Which means – you got it – I didn’t have anything scheduled for Friday night. I contacted Doug, who lives in Phoenix, and he was able to get us tickets for Springsteen’s show, so he and I will be going to see and hear the Boss and the E Street Band next week!

Like I said, sometimes it’s a matter of being in the “right place at the right time.” Or maybe “The third time’s the charm” would be appropriate here as well.

At any rate, I’ll try hard to remember this fortuitous circumstance the next time things don’t seem to be going the way I’d like them to.

Rock on!

Bruce Springsteen, Boston Foodbank Fund-Raiser

That Bruce Springsteen just announced that he will match any donations between $10,000 and $50,000 as part of his Greater Boston Food Bank fund-raiser. The Boss donated four pairs of tickets to his April shows at the TD Banknorth Garden to the food bank, which is auctioning them off starting today. If someone bids $10K or more, they get a meet-and-greet with Bruce and the E Street Band, and now Springsteen also will double their donation. Go to www.gbfb.org/theboss and let the bidding begin

Bruce Springsteen, E Street Band Members Max & Gary To Induct Elvis Band Sidemen into Rock Hall of Fame

Elvis Presley was one of the first Rock Hall inductees in 1986. Now it’s finally his rhythm section’s turn.

“I appreciate that they’re doing it,” said drummer DJ Fontana.

He will be inducted in the sidemen category, along with Presley’s bass player, the late Bill Black.

Two members of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band — Max Weinberg and Garry Tallent — will do the honors for Fontana and Black, respectively.

Presley guitarist Scotty Moore was inducted in 2000.

Rounding out this year’s sidemen honorees is Spooner Oldham. The keyboard-playing songwriter had a hand in ’60s hits for Wilson Pickett (“Mustang Sally”) and Percy Sledge (“When a Man Loves a Woman”), among others. “Late Show With David Letterman” maestro Paul Shaffer will enshrine Oldham, who also has backed everyone from Bob Dylan to Drive-By Truckers.

Presley “didn’t mind you playing what you wanted to play,” Fontana said during a phone interview.

“Elvis himself actually was a good rhythm guitar player. He played on a lot of songs with us, too — the whole band. He’d sing and play. And he was good at it.

“He could do anything he decided he wanted to do.”

When they weren’t backing him in the studio, Fontana and Black toured extensively with Presley in the ’50s.

“It’s kind of a blur after this many years,” said Fontana, 78.

“When we worked, we were doing six and seven days a week. We’d be in this town tonight and Chicago the next night. It was 400 and 500 miles overnight. So that’s about all we had time to do — get to where we’re going, sleep a couple hours and go back and work again.

“It’s hard to find three or four guys who work together and everything jells just right. . . . There’d be arguments, of course, but in five minutes, it’s over. 

“We had to click in the studio, and we had to get along on the road.”

Black died of a brain tumor in 1965; he was 39.

Fontana was just in Cleveland in January for a Presley tribute at PlayhouseSquare’s State Theatre.

“I do little shows the whole year,” Fontana said.

“I’ve got a bunch lined up already, and I’m hoping to get some more. I just wait for the phone to ring and see if I want to go there.”

Bruce Springsteen Music Review: – Working on a Dream

Blogcritics.org

Written by Mark Saleski
Published March 30, 2009

Sometimes, I find myself very disappointed with the state of music writing. For every well-written and thoughtful review, there are twenty that are full of clichés, half-truths, and verbiage that does everything but talk about the music. Of course, I don’t need to remind myself that this state of affairs, which is nothing new, is exactly what got me interested in becoming a writer in the first place.

…Art is out there waiting to be captured, the only question being whether we are prepared to recognize it. -Michael Kimmelman

This sense of disappointment becomes especially intense when a major recording artist issues a new release. The problem isn’t so much that I find myself in agreement or disagreement with the reviews. No, what really gets me down is that it just seems like the writers very often miss the point. In their attempt to reveal the supposed agenda behind the new record, they miss mountains of important details.

With Working On A Dream, this phenomenon seemed to jump to a new level — even among the ‘fans.’ Bruce “dashed these songs off too quickly,” the writing is simplistic, he’s “given up,” he’s just “looking back at what used to be,” he knows his career is almost over, he’s just out to make a buck. Wow. Opinions aside, it appears that these people have some sort of E-Street crystal ball, one with perfect vision in all directions.

What’s pretty clear to me is that Springsteen caught a spark of inspiration when working on Magic. On that record you can hear it in songs like “I’ll Work For Your Love,” and (especially) “Girls In Their Summer Clothes.” The hooks and melodies from the music of his formative years has worked its way back into his songwriting. Many such tunes showed up as guests during the Magic tour, my favorites being “Then She Kissed Me” and “Little Latin Lupe Lu.”

Set the theme with a cadence of love’s old sweet song -No harm in
the emotional
nor in remembering all
you can or want to

Let the faint, faded music
pour forth its wonder
and bewitch whom it will,
still dancers under the moon – Robert Creeley

Thematically, Bruce is indeed looking back… and ahead. Songs like “Life Itself,” “Kingdom Of Days,” and “Tomorrow Never Knows,” and “This Life” look at the passage of time while keeping an eye toward the future. Love gets a person to a particular place and, hopefully, is a guide into tomorrow. The thoughts are painted out with sonic elements from pop music’s past. “Life Itself” contains some jangly, Byrds-line guitar work that culminates in a twisted, backwards guitar solo. The backing vocals on “Working On Dream” as well as “Queen Of The Supermarket” would have been at home on a Mamas and Papas record. “This Life” begins with a strong Brian Wilsonism, and the soaring vocals during the chorus have more than a little Fifth Dimension flair.

Elsewhere, Springsteen visits several other musical styles, from the cinematic orchestrations of “Outlaw Pete” (with Morricone-esque guitar figures) to the country shuffle of “Tomorrow Never Knows” (which reminded me of my mom’s old Charlie Pride records), to the exuberant rock of “My Lucky Day” to the snarling blues of “Good Eye.” Heck, even the Beatles get in on the act with the giddy pop of “Surprise, Surprise.”

Working On A Dream ends with a solid pair of emotion-laden songs. “The Last Carnival” is a fine acoustic ballad and sendoff to the late Danny Federici. The calliope notes are a beautiful touch, as are the swelling gospel-tinged vocals that end the song. “The Wrestler,” while written for Mickey Rourke’s film character, can be applied to just about any person who has had to deal with decline.

The descriptions of this record as ‘facile’ and ‘simplistic’ cause me to wonder if we’re listening to the same music. Sure, there’s some pop music here amidst the ‘serious’ material. But to decide that the album was tossed together quickly out of leftovers and half-baked ideas? Well, I don’t own one of those crystal balls, so don’t ask me.

Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time Till to the music we grow deaf, to God’s beauty blind – Bruce Springsteen, “Life Itself”

Bruce Springsteen’s car, a famous guitar and more are on view in major new Rock Hall exhibition tracing the Boss’ career

Bruce Springsteen owns a lot of guitars, but none more famous than the one he’s holding on the cover of “Born to Run.” He bought the guitar in the early 1970s, shortly after signing a deal with Columbia Records.

“He paid $180 for it, which he said at that point was the most he’d ever paid for an instrument,” says Jim Henke, vice president of exhibitions and curatorial affairs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, where a career-spanning retrospective devoted to the Boss will be unveiled this week.

“From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen” opens Wednesday, April 1, amid the festivities leading up to the Rock Hall induction ceremony Saturday at Cleveland’s Public Auditorium. Spread over the museum’s top two floors, the exhibit will be on view through the spring of 2010.

“We’ve always wanted to do an exhibit on Bruce Springsteen,” Henke says. “In terms of a single-artist exhibit, I think this is the most comprehensive exhibit we’ve done. . . . It has more depth to it because it turns out Bruce saved a lot of things.”

Henke and his staff worked closely with key members of Springsteen’s team, including manager Jon Landau and recording engineer Toby Scott. Springsteen himself personally suggested a few artifacts, including the “Born to Run” guitar and a circular table from his New Jersey home where he sits down to do most of his songwriting.

In addition to musical gear, lyric notebooks and other treasures from Springsteen’s work with the E Street Band and his solo pursuits, the Rock Hall will display memorabilia from his pre-superstardom stints in New Jersey bands such as the Castiles and Steel Mill. The installation also will include a video highlight reel featuring rare Springsteen performance footage, as well as listening stations where you’ll be able to hear Springsteen’s first professional recordings.

“It’s a very in-depth look at Bruce Springsteen’s career,” Henke says. “Even the most die-hard fans . . . will see things they’ve never seen before.”