Last Sunday I heard on the news that Clarence Clemons had suffered a major stroke.I didn’t hear anything else about the Big Man after that.I hoped for the best although I also braced myself for a worst-case scenario where he would either die or suffer brain damage so severe that his music career would be over.Last night my husband happened to have CNN on television when we got the news that he had died.
As someone who has seen Clarence Clemons perform live in concert several times since 1984, I can definitely say that Bruce Springsteen’s concerts will never be the same.While Springsteen was able to find a suitable replacement for Danny Federici when the melanoma that ultimately killed him became too overwhelming for him to continue touring, finding anyone to fill Clarence Clemons’ shoes will be way harder.The Big Man was not only instrumental on many of Springsteen’s recordings, he was a major part of the concerts as well.To give you an idea, here’s a live performance of "Born to Run" from 1982.
Here’s another live performance (this one is from 1988) of Clarence Clemons performing with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.The song is "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" and not only does it include a scortching sax solo from Clemons but the lyrics feature a slightly fictionalized story of how The Boss and The Big Man met for the first time.
Usually when a key member of the band dies, the band generally has to make two very difficult choices.One is to disband, which is what Led Zeppelin and Nirvana did when respective members John Bonham and Kurt Cobain died.Both bands felt that they could never find a replacement who could adequately fill the shoes of the deceased member because that member had been considered so indispensible to the band’s identity and music.
Two is to find a replacement and continue on.However, that one has its own risks.Sometimes the replacement works out really well, such as the case of AC/DC when they hired a new lead singer soon after the death of their original lead singer, Bon Scott.Their fans accepted it and AC/DC has since gone on to a long lasting and successful career.
Sometimes it doesn’t work out so well.The Who replaced its drummer when Keith Moon died but there were longtime fans who complained about how the new drummer paled in comparison with Moon.When John Entwistle died, the band hired a replacement for him as well.The Who now only has two original band members left and the last CD they released got mixed reviews.I remember when they did the Super Bowl Halftime Show a couple of years ago and, as I watched them struggle to do a medley of their greatest hits on television, I felt that the band had become a shadow of its former self.(I saw The Who in concert only once in 1982 and they were way better at that concert than they were at the Super Bowl.)
I think Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band should not even think about making a decision about the band’s future for at least six months.The members need time to grieve their loss and think things over before they come to a decision.Whatever they decide, I hope the fans will understand and respect their choice.
I could write further about Clarence Clemons and how big an influence he was on the music scene but I found a tribute to the Big Man that was put out by the Springsteen fan magazine Backstreets.com that is so heartfelt and deeply emotional that I could never top it.I highly recommend that you read it.
I’m going to end this post in a fitting way by providing yet another video featuring Clemons and his saxophone.In addition to his work with Springsteen, Clarence Clemons also played his sax for other people, such as Aretha Franklin on her big 1980в
