Danny Federici / E Street Band

This is just sad.

Springsteen community portal/magazine Backstreets is now officially reporting that Danny Federici - Bruce's keyboard/accordian player since the early 70's - is taking a leave of absence to commence further cancer treatment. Danny is being temporarily replaced in the band by a guy named Charles Giordano who played with Bruce in the Seeger Sessions album/tour last year.

Id heard a while back that Danny was sick and undergoing cancer treatment. It was just after Bruce's solo Devils & Dust tour and about the time the shows for the Seeger Sessions were starting. Danny wasnt in the Segger Session band or album project, so this allowed time for his treatment.

There had been rumblings of Danny being sick for a few weeks, nothing official though. Bruce and the E Street Band played a show in Boston the other night, with a phenomenal setlist including a few choice tracks from early in the bands career.

Setlist:
Radio Nowhere
Night
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Magic
Reason to Believe
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Candy's Room
She's the One
Livin' in the Future
This Hard Land
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
The E Street Shuffle
Working on the Highway
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
* * *
Girls in Their Summer Clothes
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Kitty's Back
Born to Run
American Land

Look at that mid set three song load blow - This Hard Land / Sandy / E Street Shuffle, and then halfway into the encore they play Kitty, and by the reports ive seen it was one of the best versions in recent times.

Show reports have mentioned how Danny had a few spotlight's on him during both Sandy and Kitty. A nice gesture to give him a good sendoff for the journey that lies ahead. At the end of the show the BOSSton crowd filled the arena with a "Danny, Danny, Danny" chant, that by all accounts left not a dry eye in the house. Theres some video up on YouTube now.

Image from the Boston show on November 19
courtesy of Flickr user Jericho5

Seperate to the fact that Danny is a member of one of the best bands ive ever had the pleaseure of seeing live (4 times), I send him good wishes for the journey he is about to embark on - again. As someone who has been touched too fucking many times by this disease I hope he pulls through ok and that he is getting the right treatment and support.