Rocks Off Concert Cruise, New York City, 4/30/11

We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day as we set sail aboard the majestic Half Moon for a three-hour tour down the East River and into New York Harbor. With the sun shining brightly, we launched into “10th Avenue Freeze Out” to kick off the show and cruised through the calm waters between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Performing on a boat became challenging at times when we’d get caught up in the waves caused by another boat’s wake, leaving us clinging to our microphone stands. “Mr. Keyboard” lost his footing at one point during the show due to choppy seas, but he made a speedy recovery without missing a note. I collapsed to my knees at the end of “Jungleland” but that was only for dramatic effect. As the first set was wrapping up, the Half Moon dropped anchor directly in front of the Statue of Liberty for one of the most breathtaking views one can hope to witness. The sun had just set behind Lady Liberty and it was one of those magic moments that we’ll never forget. The second set began with “Born in the USA,” which really got the crowd going. As night closed in the dance party began with the band slamming through hits like “Badlands,” “Thunder Road,” “Glory Days,” “Born to Run” and “Rosalita.” The concert cruise came to an end triumphantly with “Quarter to Three.” Many thanks to everyone who helped sell-out our first concert cruise and a very happy birthday to Mike who was celebrating his 50th along with friends and family. We hope to be seeing you again soon either on land or at sea.

Edgar's Pub, Manasquan, NJ 04/23/11

Saturday was another fun-filled night at Edgar’s Pub which featured a performance of the classic “Darkness on the Edge of Town” album from start to finish. It’s not the easiest album to attempt to do in a bar setting due to the fact that it’s an intense album with several slow songs and a lack of many danceable tracks, but for the most part the crowd was very attentive and receptive to what we were trying to do. Ryan’s blistering guitar solos on “Prove it All Night,” Adam Raised a Cain,” “Streets of Fire” and “Candy’s Room” were the highlights of the evening. After we were done performing the album we kicked things into party mode with an assault of rockers guaranteed to get people moving. Forgoing a planned second break, we plowed ahead, adding songs to the set as we went along and finishing with a total of 39-songs in all. Many thanks to the wonderful staff at Edgar’s and everybody who came out to see us play.

507 Main, Belmar, NJ 04/15/11

Seven months had gone by since we last played 507 Main, so we were quite happy to be back on Friday night with a fantastic crowd in attendance to cheer us on. The show included many audibles, requests and set list changes, which made for a nice freewheeling kind of night. An abundance of well-deserved Shuffle beads were distributed throughout the evening as various groups of girls climbed atop the bar to dance along to “Thundercrack,” “Glory Days” and “Badlands.” During “Thunder Road” seemingly everyone in attendance sang “Show a little faith, there’s magic in the night. You ain’t a beauty, but hey you’re alright,” in unison. As is now an E Street Shuffle tradition, the night was capped off by a delicious trip to The Windmill for hot dogs at a quarter to three.

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.