I woke up yesterday morning to an email in my inbox from my friend Chris, telling me that Danny Federici, keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band had passed away after three years of battling melanoma.
I posted my initial thoughts here.
I sent my old boss Tony (my frequent Springsteen companion,) a text message, figuring that he had probably heard the news already from his brother, or via the net. He hadn’t, and called me up, and we had a good conversation about it.
Tony works in Dayton radio these days, and he called me again later that morning to let me know that he would be doing a tribute to Danny at noon, so that I could tune in via the web. After a great setup, the first song was pretty standard by Springsteen fan standards – a studio version of Spirit In The Night. What came next, was a live version of Springsteen staple 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) which is signature stuff from Federici. As someone on the web wrote, you knew in concert that Springsteen was about to play that song, because Danny would grab his accordion and come strolling out from behind his usual keyboard berth.
I got goosebumps as the opening notes of Sandy came over the radio. It was THAT version of Sandy that is so great. Has to be from the box set, I thought. But I hadn’t heard it in years, although it was instantly familiar. So I called Tony, and confirmed that indeed, it was from the box set. With all of the Springsteen live bootlegs to be had, I haven’t listened to the box set in years, but you see, it was THE box set that got me into Bruce.
Towards the end of 1986, I’m living in New Mexico, where everything moves just a little bit slower than the rest of the world. I hear that for Christmas time, Bruce Springsteen has a box set coming out, which was kind of a new thing at the time. Not only was Bruce ahead of the box set curve, but there was the additional added twist that the entire box set would be made up of live material that was mostly unreleased.
Now, I wasn’t the biggest Springsteen fan at the time, but I REALLY wanted this box set in the worst way. And that Christmas, my parents made sure that it was underneath the Christmas tree. And the box set was a musical awakening. I listened to the entire thing, side to side to side, over and over again. Bruce and the crew hooked me big time. It wasn’t an easy year for us that year as a family, but you would have never known that, that year at Christmas. That box set remains one of the most special Xmas gifts I’ve ever gotten, and it really opened up my mind musically
Once in Cleveland, I finally got to see Bruce in August of 1992 (at this point without the E Street Band) on the second night of a two night stand at Richfield Coliseum. I bought a replacement copy of the box set to replace my previous copy (on cassette) which was worn out by this point.
In 1999, the unthinkable happened – Springsteen reunited with the E Street Band, and I bought tickets for both nights at the Gund. Kelly, my better half at the time, said she didn’t understand why I was going to both nights. I took her to see the first night, and as we were walking out, she told me “now I understand why you’re going to see both nights.” I went to see the second night with my longtime friend Joe. That’s what I like about Springsteen shows – it’s like a family reunion of a bunch of people that you don’t know, but you’re all there for the same reason. You bring the person that loves Springsteen as much as you do, or you bring the person that should love Springsteen as much as you do.
The E Street Band were always the guys that looked like they would be cool to hang out with, have a beer with. And now after all of these years, it feels like family. And it’s always a bummer to say goodbye to a family member. Danny Federici had such an inspiring story for me personally. He’d had some addiction issues, and had gotten past them. Life was good. And then sometimes in life, the unexpected happens. And that happened with Danny.
The website for Danny’s melanoma fund is now online, with a message from Danny.
“What people take for granted on a daily basis, among so many other things, is their skin. I spent my life, like many others, catching some rays, surfing, hanging out in the sun and it never bothered me until now. Who knew that something as simple as a proper sunscreen or keeping yourself covered up on a sunny day could one day save your life? Our culture looks at a nice tan as a sign of luxury. We spend time in tanning booths when we can’t go to the beach or lay by the pool. It’s time to think again. Especially if you’re fair skinned, have freckles, or light eyes. Be aware of the dangers, take precaution, and have yourself checked out regularly by a dermatologist from head to toe. It could absolutely make the difference in your life.” – Danny Federici
Cancer has been a part of my world a couple of times in the past few years, most recently with a radio friend whose wife battled cancer very courageously for 6 years before passing away in March of 2006. She and her husband found out about the cancer two days before their wedding date in 2000. Over the next six years, they focused on doing everything to fight and beat it, and also focused on enjoying life together, to the fullest. They are two of the most amazingly beautiful and inspiring people that I’ve ever had the chance to meet. One of the things that they did in the last two years that they had together, was make plans for a foundation that would help others dealing with the same issues and hardship that they had faced. Not long after her passing, The Sabrina Black Foundation was launched.
I bring this up, because I’ll be in Detroit on the 26th for the first benefit of 2008 for the foundation, an afternoon of bowling. If you’re in the Detroit area, the benefit will run from 1pm-5pm, with a 20 dollar registration fee that covers 3 games of bowling, plus shoes if you need them. It’s all for a great cause, and
who doesn’t like bowling?
The Danny Federici Melanoma Fund
The Sabrina Black Foundation
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