RIP, Clarence Clemons

Made it to 69. As a rock 'n' roller that ain't half bad.

RIP

 

Thank you Lady Gaga for introducing Clarence to a new generation of music fans.

And if anyone doubted Clarence's popularity among Bruce fans, just check this clip out from when he came out as a guest in '93...

 

Man, five marriages. Why women think they're going to tame these road warriors, I'll never know. Anyhoo, R.I.P. to a big part of the Bruce mystique. And it looked a bit weird in the first part of the 1980s for him to be Mr. Buff.

 

Jungleland was always the essential Springsteen song that did the least for me. Not claiming I'm right, just a preference.

I was at the show in Philly where they played Born to Run. That night's Jungleland was transcendent. I'll be able to hear that sax part for the rest of my life.

RIP

 

Roy has been the most essential member, Nils the most talented, Gary the rock and Stevie the only one who could call bullshit on Bruce, but Clarence WAS the E Street Band.

Nothing has ever made me smile as much as the Badlands solo (except for his brief lyrics in 10th Ave). The Thunder Road solo showed a belief in the song which Bruce long ago abandoned. He bawled like a baby during You're Missing and was inconsolable during Blood Brothers during the Reunion and Rising Tours.

The Big Man.

 

Bruce and Clarence are the only two people you couldn't take out of that band and still pass it off as anything close to the E Street Band.

 

Very well said, Webster. RIP to an original who was a towering presence in one of rock's greatest bands.

 

RIP Clarence.

 

I was lucky enough to get Bruce to take my Jungleland sign, tell a cool story and play it during his 2009 tour. Best moment of my life next to the birth of my daughter.

 

Obviously, your wife doesn't visit here.

 

RIP Big Man.

 

I always regretted not seeing Sinatra live, even though he was well into his 70s by the time I got into his music. His shows, even on disc, had an electricity to them. He knew how to put on a show.

But, after tonight, I have a bigger, deeper regret. That's not seeing Springsteen and the E Street Band live. Clarence Clemons was always my favorite member of the band, and I enjoyed his work as much if not more than Springsteen's vocals. Without him a Springsteen concert could never, ever, be the same.