Danny's the Man

Tonight, I begin the process of real change. I packed my car full of the art that lined my walls for 3.5 years, the wooden masks and tapestries, the Dalis and Picasso my father got as a gift from his crazy, independently wealthy friend who had been murdered by the maids. Carmine, my only pet, my porcelain greyhound who weighs a ton is currently strapped into the passenger seat of my Honda. I'm meeting my parents at my sister's apartment in Des Moines for Thanksgiving. They are taking my art, much of my home, back to Missouri. It's everything I'm not giving to Goodwill or selling and all that takes up half of my living room. My bed, for now, will be put in a friend's basement. I'm only keeping a little with me cause I'm moving in with my WonderTwin. For the next however many months, I will be a glorified vagrant with a car full of personal belongings. After those however many months, I stay in Minneapolis with a lot less crap or I move to NYC with a lot less crap. Less crap includes less debt. I will have options for the first time ever and, more importantly, courage.

Courage to get older.

Tonight, I read that yesterday's Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band show in Boston was to be Danny Federici's last. Fuck. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Danny Federici has been with Bruce from the very beginning. He's one of the few E Street originals. They grew up together, cosmic kids in full costume dress.



He's a backbone, an E Street brother and he's sick. It's all unofficial reporting as of yet but it's real. Danny's getting older, yes, but he's younger than Bruce. He's 57 years old. Maybe this hyper extreme but it feels very much like the beginning of the end.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are supposed to play forever. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are immortal, right? Right? This news has caused that lump in my throat, tears welling in my eyes that just might explode at any moment. I'm not stupid and I'm certainly not that naive. Immortality doesn't exist even with my Bruce Springsteen. My Bruce & the E Street Band.

When this album and tour were announced, this guy I know said "what's the big deal about Bruce and this band?" I wrote hundreds and hundreds of words about what a big fucking deal it was. This is Bruce's rock'n'roll family, his Jersey shore brothers and they will forever be a part of that explosive Magic. When I saw the final show of The Rising tour four years ago, Bruce held hands with everyone and they cried. There's so much love up on that stage and it just won't go away when the show ends. Every damn time I play a song where Danny's organ and keyboard soars, his legacy will keep on rocking.

Danny's THE Man

Thankfully, Danny's last show was a celebration, a party, a stellar set-list that had many shining moments from the Man himself. I can't wait for this bootleg and full reports from a Minnesota Bruce friend who was lucky enough to see this show. When Bruce and the Band took their bows, the audience, those thousands of fans, chanted Danny's name as Bruce hugged him goodbye. The tour will continue without Danny Federici. And in Boston, he received a joyous farewell.





And what else do you do? If you're Nils, you spend as much time as you can up on the organ riser, playing shoulder-to-shoulder. If you're Bruce, you head over to Danny during the bows at show's end and throw your arm around him, with a look on your face that says "godammit, I know we said we weren't going to talk about this tonight, but you can't stop me from doing this," and you bring him to the center of the pack, and he takes a bow of his own. And if you're the crowd, you chant "Danny! Danny! Danny!" It was as spontaneous as the "E Street Band" chant at Madison Square Garden on July 1, 2000 -- with fewer dry eyes, I imagine, both onstage and off.
~backstreets.com




An amazing video from Danny's final bow...



May this coming time bring Danny lots of love, health and peace as he steps off the stage and returns to his family and home. There's an overwhelming army of E Street Band lovers, a world of rock'n'roll fans, out there who will always cherish and rock out to Danny the Man.

EDIT: Okay...so maybe last night's post of Danny's finale was a bit hasty and dramatic. Hopefully. An official statement has been released and he has taken a leave of absence to pursue treatment for melanoma. Many healthy thoughts and prayers for a recovery are being sent your way, Danny! I'm gonna hold on to the hope that Danny the Man WILL be back!