Is it worth it to make a pilgrimage to see Bruce in NJ this summer?

[thistrain9900]

Ok, I've never seen Bruce in NJ and am wondering if its worth it to make a pilgrimage to see him at Giants Stadium at the end of July. I'd like to visit Asbury Park and Freehold and see places like the Boardwalk, the Stone Pony, etc. Plus it would be great to see a few more shows this tour, even if it is in a football stadium. The key is getting good tickets, which is the same whether its an arena or stadium show.

My question is this: is it worth the expense and effort? I've heard many negative things about seeing Bruce in Jersey, primarily from the crowds and their behavior. I've been told they're drunk, obnoxous, possessive, and spoiled. Is this true, or just a stereotype of some people's bad experiences? Do people just yell 'Rosalita' all night? It can't be that bad, can it?

Thanks for any input.

[BrlDsguise]

Come on down - it's not as bad as we make it sound sometimes. I went to 9 of 10 of the Giants Stadiums shows on the Rising tour and for the most part it was a great experience. If you want to make a vacation out of it and have the hotel $$ my advice would be to stay in NYC and take a bus to Giant Stadium which is just across the river, and then day trip to AP or Freehold by bus or train. We stayed at the Sheraton midtown for the Labor Day weekend shows in 2003 and walked to the Port Authority Bus Terminal to go to the shows.

If you decide to do it let me know, I can make some hotel suggestions.

Wayne

[AMIW]

the bad thing about GS this year is the absence of parking due to the construction of the new american football stadium.

you might want to wait for the Philly shows to be announced you can still visit A.P from there

regards

andrew.d.wicks

[tomwilson]

to get a real flavor of the Jersey Shore make sure you visit 10 ave Belmar Boardwalk and walk south to wards Spring lake ...the sights ...( people watching is amazing ) and its a real boardwalk with out the the commerical feel that you can find in other towns like point and seaside heights... its just 3 miles south of Asbury park ..and yes its the same boardwalk so you could walk or in early morning ride a bike ... no bikes on the boardwalk after 10am ... that alone is a reason to visit and see for yourself watch Bruce has been writing about all these years... as bury has been a dead town since the 70's ...no one goes there except tourist looking for Bruce and a few die hards ...plenty of easy parking in AP you can get a good idea of the jersey shore at this site http://www.belmardays.com (http://www.belmardays.com)


as far as seeing shows at Giants stadium its a scene its jersey ... and yes you should do it while you can ... you never know how long we will have this amazing band around

[BronxDarren]

I wouldn't make a pilgrimage ONLY to go to the NJ shore and see Bruce related sights, but as a focus of a vacation where you also go to NYC and Philly, it would be a lot of fun. seeing Bruce at Giants Stadium might be fun, but the crowd pretty much sucks, so do it just to do it, and not cause it'll be any better than any other show.
have fun!

[downsdway]

I made the journey for the Christmas shows in 2003, only saw one show due to the snow but my friend and I trekked all over AP and it was a blast to see many of the places Bruce's as written about over the years. We planned on a day in The City but again the snow shut us out, summer could only be better.

In a word - GO!!

[Flory Days]

My question is this: is it worth the expense and effort?

Thanks for any input.
In a word, YES.

[HeldUp]

I made the journey in April of '86. Cold, blustery day on the Boardwalk, but worth every minute. I still have my "Greetings from Asbury Park" postcards with an Asbury Park postmark from the post office. Due to my tight summer schedule, I hope I can make the Philly show this summer. My only chance.

[Flory Days]

I wouldn't make a pilgrimage ONLY to go to the NJ shore and see Bruce related sights, but as a focus of a vacation where you also go to NYC and Philly, it would be a lot of fun. seeing Bruce at Giants Stadium might be fun, but the crowd pretty much sucks, so do it just to do it, and not cause it'll be any better than any other show.
have fun!As a midwesterner, I have to disagree. The shows are better, the setlists more varied, and seeing that these will be the first "home-base" shows since Danny's passing; I suspect they will be emotional. Granted, an MSG crowd is much better than a Giants Stadium crowd, but that has more to do with the venue. Maybe Philly or other east coast venues would be better, if those shows happen. But compared to a typical midwestern city, there is nothing like the energy and the passion for Bruce in NYC. I could not have seen Giants Stadium #9 and #10 from the Rising Tour anywhere else. I suspect these 3 shows will be similiar.

Even if the sound does suck. :)

[ohio boss]

The way i look at it is if people are looking for the Jersey Shore to be like Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head, then a vacation/Bruce thing might not be to your liking. For me though, going to the shore/boardwalk/Stone Pony etc.. is part of the whole flavor and Bruce experience. I grew up in a gritty steel town so i wasn't looking for paradise but authenticity.I feel if you can suck that vibe in, it really helps you understand the entire music scene there and in turn, where Bruce's roots are. Jersey people being rude at shows..i say so what. It's their back yard and if you want to play, ya gotta play it their way.

I have never not enjoyed myself there whether it was a Bruce show, Light of Day, Grushecky show or whatever....it is great in my opinion. And i honestly can say, that one of my greatest Bruce shows was in the "big stadium." Rain, thunder, and lightning after an insane day of partying in the parking lot in East Rutherford. Amazing experience indeed....plus it didn't hurt for him to open up with Who'll Stop The Rain. I say do it while you have the chance.

[thistrain9900]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm thinking that a pilgrimage to NJ to see Bruce would be very memorable. I've never seen him on the East Coast and I could catch 3 shows in 5 days, which will be hard to beat.

[janey164]

I travelled over in 1999 from the UK to see Bruce in NJ....................and it was the most thrilling life changing experience.
It was a dream to see Bruce in his home state and it did not dissapoint...
have since travelled many time since to see Bruce all over the USA.......and that NJ show and the Christmas shows will stay with me forever...

go for it ....you only live once

Janey

[SistahMarilyn]

I have seen Bruce in Jersey at CAA, Giants Stadium and Asbury. If I had to rate them, it would be Asbury, GS then CAA. There is something to be said for seeing Bruce in Jersey. The crowd in the parking lot of Giants Stadium may be as much fun as the show.

However, if you can wait for them to be announced, the Philly shows will be worth the wait. After seeing Bruce for years here and there across the country, I now NEVER miss a Philly show. Nothing like it anywhere. The entire crowd (or at least 80-90%) are there for the show and they have a great time. Imagine the crowd in the stadium at Lincoln Financial Field singing along to ALL of the songs, even the more obscure ones. And he pulls out the really special stuff there too. I saw 2 of the 3 shows last time he played at LFF. Kicked myself for missing that 3rd night. Pretty Flamingo, I'm Going Down and Bruce howling at the moon during Ramrod. Arrrrgh!

And a day trip from Philly to Asbury is very, very doable.

Just my 2cents,
SistahMarilyn

[TheyCameToBosto]

Yup, there's nothing like seeing Bruce 'at home'!
Sorta like the difference when seeing the Dead in SF or the Mighty Bosstones or Dropkick Murphys in Boston!

[BruceNut]

If you`re going expecting to hear a great sounding show,the odds are against you. As its outside.
But if you are going for a all around, mid-summer, NJ party in the swamps, then GO. The GS shows are 70% parking lot party, 30 % show. We`re already planning the 3 nights tailgating chores. The best times I ever had were at the GS tailgates in 03.

[Richard Tafoya]

I'm still thinking about possibly Boston. Saw my first show of the reunion tour at the old FleetCenter. Great crowd, awesome town.

Besides, the wife's never been there and I've got some friends scattered around to catch up with.

[flap]

I did the pilgrimage back in 99 for the last two shows at MSG.

I met some wonderful people and we took a trip out to Asbury.

I had a nice time although it was too short of a trip to really enjoy anything.

Would I do it again?
Never say never, but I would take atleast two weeks off instead of a long weekend like the last time.

[Laura in NJ]

to get a real flavor of the Jersey Shore make sure you visit 10 ave Belmar Boardwalk and walk south to wards Spring lake ...you can get a good idea of the jersey shore at this site http://www.belmardays.com (http://www.belmardays.com)



...you can also walk down E Street for your very self. The band is named after E Street in Belmar. A Street is closest to the beach, then B Street, then C Street, etc. etc.

See my next post for more info on your not-to-be-missed tour of Springsteen's New Jersey. Ohio Boss is 100% right...you may not get paradise on the seashore, but authenticity? You don't get more authentic than Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Laura in NJ

[Laura in NJ]

Giants Stadium is certainly located in the "swamps of Jersey"...it doesn't get more swampy except maybe for the bogs in the Matawan/Lawrence Harbor area.

Anyway, I am touched by all this talk about making the "pilgrimage" to NJ! My home state...who knew it was so desirable :-)

So, if you visit this website (http://www.hudsonreporter.com/site/index.cfm?BRD=1291&PAG=461&dept_id=523584&newsid=16711623&rfi=8), there is an entire itinerary of must-do Bruce site visits. And...if there is a ticket to one of the GS shows in the mix, I would be PLEASED to be your tour guide. I am not kidding. PM me if interested. I have lived in NJ nearly my entire life, so I know where to go and how to get there. You won't waste any time with a native as your guide.

Here's the list. Unfortunately, I have to post it in several parts due to the 4000-character restriction set by the site admin. So, here goes Part 1. Enjoy!!

06/01/2006
Bruce Springsteen's New Jersey:
'The Boss' takes you on a tour of his home state
By:Christopher Zinsli


For a man whose name is practically synonymous with New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen sure did write a lot of songs about getting out of here.

He howled a defiant goodbye in the climactic lines of "Thunder Road."

He bade farewell to the shore music scene that nurtured his early career in "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)."

Heck, Bruce is even said to have admitted that his most enduring hit - 1975's "Born to Run" - is "about leaving New Jersey."

Still, Bruce always praises "the great state of New Jersey" during shows across the country. He regularly picks Garden State venues for key stops on his tours. And, perhaps most tellingly, he still lives here.

Bruce seems to have genuine affection for his home state, and his home state has an undeniable affection for Bruce - or "Bruuuuce!" as some of us call him.
For the casual fan and the truly Bruce-obsessed, New Jersey provides endless opportunities to get a little bit closer to the man known as "The Boss" - where he grew up, where he hung out, where he played, and the places he sang about.

Please note that many of the sites mentioned in this story are located on private property, so discretion should be used when visiting them.

Freehold
www.freeholdcenter.com
"Son, take a good look around; this is your hometown" - from "My Hometown"

Bruce has expressed conflicting emotions about his hometown of Freehold. He described his evolving feelings while introducing his song "My Hometown" to a New Jersey audience in 1985: "For a long time, I got to travel; I went out on the road. And I was sure I'd never miss [Freehold]," he said. "Then I got a little older and I'd start coming back... No matter where I went, for some reason, I always came back home." Bruce seems to have made his peace with Freehold, and Freehold returns the favor with a subtle acknowledgment: The sign on the way out of town reads "Thank You for Visiting Our Hometown!"

Childhood homes

87 Randolph St.
39 1/2 Institute St.
68 South St.

Bruce's first home on Randolph Street was demolished years ago to make room for a parking lot; his third home still stands on South Street. But it's his second home on Institute Street that's really worth a visit. That tree next to the house is the one Bruce is seen leaning against on the Born in the U.S.A. lyrics page.

St. Rose of Lima School
91 Lincoln Place
"Well, I got a good Catholic education here in Freehold" - from "Freehold"
In 1996, Bruce returned to his elementary school to perform a benefit concert that was only open to Freehold residents. At the concert, he debuted "Freehold," an irreverent take on his childhood and his hometown.

[Laura in NJ]

Freehold High School
2 Robertsville Road
"I broke all the rules, strafed my old high school, never once gave thought to landing" - from "Growin' Up"
By his own accounts, Bruce was an outcast in high school. This past April, he was among the first group inducted into the school's new Hall of Fame. In a letter accepting the honor, Bruce offered some advice to his former teachers and administrators: "Keep your eyes on the ones that don't fit in," he wrote. "You never know where they're going." While Bruce himself was not able to make the ceremony, his mother attended.

Site of The Left Foot
39 Throckmorton St., (732) 780-1089
In September 1967, Bruce performed with his earliest band, the Castiles, at the grand opening of a teen center called The Left Foot; it was the very first recording of a live Springsteen performance. "I just knew that the Castiles were a quality band, and I would like to maybe just get them down on tape," said Father Fred Coleman, who set up the reel-to-reel tape deck that captured that early performance, to NPR in 2004. The Left Foot was only open for seven months; today, it's a food pantry called Open Door.

Main Street
"Now Main Street's whitewashed windows and vacant stores / Seems like there ain't nobody wants to come down here no more" - from "My Hometown"
Thanks to the efforts of local business groups to renew interest in Main Street, things have improved greatly in the more than 20 years since Bruce sang about the town's historic business district. "It's metamorphosed," says Jayne Carr, executive director of the Freehold Center Partnership. "Everybody cares. Everybody's invested."

Federici's
14 E. Main St., (732) 462-1312, www.federicis.com
Reportedly one of Bruce's favorite eateries. (Note from Laura: I'm told it's Danny's dad's place.)

Site of the Karagheusian Rug Mill
Jackson and Center streets
"They're closing down the textile mill across the railroad tracks" - from "My Hometown"
Bruce's father worked at the Karagheusian Rug Mill for a time when Bruce was young. The mill employed 1,700 workers at its peak in the 1930s and closed in the early 1960s. It's now a condominium development named Rug Mill Towers.

Vinyard Park
Jackson and Center streets
"Marion and Tex Vinyard... They opened up their home to a bunch of rock and roll misfits and let us make a lot of noise and practice all night long." - Bruce, at his 1999 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acceptance speech
Site of the former home of Tex Vinyard, Springsteen's first manager when he was in the Castiles, and his wife Marion. Bruce spoke at the park's dedication in 2002.

Freehold Fire Department
49 W. Main St.
Lucky visitors might catch a glimpse of the yellow fire truck - its side emblazoned with the words "Born to Run" - that Bruce donated to the Fire Department in 1991.

Columbia Triumphant Park
East Main Street
Bruce helped sponsor the return of a long-missing statue to this park by purchasing a fundraiser brick. Town officials have joked that they put extra cement around Bruce's brick, to discourage zealous Bruce fans from adding it to their memorabilia collection.

Elks Point Veterans Memorial
Broadway and East Main Street
Bruce has described how driving past this memorial to Freehold's fallen soldiers when he was a child would come to inspire in part Born in the U.S.A.

[Laura in NJ]

New Jersey Turnpike

"Man, there's an opera out on the Turnpike" - from "Jungleland"
"New Jersey Turnpike ridin' on a wet night 'neath the refinery's glow" - from "State Trooper"
"This Turnpike sure is spooky at night when you're all alone / Gotta hit the gas, baby. I'm running late, this New Jersey in the mornin' like a lunar landscape" - from "Open All Night"

No roadway is invoked in Bruce's songs more often than the New Jersey Turnpike, one of the busiest roads in the country. In "Open All Night" and "State Trooper," Bruce describes a largely industrial area near Exit 13, which is, indeed, lit at night "like a lunar landscape" by "the refinery's glow."

Highway 9
"Sprung from cages out on Highway 9 / Chrome wheeled, fuel injected / And steppin' out over the line" - from "Born to Run"
This fabled highway runs through New Jersey north to south, parallel to the shore, and through Bruce's hometown of Freehold.

Asbury Park
www.cityofasburypark.com (http://www.cityofasburypark.com)
"Sandy, the aurora's rising behind us, the pier lights our carnival life forever" - from "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)"
As the crucible in which Bruce's early sound was forged, Asbury Park is a must-visit for any true fan. Once a world-renowned resort town, Asbury Park had fallen into decline by the time Bruce showed up in the late 1960s. But the city maintained a vibrant music scene, and Bruce and his friends traveled "the circuit" along Kingsley Street and Ocean Avenue each night, playing clubs and walking the Boardwalk. The city was immortalized in Bruce's debut album, 1973's Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. and later in the mournful song "My City of Ruins." So important to his career was Asbury Park - which Bruce now calls his "adopted hometown" - that to this day Bruce helps push the city's revitalization efforts in part by plugging local businesses at concerts.

The Stone Pony
913 Ocean Ave., (732) 502-0600, www.stoneponyonline.com (http://www.stoneponyonline.com)
Perhaps the most famous club in all of rock and roll, The Stone Pony is "as close to a rock and roll museum as there is in Asbury Park," according to Upstage magazine. Among the rock and roll memorabilia on the Pony's walls is a guitar signed by the Boss himself. Bruce has performed at the Pony more times than at any other venue, and yet not once has he ever been on the bill; he's known to make frequent surprise appearances, showing up to jam with whoever happens to be playing. Bruce is so associated with this club that many assume he got his start there. In fact, he had already cut two albums by the time the Pony opened in 1974.

Site of The Upstage
702 Cookman Ave.
"We used to play there all night long, go home, tape up the windows, sleep all day, come back and play all night." - Bruce, at a 1989 Asbury Park show
Taking up the second and third floors of this address, The Upstage was the place for local musicians to jam in the early 1970s. Robert Santelli of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has said that "The Upstage was really the birth of the whole Asbury Park scene, the whole idea that the Jersey Shore had something to say musically."

Site of Palace Amusements
Kingsley Street, between Lake and Cookman avenues, www.palaceamusements.com (http://www.palaceamusements.com)
"Beyond the Palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard" - from "Born to Run"
Demolished amid the howls of protestors in May 2004, Palace Amusements was widely known for its iconic "funny face" painting, affectionately nicknamed Tillie. (A replica of Tillie can be seen at the Wonder Bar, located at Ocean and Fifth avenues.) In the 1980s, the Palace was briefly home to the Asbury Park Rock 'n Roll Museum. Plus, local lore has it that the "giant Exxon sign" that Bruce sings about in "Jungleland" was once located across the street from the Palace.

[Laura in NJ]

The Casino
Southern end of the Boardwalk
"And the boys from the Casino dance with their shirts open like Latin lovers along the shore" - from "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)"
The Casino was once one of Asbury Park's most famous attractions; today it sits abandoned at one end of the Boardwalk. As the Casino's main structure deteriorates, a promenade has been transformed into a makeshift museum displaying enlarged postcard images of Asbury Park's "glory days." Bruce also shot part of the video for 1997's "Tunnel of Love" here. (Note from Laura: much of the building has recently been demolished, but thankfully, the carousel building and the arcade have both been saved and are currently under renovations. To view them, see this video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ljplTRkEQs)shot by my friend Mike Black.)

1703 Webb St.
Bruce lived here when he wrote many of the songs that appeared on his first album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.

Convention Hall and Paramount Theatre
Ocean Avenue between Fifth and Sunset, (732) 988-9660, www.asburyparkconventionhall.com (http://www.asburyparkconventionhall.com)
In recent years, Bruce and the band have used Convention Hall and the more intimate Paramount - combined, the two venues can seat up to 4,600 - to warm up for their world tours, often inviting in local fans to hear the rehearsals and make requests. This was the case this past March, to prepare for his current Seeger Sessions tour.

Madam Marie
Boardwalk at Fourth Avenue
"Did you hear the cops finally busted Madam Marie for tellin' fortunes better than they do" - from "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" Note from Laura: here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/giospx/1367959360/) is a picture of Madam Marie's.


The Bruce Springsteen Special Collection
Asbury Park Public Library, 500 First Ave., (732) 774-4221, www.asburyparklibrary.org/Bruce (http://www.asburyparklibrary.org/Bruce)
"The collection has more stuff [on myself and the band] than every place except my mother's basement." - Bruce, at a 2001 Asbury Park concert
Believed to be the world's most extensive collection of publications on Bruce's life and career, the Bruce Springsteen Special Collection contains over 4,000 pieces of Bruceiana, each numbered and carefully stored by the "Friends of the Collection" in an enormous subterranean steel cage. (Obviously, these folks take their job seriously.) Oddities in the collection include books from Finland, Portugal and Argentina, and fanzines from Japan, Hungary and the Netherlands. No wonder it's been said that the special collection is "where to go for your PhD in Bruce Springsteenology." Visitors must make an appointment to view items from the collection.

E Street and 10th Avenue
Belmar

"Sparks fly on E Street when the boy prophets walk it handsome and hot" - from "The E Street Shuffle"
"I'm gonna sit back right easy and laugh / When Scooter and the Big Man bust this city in half / With a Tenth Avenue freeze-out" - from "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"

Bruce's longtime fellow musicians, the E Street Band, used to rehearse on E Street at the house of former band member David Sancious. The song "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" ostensibly describes how the E Street Band came together; "Big Man" is supposedly sax player Clarence Clemons, while "Scooter" is said to be Bruce himself. It's not clear whether this is the Tenth Avenue that Bruce sings about, but plenty of Bruce fans snap photos here regardless.

Atlantic City
"Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty / And meet me tonight in Atlantic City" - from "Atlantic City"
Bruce once told an audience at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall that the city was where he saw his first rock and roll show - a performance by Chubby Checker at Steel Pier amusement park. Bruce's very first music video, for "Atlantic City," was shot on location here.

[Laura in NJ]

Maxwell's
1039 Washington St., Hoboken, (201) 653-1703, www.maxwellsnj.com (http://www.maxwellsnj.com)
A popular venue for local and national musicians, Maxwell's earned some of its glory back in 1985, when Bruce chose the bar and restaurant for filming the performance scenes of his "Glory Days" video.

The Meadowlands
East Rutherford, www.meadowlands.com (http://www.meadowlands.com)
"My machine she's a dud, I'm stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey" - from "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"
Bruce is the top-selling artist ever to perform at the Meadowlands Complex, which includes the Continental Airlines Arena and Giants Stadium. Formerly the Meadowlands Arena, the well-known Continental Airlines Arena (note from Laura: now it's called "IZOD Center." Whatever...) opened its doors in July 1981 with six sold-out shows by Bruce. Later, Bruce held a record 15-night, sold-out run during his 1999 reunion tour with the E Street Band. In the summer of 2003, Bruce and the E Street Band held an incredible run of 10 sold-out shows at Giants Stadium. It was the longest stadium run of all time, by any performer, and it helped make Giants Stadium the top-grossing stadium worldwide that year.

PNC Bank Arts Center
Holmdel, (732) 203-2500, www.pncbankartscenter.com (http://www.livenation.com/venue/getVenue/venueId/298)
Bruce will play the popular PNC Bank Arts Center - which can accommodate some 17,000 visitors - for the first time on June 24 and 25, as part of his current Seeger Sessions tour. Also in Holmdel, Bruce worked out material for several albums in a home studio located in a converted barn on property he owned at 89 Telegraph Hill Road. (Note from Laura: if you've lived here for ten years or more, it will always be known as "the Arts Center." We don't buy into that naming-rights cr@p here in Jersey!)

'Greasy Lake'

Lake Shenandoah in Lakewood
Lake Carasaljo in Lakewood
Lake Topanemus in Freehold

"Well, Billy slammed on his coaster brakes and said anybody wanna go on up to Greasy Lake" - from "Spirit in the Night"
The true location of Greasy Lake is a topic of much speculation among Bruce fans, who clutch to Bruce's lyrical hint that it's "about a mile down on the dark side of Route 88." While Greasy Lake is certainly part fact and part fiction, the three lakes listed above have emerged as the most likely suspects as the inspiration for the song.

Monmouth Medical Center
300 Second Ave., Long Branch
On Sept. 23, 1949, Bruce Frederick Springsteen was born in this hospital, then named Monmouth Memorial Hospital. In 1974, Bruce returned to Long Branch to write many of the tracks on Born to Run while reportedly living at 7 1/2 West End Court.

Site of Mr. Music
Brick Mall Shopping Center, Brick
Bruce cut his very first record, a two-song outing with the Castiles, at Mr. Music in 1966.

Hammonton
Bellevue and Central avenues
During the 1984 election race, President Ronald Reagan invoked Bruce's name at a campaign stop in Hammonton. "America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts," Reagan said. "It rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young Americans admire, New Jersey's Bruce Springsteen." Reagan had already been using Bruce's newly released "Born in the U.S.A." as his campaign theme. But all of that came to a halt when Bruce heard about it and asked the Reagan campaign to stop.

[Laura in NJ]

Count Basie Theatre
99 Monmouth St., Red Bank, (732) 842-9000, www.countbasietheatre.org (http://www.countbasietheatre.org)
Formerly the Carlton Theatre, and later the Monmouth Arts Center, Count Basie Theatre has been called "the most beautiful theatre in the state." Bruce has performed at numerous benefit shows here alongside other New Jersey musicians such as Bon Jovi. (Note from Laura: Got a grand? That's how much a pair of tix to Bruce's upcoming show on May 7, will run ya.)

State Theatre
15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, (732) 246-SHOW, www.statetheatrenj.org (http://www.statetheatrenj.org)
Bruce chose the State Theatre to kick off his 1995 tour for The Ghost of Tom Joad.

Sovereign Bank Arena
81 Hamilton Ave. at Route 129, Trenton, (888) SBA-TIXX, www.sovereignbankarena.com (http://www.sovereignbankarena.com)
Bruce closed out his Devils and Dust tour with two shows at Sovereign Bank Arena in November 2005. (Note from Laura: I was there for show #2...the whole family came out and played the last two songs...kids, cousins, & all.)

Site of Capitol Theatre
316 Monroe St., Passaic
Bruce performed three shows at this 3,200-seat venue on his 1978 Darkness tour. Bruce fan-site GreasyLake.org calls the shows "one of Bruce's most famous stands." The first show was captured on a popular bootleg, Piece de Resistance. The theater, which was built in 1926, closed in 1986 and was later demolished.

Site of Ford assembly plant
Off Route 17, Mahwah
"Well they closed down the auto plant in Mahwah late that month" - from "Johnny 99"
The Mahwah Assembly Plant, which opened in 1955 and was a major employer in the region, closed in 1980. The site is now occupied in part by a Sheraton Crossroads Hotel.

Linden
"Tonight down here in Linden Town I watch the cars rushin' by home from the mill" - from "Mansion on the Hill"
An industrial town in North Jersey on the Turnpike.

Highway 1
"Looked at my tank it was reading low / Pulled in a Exxon station out on Highway One" - from "Held Up Without a Gun"
Like Highway 9, a popular north-south route through New Jersey. (Note from Laura: Here in NJ, we call any highway "Route X," whether it's an interstate, a state highway, or a county road. We don't distinguish, because truthfully, we don't have time to care. It's Route 9, Route 1, Route 287, Route 35, Route 617. Just a little Jerseyism for yas. :-)

Ocean County College
College Drive, Toms River, (732) 255-0400, www.ocean.edu (http://www.ocean.edu)
Bruce briefly attended this college from 1968 to 1969, performing at the school several times with one of his early bands, Earth. He contributed a poem to the school's literary yearbook, Seascapes. In November 1968, college officials agreed to bus ticket-holding students to see Earth perform at Manhattan's Diplomat Hotel Ballroom; it was by far the largest crowd Bruce had played at that point in his career.

Fairview
"Now I hear she's got a house up in Fairview / And a style she's trying to maintain" - from "Darkness on the Edge of Town"
Town in northeastern New Jersey.

Bradley Beach home
205 Fifth Ave., Bradley Beach
Bruce wrote "4th of July, Independence Day (Sandy)" while living in the rear apartment at this address, according to the book Rock and Roll Tour of the Jersey Shore.

Rumson Holy Cross Church
30 Ward Ave., Rumson, www.holycrossrumson.org (http://www.holycrossrumson.org)
"Trees on fire with the first fall's frost / Long black line in front of Holy Cross" - from "The Fuse"
Bruce wrote this song while living in a "19th century farmhouse" in Rumson, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

And there's your tour! PM me with questions or comments.

Laura in NJ

[thistrain9900]

Great! Thank you Laura for the list of things to see and places to go on a Bruce pilgrimage to NJ. I think its high time I make the journey, if only to see the Boardwalk, Madam Marie, and catch the shows at Giants Stadium.

Tom