My Photographic Journey with Bruce Springsteen

I was introduced to Bruce Springsteen’s music when I walked into my dorm room at UMass/Amherst sometime in the spring of 1975. I was a freshman and my roommate, Kick Fallon, was playing the Born To Run LP over and over. Finally after the third or fourth spin I asked him “Who the hell is this guy”? I was a bit annoyed but also intrigued…such a different and poetic form of rock that I wasn’t used to. So I listened to BTR about a hundred times more, then we got ahold of Greetings and Wild and the Innocent. Rosalita and Jungleland pretty much changed my life and I was hooked – as it turns out, for life. At the same time, my friends and I were really getting into Southside and music. We went to see him with the Asbury Jukes at a little joint on campus and the Jersey shore sound became ours in western Mass. So much so, that we often took “Bruce breaks” during midterms and finals to take a break from studying and cram into someone’s room and listen to a side of an album, then spend the rest of the night discussing…sometimes we actually got back to studying…!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Darkness came out I had already transferred to a college in California, but spent the summer of ’78 back east with my friends listening to that album so much that we wore out more than one copy and a few turntable needles.

I started sneaking a camera into concerts and got some great shots from the last row of the Springfield, MA Civic Center in September 1978. One of them looks like Bruce is looking right at me! I’ve shot many shows over the years – both personally and professionally. One of my favorites was during the River tour when I was working for the L.A. Sports Arena as their official photographer. Usually the band allows press and house photographers to shoot the first two or three songs and then we are escorted out. For that show I was allowed to roam around the arena and shoot the entire show! It was absolutely awesome – so much so, that I was down to my last roll of film (yes, film!) as he started the encore…what an experience! I recently told Bruce’s current photographer Jo Lopez I would gladly switch jobs with him for a couple of weeks just to shoot an entire show again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been to 62 Bruceshows dating back to 1978, all over the world. I was lucky to shoot all four shows at Staples Center in October 1999 when Bruce was the arena’s opening act and my first gig as it’s Director of Photography.

Can’t wait for the next tour!

Andrew D. Bernstein  December 22, 2014
San Marino, California

 

[Email]  Andy@BernsteinAssociatesInc.com
[Web] http://www.andrewdbernstein.com/
[Social] @ADBPhotoInc | /ADBPhotoInc

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