Bruce Springsteen Had a ‘Wild’ Dream About The Rolling Stones
Bruce Springsteen, aka The Boss, is a legend in classic rock history. He has given fans hits such as “Born to Run,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” and “Glory Days.” We have to wonder – what was it like for Springsteen when he heard the artists that came before him and how did they effect him? Let’s take a look at the unusual way he experienced The Rolling Stones – in a dream.
Bruce Springsteen gets his first electric guitar
Firstly, a little background. In his autobiography, Born to Run, Springsteen talks about his early days on the Jersey shore. He relays he was influenced by Elvis Presley and the bands of the British Invasion. He talks about learning to play guitar and then finally purchasing an electric guitar. Springsteen was able to make the purchase by selling his pool table for $35. His mother then came up with the other half of the money for the purchase – the electric guitar was an expensive investment for him at that time.
After The Boss purchased the guitar, he says, “That night I went home, pulled out the second Rolling Stones album, put it on and taught myself Keith Richards’s simple but great guitar solo to ‘It’s All Over Now.”’ It took me all night but by midnight I had a reasonable facsimile of it down.” He says he spent weekends at dances, the CYO, or YMCA watching the band that was playing. Springsteen would stand in front of the lead guitarist and watch the moves made with their fingers and then tried to replicate what they had done on his guitar.
Bruce Springsteen’s dream about The Rolling Stones
The Boss began to feel “empowered” with his electric guitar. He felt this was something he “might be good at.” He talks about falling asleep at night and dreaming. He says, “I fell asleep at night with dreams of rock ‘n’ roll glory in my head. Here’s how one would go: The Stones have a gig at Asbury Park’s Convention Hall but Mick Jagger gets sick. It’s a show they’ve got to make, they need a replacement, but who can replace Mick? Suddenly, a young hero rises, a local kid, right out of the audience. He can ‘front’: he’s got the voice, the look, the moves, no acne, and he plays a hell of a guitar. The band clicks, Keith is smiling and suddenly, the Stone aren’t in such a rush to get Mick out of his sickbed. How does it end? Always the same…. the crowd goes wild.” The Boss’s dream story raises an interesting question – did he ever end up performing with The Rolling Stones?
Did The Boss ever play with The Rolling Stones?
Ultimate Classic Rock reports that on the final night of the Rolling Stones 2012 mini tour, The Boss was onstage with the Stones. Springsteen and Jagger performed “Tumbling Dice.” They repeated the “Tumbling Dice” duet, according to Today, at the Rock in Rio Festival in Lisbon, Portugal in 2014. Today reports more than 80,000 fans were present including President Bill Clinton. And just as in The Boss’ dream, they report, “the crowd went wild.”
