Lofgren was a founding member of Crazy Horse, and has been playing guitar in the E Street band since the '80s. Tonight, he and the rest of the gang will be at 1st Mariner Arena. I talked to Lofgren a few days ago about the show.

Did you know Bruce and company hasn't played here since 1973.

You're kidding. I can't believe that. That's bizarre. ... I can't believe a town that big has been skipped that long. This is a momentous return.

Same venue too.

Is this is the old Civic Center? You're kidding me. 

Have you played there before?

I played there in the '60s or '70s opening up for somebody like Country Joe and the Fish. I can't even remember. Way back in the '60s I went there trying to sneak backstage to see Cream and Jimi Hendrix. I used to go with my Telecaster and try and tell the security that the headline act needed it for the show, and they were expecting me. ...

To me, Jimi and Jeff Beck were always the two greatest guitar players. I didn't know him. I just asked him how he was doing, and he said 'Not so great.' I said 'Take care of yourself, we need you. He said, 'Yeah, well, my manager's got me playing 64 cities in 66 days.'

I'll never forget it. He was all alone, walking down the hallway to the stage. I was hiding in a doorway. I was young and naive, but now I get it. He was just a piece of meat for his management and for the booking agents. ... No one was really protecting Jimi. It was ruthless. He had too many hangers-on, and drug dealers and groupies and people that didn't really care about him around him. I was grateful to see him play so often and open shows for him, which was an honor.

Did you hesitate when Springsteen told you he wanted to play all of "The River" and "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle" at Madison Square Garden earlier this tour?

We all look at each other, and there's a part of you that rolls your eyes. We're fatigued, we've been on the road for two years and we're in the home stretch. To take on those two records, back to back in New York City with almost no notice is crazy. And you know what? We just knew we were going to be doing homework. I didn't quite make it to college, but for those four or five days, it felt like I was studying for my big college exam.

Look, when Bruce calls a song on stage we've never played before, you know in 30 seconds he's going to count it off. You can sit around for the rest of your life laughing about it and telling stories about how that's not what you wanted to happen. But the bottom line is, it's happening, and it's starting in 30 seconds. So you better figure out what to do to contribute.

It's fun. That's the beauty of playing live. ... The review is instant from the audience, and that's an arena I thrive in. The band does too. We're proud of the fact there's nobody out there challenging themselves to do these kind of improv-inspired shows for their audience. There just isn't.

(Handout photo)

Midnight Sunner F. Pants McFadden sent me this photo of the spot.

Anybody been here yet?

This stretch of Water Street is like a secret cove, tucked away downtown. The best way to get there is to turn left from Light Street -- before Light intersects with Pratt Street. 

I'll try and stop by sometime soon and see what the deal is.

(Photo by F. Pants McFadden)

We have officially endorsed  Bruce Springsteen's "She's the One."

It is -- at least temporarily -- Midnight Sun's official anthem.

Why?

Here are five reasons ...

4) The killer piano riff.

3) Clarence Clemons' wailing sax solo, which could turn milk into butter.

2) This song (heck, most of the album) is one big ball of hopeless hormones turned loose on a sweaty summer night.

1) It name-checks Midnight Sun. That's right. Witness:

With her long hair falling
And her eyes that shine like a midnight sun
Oh-o she's the one, she's the one

Darn right she is.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney, Jr.)

Tomorrow night, comedian Jim Gaffigan is going to be in town for two shows at the Lyric Opera House (get tickets here).

It's been a few years since the last time I talked to Gaffigan, but he still plays the whiny, lovable lazy butt like few can. And his bits about food (especially bacon, bologna and Hot Pockets) are still hilarious.

Gaffigan has accepted the notion that, at this point, he's probably The Food Comedian.

"Every time there's a new bacon-scented envelope, I get 50 e-mails or messages or tweets about it," he said. "It's the same whenever there's a new Hot Pocket. ... It's very flattering."

Here is a link to my piece on Gaffigan, which ran in today's paper.

(Handout photo)

In the spring of 1982, Craig Hankin and a few other members of the local group The Reason were at a party when singer Tom Chalkley started singing TV show theme songs in Bruce Springsteen's voice. It was an instant hit, Hankin recalls.

"Everybody hit the deck laughing," he said. "We thought, 'Oh, this is a funny idea.'"

Hankin hatched an idea to have Chalkley use his Springsteen impression to sing "Meet The Flintstones." They called this knock-off project Bruce Springstone and recruited lead guitarist Tommy Keene and veteran jazz saxophonist Ron Holloway to record with them at Hit and Run studios in Rockville.

They took the recording to Clean Cuts, a local record label then known for its jazz recordings, and played it for label owner Jack Heyrman. (Click on this link to hear the track.)

"[Heyrman] let me know a one-off novelty single was not exactly up his alley, but he was willing to listen," Hankin said. "By the time we got to the end of the tape, he was chuckling. He said, 'I think we may have a novelty record here.'" ...

The single "Meet the Flintstones" by Bruce Springstone was released in September of 1982 -- the same week the real Bruce Springsteen released his album "Nebraska." Both records were hits.

Bruce Springstone's parody single sold 100,000 copies, and was spun on hundreds of radio stations in the U.S. and abroad.

"Meet the Flintstones" was reviewed by the Village Voice, the LA Times and the Washington Post. Bruce Springstone made a music video for "Meet the Flintstones," but Hannah Barbera threatened to sue if MTV played it.

"It was the most expensive home video ever made," Hankin said.

Hankin still gets royalties on the single, he said. 

"It wasn't any kind of financial bonanza," he said. "What's nice is we still do get these little ASCAP checks four times a year, which are just about enough to go out to a nice dinner on."

Both "Meet the Flinstones" and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" by Bruce Springstone are still in print, on various compilation albums released by Rhino. Hankin is now 54, and runs the studio art program at Johns Hopkins University.

Though it's been nearly 30 years since the single was first released, Hankin still looks back on it fondly – and it's still being recognized by the music community.

"I still like it," he said. "It still gives me a laugh, and it's got legs. This is a record that has stood up. Just last year, the "Ballgame" side of the record was included in a CD that accompanied a book called 'Baseball's Greatest Hits: The Story of Take Me Out to the Ballgame.'"

Tomorrow, when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform in Baltimore for the first time since 1973, Hankin will be there.

A new bar has replaced Leon's/Tyson Place in Mount Vernon. Guess what it's called?

Nadds.

Yeah.

Nadds.

If you notice, the "d"s in the sign are actually musical notes. 

But wait, it gets better ...

Sigh.

According to Nadds' menu:

Nadds is a boutique Restaraunt and Bar with a focus on current music, spoken word, independent Film Artist and other forms of live entertainment in the heart of the Cultural District of Baltimore, Maryland.

Double sigh.

I'll post more about Nadds later today.

(Photo by me. Suddenly my cell phone camera is coloring everything blue. I don't know why. Maybe, like Picasso, I'm going through my Blue Period.)

Going in, I thought the new Locust Point bar would be another one of those middle-of-the-road neighborhood spots. Boy was I wrong.

When a few friends and I dropped by Banners on a recent Saturday night, it was packed tight with people. I think it must have been somebody's birthday party, which explains the big crowd. 

A middle-aged man who I took to be the owner stood inside near the door, looked us in the eye and shook our hands as we walked in. I don't think I've ever had that happen at a bar before ...

When one of my friends ordered a vodka soda, she got a glass filled with vodka and Coke. Hee hee. Rather than protest, she ordered something else.

Draft domestics were only a couple bucks, and came in big glass mugs (the best way to drink beer, methinks).

Inside, Banners looks like your average corner bar. It's long and narrow, with a bar that stretches about halfway back along the left side. A few flat screens are affixed to the wall behind the bar.

There are also some beer signs on the wall, as well as a photo of a young soldier, with, oddly enough, a toilet seat hanging over it. The toilet seat appears to be signed by his family and friends.

Since we were in the middle of a bar crawl, we only stayed for one round. But after seeing how surprisingly welcoming Banners was, I'll definitely be back.

(Top photo by me. Bottom photo by Shankman)

Actually, kind of a lot of things you need to know. The show's promoters released a 10-point plan for a lottery among general admission ticketholders. Here it is ...

General Admission Floor ticketholders who choose not to participate in the lottery are free to enter the show at the opening time of doors: 6:00pm and will have access to the floor area located behind lottery participants. A limited number of lottery "winners" will gain access to a small designated "front GA floor" area closest to the front of the stage. Below are some of the rules and procedures pertaining to the lottery.
 
1. On the day of the show, sequentially numbered wristbands will be distributed beginning at 1PM. This will take place at the Baltimore Street Doors. Wristbands will be distributed until 4PM. **(No more lottery/floor wristbands will be distributed until after doors are open)**
 
2. One wristband per patron, and the patron must be in possession of their GA ticket.

3. After the patron's ticket has been verified as a GA ticket. A wristband will be issued and affixed to the patron's wrist.

4. Wrist banded patrons may leave the premises but must return by 4:30PM.

5. A starting number will be randomly picked at 4:30PM. A patron will draw the starting number. This number will be announced at the gate.

6. The patron wearing the wristband that matches the starting number will be first in line.

7. All other patrons with GA tickets and a wristband should begin lining-up sequentially behind   that patron. This line will then be processed and escorted into the area in front of the stage, when the venue/tour are ready to open doors.

8. Anyone who receives a numbered wristband prior to doors has a chance to be first in line to enter the Front Area, but a wristband does not guarantee a place in the Front Area.

9. A second wristband will be required to enter the Front GA Area.

10. The purpose of the random number distribution is to insure that all GA patrons have the same chance of being first in line, eliminating the need to camp out. This policy also helps to insure customer safety and provides for an effective means of crowd control.
 
ALL WRISTBANDS WILL BE ISSUED AT THE Baltimore Street Doors

It might not be Tuesday anymore, but "Owl Meat's Tipsy Wednesdays" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Better late than never, right?

Here, Midnight Sun guest columnist Owl Meat Gravy takes us on a tour through some of the best music movies out there. Are you ready? I am. Let's go:

Movies: great.

Music: great.

Movies about music: awesome.

Below is a baker's dozen of music movies that bubble up in my brain now and then. I'm not saying these are the best movies ever, just some that are stuck in my gray matter ...

(Photo by Getty Images)

Dig if you will this entire online section devoted to Bruce Springsteen.

It has Springsteen photos.

It has a test-your-Bruce-knowledge pop quiz.

The page also has a ton of Springsteen stories. Sun researcher Paul McCardell and I spent a good deal of time yesterday digging through the vast, dusty archives looking for colorful old Springsteen stories and photos.

You would not believe how many times The Baltimore Sun has gushed about Springsteen.

Former Sun writer Rafael Alvarez called Springsteen "the messiah of rock and roll." Columnist Dan Rodricks wrote a couple columns in the '80s that were blatant ploys to get free Springsteen tickets.

Surprisingly, we could only find one actual interview with Springsteen -- back in 1975 after a show at Painter's Mill (here's a link to the piece) ...

"Hey, man," he said. "I don't consider myself a writer, like a novel writer or a poetry writer. Writing songs is just something I do. It's a real, natural, basic urge. The only thing I can compare it to is when you get hungry. You feel it and you do something about it."

I especially love this piece about a Springsteen impersonator who showed up at a Baltimore disco with a chick and a fake bouncer and ran up this big tab. The bar owner grew suspect and called the cops. 

Here's an excerpt from a review of a 1980 Springsteen show a the Capital Centre (full story here):

Springsteen is one of the heroes left in rock. His songs are simple, sometimes even monotonous in their repetition of highway and working-class themes. Springsteen, however, makes them live. He does not so much sing them as inhabit them.

In 1985, Sun writers Jack Dawson and David Simon (the latter of which you may recognize from a certain HBO TV series) did a great article about fans camping out for Springsteen tickets. Here's a link to the piece. Here's an excerpt:

Fans are limited to a purchase of eight tickets each. The tickets are being dispensed by a computer on a first-come, first served basis from several locations simultaneously, including RFK Stadium, the Capital Centre, the Baltimore Civic Center and Hecht Co.'s Ticketcenter outlets.

All 53,306 seats for the event are reserved and cost $18.50, regardless of whether the buyer is in the nosebleed seats or one of 12,000 on the field. A sell-out is predicted within three hours.

See you Friday, Bruce!

(Photos from Baltimore Sun archives)

Over the years, I've asked plenty of bar owners and bar-goers what the ideal neighborhood joint is like.

One answer that keeps popping up is Cheers. Like, the bar Cheers on the show "Cheers." You know, where everybody knows your name and stuff.

Today, I thought about "Cheers" and something occurred to me: As a bar, Cheers wasn't all that great.

Think about it: Aside from the main characters and maybe a couple random people sitting at a table in the corner, there was never anybody in the place. It was empty pretty much 24/7 ...

There was hardly ever any music, either. Cheers was empty and quiet. Well, there was Norm's griping. Remember Norm? He was the portly, unemployed fellow who was always complaining about his wife.

In retrospect, Norm was kind of pathetic. He had his tab he never paid, and there were plenty of yuk yuks over the years, but I don't know if I'd ever like to hang out with a guy like that in real life.

Cheers was a great show. But I don't think it was that great of a bar.

What do you think?

(Photo by Ron Cobb/St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Caption: Formerly called the Bull & Finch Pub, this bar on Boston's Beacon Hill was the inspiration for the  TV show " Cheers." )

I usually only drink the stuff if I'm desperate, broke, on a bender or all three.

Still, I can't deny Natty Boh's rich history here. That's why you can still get the stuff really cheap at local bars. Usually, it's as cheap as -- if not cheaper than -- Miller Lite.

It's been a loooooooooooong time since I last posted about the cheapest Boh in town. That was more than two years ago, which is an eternity on the Interwebs.

Two of the bars people suggested (Cheerleaders and Red House Tavern) on that post have since closed. ...

So I ask you, Midnight Sunners, to help me find the best Natty Boh specials in town. Bar owners, feel free to post about your own deals, too.

Whatchagotforme?

If you recall, there was a beating and shooting at Coconuts back in March. With Coconuts gone, that means there is only one stand-alone lesbian bar in Baltimore: Port in a Storm. (I'm not counting Sappho's because it's technically part of Grand Central).

Before it was Coconuts, this building used to be Kavanaugh's, the cop bar portrayed on the Wire, I'm told.

I used to live right by Coconuts, and I never went in. I heard that guys weren't allowed inside on Saturday nights, and I didn't want to press my luck.

Google has a number listed for Waterstone, but when I called it, nobody picked up.

Thanks to ryan97ou for the tip.

(Crappy cell phone photo by me)

Encores used to be spontaneous. Bands would come back out if the crowd refused to leave. But over the years, encores became just another part of the show. I've seen a lot of live music in the past seven years, but I had never seen a real encore -- until last night.

Irreverent new wave (at what point do they become old wave?) mainstays Devo plowed through their landmark debut "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!" in its entirety last night at the 9:30 Club.

It was the first of two shows where the band plays an entire album from start to finish at the club (the second night, featuring "Freedom of Choice" is tonight). Last night's show was sold out, at $45 per ticket.

Devo's entire performance lasted less than an hour. That's being generous. There was only 45 minutes of live music. Before the band took the stage, they played the music videos for "Secret Agent Man" and "Jocko Homo." If that wasn't an effort to soak up time, it sure felt like it.

After a couple of encore songs, the band left the stage, the house lights and music came up and roadies started unplugging the gear. But the audience wasn't about to leave ...

You could tell they weren't planning on this second encore. Most of the guys on stage had changed into regular clothes. Apparently, someone in the audience had sent one of the band members a message on his iPhone, telling them to get back on the stage.

"I need everybody to swear an oath you never saw Devo on stage wearing street clothes," Gerald Casale said. "This is the first time. Ever."

Then they jumped into their bouncy 1981 single "Beautiful World." Lead singer Mark Motherbaugh emerged in full costume as Booji boy, a masked character who sings in falsetto. Near the end of the song, he reached into his pants and pulled out fistfuls of bouncy balls, which he hurled and bounced off the stage into the crowd. This second encore saved the night.

The rest of the show was about as tight as it could have been. Mark Mothersbaugh can still hit all the half-sung, half-urgently whooped notes, the band was firing on all cylinders. Sporting their trademark yellow jumpsuits, complete with the word Devo (as if we didn't know who they were already), they jumped up and down in unison on the album (and set) opener "Uncontrollable Urge."

Devo didn't spend much time bantering. They steamrolled from one frantic, jerky song to the next. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was as energetic and persistent as ever. The crowd was just as into the songs as the band was. Near me, a group of kids moshed. Almost everybody seemed to know the words.

The only noticeably absent was the band's biggest commercial hit, "Whip It." They'll play that one tonight. Their first encore, "Smart Patrol/Mr. D.N.A." and "Gates of Steel" was solid. But the second encore turned an otherwise good show into a great one.

(Photo by Andrew Boyle, courtesy of Devo's MySpace site)