Bruce and the first show of the Wrecking Ball Tour (from the perspective of Jake Clemons)
It takes almost a motorcade of cars to transport everyone from the hotel to the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, where our first show on Bruce’s Wrecking Ball Tour will be held. For Bruce, Patti, Steve, and the rest of the gang, this isn’t anything new. It’s just another show in the illustrious career of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band.
But for me, this show has a whole new meaning. It’s the first show where I will be taking the place of my Uncle Clarence Clemons. Uncle Clarence died just last year and this will be Bruce’s first show without the “Big Man” by his side. I didn’t sleep at all last night. I kept playing Born to Run over and over in my head, hoping that I wouldn’t mess up the iconic solo.
I hop into a black Cadillac Escalade towards the back of the row of cars. The more established musicians slowly crawl into the cars in the front. You can tell that they are excited to start this long journey of a tour. Stevie can barely hid his own excitement.
“The boys are back,” Steve keeps shouting as he gets in his car.
For the majority of the 15 minute car ride I think about Uncle Clarence and all he taught me. I’m hoping he will be watching down on me tonight, and I hope I’ll make him proud.
As we roll up to the arena and as I get out of my car, Bruce makes his way over to me.
“You’re one hell of a saxophonist,” Bruce starts off, “I wouldn’t have you as part of my band if I didn’t think you’d bring the house down every single night.
Tears come to my eyes as I try to formulate a response.
“Bruce,” I say choking back tears, “the opportunity you’re giving me with this tour and this band, I can’t even begin…”
“Jake,” Bruce interrupts me before I can finish, “let’s go play the best damn show hot’lanta’s ever seen.
Before we make our way to the stage Bruce calls everyone in the band together. It’s clear who is in charge. It’s Bruce, then the original members of the E Street Band, then the veterans who have been on multiple tours, and then the new guys like me. While those guys are clearly in charge, the vibe is that we are all one band. Bruce has invited us to be part of something special. I’m ready to get this started, but Bruce continues to talk.
“Clarence,” Bruce mumbles as if he was in the room, “I miss ya buddy, I know you are listening to me tonight. This one’s for you.”
As I hear the shouts of the crowd members screaming in the background, Bruce looks to us and nods, telling us its time to head out.
“Bruuuuuuuuce! Bruuuuuuuuuuuuce!”
Bruce brushes his head towards the stage, silently telling everyone to walk on stage before him. All of a sudden he’s quiet and alone in his thoughts. The genius at work.
Soozie is the first one to step up onto the stage. The crowd goes crazy. Max right behind her, and Steve right behind him. Finally its my turn. I reach the top step and push my sax up into the air. It’s showtime.
Finally Bruce reaches the top step, and the crowd goes crazy. The smile on Bruce’s face is one of a kind. You can tell how excited he is to be back on the stage.
“1,2,1,2,3,” Bruce shouts right as we lead in with the rousing song We Take Care of Our Own.” As soon as the first note comes off of my lips and into the sax, I feel comfortable. I feel like I’ve prepared for this my entire life.
The show goes through faster than any show I’ve ever played in my entire life. Finally it’s time for Born to Run. I can tell some fans are skeptical at how I’ll play the solo. But when it comes time I play as loud as I possibly can, electrifying the crowd. As soon as my last note is played, the tears come back into my eyes. I can’t believe I played that solo and not Uncle Clarence.
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out is the last song of the show. Midway through the song there is a tribute to Clarence. The entire arena gave a standing ovation and I could tell there weren’t just tears in Bruce’s eyes, but tears in many of the audience members. Clarence meant so much to everyone and his presence was certainly missed at this show, as well as any other shows that will be played in the future. He was a part of growing up for a lot of these fans. His booming solos were what made Bruce and the E Street band different. I hope to be able to continue the legacy that he started.
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