Bruce Springsteen Meets Fans, Promotes Book In Cambridge
CAMBRIDGE (CBS) – It was a day for rock royalty to come to town and fans of Bruce Springsteen turned out in droves to spend just a few seconds with their idol.
Springsteen was promoting his new autobiography called, what else, "Born to Run." And for people lucky and patient enough, faith was rewarded.
They waited for hours for the moment Bruce Springsteen stepped out at the Harvard Coop in Cambridge, giving fans a precious few seconds to snap a picture, give a hug or a kiss, get an autograph and take picture, after picture, after picture.
"I can't even talk! It's the most unbelievable experience of my entire life," says fan Marcy Murray.
The Coop is the last stop on Springsteen's book tour, pushing "Born to Run" which has become a bestseller.
"Bruce is my bucket list," says Anna Edwards.
"It was amazing. I never thought I'd get to meet him," adds Riley Murray.
With a wave and a "how you doin?'" Springsteen said hello to photographer Barry Schneier, on hand to document the moment.
Schneier is famous in Bruce circles for his work in 1974, taking striking photos of Springesteen's concert at the Harvard Square Theater, the show where Real Paper journalist Jon Landau wrote "I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen."
That gave the struggling artist a huge boost. Landau would later become Springsteen's manager. "In the annals of music history, many people have thought of that show as being one of the most important shows in not only his history, but in music history," says Schneier.
Forty-two years later, Schneier documented Springsteen's latest tour, including the stop at Gillette Stadium just last month.
"What I'm going for in my photography with him is pure emotion. There's always moments in his songs where I believe he takes a moment and thinks about what he's saying and feels it. I look for those moments," Schneier says.
Fans look for and celebrate those moments, too. And for moments like today, to get up close and say hello and thank you.
"His music means everything to me. It picks me up when I'm down and fires me up when I need to be fired up," says fan Bill Slocum.
Springsteen's autobiography is number one on the NY Times best sellers list.
