This morning’s press release from Sirius Radio:
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO TO LAUNCH “E STREET RADIO” – WORLD’S FIRST 24/7 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN MUSIC CHANNELNEW YORK – October 25, 2005 – SIRIUS Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) will break new ground and delight fans of Bruce Springsteen across the U.S. when it launches E Street Radio, its exclusive new commercial-free channel devoted to the music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, on Tuesday, November 1.
E Street Radio on SIRIUS coincides with the 30th anniversary of the release of Springsteen’s album Born To Run, which is being remastered and reissued for release on Columbia Records on November 15.
In addition to rarities such as recordings of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band dating from early 1973, E Street Radio will feature track-by-track album discussions, behind-the-scenes insights, and conversations with E Street Band members and others associated with Springsteen throughout his career.
E Street Radio will also feature an exclusive SIRIUS interview with Bruce Springsteen conducted by Dave Marsh, the author of two books on Springsteen and host of the weekly SIRIUS program Kick Out The Jams With Dave Marsh.
“E Street Radio will offer SIRIUS subscribers a unique perspective on 30 years of socially conscious music, and set the background for even more relevant songs to come in the future,” said Scott Greenstein, SIRIUS President of Entertainment and Sports. “It will be the most comprehensive presentation ever of Bruce’ s music and a true inside look at the work and artistry of an American icon.”
E Street Radio is due to run on SIRIUS through January 31, 2006.
I think saying this will “delight fans” is an understatement. Fortunately, our Sirius unit is a portable one that we use most often in the home. In addition, Sirius subscribers can also stream the service over their PCs.
My two questions are: why stop on January 31 and when is an E Street anniversary tour going to be announced?
Finally, if you haven’t seen it, Amazon has some streaming video of Bruce and the band playing “Born to Run” at the Odeon concert included on a DVD in the anniversary set. This has already appeared in a comment but here’s what Glenn Gamboa of Newsday had to say about it:
What is most striking about the performance is that it comes at the point where Springsteen has learned that the song is powerful in concert, but hasn’t fully figured out how to maximize its potential. He doesn’t hold the dramatic pauses as long as he does soon after that tour. He hasn’t worked out the phrasing on “Will you walk with me out on the wire” just yet. He undersells the line, “I wanna die with you Wendy on the streets tonight in an everlasting kiss.” He oversells the end, understandably carried away by the emotional rollercoaster he has created.Because this video (as well as the rest of the concert) hasn’t been widely seen before, it’s an amazing chance to compare and contrast, an unusual way to watch the birth and growth of a rock classic. And, oh yeah, it’s stirring enough to rally an army of tramps-like-us all over again.
And tonight’s gonna be everything that I said
And when I walk through that door
I’m just gonna throw that money on the bed
She’ll see this time I wasn’t just talking
Then I’m gonna go out walking
“Meeting Across the River,” Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run
