Future Hazy for 'The Boss'

N E W  Y O R K, Aug. 14, 2000 -- It was the last night of Bruce Springsteen’striumphant world tour — 16 sold-out months on the road with thereunited E Street Band. The Boss and his sidekicks, teary-eyed,held hands as the Madison Square Garden crowd screamed wildly.

“We’ll be seeing you!” Springsteen proclaimed after playingtheir last song — quite appropriately, “Blood Brothers.”

But when?

Where?

How?

On a live album? A new studio album? A DVD of the Garden shows?

Who knows? When it comes to Springsteen, who ever knows?

Known for Taking His Time

“Springsteen is certainly known for taking his time, changinghis mind frequently while he’s at it, and often doing the lastthing you’d expect,” says editor Chris Phillips of Backstreetsmagazine, which chronicles all things Springsteen.

“Judging by all the song debuts toward the end of the tour,he’s certainly got some great material.”

That material includes “American Skin [41 Shots],” the AmadouDiallo-inspired song that prompted the silliest Springsteencontroversy since Ronald Reagan interpreted “Born in the USA” asa paean to patriotism.

There were other new songs, too: the nightly show-closer “Landof Hope and Dreams,” and three rockers — ”Further On Up theRoad,” “Code Of Silence” and “Another Thin Line.”

Five songs, for most artists, is the start of a new album. ForSpringsteen, it could become the start of Tracks II — afollow-up to the boxed sets of rarities and unreleased gems that heput out (to great critical acclaim) in 1998.

No Word About What’s Next

Springsteen, through his publicist, has said nothing aboutwhat’s next. The lone hint about the future emanating from thenotoriously tight-lipped Springsteen camp came courtesy of LittleSteven Van Zandt, who took questions from fans on his web site.

Question No. 1: Would you like to see the E Street Band become arecording act again?

“Yes,” Van Zandt replied.

Question No. 2: What are the chances of that happening?

“I’d take the odds,” said Van Zandt.

There were no more queries fielded about the subject, no moreclues offered. But given Springsteen’s track record in the ’90s,anything seems possible.

After breaking up the E Street Band in 1988, Springsteendisappeared until releasing two albums simultaneously in 1992 — Human Touch and Lucky Town.

He then launched a tour with a new band, leaving fans to lamentthe absence of the E Streeters. He dabbled in hip-hop music (theresult was “Streets of Philadelphia”), and began writing musicstrictly on his bass.

Toured Solo in 1995

Springsteen returned in 1995 — but as a solo act, touring smalltheaters in support of his mostly-acoustic Ghost of Tom Joadalbum.

The acclaimed tour featured Springsteen channeling the spiritsof John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie: he occasionally read an exceptfrom The Grapes of Wrath, and performed Guthrie’s “Plane Wreckat Los Gatos (Deportee).”

Mixed in was a brief reunion with the E Streeters to record foursongs included on a greatest hits package, followed by the“Tracks” collection. Fans were left wondering if Springsteen andthe band would ever get together for a larger-scale project.

Bruce & Co. emphatically answered the question with their tourof Europe and North America, selling out virtually every stop alongthe way.

The North American leg of the tour began with an unprecedented15 shows at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, and closed with 10sold-out nights in Madison Square Garden.

On July 1, after playing the tour-closing set, Springsteendelivered his cryptic comment about the future.

Getting the Band Back Together

During the Garden shows, director Jonathan Demme — a Springsteenpal — reportedly filmed some shows for possible release.Springsteen, obviously aware of the filming, uncharacteristicallyasked the audience to keep the noise down during the slow songs.

But getting the band back together again is not as simple as itwas in days when everybody was a Jersey guy.

Drummer Max Weinberg has a regular job as band leader for ConanO’Brien, while bassist Garry Tallent is a respected Nashvillerecord producer. Guitarist Steven Van Zandt has become an actor onthe hit HBO series The Sopranos.

Guitarist Nils Lofgren and sax man Clarence Clemons have theirsolo careers. There are wives and kids and commitments that oncewere not once a problem.

Will they be able to join Springsteen in the studio? WillSpringsteen instead put out a live album?

“Who knows?” asked Backstreets’ Phillips. “It’s a wait andsee game at this point, and we’re taking everything we hear with agrain of salt.”