RIP Clarence "Big Man" Clemons

[General]

One of the greats. I will never forget those nights spent with The Boss and The Big Man everywhere from the old Cleveland Agora to the Q over the years. Sad day for real music.

[swerb]

Man ... sad day is right. RIP Big Man.

[peeker643]

One of the greats. I will never forget those nights spent with The Boss and The Big Man everywhere from the old Cleveland Agora to the Q over the years. Sad day for real music.

Nothing more to say other than I agree.

Best band I've ever seen live because of the energy and effort they gave and if the Boss was the heart of it then The Big Man was clearly its soul.

Sad to hear.

[General]

One of the greats. I will never forget those nights spent with The Boss and The Big Man everywhere from the old Cleveland Agora to the Q over the years. Sad day for real music.

Nothing more to say other than I agree.

Best band I've ever seen live because of the energy and effort they gave and if the Boss was the heart of it then The Big Man was clearly its soul.

Sad to hear.

I am amazed at the depth of my sorrow over this. Although I never met the guy, I heard my first Springsteen tune in probably 1973. 38 years of hanging on that music. My sirius radio is set to E-street and I have thrown out the dial!!!

[FUDU]

Loved the dirty street sax sound.

Not Bruce's biggest fan but man did he pick a talented musician to play with.

[peeker643]

AC sums it up for Springsteen fans: http://bit.ly/inlGOb

[e0y2e3]

I absolutely detest Bruce and anyone in his shitty bands (musically), but for you sentimental old guys....

VH1 Classic is airing Bruce for 24 straight hours starting at 7 tonight.

[peeker643]

I absolutely detest Bruce and anyone in his shitty bands (musically), but for you sentimental old guys....

VH1 Classic is airing Bruce for 24 straight hours starting at 7 tonight.

Tremendous. Stepped in right at the start of Jungleland. Thank you.

[leadpipe]

One of the greats. I will never forget those nights spent with The Boss and The Big Man everywhere from the old Cleveland Agora to the Q over the years. Sad day for real music.

Nothing more to say other than I agree.

Best band I've ever seen live because of the energy and effort they gave and if the Boss was the heart of it then The Big Man was clearly its soul.

Sad to hear.

I am amazed at the depth of my sorrow over this. Although I never met the guy, I heard my first Springsteen tune in probably 1973. 38 years of hanging on that music. My sirius radio is set to E-street and I have thrown out the dial!!!

Cause we use music to hold on to our youth.

For a significant portion of our generation, well, the Boss was there - and he takes us back there. For me, this time of year when I hear Jungleland and think of drinkin' warm beer on the hood of a car, shit, summer vacation, hangin' with you friends, chasin' chicks, no real responsibilities.....it's as much as where the music takes me then the music itself.

And when these cats start takin dirt naps it smacks you right into reality - the fact we're gettin' old. and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, WE can get old, but we damn sure don't want the guys that have ability to keep us young do the same.

Even though it was pretty close to over (if it wasn't already) in regards to the Boss and E-Street, now it is for sure. Christ, the Who ain't a gray haired Daltrey, the Stones not a 70 year old Mick.

And Bruce as looked upon by a generation is no longer.

[peeker643]

That's a huge part of it Lead. The other part is the gifts they were given by God to put emotion into musical and lyrical form.

I would have thought the Boss and his band were done a decade ago. But The Rising was from start to finish one of their best efforts and the majority of it was directly related to 9/11.

And I know people can make legit arguments about the level of musicians or singers but there's never been a band I could relate to more than those guys. I don't need clean and technically proficient.

Gravel voice with limited range and a musical free for all on the stage was better than anything I've ever heard. It remains my 'go to' almost 40 years after some of it was recorded. I can relate to it and like you said, it takes me somewhere.

And in an era of slackers, douchebags and punks I never, EVER felt cheated or stupid for laying down money to see The Boss. Even as he approached 50 he gave more every show than people half his age.

Three hours every single night and Clemons was like his bouncer, his big brother and his center line.

I agree with a lot of others that hearing that the Big Man died saddened me more than I would have ever thought.

[Madre Hill, Superstar]

I agree with a lot of others that hearing that the Big Man died saddened me more than I would have ever thought.

Same here. See you on the other side, Big Man.

[Larvell Blanks]

Had the privilege of meeting Clarence on one occasion. It was the weekend of the R&R HoF concert. Got some OT at the hotel as security that weekend and helped "escort' Clarence and Bruce from their rooms to the van to take them over to the Stadium for soundcheck and a run through. Not only a very large man but one of the friendliest people I'd encounter that weekend. Talked to me the entire time, asking me questions about my life and what I do. He smiled the entire time of his stay, no matter how many people clamored for an autograph or take a picture w/ him. He enjoyed what he did and deep down, I think he knew just how much the music they created touched people.

It's a hit that's difficult to come to terms with in the ways Lead described up thread. It's not just the music but it's the feelings you get from the music. I can listen to Born to Run and it doesn't take me back to '75 but to the summer of '86 when me and a gf took a trip down to Cincy to look at the campus of UC. A song can take me back to a memory of a conversation we had or a place we were driving through as if it just happened yesterday. It's those feelings and memories that I get that really define my love of music.

[peeker643]

Springsteen's eulogy for The Big Man: http://brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html

Perfectly said and capturing 40 years in a page or so.