2021-06-26 St. James Theatre, New York City, NY

Scheduled: 20:00 Local Start Time ??:?? / End Time ??:??

Info & Setlist | Venue

Bruce returns to Broadway for a limited summer run of Springsteen on Broadway performances at Jujamcyn's St. James Theatre. "I loved doing Springsteen on Broadway and I'm thrilled to have been asked to reprise the show as part of the reopening of Broadway," said Bruce. Proceeds from this Opening Night will be donated to a group of local New York and New Jersey charities including the Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Food Bank for New York City, Fulfill (Monmouth & Ocean Counties Food Bank), Long Island Cares, NJ Pandemic Relief Fund, and The Actor's Fund. As we learned from the dress rehearsal on June 24th, the stories have been changed a little, and there are three new songs in the setlist, which no longer includes "Born To Run". Among the audience were Steven Van Zandt, Jon Landau, and George Travis, as well as New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, film director Ridley Scott, and journalists Brian Williams and David Fricke, and E Street Radio host Jim Rotolo.

Bruce Springsteen
Patti Scialfa (Guest)

Patty Saggio Mascall

The line to get in is out front and so are the protesters but they move you in quickly. You need your mobile ticket, vaccination card and photo ID. They do have people checking bags as you enter also. Once inside everything is coming at ya. The bar, the merch area, the theatre entrance, but the bathroom is across the hall and downstairs. About 5 minutes before it started Stevie came in to a loud cheer. NJ Governor Murphy was there as was Pete Buttigieg. The lights went down and out walked Bruce to a thunderous standing ovation. He looks good. Thin but not too thin and he looked happy. He showed about every emotion under the sun. He was fierce. More so than last time. The way he described things or tried to make a point it was like he was summoning up the strength to make sure we knew he meant that shit. He talked about the last year and a half, new E Street Band album Letter To You, everyone claps. His DJing on E Street Radio, everyone claps. his podcast with President Obama everyone claps. He finally "said shut the fuck up and sit the fuck down". He also asked fans who cheered and clapped every time he mentioned a city to stop "Don't. Your city probably sucks, just like mine" and yes even his arrest last November. "The United States of America vs Bruce Springsteen… It always hurts to hear that." He was also extremely melancholy and although much of the show was the same a lot of things were added. Also much more animated. He made sure he reached even the furthest audience member. He stepped away from the mic a lot, to get you into the intimacy of it. When he spoke of his parents this time it felt like it went deeper and there was a tear or two go down his cheek a few times when overcome with emotion. He wiped his eyes several times. Patti joined him for Tougher Than The Rest (which he forgot a verse but Patti helped him out) and Fire which was fucking awesome, smokin' hot and playful. He then went into 41 Shots which was haunting and beautiful, and sadly still relevant 21 years after writing it. He ended the show with I'll See You In My Dreams instead of Born To Run. It was absolutely beautiful. His voice sounded beautiful. His voice was great throughout. It was a beautiful evening and being there with him felt good. It was like coming home. For those of you with tickets… some points below which should be helpful and for those who don't keep trying. If its at all doable do it! He did not stop and sign when he went in and I don't think he will at all throughout the run. He did shake hands with a few people stage right before leaving but. If you stick around after to see him leave stay on the theater side. They do have their windows open and Bruce is on that side. Most important and not at all surprising, Bruce has a monitor facing the stage attached to the front of the mezzanine with the entire show written out should he choose to look at it. As Thunder Road starts it's official. Mary's dress "SWAYS!" That's what was written and that's what he sang.

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Bruce Springsteen on Broadway

Boss talks new songs, dialogue for these historic times

^{Earlier this summer, Springsteen called in to chat about opening night and the "new" "Springsteen on Broadway". This is the entire conversation, save for some small talk about how it had been so long since this interviewer took a train to New York City that I forgot how to open the train doors between cars.}

Q: You tuned it up a little bit, even with Patti (Scialfa) singing "Fire." I thought that was a wonderful moment up there. It almost bookended with the Exciters "Tell Him." It was such a sweet, loving moment up there.

Springsteen: I said let's try to come up with another tune and do something a little different. We tried a few things and it's funny, she said let's do "Fire." I said I don't know but she was really right. She sings it great. She's got that Peggy Lee sort of swagger that she adds to the song and she has to sing on her own a little bit. It's great to hear her voice. I got to give her all the credit for that."

Q: And the way you guys performed it – Patti came out from behind the piano. It was very physical.

The nice thing is she's not playing guitar on it. She plays guitar on "Brilliant Disguise," so on this she gets to sort of be there and it's fun for me and for the two of us.

Q: ("Springsteen on Broadway") was such a success in the first run. I thought it's perfect the way it is, I don't think Mr. Springsteen is going to change anything because it speaks to all times. But you did change a few things, and then after the show I'm thinking 'How could he not with everything that's gone down in the past two years'?

There's been too much history since I've done it last. The past two years have been, what can you say? It just happened very naturally. It's organic, the minute I started rehearsing the show again, things start to change. You begin to go over your spoken sections and other things suggest themselves related to either what's been going on for the last couple of years of your life or in general. So changing is something that happens almost by itself. But you do have to work at it a little bit.

Q: Especially poignant was the performance of "American Skin." As I noted in my stories that happened to Amadou Diallo about 20 years ago, four officers. In Minnesota it was four officers. It's an American tragedy and we're spinning our wheels. But this past summer there was such an awakening and that's reflected on stage I thought.

The Black Lives Matter protests were really encouraging and to see all those young kids out in the street was very inspiring. So it was a song I wrote a long time ago, but it just remains relevant and I found a really nice arrangement for just myself and the guitar. Actually, that was Jon Landau's idea to put it into the show.

Q: Oh wow. This must have been a change right at the last minute, but you kind of made reference to the anti-vaccine protesters who were outside. They were also at the Foo Fighters show (at Madison Square Garden on June 20). It speaks to the uncertainty. People are scared, we feel like we're in the dark, the protesters do. I was speaking to them, they seem like normal people, just scared.

Hundreds of thousands of people died. It can be hard to know what to do. Obviously, I'm in favor of everybody being vaccinated, and that's why the show is the way that it is. Plus, I'm responsible for the safety of my audience. But it's hard, confusing times, so I actually have some feelings for the folks who were outside.

Q: I've lost family members because of COVID and it just seems to be a season of passing. I think that's reflected now in the show with the great "See You in My Dreams." Can you tell me about adding that song to end the night?

That might have been Jon's (Landau) idea also. It's funny, it's only a couple of verses and a chorus — there's not that much to it. But it really packs a punch for its brevity and it really ends the particular story that I'm telling on this leg of this show. It's actually much more appropriate than "Born to Run" was in that spot. It really takes all the ideas in the show and sums them up in that one short piece of music. So it's exciting to play that at the end of the night.

Q: After the show on the train back home, I thought to myself, "Letter to You." I wonder if the play is like a precursor to "Letter to You"? A look back upon on people who touched Mr. Springsteen in his life.

The book ("Born to Run"), the play, the record ("Letter to You") are deeply connected. You could also put in my podcast with President Obama ("Renegades: Born in the USA" on Spotify), that runs in there also. Those things are part of sort of a theme I've been working off of for the past period of time. But the book, the play and the record are all very connected to one another. And the film. Thom Zimny's film ("Bruce Springsteen's Letter to You").

Q: Oh, you turned your situation on Sandy Hook (arrest for DWI, charges were dropped) into the funniest moment in the show, man. Bravo, bravo!

(Laughs) What can I say?

Q: When you spoke about that (on opening night), you were kind of near Gov. Murphy …

(Laughs) I'm sure he took it fine.

Q: Also, I wrote in my piece that you're singing differently and better. I mean you really go into some interesting vocal places, and on (the 2019 album) "Western Stars," too. You really are laying down some wonderful sounds up there.

It's funny, I think my voice actually improved with age. I have more range and it's stronger than it's ever been so I've been really, really fortunate — I'm knocking on wood right now. It just happened to be in really good form over the past weekend, plus I had two nights to sort of warm up for Saturday (June 26) — so it was one of those nice events when we landed on Saturday, it was just the perfect condition to sing. So I had a lot of fun singing that night because my voice was responsive to anything I wanted to do.

Q: Yeah, in the past few years, like on "Western Stars," you had some sweet higher range things. Do you feel performing, just you and your guitar on stage and talking, has kind of let you take your voice, be it speaking or singing, into new and different areas?

Yeah, because there's only one instrument and you're singing. That has to carry all of the emotional information — it's carried in those two elements. They're full, present in your face, and you can really hear every detail of your voice, every nuance of your voice. In a concert, folks are hearing the front 50 or 70 percent of your voice just because of the noise of the band and the way the show is. There's kind of 30 percent getting fogged up in the soup. But when you play just your guitar, 100 percent of your voice is available to the audience and you can carry a lot of emotional information with it. I find that very enjoyable to do.

Q: Hey, bet you early on you would never have imagined being on Broadway, nor that you'd be the savior of Broadway?

Hah, I don't know about that, but I didn't imagine I'd be there. Jon (Landau) suggested it and Patti (Scialfa) sort of seconded his opinion and I'm like, "I don't know, it's summer and I want to go to the beach (laughs)." Because we're going to work a lot next year. But then I had a friend come down and just tip me over the edge and I got excited: "Just do it!" And that was it.

Q: Can I ask: The friend, was that President Barack Obama?

No. (laughs). But he's always in favor of performing this particular show because the first time I did it was at the White House and he kind of suggested the evening I did it at the White House, he said, "Geez, you did that just for us but that should be a show."

Q: Wow – like you said in the play, you've done everything in the quote unquote downtime, including the wonderful radio show ("From My Home to Yours" on SiriusXM's E Street Radio), the podcast, the movie. You haven't taken any time off I guess.

No, I've been lucky. I've found ways to stay busy. I missed all the confusion so I feel very fortunate about that.

Q: I think everybody's who still here, it's a blessing.

Absolutely.

^{By Chris Jordan via Aasbury Park Press.}

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