Bad News For E Street Band Fans

[Spike-X]

Apparently keyboardist Danny Federici is having to leave the current tour for health reasons.

There's been rumours for a while now about him battling cancer. Hopefully he's able to get some treatment that will work for him. Danny's been playing with Bruce since the Steel Mill days, and it'd be a terrible blow both musically and personally to lose him for good.

Danny is being replaced on the tour by Charles Giordano, who was part of Springsteen's Sessions Band for the We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions album and tour.

[howyadoin]

Yikes. Here's hopin' for a speedy recovery.

[Spike-X]

Danny takes a bow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r65oQ-8CK9I) at his last (for now) show with the E Street Band.

He needs to get better so he can continue to give us all pleasure with his large organ!

[Spike-X]

Danny playing Sandy. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVeZFTN139Y)

[Spike-X]

Finally, an official announcement:

Danny Federici, an original member of the E Street Band, is taking a leave of absence from the current Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band tour to pursue treatment for melanoma. Charles Giordano, who played with Bruce as a member of the Sessions Band, will temporarily fill in for Danny until he is able to return. Federici has been playing keyboards with Springsteen since the late Sixties. Said Springsteen, "Danny is one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return."

Get better, Danny!

[Ben Morgan]

That sucks, I hope he gets better

[Spike-X]

There are rumours - and so far, that's all they are - that Danny will be re-joining the tour soon.

Here's hoping for the best.

[howyadoin]

There are rumours - and so far, that's all they are - that Danny will be re-joining the tour soon.

Here's hoping for the best.At the risk of sounding selfish, hopefully before March 31.

[Spike-X]

The rumours may have been a tad optimistic. There's been some rehearsals in preparation for the upcoming leg of the tour, but Danny wasn't there. Bruce was asked how Danny's doing, and the answer was "He's getting better", so at least that's something.

[Spike-X]

Danny's back!

Well, kinda...

March 20 / Indianapolis, IN / Conseco Fieldhouse

Notes:
Before opening with "Night," Bruce Springsteen introduced "the biggest little bar band in the world!" And tonight, they got bigger by one. Not Patti Scialfa back from tending the home fires, not yet... but the long-awaited return of Danny Federici. The first half of the show had its highlights: Bruce saying "Let me see that sign!" and using it to call "Prove It All Night" as an audible, the tour debut of "Rendezvous" as another request-by-sign. But when Danny emerged for "The Promised Land," it was a game-changing moment.

"We've got a special treat tonight," Springsteen told the crowd after "Livin' in the Future," "Danny Federici is with us!" Coming out for his first performance with the band since Boston in November, Danny gave Charlie Giordano a hug before reclaiming his old spot on the organ riser (Giordano subtly disappeared). Conferring with Danny after "The Promised Land," Bruce then stepped to the mic and said, "He's gonna make me go old school on you!" as Danny ripped into "Spirit in the Night." By this point, they were flying. And finally -- "We can't let him leave without doing this one!" -- it was "Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," with Danny strapping on the accordion. In a seamless transition, Charlie came back in on "Devil's Arcade," taking over for the five-pack. But in the encore, Danny was back again for the rest of the show. "We're all gonna do this one and dedicate this one to Dan," Bruce said, as they began the encore with "Backstreets." That went into a phenomenal "Kitty's Back," of course another great chance for the Phantom to shine.

[howyadoin]

"Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)"If they play that on Monday, my mind will officially be blown.

[Spike-X]

Goddammit.

"Danny and I worked together for 40 years - he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much...we grew up together."
—Bruce Springsteen

Danny Federici, for 40 years the E Street Band's organist and keyboard player, died this afternoon, April 17, 2008 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City after a three year battle with melanoma.

Just...damn.

Rest in peace, Danny. You were The Man.

[Deathstroke]

Very sorry to read this Spike-X.

[howyadoin]

RIP, Dan. You earned it.

[Serik]

Danny's Hammond B3, glockenspiel, and accordion were my favorite elements of the E Street Sound. He was just an all around great keyboardist.

RIP Phantom Dan.

Also, if anyone's interested, there's a memorial fund (http://www.thedannyfedericimelanomafund.com/) for melanoma research in his honor.

[Spike-X]

I have known Danny since he started playing at the Stone Pony back in the late 60s. He was always a crusty guy with a sarcastic sense of humor, so, of course, we got along just fine. I can recall many nights jamming on blues and rock & roll classics, then he and I, Garry, and whomever else was on stage would shift into some jazz standard or improvise on a chord progression. He was a much more advanced musician than most of us at the time, and he raised the bar for all of us. It was embarrassing to hear how good he already was and to listen to your own pitiful efforts. And, yes, for all you REAL early fans out there, Danny was the one who pushed the speaker cabinets over onto the chief of police who was behind the stage trying to cut the power on a Steel Mill concert. There were arrest warrants, so he always denied it, but I was back there and saw him get up and do it. No one was hurt, but it helped keep the show going. Good on ya, Danny. Rest easy.

The arrest warrants Southside mentions are the reason for Danny's nickname of 'Phantom'; he often had to disappear quickly during/after shows when the cops would turn up looking to arrest him.

And of course, Danny was the one who invited that long-haired Springsteen kid to join his and Vini Lopez's band in the first place.

[Spike-X]

While my Dad was going through treatment on March 19th in NY, he was visited by Bruce and later Max, who, through a lot of talking, bribing, and begging (and finally the kicker -- Becky Weinburg, who came from NJ by boat that night) to persuade him to play, he agreed to do the show in Indy. The next thing we knew, we where picked up by a limo from Sloan-Kettering, joined by my dad's wife, Maya, Dr. Chapman and Virgina Murphy and we proceeded down FDR highway to an awaiting helicopter that whisked us away to Newark airport in about 8 minutes (a good time by all, except maybe Dr. Chapman who was gripping the arm rests like a baseball bat). Before we knew it, we were in the jet with the boys. Danny was greeted with a lot of hugs and smiles, to say the least. An hour and a half later, we pulled into Conseco arena. When my father stepped on stage the crowd started chanting "Danny! Danny! Danny!". You could physically feel the "Magic" in the air (excuse the pun). My father proceeded to do what he does best - rock out! He played with such a natural ease. The feeling of the evening was electric. The visible bond between the fellas was so special to watch. Nils spent most of the night next to him, Clarence kept turning around to give him props during the night, and Bruce was so visibly happy to have him there. I couldn't stop smiling all night. After the exciting encore, he left the stage, went straight to the car, then to the plane, and was fast asleep in NY by 2am. It really was like a dream. In the morning, over coffee, we looked at each other and realized the magnitude of the night. It was a great day! My father has always been such an inspiration to me, I can only imagine what an inspiration he is to others.

The show Danny's son writes about here is what ended up being Danny's last performance with the E Street Band. Due to his illness, he was only onstage for half of the night. But damn, what a night that must have been.

[howyadoin]

The show Danny's son writes about here is what ended up being Danny's last performance with the E Street Band. Due to his illness, he was only onstage for half of the night. But damn, what a night that must have been.Glad to hear he went out that way. Playing till practically the end.