Edgar's Pub Christmas Party 12/18/10

Edgar's Pub was filled to the brim with good cheer on Saturday for the bar's annual Christmas party. The crowd was amped up from the get-go as the band tore into "Sherry Darling" to kick off a 35-song set. The highlight of the evening came at the end of the second set when we finally unveiled "Thundercrack" and dedicated it to Kaitlyn, Allie, Tommy and James who have been some of the band's biggest supporters and had been dying to hear us play that song. To say that it went over well would be an understatement. Towards the end of the night things became even more festive as saxophonist Bill "St. Nick" Shanker delivered treats to all the good boys and girls in the audience during an extended instrumental break in "Merry Christmas Baby." Then he sprung to his sax, to the band gave a whistle, and away we all flew, like the down of a thistle...

Holy Cross College, Worcester, MA, 12/10/10

After sitting in a horrific traffic jam on Interstate 95 for several hours and scoffing down several hot dogs at Rawley's Drive In in Fairfield, CT, we finally made it up to Worcester, MA for our show at Holy Cross College. As was the case with previous shows we've done at this college, the crowd of enthusiastic students did not disappoint. "E Street Shuffle" chants started while we still setting up our gear as the pumped up crowd got ready for a long winter's night of rock n' roll. The show included the premier of "Talk to Me" as well as the year's first performance of "Merry Christmas Baby." We gave everybody a choice of hearing either "The E Street Shuffle," "Pink Cadillac" or "Quarter to Three" to close the show and "The E Street Shuffle" emerged as the winner. We want to send out a big thank you to the kids at Holy Cross for once again treating us so well. We're already looking forward to a return trip. Oh, and a special thank you also goes out to Rawley's for making such delicious hot dogs. We love ya!

Edgar's Pub and the Boathouse, Thanksgiving weekend

It had been nearly a month since we last played a Jersey Shore bar, having done shows in various locations outside of our home base, so it was a nice homecoming for the band on Thanksgiving weekend with a show Friday night at Edgar's Pub in Manasquan and Saturday at the Boathouse in Belmar.

Friday night's show ranks amongst the best we've played at Edgar's, with an attentive, enthusiastic audience on hand that kept the energy level rising throughout the evening. The show opened with the obscure "I Wanna Be With You" and included other rare treats like "Living in the Future" and "My Love Will Not Let You Down." The Christmas season was officially ushered in late in the night with a performance of "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town" complete with each band member donning their own unique yuletide hat and jolly old St. Nick Shanker ho ho ho-ing the night to a triumphant close.

Saturday night's show at the Boathouse opened with "Cadillac Ranch" and also featured performances of "The Ties That Bind," "Darkness on the Edge of Town," "Racing in the Street," "So Young and in Love" and "Paradise by the C." Once again Santa Claus came to town and the result was an exuberant crowd sing-along. With the houselights on for last call, the evening came to a close with funky version of "The E Street Shuffle."

Joey's Casa Italiana, Hewitt, NJ, November 19, 2010

On a cold November evening, the band ventured up to the wilderness of Sussex County, NJ for what was to be a memorable performance at Josey's Casa Italiana. Playing this venue for the first time, The Shuffle whipped out five debuts in "Because the Night," "Paradise by the C," "For You," "The Fever" and "So Young and in Love." Other notable songs played by request were "Candy's Room," "The Price You Pay" and "Drive All Night." With the crowd continuing to dance and have a great time we decided to just keep playing, throwing an additional 6 songs on at the end of our set.

The Manasquan Beach House, Manasquan, NJ 10/29/10

This show was our first performance at The Manasquan Beach House and we had a great group of our biggest supporters on hand for the festivities dancing and singing up a storm. The highlight of the evening was the performance of "Seaside Bar Song" for one fan who "dared" us to attempt to the obscure track. Although we hadn't played the song in months, we gave it our all and it was greeted with a tremendous response. It's one thing to have people going crazy on "Rosalita," but it's another thing entirely when a crowd is singing all the words to a song like "seaside Bar Song." It's what makes being in this band so much fun. Another highlight of the evening was s Halloween-themed story in the middle of "Growin' Up" which featured Bill Shanker as a sax-playing Frankenstein.

2nd Annual Hawthorne Day, Hawthorne, NJ 10/2/10

On a crisp, fall evening in Hawthorne, NJ we played to an enormous crowd of enthusiastic people at the town's annual Hawthorne Day Festival. Although it was an abbreviated set, the band hit on all cylinders, punching out classics like "Badlands" and "The Promised Land" with authority. A barricade was set up about 20 feet in front of the stage which several concert-goers attempted to take down in order to get closer to the band, but alas that sucker was well-secured, so there would be no stage rush on this night. Ryan unfortunately broke a string before "Thunder Road," yet managed to run to his car, grab another guitar, get back on stage, plug in, tune up and jump into the song at the precise moment that the lyric "I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk" was being sung. The show ended with a triumphant "Rosalita," which was immediately followed by a fireworks display.

507 Main, Belmar, NJ 9/25/10

The summer may be officially over, but apparently nobody told the packed house at 507 Main in Belmar on Saturday night. This high-energy show kicked off with the one-two punch of "Prove it All Night" and "Night" and continued rocking all night. After a two-week vacation the band was hungry and loving every minute of being back onstage. The crowd was tremendous, providing the energy and enthusiasm to keep us going full throttle. "Adam Raised a Cain" and "Trapped" were played by request and the evening wrapped up with the roof-raising "Rosalita" and "Quarter to Three."

Labor Day Weekend/Summer wrap-up 2010

Three excellent shows on Labor Day weekend helped to close out what was a fantastic summer for the band. On Friday night the Shuffle rocked out the Mad Hatter at what many people felt was the band's best show there of the summer. It was one of those nights where everything seemed to hit, and the band was firing on all cylinders. 11 hours after wrapping up Friday's show, the band was back onstage in Asbury Park for the Surfside Food Drive, which was a benefit organized by Move for Hunger. The weather couldn't have been more perfect as a nice crowd assembled on the boardwalk and on lounge chairs to take in a 2-hour set. Simply a great show for a great cause. The summer ended off with a private show at the Peninsula Country Club in Delaware on another beautiful evening under the stars.

The summer of 2010 was a busy one for The E Street Shuffle with the band playing a total of 27 shows in all. After a rough winter and early spring which saw the cancellation of several shows due to a blizzard, flooding, etc. Mother Nature cut us a break and all 12 of our scheduled outdoor summertime gigs went on as planned. Shows at the shore bars such as the Mad Hatter, 507 Main, the Boathouse and Edgar's were all an absolute blast, while performances at the Lakewood Bruce Claws game, the Margate Log Cabin, the Surfside Food Drive and the Langhorne Summer Concert allowed us to win over some new fans who hadn't previously seen the band. But one of the key factors in having such a successful summer has to be attributed to the folks who came out to see us time and again. People like Kaitlin, Allie, Tommy, James, Melissa, Jacelyn, Mike, John, etc. plus all of the familiar faces who we see singing the words to every song. We really appreciate the support and can't thank you enough. Also, thanks go out to our families and friends who came out to many a show on The E Street Shuffle 2010 Summer Tour.

Edgar's Pub, Manasquan, NJ 08/29/10

When we agreed to play a series of Sunday night shows during the summer at Edgar's we weren't really sure what to expect. Would anybody be there? Would people be too tired and hung over from the weekend and just sit back in their chairs? To our delight each of the Sunday shows were a success, with a great group of people coming out to party and have a good time. This show featured multiple audience requests including "Atlantic City," "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," "Racing in the Street," "Something in the Night," "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" and "Pink Cadillac." Another highlight of the evening was the rarely-performed "Hearts of Stone." "Growin' Up" featured yet another tale this time with "The Big Shank" working as a bouncer at a bar who is willing to let you in after closing if you allow him to either sing "More Than a Feeling" or play the Jungleland sax solo for you. We opted for the latter. Many thanks to our families, friends and fans for helping to make these Edgar's Sundays a success.

The Boathouse, Belmar, NJ 8/14/10

It was pure pandemonium in Belmar on Saturday night as a crazy, packed house of people were crammed into the Boathouse for a summer night of sweaty rock n' roll music. Dave's piano took a beating during the show with one bar patron deciding to use it as a table before spilling his drink all over it and shorting the thing out temporarily, while another highly-inebriated gentleman proceeded to fall backwards, trip over the monitor and fall into the piano and mic stand. Thankfully the instrument and Mr. Keyboard survived both incidents. Eventually security was called in to restore some order and to prevent any more potential disasters. Many thanks to our friends Tommy and James for imploring their crowd-control techniques. Other highlights of the evening included bar owner Tim Harmon singing lead on "The Rising" and a Justin Bieber lookalike being harassed by a Pauly D wannabe. It was definitely a most memorable night in Belmar that we're not soon to forget any time soon. Thanks to all who attended.

Edgar's Pub, Manasquan, NJ 07/25/10

It was another great all-around show at Edgar's with people partying on a Sunday as if it was Saturday night. This show featured many audience requests including "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," "Radio Nowhere," "I'm on Fire," "Racing in the Street," "Quarter to Three" and Cadillac Ranch." "Growing Up" featured a lengthy mid-song story about encountering saxophonist Bill "Big Shank" Shanker in a Manasquan Dairy Queen late at night where he made a deal with Shuffle band members where they would listen to him perform the "Jungleland" sax solo in exchange for ice cream. This event apparently led to the big man joining the band. Other show highlights included the rarely-played gem "Something in the Night" and a fierce version of "Adam Raised a Cain."

Margate Log Cabin, Margate, NJ 07/17/10

It was another hot, but beautiful night at the Jersey Shore as we performed at the Margate Log Cabin, while watching a gorgeous sunset on the bay. Kudos to the folks at the Log Cabin for their promotion of the show which included newspaper advertisements and placing our poster at the toll booth on the Margate Bridge. A great turnout of people was on hand as we ran through two sets worth of music. "Drive All Night," "Murder Incorporated" and "The E Street Shuffle" were all performed by request.

Lakewood Bruce Claws, Lakewood, NJ 7/10/10

It was Springsteen Appreciation Night at First Energy Park in Lakewood, NJ as the hometown Lakewood Blue Claws donned special jerseys with stars and stripes and an electric guitar and went under the alias "Bruce Claws" for the evening. Our performance took place just beyond the center field wall in the WRAT Trap tiki bar area and it was most enjoyable. After some initially threatening skies, the clouds gave way and the sun came out. As soon as they opened the front gates a crowd of Bruce fans wearing concert t-shirts came strolling over ready to get the party started. It was a short show, only 15 songs long because we had to stop in time for some pesky baseball game to begin; A great day at the ballpark was had by all.

Summer Concert Series, Langhorne, PA 7/7/10

The temperature was hovering close to 100 degrees as we readied for this free summer concert in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, but much to our delight it didn't stop the townsfolk from coming out in full force, ready to rock n' roll. What was originally scheduled to be a rather short 24-song set turned out to be a closer to standard 30-song affair inspired by the appreciative crowd. The show featured the rarely-played "Hearts of Stone" and "My Hometown" in addition to the classic showstoppers. Insects of all kinds made guest appearances during the show on this hot and muggy July night. An ant scurried across Ryan's pedal board, while a grasshopper showed off his chops on Dave's piano during "Ramrod" and an unidentified flying bug kissed me on the mouth during "Rosalita." It was great to have both humans and insects getting into the show.

Harry's Ocean Grill, Cape May, NJ 7/4/10

Although the hot sun was beating down, we were cooled by the Atlantic Ocean breezes, while perched upon a roof-top deck across the street from the beach in Cape May on this 4th of July. A nice crowd was on hand as we ran through three sets while the sun set. In addition to the holiday favorites "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" and "Independence Day," we also broke out the more obscure "Drive All Night" and "Living in the Future." Five minutes after our performance ended the fireworks show began over the ocean, making for a perfect ending to a great weekend.

Asbury Park Liberty Bash

It was a beautiful evening in downtown Asbury Park during 4th of July weekend as we performed out in the street on Cookman Avenue before an attentive, appreciative crowd. The newly revitalized downtown area was alive and buzzing with activity on this First Saturday and it was a great experience to be outside in the midst of it all playing this music. Although we were a day early, performing "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" on this night was a joy.

The Mad Hatter 7/2/10

What better way to kick off a holiday weekend than with the madness of a Mad Hatter crowd? In typical fashion the Yaeger bombs were flowing and people were already jazzed up and ready to rock before we even set the equipment up. The crowd did not disapoint and were clapping, singing, howling and dancing the whole night. Some people were hoisted up on to shoulders, while others danced on the bar and a good time was had by all. We performed the "Born in the USA" album in its entirety for the first time and it was received very well. Night 1 of the E Street Shuffle July assault was a success.

Edgar's Pub 06/27/10

Truth be told we were a little skeptical about playing a show on a Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m. We were even more skeptical when we arrived at the bar to find only handful of people sitting around at the bar. But thankfully we needn't have worried as this is the Jersey Shore in the summertime that we're talking about and a stream of Springsteen faithfuls began to filter into Edgar's Pub. By the second set people were dancing and singing, prompting the bar owner to request that we play for an additional hour. We gladly obliged and wound up performing our longest show to date, clocking in at 4 hours and including a whopping 42 songs. A big thank you to everyone in attendance for making Sunday feel like a Saturday night.

Chuck's 50th birthday party, Fair Hills, MD 6/26/10

Chuck Skelley's 50th birthday party can only be described as a real barn-burner. I mean, how else would you describe a gig that took place in an actual barn? Our host was gracious and generous enough to build us an enormous stage complete with a drum riser for the performance and it really helped transform the show from a party into more of a concert. The songs that comprised the 38-song set list were hand-picked by Chuck himself and he even joined the band onstage to sing lead vocals on "Racing in the Street" and "Rosalita." Thanks to Chuck and his wife Kathy for putting the party together, hiring us and treating us well. We had a great time!

The Mad Hatter 6/12/10

It was a typical hot, sweaty and crowded night at The Mad Hatter featuring a good crowd whose enthusiasm reached a fever pitch during the last 45 minutes of the night. This show featured "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," which hadn't been played since last summer, as well as "My Love Will Not Let You Down" and "The Rising," neither of which had seen their way into a set list in quite some time. The show was a special one in that keyboardist Mark "Mr. Perfect" Bistis (the man with the tan) celebrated his birthday at the stroke of midnight. Happy birthday Mark!
Mad Hatter shows are famous for pushing the bar to the brink of a fine for cutting it so close to the 2 a.m. curfew and for pushing the band to the brink of pure exhaustion. But after being urged on by bar owner Scott Kelly, who stood atop the bar waiving an American flag, we couldn't say no, and performed an encore rendition of "Born in the USA," which wrapped up at 1:59 a.m.

The Boathouse 6/05/10

A rowdy, pumped-up crowd was on hand Saturday night at the Boathouse in Belmar singing along to every song, dancing it up and enjoying a drink or twenty. “I Wanna Be With You” and “Cover Me” were dusted off and were met with a good response, while standards like “Born to Run” and “Rosalita” had the crowd in a state of near-pandemonium. This show ranks as one of the craziest thus far in 2010. Definitely a fun night was had all around and was aided by the enthusiasm of the audience which was there to party and have a blast.

Bay Head Shores 5/29/10

There's nothing quite like Memorial Day Weekend at the Jersey Shore to get you in the summertime frame of mind, and the stunning bay views, cool breezes and warm hospitality at the Bay Head Shores in Point Pleasant provided the perfect venue to start the summer of 2010 off right. An enthusiastic crowd was on hand dancing and singing along as we rolled through three upbeat sets. "Candy's Room," "Murder Incorporated" and "Jersey Girl" were all played by request. Thanks to the kind folks at Bay Head Shores for treating us so well. We had a really great time and hope you did too.

507 Main 5/21/10

Summer was in the air in Belmar on Friday night as an extremely enthusiastic packed crowd rocked the night away at 507 Main. From the opening drums of "She's the One" to the closing sax solo of "Jersey Girl," the great group of people on hand were with us every step of the way, dancing, singing all the lyrics, screaming out requests and pumping their fists to songs like "Badlands" and "Born to Run." Even the semi-obscure "Something in the Night," which was played by request wound up getting a fantastic response. These are the type of nights that you live for when you play in a band like ours. A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone in attendance who partied with us all night and made it so much fun. An extra-special thank you goes out to those who continue to come out time again to support the band. We love you guys and are looking forward to an amazing summer at the shore!

The Lighthouse 5/08/10

It was a gorgeous, warm, breezy evening in Dewey Beach, Delaware. A perfect night for a show. Perfect except for the fact that my head and chest were totally congested and I had virtually no voice. But hey, the show must go on right? Thankfully my shufflin' compadres wouldn't let me down and rose to the occasion. My brother Ryan stepped up and provided a lot of extra vocals where he could, even singing all of "Glory Days" by himself to close out the night when I simply had nothing left. The "Big Shank" ventured out into the crowd on various occasions and the other guys played their hearts out and offered lots of encouragement. In the end, we battled through it and everyone in attendance seemed to have a great time despite my shortcomings. Many thanks to my band mates Ryan, Bill, Dave, Rich, Mark and Chris as well as everyone who came out to see us Saturday night.

Edgar's Pub 04/17/10

With its spacious stage area and consistently enthusiastic crowd, Edgar's is quickly becoming one of our favorite local bars to play. Saturday night's show was noteworthy not only because of the great group of people on hand dancing and singing up a storm, but also due to the fact that guitarist Ryan Loughlin battled the flu in order to play the show. Amazingly he didn't miss a beat, offering blistering solos on "Prove it All Night" and "Johnny 99." Other stand-outs of the night included "My Love Will Not Let You Down," "No Surrender" and a passionate "Darkness on the Edge of Town" played by request.

The Mad Hatter 04/16/10

Another fun, sweaty night at the Mad Hatter. The rarely-played "The Price You Pay" and "Hearts of Stone" were brought out for this show which ended in typical Hatter fashion with an audience-member on stage with a tambourine, the lead singer standing on top of a bar stool, people dancing like maniacs and a round of Jaeger shots for the band. Gotta love it!

The Boathouse 4/10/10

It was a beautiful night at the Jersey Shore as we tore through a 37-song set list in front of a packed crowd at The Boathouse in Belmar. Lots of enthusiastic folks on hand dancing and calling out requests. Highlights of the evening included a powerful "Prove it All Night," the obscure "Seaside Bar Song" and a fun, loose improptu take on "Johnny 99." Thanks to all who came out to see us play.

Brennan's Place 3/19/10

It was an absolutely gorgeous night in Holyoke, MA and a great night for rock n' roll under a big top tent. An enthusiastic crowd of people were on hand for three chronological sets of Springsteen songs. Special thanks to Patrick and everybody at Brennan's for their warm hospitality. We really had a great time and can't wait to return!

Redd's 2/20/10

Many thanks to Mike, John and everyone else for throwing a fantastic party of Springsteen die-hards at Redd's in Carlstadt. It was a real treat for us to be able to pull out so many obscurities like "The Price You Pay," "Back in Your Arms Again," "Take 'Em As They Come," "Brothers Under the Bridges," "I Wanna Be With You," "Roulette," "Seaside Bar Song" and "Drive All Night." Just a great group of people on hand having as much fun as we were, which is always the ultimate goal.

2009 Year in Review

2009 proved to be the most successful year so far for The E Street Shuffle. We managed to finally solidify the lineup with the additions of piano player Dave Turner and organ/keyboard player Mark Bistis. Their talents, enthusiasm, patience and dedication were huge factors in getting to the point where we were able to perform on a regular weekly basis. 2009 saw us playing a little bit of everything from Jersey Shore bars like the Mad Hatter, the Boathouse, 507 Main, Edgar's and the Wonder Bar to college shows at Holy Cross and the University of Pennsylvania to festivals such as Wall Township Day, the Feast of Mt. St. Carmel and the Asbury Park Oyster Festival to Atlantic City casinos, to several private functions. We got to meet a lot of great people along the way. Special thanks go out to Scott and Amy Kelly from the Mad Hatter, Jay Silverman, band photographer Dennis Loughlin, Tim Harmon from the Boathouse, Debbie from the Wonder Bar, Kyle from the Stone Pony and Cindi D'Onofrio from the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce. A very special thank you goes out to the 8th member of the E Street Shuffle, Arlene Rudo who has spent countless hours designing and updating the website and designing fliers, posters, stickers, cards, etc. for all of our shows. We really appreciate it! It's been a tremendous help. Thanks also to all of you good people who have come out to see us time and again. We hope you have enjoyed the shows as much as we have.
Our goal for 2010 is simply to build off of our successes in 2009 and continue to deliver the best possible shows we can so that everyone in attendance can leave the stress of the work week behind for a few hours and just sing, dance, drink and have a great time.
-Sean

The Mad Hatter 12/31/09

A fantastic year came to a close appropriately enough at our favorite local haunt, The Mad Hatter in Sea Bright, NJ. The audience was great from the beginning, with people singing along and dancing as we tore through a marathon 42-song show comprised of 4 sets. We performed "Born to Run" as the first song of the New Year and of the new decade. This was our longest show to date, wrapping up with a 3 a.m. encore performance of "Rosalita" at the request of bar owner Scott Kelly. It was a night filled with good cheer all around, and one that we won't soon forget. My ears are still ringing. And now on to 2010...