By Rob Nagy


If there was ever a man born to be singing on stage it is Bruce Springsteen. Well into his fourth decade as one of the all-time biggest selling recording artists, “The Boss”, as he is affectionately referred to by millions, is showing no signs of slowing down. In support of his latest release “Working on a Dream”. Springsteen and his E Street Band played to another sold out crowd of more than 30,000 diehard fans at Hershey Stadium in Hershey, PA on May 15, 2009. Taking the stage dressed in his customary black jeans and shirt, Springsteen was greeted by a thunderous roar of an already charged crowd. He wasted no time diving into a three hour set of many of the Springsteen classics and some more obscure songs backed by The E Street Band, which includes Clarence Clemons (sax), Gary Talent (bass), Nils Lofgren (guitar), Steve Van Zandt (guitar) and Roy Bitton (piano). Missing were Patty Scialfa, who is recovering from a horse riding accident, and Max Weinberg, who had a taping commitment with the Conan O’Brien Show. Filling in for Patty was Soozie Tyrell while the drumming duties were anchored by Weinberg’s nineteen year old son Jay, who did an impressive performance adding a raw edge to an already flawless show. Springsteen tirelessly moved about the stage like a teenager smiling from ear to ear often including the audience, especially the many young children that were in attendance. He was visibly touched by the hundreds of signs fans had made, carrying a special Springsteen message, that were held up throughout the concert. Every so often Springsteen would gather up his favorite signs and place them around the stage. Of his nearly thirty song set, standouts included “Rosalita”, “Thunder Road”, “Trapped”, “The Promised Land”, “Backstreets” and Springsteen’s swan song “Born to Run”. Following a five song encore Springsteen was off to the airport rolling down his car window waving and giving the thumbs up to a few hundred fans waiting for a glimpse of their idol. Following a summer of European concert dates, look for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band to return to the region when they play Giants Stadium September 30, October 2 and October 3, 2009 as the final musical event to take place at the stadium. For more info of Bruce Springsteen go to www.brucespringsteen.net

Photo by Rob Nagy