And The Big Man Joined The Band...

We were in Asbury Park on Saturday evening. The original plan had been to go down a bit early in the afternoon with our cameras, and take some shots along the ocean and the boardwalk, but as usually happens, life got in the way, and we got there just in time to buy tickets and grab decent seats for the Murder Beach Militia vs Right Coast Rollers of the Jersey Shore Roller Girls bout. While there, an announcement was made that Clarence Clemons of the E Street Band had died an hour or two earlier. Wow. Although I don't live on the Jersey Shore now, and have not for more than 30 years, I still live in Jersey, and I grew up at the shore - I spent more than 25 years living there. I'm the same age as Bruce Springsteen, and I remember him playing at the shore. I remember when he was in the Castiles, and they played at a dance at my high school. I think Clarence Clemons was one of those people that you kind of thought would go on forever. I'm more a fan of Springsteen's early stuff than I am of his music lately, but I still wonder how he's going to replace Clemons. I guess Rock and Roll heaven is going to have a pretty good band going.