Rocker at 60 still seeing 'Glory Days'
Bruce Springsteen turns 60 today, but it seems his glory days are far from over.
After playing Monday at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, Springsteen led his fans in a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" before bursting into his classic song of wild youth, "Thunder Road." Despite being a sexagenarian, Springsteen is busier than he has ever been in his entire 35-year career.
And it doesn't look like he'll be stopping any time soon.
The troubadour from New Jersey rocked the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., at this year's Super Bowl, wowing the world with his wild moves, his classic songs and that stage presence that has made the singer-songwriter a worldwide cult phenomenon.
He made the cover of Rolling Stone for the 14th time in his career and sang at the Lincoln Memorial for then-Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. He also won a Golden Globe award for Best Original Song for the award-winning film "The Wrestler."
And, of course, he appeared on the cover of a magazine targeting people older than 50.
"Seeing him on the cover of AARP magazine ... I just couldn't believe it," said Chris Phillips, the editor and publisher of Backstreets magazine, a quarterly devoted to Springsteen. "Still, he just looks so damn good. And he's still out there, doing it. He defies that old rock maxim, 'I hope I die before I get old.'"
The Boss will take a quick hiatus before heading out to Giants Stadium at the end of the month for a five-night stint in his home state of New Jersey.
Not all rockers can rock the way they used to.
In August, 61-year-old Steven Tyler of Aerosmith took a spill on stage and ended up breaking his shoulder and needing stitches in his head.
In 1992, Rolling Stone Bill Wyman called it a wrap and quit the band, claiming he was tired of the touring life.
Kiss's Paul Stanley still rocks out on tour, but only thanks to two hip replacements.
Phil Collins says that because of injuries to his spine, he can no longer play the drums.
Even Poison's Bret Michaels couldn't escape the Tony Awards unscathed, when he was hit by a piece of scenery and needed stitches.
The Evolution of Bruce Springsteen
And the members of Springsteen's band, the E-Street Band, are feeling their age, too. Guitarist Nils Lofgren, 58, has undergone two hip replacements. Saxophonist Clarence Clemons, 67, has had surgery on his knees and hips.
"Is the E-Street Band better than ever? I'm not sure that's true," Phillips said. "They've been a gang for so long, since they were kids on the Jersey Shore."
The themes in Springsteen's music have evolved, too, from the inspirations of his hometown, on his first album, "Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ," to the complexities of the heart on "Tunnel of Love," to coping with loss on a national scale on "The Rising," released shortly after 9/11, to his latest album, "Working on a Dream," in which the Boss contemplates his own mortality.
"I'm not worried now about who I am," Springsteen told Rolling Stone writer David Fricke back in February. "We are perched at a place where we want to continue on -- with excellence. That's our goal. All the rest of the stuff -- we're going to figure it out."
Bruce Springsteen turns 60 today, but it seems his glory days are far from over.
After playing Monday at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, Springsteen led his fans in a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" before bursting into his classic song of wild youth, "Thunder Road." Despite being a sexagenarian, Springsteen is busier than he has ever been in his entire 35-year career.
And it doesn't look like he'll be stopping any time soon.
The troubadour from New Jersey rocked the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., at this year's Super Bowl, wowing the world with his wild moves, his classic songs and that stage presence that has made the singer-songwriter a worldwide cult phenomenon.
He made the cover of Rolling Stone for the 14th time in his career and sang at the Lincoln Memorial for then-Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. He also won a Golden Globe award for Best Original Song for the award-winning film "The Wrestler."
And, of course, he appeared on the cover of a magazine targeting people older than 50.
"Seeing him on the cover of AARP magazine ... I just couldn't believe it," said Chris Phillips, the editor and publisher of Backstreets magazine, a quarterly devoted to Springsteen. "Still, he just looks so damn good. And he's still out there, doing it. He defies that old rock maxim, 'I hope I die before I get old.'"
The Boss will take a quick hiatus before heading out to Giants Stadium at the end of the month for a five-night stint in his home state of New Jersey.
Not all rockers can rock the way they used to.
In August, 61-year-old Steven Tyler of Aerosmith took a spill on stage and ended up breaking his shoulder and needing stitches in his head.
In 1992, Rolling Stone Bill Wyman called it a wrap and quit the band, claiming he was tired of the touring life.
Kiss's Paul Stanley still rocks out on tour, but only thanks to two hip replacements.
Phil Collins says that because of injuries to his spine, he can no longer play the drums.
Even Poison's Bret Michaels couldn't escape the Tony Awards unscathed, when he was hit by a piece of scenery and needed stitches.
The Evolution of Bruce Springsteen
And the members of Springsteen's band, the E-Street Band, are feeling their age, too. Guitarist Nils Lofgren, 58, has undergone two hip replacements. Saxophonist Clarence Clemons, 67, has had surgery on his knees and hips.
"Is the E-Street Band better than ever? I'm not sure that's true," Phillips said. "They've been a gang for so long, since they were kids on the Jersey Shore."
The themes in Springsteen's music have evolved, too, from the inspirations of his hometown, on his first album, "Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ," to the complexities of the heart on "Tunnel of Love," to coping with loss on a national scale on "The Rising," released shortly after 9/11, to his latest album, "Working on a Dream," in which the Boss contemplates his own mortality.
"I'm not worried now about who I am," Springsteen told Rolling Stone writer David Fricke back in February. "We are perched at a place where we want to continue on -- with excellence. That's our goal. All the rest of the stuff -- we're going to figure it out."
