Lately things have conspired to make me feel my age. I just spoke to a group about shooting concerts and the audience looked unusually grey haired but seemed to know all the bands.
Other things make me aware of time passing but are a bit harder to take.
Such was the passing of Clarence Clemons, The Big Man, Bruce's soul brother soldier in music. It's impossible to hear Bruce and the E Street Band in my head without Clarence's horn. What's Jungleland without that plaintive wail?
When I first photographed Bruce and band back in 1984 I probably couldn't name anyone else in the band except Clarence. I knew if I shot Bruce I had to have the Big Man in some shots too. The power he brought to the performance elevated the arena, the only power that could match Bruce's own on that stage. There was a closeness in the whole band but the link between those two was of a deeper level. Of course I may be reading more into this than there was but I doubt it.
I'm going to miss just knowing he was out there creating, sending his soul into sounds that I would soon get to hear. I don't know how the E Street Band is going to survive without him.
