Two American icons – Bruce Springsteen and Harley Davidson – met at an intersection called Magic, Saturday at Veteran’s Park.

Springsteen, Harley melding one for the ages
By DAVE TIANEN
dtianen@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 31, 2008

Two American icons – Bruce Springsteen and Harley Davidson – met at an intersection called Magic, Saturday at Veteran’s Park.
100971Harley 105th
Bruce Springsteen performs at Veterans Park Saturday. Springsteen's official tour ended last week in Kansas City, and the Harley-Davidson concert was a special event.
This was probably the most anticipated Milwaukee concert of the year. Extravagant expectations often unfold in moderate payoffs. On Saturday night, Bruce Springsteen lived up to every measure of his considerable legend. The display of physical stamina alone from a man who will turn 59 in slightly less than a month was astounding. Springsteen has a reputation for fitness but this was amazing. Twenty minutes in, his dark blue working shirt was soaked with sweat. By the time it was over he had been on stage for three and a half hours with out a break. And this was not a leisurely three and a half hours. This was 31 songs, many of them pounding, pedal to the metal rock and roll. After a show that would have exhausted most men half his age, wound up his regular set with a frantic “Seven Nights to Rock” and then came back for ten encores. I put my notebook away four times because I thought the show was over only to have Bruce and E Street roar back to life.

This was Springsteen running and sliding on his knees to the edge of the huge stage. This was Bruce throwing his body on top of the front rows. This was Bruce laying flat on his back and pulling himself to this feet by griping the mic stand. This was Springsteen pulling a young woman out the crowd in an echo of the long ago video to “Dancing in the Dark” dancing with her and then picking her up and carrying her in his arms across the stage.

This was Springsteen the populist hero reminding his nation of forgotten workers in “Youngstown,” or soldier’s lives needlessly squandered in “Last to Die.” This was Springsteen the renegade of the highway on “Thunder Road,” “Born to Run,” and “Racing in the Streets.” This was Springsteen the prophet of the redemptive power of music on “The Rising” and “Spirit in the Night.” This was Springsteen and E Street as the ultimate garage band on “Wooly Bully” and “Born to Be Wild.”

It was an evening richly laden with exhilarating, funny, touching, and sublime moments. These are a few of them:

Reverend Springsteen’s rock’n’roll revival introduction to “Meet Me at Mary’s Place,” exhorting his fans to meet him at the River of Love, the River of Hope, the River of Joy, the River of Life, the River of Faith.

Springsteen spent several minutes patrolling the front of the stage collecting a couple dozen fan song requests written on cardboard – and then playing a bunch of them.

During “Spirit in the Night” he once again threw himself into the crowd. When he got to the line “She kissed me just right like only a lonely angel can,” he bent over for a kiss for a young lady in the crowd. She was so obviously thrilled she looked almost dazed.

Bruce and Little Stevie trading comic ad libs on “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch).”

Springsteen dedicating “Racing in the Streets” to Harley father figure Willie G. Davidson.

This was the first tour the E. Street Band finished without keyboardist Danny Federici who died earlier this year of cancer. For the first encore, Springsteen played “Sandy,” dedicated it to Danny and brought his son Jason out to play accordion on it.

As everyone seems to understand there is a natural affinity between Springsteen and the Harley brotherhood. They share a restless love of freedom, and a devotion to the core values in American life. Saturday all those elements came together in one of the most special nights in Milwaukee concert history.

US Open Sold Out Friday to Sunday

US Open Sold Out Friday to Sunday
Thursday, August 28, 2008


US Open ticket sales are moving at a record pace. Tickets and grounds passes are sold out for all sessions from August 29 to 31. A limited number of tickets are available beginning Monday, September 1.

Fans looking for tickets for sold-out sessions are encouraged to check the US Open TIXX.COM and search for tickets from other US Open fans.

The all-time combined Opening Day attendance record of 59,154 was set this year. Total attendance of the other three days has topped 60,000, and each of the first four night sessions have been sell-outs. Total attendance for the first four days of the tournament is 239,811.

The USTA is projecting that the 2008 US Open will set the all-time attendance record, topping last year’s record of 715,587.

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2008-08-28/200808281219966021046.html

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will play the halftime show at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa on Feb. 1, 2009

Report: Springsteen to rock Super Bowl
August 12, 2008
Springsteen at the Super Bowl
By Roger Catlin on August 12, 2008 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
If you can believe the one outlet reporting it - The New York Post - then there's a good chance Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will play the halftime show at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa on Feb. 1, 2009.

www.tixx.com ha more information

Billy Elliott tickets New york call now 1-800-688-4000

• "Billy Elliot," a 2005 London musical by Elton John and Lee Hall, based on the 2000 movie about the young son of an embattled coal-mining family in the age of Thatcher who aspires to enter the Royal Ballet School. A truly English musical with grit, humor, dreams and politics.

• "South Pacific" by Rodgers and Hammerstein, the glorious, mold-breaking postwar musical in its hit Lincoln Center revival, strong in both robust comedy and lyrical romance, starring Kelli O'Hara and Brazilian opera star Paulo Szot.

• "A Tale of Two Cities," newly adapted and musicalized by Jill Santoriello. An epic musical with a company of 38 and told in the expansive style of "Les Miserables," except that this time the revolution is the big one.

• "All My Sons" by Arthur Miller, a drama of compromised ideals and family crisis, starring John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest, with Patrick Wilson as their son and Katie Holmes making her Broadway debut, directed by Simon McBurney of the famous Complicite theater.

Giants tickets and PSL

YOU don't have to be a good sportswriter to have the best readers. Mike McIntee of Sparkill, N.Y., for example, has a simple but brilliant suggestion:

It doesn't matter what the Giants New York Giants and JetsNew York Jets name their new stadium. It doesn't matter how many tens of millions per year they're paid for naming rights and it doesn't matter if the media obediently refer to the new stadium by its official new name.

All fans, especially those being priced out of ballparks after years and even generations of good times and bad patronage, should refer to the new ballpark as "PSL Stadium," or "Personal Seat License Stadium."

As teams hand loyal customers take-it-or-leave-it, prohibitive and even insane ticket bills, they should expect to suffer some slings and arrows in return. The new stadium, regardless of its official name, should be called "PSL Stadium" in a lasting and nationally-noted protest of a sports world gone money mad, a business that now regularly tells its most devoted benefactors to go to hell.

I've yet to hear from even one person who has ceased buying season's or partial season's tickets to NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL games who regrets the decision. Not one.

Consider last night's YanksNew York Yankees -Red Sox game. Had it been played here it would have been, what, one of a dozen can't-miss games for ticket subscribers? And that appeal is why it was moved to 8:05 for ESPN.

Last year the Yanks charged $150 per seat/per game for their second-best seats, a big bump. Those seats this season became $250. Next year a renewal of similar seats will cost $850 per seat/per game. And then several of those can't-miss games will be played on Sunday nights.

And the NFL, also in exchange for TV money (no matter how much cash is extorted for tickets it's never enough), similarly messes with the most attractive games played by New York teams.

Again, it doesn't matter if the Giants/Jets stadium is named Fuji Film Field, Pepsi Park or The Polo by Ralph Lauren Grounds, civil disobedience is in high order. All fans, but especially those disenfranchised after years of patronage - and even the wealthy can no longer suffer the senselessness - should call the new ballpark PSL Stadium.

Dear Giants Season Ticket Holder:

there has got to be a better way and there is ....

buy your tickets from a ticket broker ....www.tixx.com instead of investing $80k in the Giants buy your tickets from us .....here is a copy of the Giants letter to the fans

Dear Giants Season Ticket Holder:

As the Giants prepare to defend the Super Bowl championship, and with construction of a new state-of-the-art stadium and team practice facility well underway at the Meadowlands, these are exciting times for Giants fans.

The new stadium and practice facility are scheduled to open for the 2010 season and will offer Giants players, coaches and, most importantly, Giants fans the first-class facilities, services and amenities they deserve.

The stadium has been designed to provide fans with an unparalleled experience on Giants game days including: modernized food service, concessions, and restaurants; expanded team stores; tailgate zones, with improved tailgating facilities; upgraded and additional restrooms; Club seats with outstanding amenities; wider concourses; cutting-edge scoreboards that have in-stadium technology; and much more. The experience of getting to the stadium will be better too, with improved highway access, redesigned parking lots, and a new rail line serving New Jersey and New York. These improved amenities, together with the new state-of-the-art playing and training facilities, will position the Giants to attract championship-caliber players year after year.

At a cost of over $1.6 billion, the new stadium development is the largest 100 percent privately-financed stadium project in the United States. As with the other NFL cities that have recently opened new or significantly renovated stadiums, we cannot build these new facilities without the sale of "PSLs" (Personal Seat Licenses) to Giants season ticket holders. The net proceeds from the sale of the PSLs will be used to pay for the construction of the new stadium.

Once you purchase a PSL, you can control your seat for as long as the Giants continue to play in the new stadium. This means that, in addition to having the right to purchase the same season seats every year, you will also have the ability to transfer your PSL to other Giants fans, including to unrelated third parties.

We are working very hard to develop a program and process for the purchase of PSLs that will provide a broad range of choices to Giants season ticket holders. Here are a few things we can tell you now. Each seat in the new stadium will have a PSL. Over 90 percent of the upper level seats will have a $1,000 PSL. Less than 5,000 seats in the lower level will have a $20,000 PSL, which will be the most expensive PSL at the new stadium. The pricing of the PSLs for the other seats in the new stadium has not been finalized, but we hope and believe that you will be pleased with the options when we send more detailed information on the stadium’s PSL programs. You will begin receiving that information in a few weeks. The information will be sent out in stages so that our sales team can focus attention on every seat holder.

Thank you for your continued loyalty. Your ongoing support is sincerely valued, and it is the primary reason this new stadium will become a reality in 2010.

AC/DC will embark on an 18-month world tour in October, the hard rock band's first since 2000/2001, their agent said Monday.

ANAHEIM, California (Billboard) - AC/DC will embark on an 18-month world tour in October, the hard rock band's first since 2000/2001, their agent said Monday.

Rob Light, managing partner at Creative Artists Agency, made the announcement during a panel at the Intl. Assn. of Assembly Managers' conference and trade show.

Light didn't reveal further details about the trek, which will promote the Anglo-Australian band's upcoming album, a Wal-Mart exclusive. A single is expected to hit radio in August. AC/DC released its last album, "Stiff Upper Lip," in 2000, and launched a yearlong tour of 17 countries.

for tour dates go to http://www.tixx.com

In addition to AC/DC, other acts touring in the near future include Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Depeche Mode, Shakira, Green Day, Kid Rock, Usher, Robin Williams, Mylie Cyrus, Slipknot, John Mayer, Keith Urban, and Tim McGraw, according to Light.

"We have a great idea for KISS to go out and do a big arena tour," Light noted.

Reuters/Billboard

Bruce Springsteen performs best shows in 20 years !

JULY 31, EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ: IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR
Wow -- when's the last time a U.S. show went past midnight, let alone until 12:45? Granted, the final Jersey show didn't start until 9:30, thanks to a highway (specifically, the New Jersey turnpike, exit 16W) jammed up with a broken tanker truck. They delayed showtime to accomodate the horrendous traffic, finally playing to what appeared to be a fuil house (though some fans were still arriving as late as "Livin' in the Future)." In any case, kudos to Bruce and the band for delivering a thrilling, three-and-a-quarter-hour show, back up to 30 songs again, going above and beyond in terms of length and energy despite the late start -- and despite the heat! Giants Stadium was an oven last night, hot and humid, leading to what Bruce called a "Jersey baptism" in "Mary's Place," as he sponged water onto the crowd "in the name of the father, the son, and Elvis!"



Appropriately enough, for both the heat and the traffic, Bruce began the show with "Summertime Blues." That one had been the sign-collection song at the previous two Giants shows; now "Light of Day" filled that slot, with Bruce gathering requests as Max pounded out an extended intro. The signs brought some classic early material to the set, but first Bruce had his own idea: an impromptu "Pretty Flamingo," last played in this very venue on the Rising tour five years ago (and only its third performance sinde 1978). As Springsteen strummed the chords, refreshing himself and the band, he told the crowd that it was "just Patti's birthday a few days ago," and began ruminating on their history together. "I first met her when I was 20 and she was 17," he said. And then again when he was 24 and she was 21... and again when he was 35. "In the meantime," he said, "something happened to me." As he went on to talk about Clarence's upcoming wedding (just a week away!), it was clear that he meant he had gotten hitched, saying that both the Big Man and himself had been married before. "But Clarence more than me!" He added, "Clarence is getting it right this time," before summing it all up: "So I don't really believe in love at first sight." Taking the band through the Manfred Mann song, it was a magical performance all the more impressive for the fact that it was obviously unrehearsed. "Bridge!" Bruce called out, to make sure they all stayed together.



Back to those signs: "Incident" was just about to get a play, thanks to a sign requesting it "for your old, bald fans" -- "seems to be particular!" Bruce laughed -- when another sign caught his eye. "Give that one to me," he said, pointing to a placard for "Blinded By the Light." "We'll do that one now, and we'll do the other one next." (And hey, that makes for two Manfred Mann hits in the same show!) After "Blinded," though, Springsteen opted to keep the tempo quick, going into a powerhouse pack of "Cadillac Ranch," "Candy's Room," Night," and "Because the Night" -- the last of these featuring another somersaulting solo from Nils. While that forward roll may have been less of a surprise this time, Nils having done the trick before, it was no less shocking -- how the hell does he do that and keep on playing? And after the drawn-out "Mary's Place," Bruce finally made good on his earlier promise, as the strains of "Incident" filled the stadium -- "for you old, bald fans."



A high-energy encore opened with "Jungleland," Clarence shining on the solo; Steve hammed it up good on "Dancing in the Dark" as he and Bruce struck a tango pose. Steve, it should be said, has been really into it on this stand, looking like he's having a blast (and ever-considerate, handing out bottles of water to overheated fans, too). For "American Land," the E Streeters were joined by three Sessions Band players: Jeremy Chatzky on stand-up bass, Sam Bardfeld on fiddle, and Curtis King, sharing a vocal mic with Patti.



Of course, if you thought "American Land" would be the last song on this night, you haven't been paying attention. Two more songs, though? Well, that's a closing night special. First up was the long-awaited "Jersey Girl" (you knew it had to come out here, right?) played for a fancy two-part sign and dedicated to Bruce's mom. "She's here tonight," he said, "she's working the concession stand." The full-band rendition of the Tom Waits classic is always a special moment, and here it was like reliving the version from the Live/1975-'85 box set, with cheers from the crowd coming at the same places as on the '81 recording.

And finally, Bruce and the band closed out their homecoming stand with "Rosalita," one more "fairytale" to send fans home happy, well after coaches had turned into pumpkins.

Watch video from the all three nights, the first three songs from each Giants Stadium show, at NJ.com.


Next: Boston, you're my home... Gillette Stadium on Saturday night!

For the full song list, and reports from other recent performances,
see our Setlists page.