{"id":18393,"date":"1988-02-25T11:00:00","date_gmt":"1988-02-25T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/?p=18393"},"modified":"2026-02-07T19:12:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T03:12:13","slug":"matr-michael-strollo-and-bruce-springsteen-could-die-young-tonight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1988\/02\/25\/matr-michael-strollo-and-bruce-springsteen-could-die-young-tonight\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Die Young Tonight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the early 2000s, Michael Strollo made a local name for himself as the lead singer of Exit 105, a terrific Jersey Shore-based rock band. (Where else would a band with that name be from?)<\/p>\n<p>Strollo went solo in 2008 and released his first album,\u00a0<em>Bedroom Eyes,\u00a0<\/em>in 2010. Among the standout songs on that album is a sad, beautiful ballad called &#8220;Could Die Young Tonight.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SYn3Jp8Gqbc?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Although Exit 105 had already once shared a stage with Bruce (at Joe Grushecky&#8217;s 2004 Flood Aid concert in Pittsburgh), Strollo probably never imagined he&#8217;d have the opportunity to do so again as a singer-songwriter. And given the circumstances that led to it, he certainly wouldn&#8217;t have wished for it.<\/p>\n<p>In early 2012, Bruce&#8217;s long-time personal trainer died suddenly at the age of 40, and on the night of February 25th, Tony Strollo&#8217;s friends and family turned out at the Press Room in Asbury Park to celebrate his too-short life. Bruce was one of Tony&#8217;s friends in attendance, and Michael was part of the family.<\/p>\n<p>To celebrate his brother, Michael performed &#8220;Could Die Young Tonight,&#8221; and Bruce joined him on stage to support him on acoustic guitar.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s their poignant, one-time-only performance of &#8220;Could Die Young Tonight.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/d9Lw3sUj-Q8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p><strong>Could Die Young Tonight<br \/>\nFirst performed:<\/strong> February 25, 2012 (Asbury Park, NJ)<br \/>\n<strong>Last performed:<\/strong> February 25, 2012 (Asbury Park, NJ)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 June 1, 2020<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One time only: Bruce joins Michael Strollo on &#8220;Could Die Young Tonight&#8221; to pay tribute to Michael&#8217;s recently departed brother (and Bruce&#8217;s friend), Tony.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,3609,5],"tags":[2767,1943,2200],"class_list":["post-18393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover-me","category-little-help","category-meeting-across-the-river","tag-could-die-young-tonight","tag-exit-105","tag-michael-strollo"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/dieyoung.jpg?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9w3Lk-4MF","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19804,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1988\/07\/09\/matr-bruce-springsteen-neil-young-and-exit-105-all-along-the-watchtower\/","url_meta":{"origin":18393,"position":0},"title":"All Along the Watchtower","author":"Ken","date":"July 9, 1988","format":false,"excerpt":"First with Neil Young, then with Exit 105, Bruce turns in covers of Bob Dylan's classic that are epic in both length and intensity.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover Me","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/cover-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/admin-ajax-18.jpg?fit=1200%2C1194&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/admin-ajax-18.jpg?fit=1200%2C1194&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/admin-ajax-18.jpg?fit=1200%2C1194&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/admin-ajax-18.jpg?fit=1200%2C1194&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/admin-ajax-18.jpg?fit=1200%2C1194&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62661,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/02\/kingdom-of-days-december-2-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":18393,"position":1},"title":"Kingdom of Days: December 2","author":"Ken","date":"December 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"On this date: Bruce teams up with Joe Grushecky, Robert Gordon, Dion, and Marah. Plus: the earliest recorded \"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town,\" and more.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Kingdom of Days&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kingdom of Days","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/kingdom-of-days\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/19801202_2_front.jpg?fit=1077%2C941&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/19801202_2_front.jpg?fit=1077%2C941&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/19801202_2_front.jpg?fit=1077%2C941&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/19801202_2_front.jpg?fit=1077%2C941&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/19801202_2_front.jpg?fit=1077%2C941&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16062,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1988\/07\/05\/matr-billy-joel-bruce-springsteen-and-the-e-street-band-only-the-good-die-young\/","url_meta":{"origin":18393,"position":2},"title":"Only the Good Die Young","author":"Ken","date":"July 5, 1988","format":false,"excerpt":"One time only: Bruce joins Billy Joel on stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert for Billy's Top 40 hit, \"Only the Good Die Young.\"","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover Me","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/cover-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/admin-ajax-17.jpg?fit=1190%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/admin-ajax-17.jpg?fit=1190%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/admin-ajax-17.jpg?fit=1190%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/admin-ajax-17.jpg?fit=1190%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/admin-ajax-17.jpg?fit=1190%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15190,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2019\/12\/29\/roll-of-the-dice-the-ballad\/","url_meta":{"origin":18393,"position":3},"title":"Roll of the Dice: The Ballad","author":"Ken","date":"December 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Nicknamed \"Castaway\" by bootleggers, \"The Ballad\" features a gorgeous Darkness-era E Street Band performance. If only we could get a reliable translation of those lyrics...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Roll of the Dice&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Roll of the Dice","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/roll-of-the-dice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/wilson_volleyball_castaway_front.jpg?fit=1001%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/wilson_volleyball_castaway_front.jpg?fit=1001%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/wilson_volleyball_castaway_front.jpg?fit=1001%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/wilson_volleyball_castaway_front.jpg?fit=1001%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61048,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/05\/kingdom-of-days-october-5-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":18393,"position":4},"title":"Kingdom of Days: October 5","author":"Ken","date":"October 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"On this date: Bruce releases Tunnel of Love, his eighth studio album. Plus: Bruce performs on SNL (and winds up in the doghouse during rehearsals), an epic Neil Young guest appearance, and much more.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Kingdom of Days&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kingdom of Days","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/kingdom-of-days\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tunnel-of-love.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tunnel-of-love.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tunnel-of-love.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tunnel-of-love.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tunnel-of-love.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35520,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/13\/cover-me-stick-to-the-plan-rosalita-come-out-tonight\/","url_meta":{"origin":18393,"position":5},"title":"Cover Me, Stick to the Plan!: Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)","author":"Ken","date":"June 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Ettore Cardamellis returns with a new cover combo. Will he win top Cover Me honors again this year?","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover Me","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/cover-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/sticktoplan.jpg?fit=1200%2C507&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/sticktoplan.jpg?fit=1200%2C507&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/sticktoplan.jpg?fit=1200%2C507&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/sticktoplan.jpg?fit=1200%2C507&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/sticktoplan.jpg?fit=1200%2C507&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18393"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66286,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18393\/revisions\/66286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}