Un E Street Band différent pour la tournée européenne :
Citation:
Bruce Springsteen kicks off European tour
Confirming recent online rumors, E Street Band organist Danny Federici has announced that he is battling cancer and will not be joining Bruce Springsteen on his current European tour, through a press release.
The full statement reads:
"Danny Federici, an original member of the E Street Band, is taking a leave of absence from the current Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band tour to pursue treatment for melanoma. Charles Giordano, who played with Bruce as a member of the Sessions Band, will temporarily fill in for Danny until he is able to return. Federici has been playing keyboards with Springsteen since the late Sixties.
"Springsteen said, 'Danny is one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return.'
"Federici has been actively supporting the Melanoma Research Foundation and its Wings of Hope Gala, honoring Dr. Paul Chapman."
Speculation on Springsteen fan message boards reached a fever pitch after the band's Monday night show in Boston (November 19th), the final night of the U.S. leg of the tour, during which Federici was unusually spotlighted on several numbers throughout the show.
During the concert, members of the E Street Band paid particular attention to him, playing alongside him on his organ riser, and again spotlighting him during their curtain calls.
Federici has been playing with Springsteen since 1969, longer than any other musician in the E Street Band, including in such pre-fame bands as Child, Steel Mill, the Bruce Springsteen Band, and Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom.
Federici's organ work was spotlighted on Springsteen's first Top Ten hit, 1980's "Hungry Heart."
Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their European tour on November 25th in Madrid. According to online fan reports, Springsteen did not mention Federici's absence. Springsteen's wife Patti Scialfa was also not present at the show, but is expected to join the band during the current leg.
Patti Scialfa says that despite the majority of E Street Band members being the same, no two tours are alike : "Every tour is different. Every tour has a different emotional core at its center that is like a thread that keeps its identity throughout the whole tour. Even though every show is different. Every show is always very different. The crowd is very different, But there's always and emotional center to every tour that remains the same."
Last night's show was similar to many of the recent U.S. concerts and featured two rarities, "Tunnel Of Love," and only the fifth performance of "I'll Work For Your Love" from Springsteen's recent Magic album. Springsteen hinted at an additional European leg when he yelled out, "See you in the summer!"
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform tonight (November 26th) in Bilbao, Spain. The band will be on tour in Europe through the end of next month.
They kick off their next U.S. leg on February 28th in Hartford, Connecticut at the Hartford Civic Center Coliseum. There has been no word whether Federici will be on board for the upcoming U.S. dates.