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From "BP"

I agree with you on the greatness of “Hang on Sloopy.” I’ve always loved the song, too. Interesting note: When I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band last summer Bruce played “Sloopy” as an encore. It obviously wasn’t planned as he sang the whole first verse by himself with only his guitar as accompaniment. On Bruce’s last tour he did a lot of impromptu songs. Fans were bringing signs to concerts for the last several years requesting oddball songs from deep in the Bruce catalog and oldies he had played in the past. Bruce amped this up by often challenging the crowd to “stump the E Street Band.” Bruce would have the band play an instrumental (“Raise Your Hand” or “Heatwave” while he would go into the crowd and collect these often elaborately made signs). The band had no idea what was coming and often had to huddle up to determine the key of the song or the bridge. The requests got more and more off the wall and by the end of the tour Bruce and the band had played everything from Elvis and Chuck Berry to The Who, The Ramones and The Clash. You can see Bruce collect signs and sort through them deciding which songs to play in the just released DVD “Live from Hyde Park .” The band opens the show with the appropriate “London Calling.”

I admit that I didn't appreciate Bruce in my younger days. My wife was the one that showed me the way.