Brennan's Place, Holyoke, MA 3/18/11

For the second year in a row we traveled to Holyoke, MA to take part in their annual St. Patrick’s Day weekend festivities, and once again we were rewarded with beautiful weather, warm hospitality and a fun show. The set list included three debuts in “Ain’t Good Enough For You,” “American Land” and “From Small Things.” The show also featured the debut of the Shuffle Mardi Gras beads, which were a big hit. Due to time constraints we eliminated one of our planned breaks, and plowed through with two long sets instead, which included two encores. Other highlights of the road trip included stops at three legendary Connecticut joints: Rawley’s, Super Duper Weenie and Danny’s Drive-In. All three were outstanding. Many thanks to Patrick and the staff at Brennan’s for taking care of us and making us feel at home. We’re looking forward to a return trip next year!

Farrell's, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 03/12/11

It was a rollicking night at Farrell’s in Point Pleasant as the band gave a high-energy 37-song performance to a crowd that was dancing from the first song on. Audience members weren’t the only ones cutting a rug as saxophonist Bill "Dancing Machine" Shanker proceeded to tear it up on the dance floor throughout the night as well, jamming out on his beautiful brand new sterling sax. Forgoing our planned second break, we wound up performing an extra-long second set that included a few audibles as well as songs like “Candy’s Room” and “Thundercrack” which were both performed by request to close out the show. Also, we want to wish a Happy Birthday to our friend Joe who was celebrating his 40th with family and friends at Farrell’s Saturday night.

The Manasquan Beach House, Manasquan, NJ, 2/26/11

The Manasquan Beach House was rocking on Saturday night with a great crowd on hand for a three-set show. Apparently the drinks were flowing freely at the bar as several enthusiastic fans wiped out over the course of the evening near the stage area, including one gentleman who did his best impression of Rickey Henderson sliding into second. Thankfully there were no serious injuries. The set included particularly fierce renditions of “Prove it All Night,” “Murder Incorporated” and “Because the Night” as well as a very-well received version of “For You.” Thanks to Rick Meale for filling in for “Mr. Perfect” on the keys and to everyone who came out, sang, danced, cheered and made it such a great night.

The 6th Annual Polar Bear Ball, Lewes, DE 02/05/11

A wonderful tradition that began back in 2006 continued as the band performed at the 6th Annual Polar Bear Ball in support of the Delaware Special Olympics. Chipper's Dippers, an insane group of generous people who jump into the frigid Atlantic Ocean every year on the first Sunday of February were out in full force once again on the eve of their great plunge. Saxophonist Bill "Birthday Boy" Shanker took center stage at the affair, making both the horn and the ladies scream with his patentented spin move and walk-in-place. All 38-songs in the set were ones which featured saxophone, which was an E Street Shuffle first. "Growin' Up" featured another Big Shank story, this one involving Bill parading around the Rehoboth beach in just a Speedo and his horn, resulting in significant shrinkage. Many thanks to Chip Simpson, Jim McQuaide and all of Chipper's Dippers for another great Polar Bear Ball!

Oh, almost forgot. Thanks also goes out to The Dog House and The Big Fish Grill for providing a couple of delicious meals during our stay in Delaware.

2010 Year in Review

Another year burning down the road for The E Street Shuffle and with it came more good times. 2010 saw the band carrying the momentum gained in the second half of 2009by performing 58 shows in the states of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Massachusetts. Throughout our journeys we got to stay in such fine resorts as the enchanting Anchorage Inn in Rehoboth, DE, the classic Sea Esta III in Dewey Beach, DE and the lovely Days Inn of Holyoke, MA. We also had the privilege of visiting some top notch local eateries during our travels such as Nick’s Nest in Holyoke, Rawley’s Roadside in Fairfield, CT, Pat’s Steaks in Philly, Gray’s Papaya in Manhattan and The Big Fish Grill in Rehoboth. The Orange Crush (a cocktail consisting of orange vodka, triple sec, Sprite and orange juice) was designated as the official drink of the band and it was also determined that The Lighthouse Bar and Grill in Dewey Beach makes the best Orange Crushes on the planet. So if you’re ever down that way, be sure to stop in for one…or ten.

An additional 17 songs were added to the band’s repertoire during the year including long-requested gems such as “Thundercrack,””Talk to Me” and “For You.” The addition of all the new songs meant more varied set lists from night to night along with more wildcards.

The Jersey Shore bars continued to be our bread and butter with Edgar’s Pub, The Mad Hatter, 507 Main and The Boathouse consistently offering some of the wildest, most passionate and fun crowds anywhere. A big thank you goes out to the many good people we have met at these venues over the past few years. Your support is something that keeps this band going and we truly appreciate it. Another bar that joined the regular roster in late 2010 was The Manasquan Beach House, which looks to be a promising addition to our home base.

Some of the other public shows which were highlights for us during the year were playing at First Energy Park in Lakewood as part of the Blue Claws’ Bruce Springsteen fan appreciation night, a return trip to Holy Cross College, UPenn and Bally’s Beach Bar, Asbury Park’s 4th of July Liberty Bash and The Move for Hunger Benefit, the summer concert series in Langhorne, PA, the Hawthorne Festival, Bay Head Shores in Pt. Pleasant and Brennan’s Place in Holyoke. We also managed to play quite a few private events throughout the year including weddings, birthday parties, going away parties, surprise parties, you name it.

Looking ahead 2011 is primed to be even more exciting with Jersey Shore venues such as The Parker House, Columns and Farrell’s on the roster in addition to our old favorites. We’re also working on expanding our range to travel to more exciting locales. 2010 was our most successful year to date and we owe it all to those of you who have come out and see us play, danced, sang along, called out requests, bought us drinks, spilled drinks on our equipment, tripped over cables and monitors and professed your love for all things Springsteen. We’d also like to thank all of the Jersey Shore bar and club owners who keep bringing us back to their establishments month after month and have allowed us to continue to build a following and to entertain their patrons. A special thank you goes out to our families for putting up with our busy weekends, late nights, traveling and war stories. Many thanks to Arlene Rudo for her help with the website, posters and stickers, engineer Matt Jugan for providing us with great sound and Dennis Loughlin for taking great live photos of the band. We’ll be seeing you in 2011!

-Sean, Ryan, Bill, Chris, Rich, Dave and Mark

The Mad Hatter, Sea Bright, NJ, 12/31/10

A fantastic year for The E Street Shuffle wrapped up at the Mad Hatter in Sea Bright on New Year's Eve with a 4-set show that went until the wee hours of the night. The unquestionable highlight of the evening came towards the end of the first set when two of the band's biggest supporters, Kaitlyn and Tommy got engaged right on stage with us in front of everybody with Tommy getting down on one knee, presenting a beautiful diamond ring and popping the question. With a look of total shock on her face, Kaitlyn said yes and the band launched into a debut performance of "I Wanna Marry You." It was truly an honor for us to be a part of such a special moment and it is one that we will never forget. We wish them a lifetime of happiness in the promised land.

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...