Concert Dates, Concert Tour News, Artist Information

The Boss Comes in Second on Pollstar’s Top 20 Concert Tours List

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band came in at No. 2, second only to Irish rock band U2, on Pollstar’s Top 20 Concert Tours list. The list ranks artists according to average box office gross per city and also includes average ticket prices for dates in North America. According to The Associated Press, the list is based on data provided by concert promoters and venue managers.

Pollstar’s Top 20 concert tours (average box office gross per city; average ticket price for North American shows):

1. U2; $7,689.626; $93.77
2. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band; $3,246,542; $83.72
3. AC/DC; $1,827, 586; $85.45
4. Jonas Brothers; $1,388,330; $66.31
5. Metallica; $1,372,098; $68.13
6. Depeche Mode; $1,248,377; $64.77
7. Kenny Chesney; $1,216,996; $64.17
8. Dave Matthews Band; $1,073,658; $49.62
9. Britney Spears; $1,022,687; $66.58
10. Miley Cyrus; $1,012,567; $68.77
11. Keith Urban; $861,143; $64.15
12. Rascal Flatts; $809,361; $56.25
13. Nickelback; $746,730; $43.99
14. Taylor Swift; $623,743; $47.75
15. American Idols Live; $614,114; $62.22
16. Brad Paisley; $607,249; $40.07
17. Maxwell; $587,183; $72.97
18. Blink-182; $543,428; $32.79
19. Lil’ Wayne; $506,278; $41.63
20. Kings Of Leon; $504,278; $41.63

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Springsteen Treats Nashville Fans to “Ring of Fire”

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band brought their Working On A Dream Tour to Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee last night (Nov. 18) and fans at the Music City show were treated to the Boss’ rendition of Johnny Cash’s classic song “Ring Of Fire.” Springsteen was originally scheduled to play in Nashville on Sept. 10 but the show was re-scheduled a few months ago. There are only two shows left on Springsteen’s current tour: Friday (Nov. 20) in Baltimore and Sunday (Nov. 22) in Buffalo.
The Boss’ Nashville set list:

1. “Wrecking Ball”
2. “Seeds”
3. “Trapped”
4. “Something In The Night”
5. “Hungry Heart”
6. “Working On A Dream”
7. “Thunder Road”
8. “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out”
9. “Night”
10. “Backstreets”
11. “Born To Run”
12. “She’s The One”
13. “Meeting Across The River”
14. “Jungleland”
15. “Waitin’ On A Sunny Day”
16. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” (sign request)
17. “Two Hearts” (sign request)
18. “Darlington County”
19. “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)”
20. “Lonesome Day”
21. “The Rising”
22. “Badlands”

Encores:

23. “Ring of Fire” (sign request; tour premiere)
24. “No Surrender”
25. “Bobby Jean”
26. “American Land”
27. “Dancing In The Dark”
28. “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”
29. “Higher & Higher”

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The Boss’ Stage Gaffe Not Bad Compared to Other Stage Snafus

On the heels of Bruce Springsteen giving multiple shout-outs to Ohio (he was in Michigan! Oops!), Spinner compiled a list of other embarrassing stage moments that don’t make the Boss’ look so bad. Spinner‘s list of “Spinal Tap Moments: Rock’n'Roll’s 15 Most Embarrassing Stage Antics” features an array of scenarios that will undoubtedly make the Boss fell better about his! U2 comes in at No. 15 for when the band was caught inside their 40-foot lemon-shaped stage pod during their 1997 Popmart Tour. No. 14 goes to Green Day, when bassist Mike Dirnt was mistaken for another muddy concert-goer at Woodstock ‘94 and was subsequently tackled to the floor by a security guard! No. 13 goes to Fleetwood Mac for when the band’s 70-foot inflatable penguin failed to fully inflate during a 1977 gig and No. 12 goes to The Who for when the late Keith Moon rigged an explosion to go off during a 1967 show, causing Roger Daltrey to literally fly (not to mention lingering hearing problems experienced by Pete Townshend)!

Jessica Simpson comes in at No. 11, for forgetting the words to Dolly Parton’s classic tune “9 to 5” during a Kennedy Center Honors tribute to Parton, while Jessica’s sister Ashlee also made the list at No. 2 for her awkward lip-syncing cover-up on SNL. Alice Cooper’s House of Blues gig in which the rocker wore a snake that continuously relieved itself during the show comes in at No. 10 while David Bowie leaving the stage after a lollypop thrown at him by fan became lodged in his eyelid ranks at No. 9. The Rolling Stones performed in London’s Hyde Park just days after bandmate Brian Wilson was found dead and, at No. 8, Mick Jagger released thousands of—mostly dead—butterflies in tribute.

Neil Young’s performance with The Band with a suspicious white power obviously trailing from his nose comes in at No. 7 and P. Diddy’s ill-fated stage dive comes in at No. 6. A stage theatric went wrong when raw calves’ livers and pig intestines meant to litter the audience landed on Ozzy Osbourne instead. ranking at No. 5, and at No. 4 is a bird doing its business inside Cyndi Lauper’s mouth while she was hitting a high note on stage. Nirvana bassist Krist Novoscelic hitting himself in the head on stage comes at No. 3 while the No. 1 spot goes to Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas for performing with a wet spot suspiciously in her crotch area; after first claiming it was sweat, the singer finally fessed up to what really happened!

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E Street Band Member Clarence Clemons is Back on His Feet

67-year-old E Street Band saxophonist Clarence “Big Man” Clemons has remained on the road with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band for the better part of the past two years, and the Boss can often be seen helping Clemons get to the front of the stage, where his saxophone waits, at the beginning of shows. After having both knees replaced and spending a long period of time in a wheelchair, Clemons stood during the band’s performance at the Super Bowl back in February.

Clemons recently released a book titled Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales and somehow manages to find time for book signings in between shows. He also has a second book on the back burner (again working with friend and producer Don Reo on the project) and said in a recent interview (obtained by Pollstar.com), “I always said in my life that when it doesn’t feel joyous any more, then it will be time to quit. But the joy is getting better and better.” Read more about Clemons’ story at Pollstar.com.

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The Boss Forgets Where He Is!

You can’t blame him. Bruce Springsteen has been on the road for nearly two years straight, and the Boss’ rampant touring finally got the better of him over the weekend, as he forgot where he was during a concert at Michigan’s Palace of Auburn Hills on Friday night (Nov. 13). Springsteen made three different references to Ohio during the concert before E Street Band guitarist Little Steven Van Zandt came to his rescue, telling him where he really was!

Rolling Stone asked Van Zandt what happened and the guitarist answered, “The first time I was like ‘Did I just hear that?’ The second time I looked at [bassist] Garry [Tallent] and said, ‘Did you hear what I just heard?’ At that point I knew I had to get Bruce’s attention, but I couldn’t get it through the rest of ‘Wrecking Ball.’ There was no time really to have that conversation [laughs hysterically]. I’m like, ‘Please God, don’t give him a chance to do it again before I get a chance to talk to him.’ Sure enough, he did it a third time and I’m like, ‘That’s it. This crowd is about to rebel. They’re going to attack us!’ I just grabbed him and said, ‘You don’t realize it, but you’re saying Ohio and we’re in Michigan.’ He was like ‘What!?’” In the end the Boss recovered, making a joke of it and telling the audience, “I’ve been worried my whole life I’m going to do that and I finally did that.”

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The Boss to Perform at Autism Speaks Concert for Autism

Along with Jerry Seinfeld and Donald Trump, Bruce Springsteen is set to perform at the Autism Speaks Concert For Autism, reports the Huffington Post. The A-list event will be held at Carnegie Hall in New York City on November 17 and will be hosted by NBC’s Meet the Press moderator David Gregory. The Huffington Post reports that the event “will benefit the families and individuals who live with autism every day by supporting research, awareness and family services initiatives.”

Along with the Boss, other celebs like Conan O’Brien, Jamie Foxx, Martha Stewart, Ellen DeGeneres, Time Fey, Katie Couric, Seth Rogen, Meredith Vieira, Glenn Close, Celine Dion, Troy Aikman, Harry Smith, Will Ferrell and Edie Falco are on the committee supporting the cause. More information at about Autism Speaks Concert For Autism can be found at Autismspeaks.org.

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The Boss Plays Rarity ‘Back In Your Arms’ in Cleveland

On the heels of playing two legendary shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden over the weekend, the Boss and the E Street Band delivered another impressive show in Cleveland on Tuesday (Nov. 10). Springsteen opened with “Wrecking Ball,” in which he altered the lyrics to say “Tonight Cleveland is going down in flames!” and told the audience, “Arena is filled where LeBron plays his game,” referring to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James. Springsteen performed Born To Run in its entirety and told the crowd, “we’re at the end of a great couple of years of touring. We appreciate your support and we’ve been playing some old music and some new music.”

The Boss’ Cleveland set list:

1. “Wrecking Ball”
2. “Prove it All Night”
3. “Hungry Heart”
4. “Working On A Dream”
5. “Thunder Road”
6. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”
7. “Night”
8. “Backstreets”
9. “Born To Run”
10. “She’s The One”
11. “Meeting Across The River”
12. “Jungleland”
13. “Waitin’ On A Sunny Day”
14. “Raise Your Hand”
15. “Red Headed Woman”
16. “Pink Cadillac”
17. “Back In Your Arms”
18. “Radio Nowhere”
19. “Lonesome Day”
20. “The Rising”
21. “Badlands”

Encore:

22. “No Surrender”
23. “Bobby Jean”
24. “American Land”
25. “Dancing In The Dark”
26. “Can’t Help Falling In Love”
27. “Higher And Higher”
28. “Rosalita”

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John Fogerty Talks Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen plays electric guitar on John Fogerty’s new album, and the former Creedance Clearwater Revival frontman recently revealed to the Daily Express (via gear4music.com) that it was his wife’s idea for him to recruit the Boss! Although the idea of the two rockers and friends working together had been discussed over the years, it didn’t come to fruition until Fogerty’s latest album, The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again. Springsteen plays electric guitar on a cover of The Everly Brothers’ classic song “When Will I Be Loved.”

Along with the Boss, musicians like Don Henley of The Eagles perform on The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again, which is the sequel to Fogerty’s 1973 album The Blue Ridge Rangers. On the first album, Fogerty played all of the instruments—including electric guitar, the drum kit, banjo and fiddle—himself!

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Springsteen Plays ‘The River’ at Madison Square Garden

Last night (Nov. 8) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played what may be the only full-album performance of the Boss’ 1980 double-album The River at Madison Square Garden in New York, with Bruce telling the audience, “Just this one time! Too long to do it again!” Bruce and his band kicked off the show with one new track, “Wrecking Ball,” before playing the 20 songs from The River, with the title track, “Cadillac Ranch,” “The Ties That Bind” and “Point Blank” standing out as highlights.

Most of the show was comprised of The River songs (83 minutes to be exact), and then the Boss played favorites like “Born to Run,” “Badlands,” “Atlantic City” and “Dancing in the Dark.” After telling his bandmate Little Steven Van Zandt, “We ain’t played this in awhile. Well, we’ll figure it out once we get going,” the Boss launched into a cover of Arthur Conley’s “Sweet Soul Music,” a sign request. The Boss and the E Street Band capped off the night with covers like the Elvis Presley song “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and a rendition of Jackie Wilson’s “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher.”

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The Boss Serves Up Some Off-Color Jokes

On Wednesday (Nov. 4) Bruce Springsteen made an appearance at the New York Comedy Festival and Bob Woodruff Foundation Event “Stand-Up for Heroes,” delivering a batch of off-color jokes that shocked those in attendance! Said the Boss between songs at the event, “Pepsi created a soda that has Viagra in it. It’s not going to be called a soft drink anymore.” Racy jokes aside, Springsteen auctioned off one of his 20-year-old guitars. Law and Order actress Mariska Hargitay won the instrument for a sizable bid of $50,000, causing host Brian Williams to quip, “That’s some good Law and Order money right there!”

New York Magazine revealed another of the Boss’ jokes during the event: “A man’s on the couch watching a football game and his wife says, ‘The washer don’t work.’ And he says, ‘What do I look like the Maytag man?’ An hour or so later she says, ‘The toilet won’t flush.’ He says, ‘I’m not Mr. Tidy Bowl.’ An hour or so later, she says, ‘The sink’s all stopped up.’ He says, ‘What, do you think you married Joe the Plumber?’ Then a few days go by and the man comes home from work and she goes, ‘Oh, honey, the repairmen all came today and they repaired everything.’ And he says, ‘That’s great. What did it cost?’ And she says, ‘Well, they said I could either bake them all a cake or have sex with them.’

‘Well, what kind of cake did you bake them?’

‘What do I look like, Betty Crocker?’”

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