Bruce Springsteen Reportedly Wants To Do 8 Week Broadway Residency This Fall
June 16, 2017, 3:16 p.m.
Who does he think he is, Billy Joel?!

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It kind of seems unbelievable, but Bruce Springsteen finished his last tour in February after playing almost 90 shows (!!) the year prior (and that doesn't include all his appearances promoting his memoir, Born To Run). Since then, the indefatigable 66-year-old musician has mostly taken a well-deserved break (with occasional events like the Tribeca Film Festival talk with Tom Hanks). But taking it easy is for The Eagles—so The Boss is reportedly looking into booking an eight-week residency on the Great White Way this fall. Who does he think he is, Billy Joel?
The NY Post reports today that Springsteen is in talks to make his Broadway debut at the Walter Kerr Theatre for an eight-week run starting around November. "He wants to play a smaller house," a theater source told them. "He wants to try something more intimate, and he likes the idea of being on Broadway." Apparently, Jujamcyn Theaters, which owns the Kerr, has offered him free rent for the eight weeks: “He’ll keep the lights on in the building, and they’ll sell gazillions of dollars worth of booze," the source added.
While none of the details have been confirmed by Springsteen's people, the source claims Springsteen would play as many as five shows a week, with a "pared-down" version of his normal set; it's unclear if this would be a totally solo tour, or include some version of the E-Street Band.
Springsteen, who released an anti-Trump protest song with frequent collaborator Joe Grushecky earlier this year, is expected to release a new solo album this year that he has compared to the work of Jimmy Webb and Glenn Campbell ("pop records with a lot of strings and instrumentation"). This residency would almost certainly be in support of that record, which is already completed.
The Post article also mentioned that Springsteen is toying with the idea of turning his memoir, into a jukebox musical à la Movin' Out or Beautiful: The Carole King Musical., which would be a very lucrative, if creatively-questionable, decision. If they decide to put on that musical at the Walter Kerr Theater as well, I guess I'll get a firsthand look at it, since I plan on chaining myself inside the theater in anticipation of the residency.