Bruce Springsteen delighted fans with the recent announcement that he was resurrecting his “Springsteen on Broadway” show throughout the summer, and The Boss had more to say about it when he called into his SiriusXM radion channel on Thursday, June 10.
Speaking with SiriusXM hosts Dave Marsh and Jim Rotolo, Springsteen explained his decision to resurrect “Springsteen On Broadway”, which kicks off on June 26 and will run through Sept. 4, explaining he was asked to help reopen Broadway, but was initially unsure because he’s in the midst of putting together a 2022 tour with the E-Street Band.
“[Manager] Jon [Landau] mentioned it to me, I knew we were going to tour with the band next year, so I said, ‘Maybe I’ll take the time off,’” Springsteen said.
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“I had a friend who got so enthusiastic about it to me that he talked me into it sitting on my couch one night,” he added. “The next day I said, ‘Okay, we’ll do some shows.’ It really came around kind of casually.”
Added Springsteen: “It will be just nice to be back there again, lend a hand,”
Rotolo asked if Springsteen has started rehearsing, and if the show will remain the same as it was during the original run.
“I have a script. I haven’t looked at it and I haven’t done any rehearsing,” Springsteen said with a laugh.
“The truth is, I didn’t much rehearse it the first time. My recollection was we played a few dress rehearsals and I played it once here down at Monmouth College, but that was all I did,” he said.
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“It’s not something you can really stand there and talk to yourself in the afternoon. I am not going to tell myself those same stories. Part of it is there is an element of spontaneity, even if the script is relatively fixed,” he explained.
“I got it set up for Monday, I am going to start re-freshening up the script and going through it again and see if I am going to make any changes, some small changes or not. It’s pretty much going to be the same show that it was because I think it’s what people expect and that is what I have,” he added.
“There will be some small things, but I don’t think too much,” he continued. “It lasted for 236 shows pretty much the way it was. It had gotten a little longer which means I probably added things. I would like to tighten it up a little bit, if anything. I would like to get it a little closer to the way it was when I initially debuted it on Broadway than what was towards the end a little bit. Really just tighten it up a little bit. I’d like to do that.”
Springsteen also shared his thoughts on returning to performing live.
“I am looking forward to being in front of an audience,” he admitted. “I’m just looking forward to standing in front of an audience and seeing them there. It’s going to be quite a thing. I’m actually glad to be working.”
Of course, Springsteen hasn’t been entirely idol during the pandemic, revealing he worked on separate projects with John Mellencamp and The Killers’ Brandon Flowers.
“I worked on three songs on John’s album and I spent some time in Indiana with him,” said Springsteen. “I love John a lot. He’s a great songwriter and I have become very close and had a lot of fun with him. I sang a little bit on his record.”
