Wow, what a show last Sat. with Matt Ryan’s Bruce in the USA. It was everything I remembered from two years ago and then some. I just spoke with Matt who is back hom in Las Vegas after another leg of their tour (three weeks out and one week home). I asked him about former sax man Keith (who I reported as a member in my last column).
    “Dave’s (McLaurin) our main guy. Keith lives in China now with his own show, singing, playing, doing well and happy. Another guy, Henry Alexander, sometimes fills in on sax  and is visually right there. David has played with people like Aretha Franklin and Flash. He’s a heavy duty player who knows all the cats from the E Street Band. When he plays a song, he owns it. And he’s a great guy to travel with, too.” Those of you who were at the show know that’s true; when he played “Jungleland” and dedicated it to Clarence Clemons, we were all choking back the tears.
    It’s been a very busy year on the road for Bruce in the USA and Matt is excited about 2012 as it’s gonna be doubly crazy. “I love livin’ the life of a Carney. All the crazy travel makes the performance even sweeter. We’re pretty excited about what’s goin’ on,” says Matt. “A huge part of our schedule is now performance arts centers. Every now and then we bump into a small venue, sort of a party gig. It’s not the size of the room, it’s the quality of the sound and the room of people we’re playing for. We’re really appreciative that Fager’s had us there and we’re booked back for the summer, possibly two nights.”
    I asked Matt how they keep it fresh for themselves doing the same shows.
    “We have so many songs and different set lists; the only songs we repeat are what I call the backbone songs such as “Born to Run,” “Born in the USA” and “Glory Days.” I’ve found the songs just don’t get old,” he continued. “You know, some songs just get inside you - it’s the incredibly honest and relevant lyrics. The stories are special - timeless. And the music just does not get old. Take for example “Factory;” it’s an important tune and story in its simplist form. It paints a moody picture of a factory worker’s life. I know it sounds cliché, but in a nutshell, that song alone defines the whole deal. The more you dig into the library [of Springsteen music] the more you realize that the whole thing is a journey. We meet a lot of people who say ‘this music healed me,’ ‘gave me answers.’ I now have a much deeper connection to the library - I totally get it. Springsteen’s method of telling the story usually ends with the third verse almost always an answer, a wrap-up of the subject.” It’s obvious that over time, Ryan has developed an even greater respect for the music than when he began playing it in the “Legends” Las Vegas show.
     “This is such a great challenging experience for me that I’ve made it a big part of my life,” he continues. “It’s given me more laughter, more good times than any other show I’ve been involved in. I’m touring with an amazing group of people. I make friends that I don’t have to say goodbye to because I’ll be back. It’s so much fun; can’t imagine life without it.”
    “In the seven years that I’ve been on the road with this music, I’m seeing the nostalgia; the memories in our audiences that are deep-rooted. They are really moved emotionally by these songs. I love that. I wouldn’t have got it in my 20s but I get it now,” Matt continued. “It’s like a social study; I see that society cares more about the memories being delivered by the music than the original people who did them. At the end of the day, people don’t care about going to see a Meatloaf or a Steve Perry who would probably just make us feel old; it’s the experience of the music we’re looking for and that’s why tribute bands are so popular now. We embrace the music.”
    Back to the subject of different set lists for different venues, Matt says they have special songs that play well to different cities; even countries. “We played Norway’s Spectrum and a show in Belgium right after  that; “Lonesome Day” was like an anthem  and  “Queen of the Supermarket” was in the Top 10 of all time there. So again, the music speaks to different people in different ways.”
    We look forward to having them here again next summer and celebrate our mutual love of the music that never gets old. In closing Matt said, “Hopefully we’ll keep our health and keep doing what we’re doing. We love it!”
    One of Springsteen’s original players, drummer Vini ‘Mad Dog’ Lopez, is coming to town Sat., Nov. 12, playing with his band License To Chill at the Steer Inn Tavern. In our phone conversation Vini was quick to tell me that Vince Berardi is the lead man on guitar & vocals, but both he and Jeff Gray, on bass, sing as well; and the vocals are killer. License to Chill, as the name would imply, is all about hangin’ out for a good time, keepin’ their audiences on the dance floor with long sets and lots of great music. When I asked what kind of music, he said they’re all over the place with Rolling Stones, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Big & Rich, Bill Joel and even some Bruce Springsteen. Of course, then, we started talkin’ about the ‘good ol’ days.” I had to ask him if he was with Bruce at a little club in the college town of Bryn Mawyr, Pa., called Main Point, as that was the only time I saw the band live, probably early ‘73.
    “Oh, yeah,” he says, “we loved that place. We even played for free sometimes, just trying to keep it open. Our friends, Aztec Two Step, were also regulars there.” Another favorite of mine (early ‘70s) who played a few times at the old Mellow Beach. “That early band was me, Garry Tallent on bass, Danny Federici on guitar, Clarence Clemons, sax, and Bruce. We opened for a lot of top names, including Cheech & Chong and they were never too happy with us ‘cause we just blew the audience away.” That same year, Springsteen relented his anti-capitalist stand, and signed with Columbia Records and the E Street Band recorded their debut album, aptly named Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. During this time Lopez received his sobriquet of Mad Dog from well known producer Clive Davis. In ‘73 they recorded their second album, The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle. Vini left in ‘74 but has played with Bruce several times over the years: Giants Stadium during The Rising Tour in 2003; and most recently in 2009 at the Wachovia Spectrum, Phil. Lopez went on to say that just last year, Rolling Stones magazine voted that band from 1972 as the Best Live Performing Band of All Time! The Rolling Stones was second. Of course, we all know that a Springsteen concert is still pure magic.
    Lopez has drummed for many bands since then such as The Lord Gunner Group which was the house band at The Stone Pony. In 2004 Lopez brought back some early music from the Steel Mill band (with Springsteen) and called his band Steel Mill Retro. A lot of history in between, which you can find in a complete biography on the web, led to his current band, License To Chill. Vini invites us all to come to the show and meet the fifth member of the band, Tippy the Banana - their tip jar. Tippy has his own page on facebook, so look him up. With that sense of humor, and seasoned muicians, this band promises to be a must see.
    I’ve more than used up my space. You know this weekend is all about the great Halloween parties everywhere and you’ll want to look for our next issue full of costume pictures on Fri., Nov. 18. ‘Til then, party safe!