Doing the work and holding the highest standards
I’ve seen Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band twice this year as part of their Land of Hopes and Dreams tour in the UK. I first saw the band live in Manchester in 2016. If you haven’t been to a Springsteen concert, they are always something close to 3 hours of connection, hope and joy …A shared experience in a crowd of around 60,000 people most recently.
I wanted to share one of my favourite Bruce stories, something that stuck with me after reading his autobiography: Born to Run. It’s an example of how he holds the highest standards for his music and band.
A central part of the E Street Band story is saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who sadly died in 2011 at the age of 69. Clarence was part of the original E Street lineup from 1972, featuring prominently on all the most famous Springsteen albums. He was a core part of the E Street Band’s sound and live experience. He was more than just a band member, someone who was irreplaceable in his presence on stage alongside Bruce.
In what eventually became a fitting continuation of Clarence’s name and legacy, his nephew, Jake Clemons, was first introduced as the new saxophone player of the E Street Band in 2012 as part of the Wrecking Ball tour. It’s one of those stories where something feels like it was just meant to be. However, there’s more of a story as to how this happened. While Jake had been around the band previously, there were initially doubts about his maturity and ability to fill the role. He could play, and as Springsteen described “his very existence gave him the first shot” – but he needed to show that he was ready.
Failing the first audition
Born to Run picks up the story of Jake’s first meeting to audition with Springsteen:
“Jake came to his first professional meeting with me an inauspicious hour late. I was ready and steaming. When he walked in I said, “Did you have something more important to do?” He said, no he did not, but he had gotten lost. I said, “Let’s go to work.”
Over the phone I’d given Jake four or five songs to familiarise himself with […] I wanted to hear his tone, his phrasing, and find out his learning ability. When he’d arrived, he “sort of” knew them. Lesson number one: in the E Street Band we don’t “sort of” do… ANYTHING …
People always asked me how the band played like it did night after night, almost murderously consistent. NEVER stagnant and always full balls to the wall. There are two answers. One is they loved and respected their jobs, one another, their leader and their audience. The other is …because I MADE them! Do not underestimate the second answer. I needed Jake to deeply understand them both…”
The book goes on to describe the harsh dressing down that followed. Springsteen telling Jake in no uncertain terms how he had embarrassed himself and wasted his time:
“You don’t DARE come in here and play this music […] without having your SHIT DOWN COLD…”
Springsteen says in the book that he was exaggerating for “his and my benefit, but not that much.” This was because he needed to know who Jake was.
The story continues:
“After a few times around, I instructed him to go to the hotel room from whence he came and not to return until he had these solos down. I said before I’d take him to sit in with the band, he’d have to play this material perfectly with just him and me. Then we would play and record to a live tape of the band in full flight. Then, and only then, would I bring him before the group. He called me a day or two later and said he was ready.
When he came this time, he was.”
The stakes you’re playing for
Jake Clemons was playing in the band on the UK tour I’ve just seen and he’s now an established E Street member all these years later. He did the work, and has proven to be the only person who could have taken up the legacy of his late uncle.
As Springsteen concludes the story in Born to Run:
“…I found Jake to be a soulful, hardworking young sax player whom I had a deep feeling for. I was rooting for him, for us. C was in the room big time. He drew us closer. He’d been Jake’s uncle, had mentioned Jake to me when he wasn’t well, and I knew he’d have smiled over Jake’s being here. This felt like it had his blessing.”
Even if something seemed meant to be, there was still a need to do the work and for Jake to show who he was. Springsteen set those standards and made his expectations very clear.
In Bruce’s own words, he describes this need to do the work as showing “who you ARE, what you’ve got inside [and] your degree of emotional understanding of the stakes we’re playing for…”
On the first night of the tour in Manchester, I noticed Jake Clemons pause, look up and briefly point to the sky before his first solo. He belonged on that stage, but it’s clear that he knows the importance of that responsibility, and I’m sure he continues to work incredibly hard to hold those standards and expectations.
What do I take from this story? It’s a reminder of the importance of doing the work – how it shows who we are, and that we understand the opportunity and what’s at stake.
This is my blog where I’ve been writing for 20 years. You can follow all of my posts by subscribing to this RSS feed. You can also find me on Bluesky and LinkedIn.