BY JAY LUSTIG
Newark Star-Ledger Staff
Nothing was said at Monday's Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band concert at Boston's TD Banknorth Garden. But Springsteen let the crowd know that the rumors were true: Danny Federici was seriously ill, and this would be his last show with the band, at least for a while.
The set list was full of songs that emphasized Federici's keyboard playing, like "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" and "Kitty's Back." At the end of the show, when the musicians took their customary bows, Federici received special treatment.
"When Bruce threw his arm around Danny and brought him up front for his own bow, it was pretty clear that he was being honored," says Christopher Phillips, editor and publisher of the Springsteen magazine Backstreets.
"All the E Street Band members wanted to give him a hug or pat his shoulder," said Phillips, who attended the show. "And the crowd started shouting, 'Danny! Danny! Danny!' Half the crowd was probably chanting just because he had a great night. He sounded great, and he had a lot of chances to do his thing."
Federici confirmed yesterday that he will take a leave of absence from the band, starting with Sunday's show in Madrid, to pursue treatment for melanoma, a form of cancer.
"Danny is one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years," Springsteen said in a press statement. "We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy re turn."
Charles Giordano, who played on Springsteen's 2006 "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions" album and the subsequent tour, will fill in. His previous credits include stints in Pat Benatar's band and Buster Poindexter's Banshees of Blue.
Federici, a 57-year-old Fleming ton native, is one of three musicians who have been in the E Street Band every step of the way. Saxophonist Clarence Clemons and bassist Garry Tallent are the others.
The E Street Band c. 1973
Federici also played in Springsteen's pre-E Street bands Steel Mill and Child, and has released two jazz-pop albums on his own: 1997's "Flemington," re-released in 2001 with one new track as "Danny Federici"; and 2005's "Out of a Dream."
When Springsteen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, he called Federici "the most instinctive and natural musician I ever met," and told him, "Your organ and accordion playing brought the boardwalks of Central and South Jersey alive in my music."
The Madrid show kicks off a 3 1/2-week European tour that will be followed by more shows in the United States and Canada, begin ning in late February. But as long as Federici isn't there, it won't be the same E Street Band.
The sound probably won't be tremendously different. But the E Street Band is more than a sound. To its fans, it's also a symbol of friendship and loyalty, and the possibility that a bunch of hard-working guys can create something great together. With Federici not there, the band loses a little of its magic.
There is also a more concrete way that Federici's absence might affect the band. Like the other longtime E Streeters, he has an en cyclopedic knowledge of Springsteen's material.
"The Springsteen catalog runs so deep," said Phillips. "Where it might affect things is: Will they be as free to pull out anything that Bruce might want to pull out? When Bruce says, 'Okay, we haven't played "Ramrod" in five years, but we're playing it right now,' or whatever it might be ... Can they do that with Charlie? I don't know."
Jay Lustig may be reached at jlustig@starledger.com or (973) 392-5850.
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