IS BRUCE OK?
On doctor’s orders, Bruce Springsteen, with just hours to go before the first show, abruptly postponed concerts in Philadelphia scheduled for Wednesday and tonight. His camp tweeted the following at 2:16 p.m. Wednesday.
“Due to Bruce Springsteen having been taken ill, his concerts with The E Street Band at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on August 16 and 18 have been postponed. We are working on rescheduling the dates so please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the rescheduled shows.”
Bruce fan Mike McIntyre was driving to the stadium when he heard the news over WMMR. “The day started wonderfully,” he tells The Jersey Sound. “My wife, Karin, and I, left the house around 2:30. We knew Pierre Robert would be playing some live Bruce from previous shows in Philly. In fact, we had just got done singing along to “Thunder Road” when Pierre came on with breaking news. At first, we thought we had lost another one of our musician idols, but no. You could hear the disappointment in his voice.
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“We tried canceling our hotel room, which we normally don’t book living only an hour north, but if you’ve ever been to a Bruce show, it’s a good idea to make a night of it and get a room. The hotel would not accommodate us. So we decided to just head to the stadium, tailgate, and commiserate with other fans. But, upon arrival, the lots had been cleared except for some stragglers. We met a 20something who had been there since 8:00 a.m. waiting in line to enter the Pit and get as close as possible.
“We wound up going to a restaurant we love on Penn’s Landing, Moshulu, where a duo was doing Bruce covers. We met a couple who had flown from London for the show, plus lots of first- timers. I’m glad we did because it put it into perspective that our loss was not so bad.
“Now what? The shows are postponed not cancelled. They’ll need the stadium for at least four days to get the two shows in but with our beloved Phillies playing through October (bet on it), that’s no small feat. I guess even The Boss has to call in sick sometimes. We hope he’s ok and we’re ready to rock whenever. I’m sure the shows will be extra special.”
We thank Mike McIntyre for his first-hand account. He’s been going to rock’n’roll shows for more years than I’m sure he cares to admit. Bruce’s next show is Thursday in the Boston area. There’s a whole bunch of New Englanders right now with their fingers crossed.