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June 8, 2025 The last time that Paul McCartney joined Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band on their concert stage was almost thirteen years ago, at the infamous Hyde Park gig with the "plug-pulling" incident . Technically speaking, they also have since performed together on Saturday Night Live in 2015 for "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town," but as for a full-scale Macca return to the actual E Street concert stage... That had to wait until last night in Liverpool, fittingly, opening the encores of Springsteen and his band's second-ever Liverpool show with McCartney joining them for versions of the classic Beatles original "Can't Buy Me Love" and classic Beatles cover-medley "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!" More to come soon on last night's Liverpool 2025 finale, from both Paulina Vanderbilt and   René van Diemen . Stay tuned...

photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission June 7, 2025 London-based journalist and Letters To You contributor Herpreet Grewal provides us with her first-hand account of Liverpool Night 1, accompanied by René van Diemen 's beautiful photography: Last Wednesday, after many opportunities of almost playing a show in Liverpool, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band finally took the stage at Anfield. They did so less than two weeks after the stadium’s home team won England’s Premier League title, and on the June 4th release-date anniversary of Springsteen's all-time best-selling album Born in the U.S.A. , no less. It’s hard to believe it took so long for Bruce and his band to play to the northern, working-class city so in tune with their own blue-collar roots, especially as Springsteen opened the show with the words, “Good evening. It is great to be in Liverpool where, for us, it all began,” obviously referencing The Beatles, a beloved band that formed his early music education and inspiration. photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission The gig strongly set the tone - as with other shows in The "Land of Hope and Dreams" Tour - with its political message calling out America’s “corrupt, treasonous government” as he played "Rainmaker," "Death to My Hometown," and "Wrecking Ball" with particularly barbed anger. Having seen his concerts several times last year, it is worth remembering the idea of this tour has been to play the shows that were cancelled last year, and add some cities that the band and Springsteen have not yet visited. But he also has reframed the whole theme of the show around the political message that has become more urgent since Donald Trump was reelected as President of the U.S.A. Last year’s shows had a more personal tone, set around loss and mortality, but now the focus is on America, what it is doing, and how it is affecting its own people and the world. It's certainly a valid message for Bruce to be communicating as an authoritative artist and chronicler of American life for the past fifty years. From my position in the front row (achieved after days of gruelling queuing!) I was able to see how palpable and raw Springsteen’s anger was, and the crowd welcomed it with loud cheers of approval. Nevertheless, I did hear different views within the fan community in the days following up to the gig and on the day itself. One remarked that it was not the platform for such a message, even though well-intentioned. Some American fans attending expressed conflict between their fandom and how hard a message it was to hear about their country when they did not agree with it, showing the cognitive dissonance likely being experienced by a portion of Springsteen’s fan base back home. But most welcomed his message of fighting against authoritarianism. Springsteen never mentions Trump by name in the show's onstage political statements. Instead the only person Springsteen mentions by name is the late African-American gay writer James Baldwin. Baldwin was writing in the 1950s up to the 1980s, yet is still relevant enough to mention in 2025 because his work continuously called for greater humanity. (Bruce paraphrases a Baldwin quote: “In this world, there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough.” In his Renegades: Born in the USA podcast/book project with former U.S. President Barack Obama, Springsteen revealed that he started reading James Baldwin's work after the murder of George Floyd.) photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission Working together to achieve the ideals of community is what Springsteen is all about, and the manifestation of that ideal is seriously compromised in America and the world right now. This theme deeply dominates the show in a way that didn't happen during last year’s shows, but at a time it is desperately needed and people are listening. photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission Since this tour began in mid-May, he's made no major deviations from his setlist so far. While the joy of defiance is not as strong in this show as in the ones last year, Springsteen projects a certainty that we/America will get there. The moments of joy and exuberance have happened mostly when he interacts with the crowd, such as playing a harmonica duet during "The Promised Land" with a young girl in the Liverpool Night 1 crowd who was sitting atop someone’s shoulders and who had her own harmonica. Afterwards, Bruce gave her his harmonica. photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission At one point he walked down the front row greeting fans, and even accepted a tissue from one fan. As she gestured that it was for him to clean his nose, he mimicked the movement back, confirming that he understood - like a comical silent-film scene. Yesterday Bruce was hanging out with Sir Paul McCartney, and visited the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) on Mount Street (an educational institution that McCartney has helped to found and fund, on the grounds of his old school ,) fueling even further the strong rumours that Macca will make an appearance at tonight's second Liverpool show…. photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission

photo from Liverpool Night 1 (June 4, 2025) by   René van Diemen June 5, 2025 Last night Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band performed their first-ever concert in Liverpool. Contributing writer Herpreet Grewal was there, and so was contributing photographer   René van Diemen . Stay tuned for Herpreet's full report, along with plenty more photos from René, coming soon...

May 26, 2025 Friends and readers, as today here in the U.S. we are observing Memorial Day, a holiday which emerged from the final years of the U.S. Civil War, it seems most appropriate to preface this essay by first remembering the closing words of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address : "...we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." ---Shawn "Are you ready to join together?," Bruce Springsteen asked his audience repeatedly during his performance with the E Street Band of "My City of Ruins" in Manchester, England's Co-op Live arena on May 14. You can hear it (and/or see it) for yourself via the platform of your choice on the officially released digital EP Land of Hope & Dreams , available now in both audio -only AND concert-video forms . from the official Land of Hope & Dreams concert-video - Click here or on the image above to watch it. That's the key question to answer these days, isn't it? Are all of us who are worried about the present and future direction of the U.S. under its current Presidential administration, as well as the future of the rest of the planet affected by it, ready to join together and do some things (i.e. non-violent, organized, collective-resistance-style actions) about it? And if so, what exactly can and should we be doing? One thing, however, has been rendered unquestionable over this past week-and-a-half: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band certainly are up for doing their part. Only four shows in, their 2025 European tour already stands as one of the most significant political stances that any popular musician or group has ever taken. Even a Springsteen fan like me - "stuck" here in my native U.S.A. with no current plans to catch any of the 2025 shows in Europe - can see this easily. No other major musical stars - nobody else famous in rock, pop, hip-hop, soul/R&B, and/or country - have yet mounted a tour where at every show the theme of resisting and surviving the Trump administration's agenda is explored so deeply and overtly throughout the evening. As a result, The "Land of Hope and Dreams" Tour - as well as Trump & Co.'s response to it - is deservedly getting a much higher level of international news-media attention than it might have received otherwise. It also has gotten attention and some supportive commentary from other artists, including Sheryl Crow , Neil Young ( here and here ,) Robert Plant , and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder . Vedder in particular has been one of the few high-profile supporters, if not the only one, to articulate so well the heart of the matter about the Trump camp's responses to date, and he cannily did it without ever even mentioning the President's name (something that Springsteen himself also consistently has avoided doing onstage during his current tour.) "The response to [Springsteen] using the microphone," Vedder told his Pittsburgh audience at Pearl Jam's final 2025 concert on May 18th, "had nothing to do with the issues. They didn't talk about one of those issues. They didn't have a conversation about one of those issues. They didn't debate any one of those issues. All that we heard were personal attacks and threats that nobody else should even try to use their microphone or use their voice in public, or they will be shut down. Now that is not allowed in this country that we call America; am I right or am I wrong?!," Vedder said, and was given loud applause in response. "Part of free speech," he continued, "is open discussion. Part of democracy is healthy public discourse. The name-calling is so beneath us. Bruce has always been as pro-American with his values of freedom and liberty, and his justice has always remained intact. And I'm saying this now just to be sure that this freedom of speech will still exist in another year or two from now, when we come back to this microphone." Yes, the stakes are indeed that high, and the threats are that real. The current President of the United States actually posted online that Bruce Springsteen "ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country...Then we'll all see how it goes for him!" Everything that Vedder said in what's quoted above is indisputable. As is everything that Springsteen has been saying onstage in Europe during his nightly introductions to "My City of Ruins:" "In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now . In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now . In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that has led to a more just and plural society. They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They are defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands. They are removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all happening now . A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government." So far in Europe, the live-audience responses to Springsteen's onstage statements have been overwhelmingly supportive, a bit of heckling notwithstanding. If you're not a Trump supporter and are fortunate enough to find yourself at any of the "Land of Hope and Dreams" Tour's shows, you probably will experience a surge of much-needed inspiration and empowerment, especially in the midst of thousands of fellow Springsteen fans loudly expressing similar feelings with you. But I strongly suspect that if Bruce and Co. were to perform such a concert/tour here in the U.S. - at this point a purely academic scenario that already has been officially declared an impossibility in 2025, given that one of Springsteen's recent press releases about this year's European dates with the E Street Band described them as "their only shows of 2025" - the initial level of audience unity in the building probably would be much lower, to put it mildly, unless of course most, if not all, of the still-supporting-Trump Springsteen fans happened to stay home. After all, Springsteen's fanbase in the U.S. still counts a significant number of Trump supporters and other politically conservative fans among its members, and often at least some of them can be far less respectful and understanding of - let alone receptive to and supportive of - many of his onstage/public political stances, especially in comparison to the overwhelming majority of his European fans. (Incidentally, that's also the most likely reason why it's mainly in Europe where you'll still get to hear, for example, the full-scale, hit-single, E Street Band version of "Born in the U.S.A." In fact, you literally could count on one hand the number of times over the last decade when that version of the song has been performed on U.S. soil.) Let's be crystal-clear here; this is the land where even Springsteen/ESB impersonators willing to purge all of his music from their setlist still get punished for the real Springsteen exercising his constitutional rights . Which brings it all back home, of course, to something else indisputable that Bruce Springsteen has been saying onstage recently: "The last check on power after the checks and balances of government have failed are the people, you and me. It’s in the union of people around a common set of values now that’s all that stands between a democracy and authoritarianism. At the end of the day, all we’ve got is each other." ( And , I would add respectfully, whatever sympathetic/supportive state and local government officials remain, along with - seemingly dependent on whichever winds may blow on any given day - the federal courts.) Therefore it's high time for all of us Springsteen fans who understand the severity and importance of this political moment to begin getting involved and active in resistance activities, if we haven't done so already. The devil often can be in the details, however, in terms of figuring out which specific actions to take, which specific organizations to join/support, what will be most effective, etc. Everybody will need to research, think hard, and follow their own conscience in making such decisions, of course, with the understanding that while differences must be acknowledged, appreciated, and respected, the more unity we can create, the better. Perhaps that's why to date Bruce hasn't ended any of this tour's shows with what has become his traditional "plug" of support for a local organization fighting hunger, homelessness, etc. or even any particular group engaged in Trump-administration-resistance activities. Maybe in addition to not feeling quite ready to publicly endorse such specific groups or actions, he also doesn't want any local anti-hunger/poverty groups to face any unneeded flak for his current onstage political statements. In any case, with only a handful of shows under their belts so far, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band already have made one of their greatest artistic statements of their entire career. With that in mind, I'm holding out hope for a complete, professionally-filmed/edited concert-documentary film derived from one or more of the shows (Thom Zimny, are you reading this?,) and/or perhaps Springsteen's first-ever official, pro-shot live-stream of one or more shows, with proceeds from any/all such projects going to one or more appropriate resistance activities/organizations. Of course, these days who knows how difficult it would be to pull off any these kinds of things, now that Bruce no longer owns the rights to all of his songs/recordings? While he still seems to have a very good working relationship with Sony after it bought his catalog, we also have been seeing far too many corporations balking at offending Trump and his minions, for fear of swift retaliation. All appears "so far so good" with Springsteen being able to document this tour and share it publicly in any way he sees fit, which certainly is encouraging. Here's hoping that continues to be the case in the not-too-distant future. And finally, keeping it as real as it unfortunately needs to be kept, here's wishing Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, as well as their entire touring organization, the utmost in safety, security, happiness, and health while abroad, along with the safest hassle-free journey back home after The "Land of Hope and Dreams" Tour ends in July. May they stay safe once they're back home, too. Bruce and his... our ... beloved E Streeters deserve nothing less than a heroes'-and-sheroes' welcome when they return to these shores, for their brave, beautiful, and patriotic stand on behalf of everything that is truly great about this country. ---------- For further reading, you also might want to check out The Philadelphia Inquirer 's May 25, 2025 editorial "Bruce Springsteen struck a nerve with his criticism of Trump. Who else has the courage to speak up?"

May 29, 2025 "Adelita," from the "lost" Bruce Springsteen album Inyo , is the fifth preview-track from Tracks II: The Lost Albums , now available for listening. Click here to listen via the platform of your choice , or click below on the embedded link from Springsteen's official YouTube channel: The official press release describes "Adelita" as "an ode to Mexico’s female 'soldaderas' — who played a major role in the country’s fight for independence. Inspired to explore themes of this nature in the 1990s, during a series of motorcycle trips across the Southwest, Springsteen’s years in California saw him diving into both the history of the region (including 'La Adelita,' the 'corrido' that serves as this song’s namesake ) and its contemporary events." “There was constant border reporting in The Los Angeles Times ," Springsteen recalls in the press release, "so it was a big part of your life.” The release also notes that Inyo is "a previously-unheard, ten-song thematic collection set throughout the border states of California and Texas (plus one detour to New Jersey.)" Springsteen also recalls in the press release, " Inyo was a record I wrote in California during long drives along the California aqueduct, up through Inyo County on my way to Yosemite or Death Valley... I was enjoying that kind of writing so much. [On The Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour,] I would go home to the hotel room at night and continue to write in that style because I thought I was going to follow up The Ghost of Tom Joad with a similar record, but I didn’t. That’s where Inyo came from. It’s one of my favorites.” Additional background on Inyo from the release: "While primarily tracked as a solo record, Inyo does notably find Springsteen collaborating with mariachi musicians throughout — as heard on 'Adelita.' These musicians include Luis Villalobos, Alberto Villalobos, Angel Ramos, Humberto Manuel Flores Gutierrez, David Glukh, Jorge Espinosa and Miguel Ponce. Thematically, several songs on the record examine the Mexican diaspora, how border crossing between Mexico and the U.S. has affected generations and the cultural losses endured as a result. It’s a musical thread that Springsteen first began to examine by covering Ry Cooder’s 'Across the Borderline' on his 1988 Tunnel of Love Express tour:" Apparently "Adelita" also represents a rare Springsteen songwriting "collaboration" of sorts. The official credits for the song list University of California Santa Barbara professor Maria Herrera-Sobek as a "Non Lyric Author." Here for your reference are "Adelita"'s complete official credits: Non Lyric Author: Maria Herrera-Sobek Accordion, Guitar, Producer: Ron Aniello Trumpet: Barry Danielian Violin: Luis Villalobos Violin: Alberto Villalobos Lute: Angel Ramos Bass: Humberto Manuel Flores Gutierrez Trumpet: David Glukh Harp, Vocal: Jorge Espinosa Bass, Vocal: Miguel Ponce Recording Engineer: Toby Scott Mixing Engineer, Recording Engineer: Rob Lebret Mastering Engineer: Ted Jensen Additional Engineer: Ross Petersen Click here to get pre-ordering information for Tracks II: The Lost Albums , which will be released worldwide on Friday, June 27.

May 26, 2025 UPDATES (May 27, 2025:) Click here to read "Carl 'Tinker' West, East Coast surfing pioneer and early Springsteen manager, has died" by Chris Jordan of The Asbury Park Press . Click here to read "Tinker West" by Bob Santelli, Executive Director of The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music.

May 10, 2025 I was very saddened to learn of yesterday's passing of Stewart Francke, who was a fierce friend and inspiration to so many of us in the Springsteen-fans community, myself included. Stewart was a great singer-songwriter, journalist, author, and public speaker. Over decades, he wrote, sang, and spoke eloquently and insightfully about his native Michigan, the joys and pitfalls of seeking love and building community, and his long-term health struggles against leukemia. Music-writer and Springsteen-biographer Dave Marsh called Stewart's 2000 album What We Talk Of... When We Talk "the most important blue-eyed soul record in a musical generation." And in 2006, Bruce Springsteen himself declared, "Stewart Francke makes beautiful music." In 2011, at a time when the U.S. military still was entrenched strongly in Iraq and Afghanistan, Springsteen provided additional vocals on Francke's song "Summer Soldier (Holler If Ya Hear Me)", first released on his Heartless World album. “This is a tremendously cool thing for Bruce to do,” Francke stated in a press-release for Heartless World , “and of course a real honor. It was always his voice I heard on the call and response part of this track, but figured it would remain just a wish. He found something in it compelling enough to join me, and I’m still a bit knocked out about it all... I hope the song works on a couple levels. It’s a very complicated situation—wars are made up of thousands of singularly human, personal tragedies and loyalties as well as enormous consequences for the countries involved. My job is to tell a story from the most human standpoint and say we can condemn the wars but support our troops.” Below you can hear "Summer Soldier (Holler If Ya Hear Me)" performed by Stewart Francke with Bruce Springsteen: Heartless World also closed with a moving cover of Death Cab For Cutie's "I'll Follow You Into The Dark," featuring a guitar solo by Shane Fontayne of Springsteen's 1992-93 touring band: Speaking of Springsteen's 1992-93 tour, coincidentally a stock photo used in the 1992-93 tour program also got used for the cover of Francke's 2013 album Love Implied : That album featured a track entitled "Drive North," which might have inspired the choice of the album cover's photo. I also can't help but wonder if "Drive North" in turn might have been at least partly inspired by a story that Stewart told me in an unpublished 2011 Backstreets.com interview I conducted with him via email-exchanges. When discussing his own Springsteen fandom, and particularly his first encounter with Darkness on the Edge of Town , Stewart wrote, "I’ll never forget first putting my 8-track (yes, that’s all I had) in my ’74 slime-green Impala with bench seats and hearing the piano and glock riff of 'Badlands' come ripping out of my fer-shit speakers; it was something so different when compared to what else was going on at the time. I also recall thinking the drums sounded boxy and shitty, but now if you were to alter one decibel or Hz on the floor tom I’d have you drawn and quartered. I was driving up a northern Michigan old two-lanes to see a girl who was spending some time with her family at a lake house. The drive was long enough for four full listens. The thing that I recall best is there was no adjustment, no accommodation of my emotional potential. I got it from word one, and he was talking straight to ME—'Lights out tonight, trouble in the heartland.' I mean, that was my fucking life. And as I drove, I got that there had been 'concept' albums from Come Fly With Me to Sgt. Pepper's... , but no one had ever made a record about it ALL—the concept of taking in all of life, of wanting it all, of wanting love that won’t let you down but already being down, of looking for faith at the same time you’re trying to define what it is—wanting sex, friendship, camaraderie, night, day, work that matters, citing work that kills, changing the whole way we live and work and travel and love." During another part of our email exchanges, Stewart wrote, "When I had leukemia and a bone-marrow transplant in 1998, I was in and out of the hospital for long periods of time—three months at one point. My nighttime record that took me away and helped me forget my surroundings was Bruce’s The Ghost Of Tom Joad . Just something about it... Joad was a self-contained, hard-as-nails parallel world with matching emotions—not unlike where I found myself. As his voice and lyrics washed over me and my tears each night, it was clear from his songs that the world of light and truth, the oft-fabled promised land, is possibly just beyond that ravine or just over that treeline. This was real hope when hope was as scarce as rain in the Mojave for me. Just as his best early songs propelled an audience toward adolescent action (like when I saw him in ’78,) Joad again moved us toward an enormous conclusion: Who tends the promised land, if it actually is more than fable? Who relies on whom? His songs made me think of healing, and what I may do when I heal. I remember hearing this night after night like it was a prayer: 'For what are we, without hope in our hearts/That someday we'll drink from God's blessed waters?' from 'Across The Border.' "I had nothing but time to consider that question, and my answer became clear: we're dead, we’re nothin’. I insisted on treating those words of his not as an answerable question, but as an admonition. I believe in the clarity and movement behind those words. I insist on believing them because from where I was, so close to death, I desperately needed to hang on and try and trust in an unseen faith. I mean, are these things real or not? Does a struggle matter or not? Can you change your station in life in America or not? Or is it all just bullshit?" In the spirit of the best of Springsteen fandom, Stewart Francke lived it every day and kept pushin' 'til it was understood. May he rest in peace, and long may his beautiful music and messages be heard. ---------- Also well worth watching... "Stewart Francke Talks About Being a Cancer Survivor," a special video prepared for the 2021 Land of Hope and Dreams celebration :, in which at one point Francke, with both humility and humor, described himself not as any kind of fighter who could "kick cancer's ass" ("Cancer kicked my ass...all over the field, man!") but instead as "a protagonist for life." What an appropriate epitaph for this great man. ---------- Click here to read our friend Doug Bradley's essay "Holler if You’ve Heard Stewart Francke." Click here to read No Fences Review 's "Turn It Up: Stewart Francke Edition - A tribute to our friend, featuring some special guests." -Special thanks to Chris Phillips at Backstreets.com

January 8, 2025 Merry Elvismas! Today marks the 90th anniversary of the birth of Elvis Presley . If you're looking for a Springsteen-connected way to commemorate and celebrate the lasting impact of "The King," perhaps you're considering the latest Presley documentary in which Bruce Springsteen appears: Netflix's Return of The King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley , which has been streaming on Netflix since last November. Ostensibly, the documentary's subject is Presley's famous 1968 "comeback" television special, but it explores the significance of the special in the context of Presley's entire career preceding it, and even - to a certain extent - following it. Unfortunately, undertaking such an exploration - all while trying to combine it with at least a decent amount of footage from the television special itself - is an impossibly tall order for a documentary that is only ninety minutes long. Not surprisingly, among the best parts of Jason Hehir's film are Springsteen's interview segments, recalling what the 1968 special meant to him as a first-generation, die-hard Presley fan. Of course Bruce has talked about this subject (and many more Elvis-related things) many times before, but here he offers some interesting new wrinkles, especially about Elvis rediscovering his authentic self. One of Bruce's best lines in the film, which also appears in the trailer embedded above, is "I felt like my team came back, and they're winning again!" Also featured is interview footage featuring insights from the great Darlene Love, who was one of Presley's backing singers on the 1968 special. (The film's credits thank Stevie Van Zandt, Marc Ribler, and Rich Russo, presumably for helping to arrange the Darlene Love interview.) The main problem with this film, however, is that it stands in the very tall shadow of Thom Zimny's definitive two-part documentary Elvis Presley: The Searcher . Return of the King even uses the same 1956 Presley B-side for its opening credits that Zimny's 2018 film used in its opening credits: "My Baby Left Me." The uniquely presented heard-but-never-seen-onscreen insights of Bruce Springsteen that were offered in Elvis Presley: The Searcher were accompanied by similarly perceptive and presented insights from a slew of famous and not-so-famous folks who were close to Presley and/or deeply affected by his music. What Return of the King has to offer in its interview segments - with Love's and Springsteen's newly filmed interviews joined by new/original footage of Billy Corgan, Ernst Jørgensen, Baz Luhrmann, Conan O'Brien, Priscilla Presley, Robbie Robertson, Jerry Schilling, and Wright Thompson, some of whom also contributed interviews/insights to Zimny's film - simply cannot compare or compete with the appropriately epic scope and amount of the interviews in Elvis Presley: The Searcher . (By the way, you can click here and here to read my archived Backstreets coverage on the making of Elvis Presley: The Searcher , featuring exclusive conversations with Thom Zimny, Priscilla Presley, and Jerry Schilling.) Of course, both films also feature archival commentary from Elvis Presley himself, but Elvis Presley: The Searcher relies strictly on actual recordings of things that Presley actually said in his lifetime, in order to convey his own voice and perspective. Return of the King , on the other hand, greatly utilizes newly recorded and mixed-in voiceovers from an Elvis impersonator reading scripted lines based on speculations of what Presley might have thought or said in private. It's a controversial approach in documentary filmmaking, to say the least, though it's also one that was utilized in This Is Elvis , Malcolm Leo and Andrew Solt's 1981 documentary that at one time was the greatest Presley documentary in existence... until the arrival of Elvis Presley: The Searcher , that is. But inarguably the worst part of Return of the King is its propagation of the argument that the '68 Comeback Special represents the single greatest peak - and the final one - of Elvis' achievements as an artist. As great as the television special was, however, it was followed by his triumphant 1969 return to live performance in his Las Vegas residencies, the string of late-1960s/early-1970s hits that began with "In The Ghetto" and "Suspicious Minds," and his still-highly-underrated 1970s recordings and concerts. As Dave Marsh wrote in his liner notes for the still-essential 1995 five-CD boxed-set Walk A Mile In My Shoes: The Essential 70's Masters , "Elvis' Seventies music has been picked at and picked over, issued and reissued, discussed, dissected, distorted, displayed and dismissed. But it's only now, gathered into one place, that it kind of makes you gulp a bit to realize how productive he was in the last six years of his life. Especially given that health problems dogged him through much of this time, Elvis created a really remarkable batch of recordings...Elvis continued to be a great popular singer, able to tackle all manner of songs and, in fact, left behind a legacy that few, if any other, artists of his era could hope to match...[A]s he matured. Elvis' music became more and more personal and revealing, so that even while he seemed utterly immune to any influence from the personalized and confessional approach of rock singers like John Lennon and Bob Dylan, he managed in his own fashion to use the additional artistic space their work opened to expose deeper and more intimate parts of himself." (Incidentally, if you're seeking a literary way to celebrate Elvis@90, you simply can't do any better than Dave Marsh's 1982 book Elvis . Highly recommended reading for all Presleymaniacs.) So while it may be somewhat disappointing to learn that the latest Presley documentary involving Bruce Springsteen isn't anywhere near as good as that 2018 doc was, at least you also know that the 2018 documentary remains readily available to watch . Oh, and how appropriate that right in time for this year's Elvismas celebration, it's just been announced that Bruce Springsteen will make his first official appearance on Elvis Presley's original record label, Sun Records, come April. Stay tuned for more from us on that later... Merry Elvismas to all, and to all a good night!

photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission May 17, 2025 I made a sign for Wednesday night’s show in Manchester and asked my child if they thought it was too political, perhaps. “Mum," they replied, “if now is not the time to be political, when is?’’ So I went to the Co-op Live venue with my sign for "Chimes of Freedom," inspired by the song's presence on that leaked rehearsal setlist , and listing on my sign all that is under threat in America’s current administration (and under many of Europe’s current governments, as well:) queer rights, female bodily autonomy, refugees, Black Lives Matter, an end to war and genocide… Springsteen had renamed his current set of new and rescheduled European tour dates "The Land of Hopes and Dreams Tour," and I trusted I had interpreted the mood correctly. But my, I was not prepared for what transpired over the next two-and-a-half hours. Of course, Bruce has always been politically engaged and not averse to taking a risk when he feels strongly about something. (Remember "41 Shots?") But over the years his attention had shifted to maneuvering the world as an aging man, dealing with death, the passing of time, and remembrance. And very few, if any, of the big artists at the moment have come out to state what is on the minds of so many of my friends under threat in America and even much closer to my home. So when Springsteen welcomed us with a speech about an America "currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration," the first tears started flowing. Even before he played the first notes, he laid his cards on the table. He drew the line, and he was not pretentiously poetic or shy about it. Even now, re-listening to it on his website , I well up. I so needed "my Boss" to stand up for humanity, but not in my wildest dreams did I dare to dream he would do so in such a bold and uncompromising way. I know, I know. A review should be about the music , and we are three paragraphs in. So let’s talk about some of his musical choices. Obviously, it all started off with a great version of "Land of Hopes and Dreams." photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission Bruce was in wonderful voice. He and the E Street Band had been rehearsing for quite some days, and it showed. And we sang it back with all that we had in our lungs. He wasn't holding back, so neither were we! photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission After immediately following up with intense back-to-back-to-back versions of "Death To My Hometown," "Lonesome Day," and "My Love Will Not Let You Down," Springsteen and his band gave us the world-premiere live version of "Rainmaker," in menacing and understated form, dedicated to "our dear leader." I don’t actually care too much for the recorded version of this track. (Eeks, do I dare to be sacrilegious?) This night’s quiet and restrained rendition, though, was something else. It is not always the loudest voices that get the message across; the menace in the song slithered over the stage into our veins. Following it with a very raw "Darkness on the Edge of Town" had me reeling. My heart was beating, not with youthful optimism but with a belief that we can, no must, speak up. We make our choices and yes, we may have to be willing to fight and possibly die on that hill for them. At Co-op Live arena on Wednesday night, it was impossible to misunderstand "My Hometown" as a larger metaphor for the whole of America. The 2023-2024 tour's mood of mourning the past has now been replaced with Bruce’s need to hang on to a flawed country that he nonetheless holds dear. He's here on business, and he is loud and strong. "Youngstown," with its powerful but poignant solo by Nils Lofgren, was followed by a raging "Murder Incorporated." Heavy on the guitars, Bruce and Stevie Van Zandt battling it out old-school style. And I was going wild. Fist-pumping, turning around to sing it back to my friends behind me. "Muuuurrddeerr! Incorporated!!!" Fuck it; fuck all of this shit! And 23,000 fans agreed. We tore the roof down. photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission We shifted a gear with "House of a Thousand Guitars." Bruce’s voice, a harmonica, a guitar – and this was all we needed to understand our life is no more than a "union of people around a common set of values," to quote from Bruce's introduction to the song. "Now that’s all that stands between a democracy and authoritarianism," he added to that introduction. "At the end of the day, all we’ve got is each other." And that's all I needed, too. From back when I was fifteen, and now forty years on, the through line has remained Springsteen's live artistry moving me beyond words. photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission When "Uncle" Bruce sat down on the stage's steps for a chat with the audience during last year's shows, it was the start of play. On Wednesday night, however, it was the start of a righteously eloquent speech, introducing "My City of Ruins," about the current shitty state of affairs, accurately calling out an "unfit president and a rogue government." We will rebuild this city of ruins. We have no choice; we must find enough humanity. And as Bruce’s voice soared, he held on to his microphone, and I noticed it was shaking! Was it his age peeking through for a moment? A bit of nervousness about hitting that particular vocal part? Or was it just a physical and emotional manifestation of his indignation at what and who is ransacking the land he loves and believes in? So far, the horns had not been in the spotlights much this evening, but here of course they shone strongly. As did the E Street Choir. Whilst it was obvious that Bruce wanted us to rise up, he hasn't forgotten that there is always room for some sheer enjoyment, as well. And so the rest of the night was mostly more familiar territory, apart maybe from "Human Touch." It rocked and souled, Bruce’s voice still holding out beautifully. No need to feel nervous, Bruce, if you ever did. You had this all along! photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission Still, Bruce wouldn’t be Bruce if he didn’t end with a clincher: that version of Dylan’s/The Byrds' "Chimes of Freedom," which he last played during the 1988 Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour, was a fitting conclusion to a poignant, politically and musically intense show. Also, because at that moment, it was not about Bruce Springsteen, the man or the rock star. The E Street Choir lined up on the end of the stage to raise their voices with ours, as a band of brothers and sisters, praying for a common humanity. And I stood to attention, raised my fist and wept, safe in the knowledge that the man who has been my moral compass for over forty years was once again speaking up - and singing out - for a better world for all of us. photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission ---------- Paulina Vanderbilt is a writer who lives in the city of Delft in South Holland, Netherlands. Her self-described "Springsteen-fuelled" novel Chasing the Heartland can be purchased by clicking here . You also can visit PaulinaVanderbilt.com to learn more about her and her work. ----------

photo by René van Diemen - used with permission May 15, 2025 "Our band was built well, over many years, for difficult times. When people wanted a dialogue, a conversation about events, internal and external, we developed a language that suited those moments. We were there. It was a language that I hoped would entertain, inspire, comfort and reveal. The professionalism, the showmanship, the hours of hard work are all very important, but I always believed that it was this dialogue, this language, that was at the heart of our resiliency with our audience." -Bruce Springsteen, in his Born to Run  autobiography While officially it's still being described as the final set of scheduled/rescheduled dates for their 2023-2025 world tour, it only recently became clear that Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's 2025 return to Europe will offer something very different than their 2023 and 2024 shows. Asked by Variety just under a month ago about his first - and only - set of 2025 concerts after Donald Trump's official return to the U.S. Presidency earlier this year, Springsteen said, “One of the artists’ jobs is to make sense of existence and to make sense of the current times that you live in, and to contextualize those times. Every artist does it in a different way. So I’ve got that on my mind, and I’m sure it’ll be reflected in our next leg of the tour.” And then just a week before the first 2025 show, what originally had been billed as simply the final leg of a two-year set of tour-legs that have gone under the most basic of names like "2023 Tour" and "2024 World Tour" was officially re-dubbed "The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour." Compared to those equally-great 2023 and 2024 shows, the LOHAD Tour's debut show last night in Manchester, England's Co-op Live arena featured a radically altered setlist and arc for the evening. And immediately after he took the stage, welcoming his audience to the show before he and the E Street Band opened with the song after which this 2025 tour has been renamed, Bruce Springsteen made it crystal -clear that he and his band would be offering a very different kind of show indeed: "Welcome to The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour. The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock-and-roll in dangerous times. In my home, the America I love, the America I've written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration. Tonight we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism, and let freedom ring!" Below you can watch and hear the officially released compilation of Springsteen's onstage spoken statements throughout last night's show, one of the most overtly political concerts he's ever performed: We'll soon have much more to share about last night's show, as well as the rest of this unique and important tour, including more of René van Diemen 's beautiful photography. Stay tuned...

May 14, 2025 Dropping today as Tracks II: The Lost Albums ' fourth preview track: "Repo Man," from the "lost album" Somewhere North of Nashville . It's a deceptively upbeat country diatribe against the bane of vehicle-leasers and auto-loan payees everywhere, with its opening lyrical couplet cribbed directly from that of the Johnny Rivers hit "Secret Agent Man." Today's official press release gives us some more information about Somewhere North of Nashville , as well: "Recorded simultaneously with The Ghost of Tom Joad in the summer of 1995, [the album] features much of the core band at the heart of those sessions — including Danny Federici, Garry Tallent and Gary Mallaber. Adding elements like pedal steel from Marty Rifkin (later a member of The Sessions Band) and fiddle from Soozie Tyrell, Somewhere North of Nashville saw Springsteen spontaneously cutting material live in the studio with a full band, not unlike what he had done for the recording of Born In The U.S.A. a decade earlier. Fittingly, the tracklist for Somewhere North of Nashville includes two songs originally planned for that album, 'Stand On It' and 'Janey Don't You Lose Heart.'" Springsteen himself goes on to explain, "What happened was I wrote all these country songs at the same time I wrote The Ghost of Tom Joad . Those sessions completely overlap each other. I’m singing ‘Repo Man’ in the afternoon and ‘The Line’ at night. So the country record got made right along with The Ghost of Tom Joad ... 'Streets of Philadelphia' got me connected to my socially conscious or topical songwriting. So that’s where The Ghost of Tom Joad came from. But at the same time I had this country streak that was also running through those sessions and I ended up making a country record on the side." Danny Federici doesn't play on the Tracks II version of "Repo Man," but Charlie Giordano contributes a Jerry Lee Lewis-style piano part. It seems likely that Giordano's piano contribution was added more recently to the original 1995 "live in the studio" recording, but if that's not the case, and Charlie was present and participating during that original '95 session, it would mark his earliest known recording session with Springsteen, more than two years before the initial November 2, 1997 session for what became We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions . You can listen to "Repo Man" below: Click here for additional listening options and "Repo Man"/ Tracks II: The Lost Albums pre-ordering information. photo by Danny Clinch - used with permission

May 11, 2025 Regular readers of Letters To You know that I've been fortunate enough to enjoy a long personal and professional relationship with the great music writer and Springsteen biographer,  Dave Marsh . For more than four decades now, Dave has been a trusted and invaluable friend, mentor, and collaborator. One of the more surprising and delightful things to come out of our friendship are the occasional interactions that eventually occurred between Dave and my late mother, of all people. Looking back now, however, I actually shouldn't have been too surprised by any of those interactions. After all, though they were a generation apart in age, both Dave and my mom were born and raised in Michigan, they both love(d) baseball, children, Christmas, and of course the music of Bruce Springsteen, which played an important role in helping their paths to cross and connect, as it often has for so many listeners. After we first met in 1979 (at one of his book-signings for  Born To Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story , naturally,) Dave and I eventually became closer friends. Throughout the early-to-mid-1980s I would hang out with him whenever possible at various music industry events, became a contributing editor for his independent newsletter  Rock & Roll Confidential  (later renamed  Rock & Rap Confidential ) - usually writing from a musician's point of view – and occasionally spend time with him at his family's New York apartment, which was a bit like visiting the archives of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, my mom eventually got to know the name Dave Marsh very well, too. As I previously wrote in this website's big feature on Marsh and his 2023 Kick Out The Jams anthology , in 1978 - before Mom or I had even met Dave, let alone began to know him personally - I suggested that she read his Rolling Stone cover story on the Darkness... tour so that she might better understand why the music of Bruce Springsteen had become so important to me. "I think I understand now, Gregory," she said to me after reading that Rolling Stone feature. "I can see why you want to go [to Springsteen concerts] so often...The guy who wrote that is a very interesting writer. Made me feel like I was at the show." And as time went by, Mom would notice my copy of the latest Dave Marsh book or read one of my RRC pieces, and she'd begin to connect that "interesting writer" from  Rolling Stone  to her son’s new friend. Of course, it also wasn't too long before "Brucemania" kicked into full swing, with the release of  Born in the USA . Bruce was everywhere, all the time, such that even a suburban housewife in her mid-fifties, like my mom, could become a fan, especially if her son already was a huge fan who attended multiple concerts in 1984. Mom enjoyed the "Dancing in the Dark" video (Thank you, MTV - I think,) she loved the drumming on "Born in the USA" (having been a drummer herself, back in high school,) and she swooned, as so many did, over the "I’m on Fire" video. But the "Glory Days" video was where the "trouble" really began. Not only could I point out my pool-playing friend Dave's cameo in the video - playing, by the way, with all the dexterity of a journalist – but it also featured two of her life favorites: children and baseball. And let’s not forget the clean-shaven all-American singer, singing an incredibly catchy song. One night, we happened to be watching it together and suddenly I heard my mom say, "I heard he’s doing some shows at Giants Stadium. Do you think your friend Dave could get us some tickets?" Up until that point in our relationship, I'd never hit up Mr. Marsh for Bruce tickets, and I had sworn to myself that I would be the one person who never would. But I knew three unfortunate facts: the tickets already had been placed on sale, they had sold out quickly, and now tickets were available only for resale through "ticket-brokers" (legalized scalpers.) The guy I normally used only had field-level seats to sell, and I couldn't imagine my 56-year-old mother dealing with that madness. So I summoned up my courage, as well as a little bit of charm, and called Dave to ask him for four tickets in the stands. (I asked for four because I had equally fanatical friends, and I also figured I could use a buffer!) Dave was pleasantly surprised by the request and said that he thought Barbara [Carr, Dave Marsh's wife and Bruce Springsteen's longtime co-manager] would get a kick out of it. He, of course, came through and for the two extra seats, I invited my friend Michael, who is thoroughly charming and socially adept in any situation (unlike myself.) My last ask was my great friend from college, Julian, who already knew Mom. When I told Julian - a terrific recording engineer - that I had an extra ticket for Giants Stadium, he began to comment on outdoor concert sound not being up to his standards, etc. I mentioned Michael, and then told him the fourth would be my mom. "I’m in," he replied immediately. "Give me the date so I can take off work." The evening did not disappoint, even beyond the usual E Street Band greatness. Not only was Ma Drew attending her first stadium rock show, but thanks to our benefactors, we were in the VIP section. New Jersey’s own Jack Nicholson, along with Angelica Huston, were sitting a couple rows in front of us. Various other movie stars were in our section, too, and Julian’s sacrifice was rewarded with a seat next to Mariel Hemingway. Mom was thrilled by the show, loved Max’s drumming, and thought Bruce was an exceptional performer. She got a particular kick out of the sequences when Bruce would run out to the end of the extended stage wings, with the band tagging along. She referred to it as "follow the leader." I think it brought her back to her pre-marriage elementary school teacher days. After that, Mr. Springsteen had become "my Bruce." Not in some sort of psycho way, but as someone she cared about, like a familiar acquaintance or neighbor. Through the media, she followed him the best she could, and was sad when she heard about Bruce’s divorce. But when she learned of Patti and Bruce’s relationship, and that they were expecting a child together in 1990, she was thrilled. My sister had provided Mom with her first grandchild in late 1989, and we all soon realized that "Grandma" was the role she was born to play. So it’s the early summer of 1990, and I stop by Mom's house on my way home from an afternoon visiting Dave. I fill her in on the pertinent details, and the questions begin: “Did you get to see Barbara? Was she there?" I thought about my answer, figured it wasn’t a violation of national security, and answered, "No, she’s in L.A. for Patti’s baby shower." Talk about your proverbial opened can of worms. “They’re not married yet, right?," she asked. "When is he going to marry her?" (Did I mention that despite loving rock ‘n’ roll - by this point, she also had seen the Rolling Stones/Living Colour show at Shea Stadium - Mom was a bit old-fashioned when it came to kids and marriage.) In order to quickly change the subject, I indicated I would ask Dave the next time we spoke. Soon after, I spoke again with the noted Springsteen expert, and informed him of my mother's question. If you’ve ever heard Dave Marsh give one of his definitive opinions on SiriusXM satellite-radio, you can appreciate the tone of his response: "He’s not getting married again; it’s never gonna happen!" I later conveyed this response to my mom. Her reply: “Once he sees that baby, he’s gonna wanna marry Patti. I tell you, Gregory, it’s going to happen, and it will happen within a year. You tell your friend Dave," she continued, "that he’s going to be married within a year, and I’ll bet him a lunch!” I soon conveyed this wager to Dave, while warning him not to mess with my mom on things like this; she knows this stuff. He replied that he knew Bruce Springsteen, and it would be the easiest bet he ever won. The bet's deadline was set for one year from the birth of Bruce and Patti's first child. Evan Springsteen was born on July 25th, 1990; Patti and Bruce got married on June 8th, 1991... Please hold your calls; we have a winner. I would gingerly remind Dave of his loss/debt from time to time, but I must admit that I didn’t push him too hard. And the few times I did remind him, the subject would get changed fairly rapidly. Looking back, I only wish that Live From E Street Nation had been around then. It might have been fun to bring it up on the radio. On the other hand, it also might have ruined a perfectly good friendship. But I digress. 1991 turned into 1992, and soon thereafter came the announcement of another Bruce Springsteen tour. Mom saw something in the paper about a bunch of shows at the Meadowlands Arena and asked me if I thought she could trade her lunch for a couple of tickets. So yours truly, Mom's messenger boy, called Dave to relay the request. His answer was sweet and terrifying at the same time: "Only if she calls me directly and asks me herself." I set up the time, dialed the phone for Mom, got as far out of earshot as possible, and let the two crazy kids from Michigan talk one-on-one. Two tickets for opening night were arranged, with my job being Ma Drew's chauffeur/escort. Truth be told, this Springsteen show was unlike any I've ever attended before or since, and it had nothing to do with the show itself. Dave knew our seat locations and had passed the info along to our mutual friend, Thom Duffy from Billboard Magazine. Prior to the show starting, what occurred was one of the most terrifying moments of my still relatively new music industry career. With the preshow music playing loudly in the background, Dave and Thom, two of my favorite and most important professional contacts as well as friends, are meeting and talking with my mom – extensively – and thanks to the music, I can’t really make out what they’re saying! The longer it went on, the more I was filled with dread. Not your usual Springsteen concert emotion, for sure, but as it turned out, my fears were ill conceived. The three of them talked pleasantly until they dimmed the arena lights, and I was left feeling like the fourth wheel on a kid's tricycle. But I did get to see a great show, so I had that going for me. After that in-person encounter and a post-concert handwritten thank-you note to Dave, Ma Drew treated Dave Marsh like an extended family member, and he reciprocated in kind. Along the way, Dave, my mom, and I attended several Yankee games together. (Besides "my Bruce," there was also "my Jeter," as you can imagine.) Additionally, more than thirty years after that '85 Born in the USA stadium show, Mom and her three "dates" went to Giants Stadium for another Springsteen show (Mom’s fourth,) and as an extra treat, my mom finally got to meet the great Barbara Carr in person. As the years went on, my mom’s health deteriorated – a triple bypass and two broken hips will do that to you - and eventually, she had to be cared for in a nursing home. But her mind remained sharp until the day she died. One of my duties was to always tell her about my interactions with Dave, whether on the radio, or her personal favorite, helping "Santa Dave" during our annual holiday-party visits with MSKCC patients . I only wish she had stayed healthy enough to see Springsteen on Broadway . She loved going to NYC to see a Broadway show, and I know she would’ve been enthralled and thrilled to witness Bruce in that setting. I, on the other hand, became a basket case during Springsteen on Broadway . The song "The Wish" had always resonated with me for obvious reasons, including my own memory of a guitar under the Christmas tree one year. The preview performance at Monmouth University was about a year after my mom had gone in the nursing home. When Bruce started talking about his mom and began the song, I lost it - head buried in my hands, tears streaming down my cheeks, thinking about these tales I’ve just shared with you, along with so many other memories. And if you thought I would've been more prepared when I attended the Netflix filming of Springsteen on Broadway almost a year later... well, you’d be as wrong as Dave was about Bruce getting married. I was afraid my barely contained audible sobs were gonna wind up on the soundtrack. To this day, I still can’t make it through a complete listening of that song. So that’s my Mother’s Day story, dear readers. Many thanks to Bruce, Dave, and Ma Drew for their respective roles in providing all of these cherished moments. And if you’re looking for a sad song, I ain’t gonna play it.