Start spreading the news: I’m leaving today!
Actually, that’s not true. I left last night, and by the time you read this, I’ll have landed at JFK and am probably in an Uber headed toward New York, New York.
You know, The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleeps. The City So Nice They Named It Twice.
I’m talking about the city immortalized by the song named after it, from the movie named after it.
“New York, New York” was originally performed by Liza Minelli in Martin Scorsese’s film by the same name. Minelli’s original version never became a hit–it peaked at only #104 upon its release in 1977–but her live performances became legendary, like this one from 1986.
Still, it took The Chairman of the Board to make a hit single out of “New York, New York.” Frank Sinatra scored his last-ever Top 40 hit with it when his studio recording peaked at #32 in 1980.
It didn’t take long for “New York, New York” to establish itself as an unofficial theme song for the city, a fact tacitly acknowledged by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band when they played New York’s Madison Square Garden on the Tunnel of Love Tour in 1988.
At the first two of a five-show stand, the E Street Band played Bruce off stage at the end of the night with a brief instrumental coda of “New York, New York.”
Okay, maybe that was too short to count as a true cover, but there was also the time that Bruce joined Sinatra himself at a tribute concert in 1995, in what may very well be Bruce’s stiffest, most awkward television appearance ever.
Okay, maybe that doesn’t really count as a cover either. I’m not even certain Bruce sings at any point during that performance. I don’t know what he was doing exactly, and I’m not sure Bruce knew either.
But none of that matters, because if you haven’t figured it out by now, this whole article is just a pretext because I’m seeing Springsteen on Broadway tonight!
I’m excited to hear any live music again after a year-and-a-half, let alone an up-close-and-personal performance by Bruce.
I’m way too excited to blog coherently, so instead of an analytical roll of the dice or a trip through rock and roll history, today you just get my fanboy babbling.
Stay tuned for my report from Re-Opening Night coming on Monday, though… pretty sure I can collect myself by then.
I think.
New York, New York
First performed: May 16, 1988 (New York City, NY)
Last performed: November 19, 1995 (Los Angeles, CA)
Very cool that you’re going to opening night! My wife Marianne and I have tickets (7th row, not quite your vantage point) for the finale, Sept. 4. We made our airline reservations last night. Exciting!!!!! Enjoy the show!!!
I’ll be there the night before you as well, Bud! (Passed on the finale in order to catch Southside at the Pony) it’ll be interesting to see if the show changes over the course of the run, like it did last time.
Have fun, I’m looking forward to your review.
OK, so this is just you pontificating that you are seeing BOB on the opening night. Good for you
Hey, I had to cover the song sooner or later!