Posted by Stan Goldstein
Newark Star-Ledger
April 18, 2008 1:35AM
William Perlman/The Newark Star-Ledger
Danny Federici in New York City in July 2005.
When I heard the news tonight that Danny Federici died, it hit really hard.
I guess it was expected, but the reality of it is still sinking in. To many of us E Street Band fans, it's like losing a member of our own family.
My first Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band show was on Aug. 2, 1976 at the Monmouth Arts Centre (now Count Basie Theatre) in Red Bank. The song I most wanted to hear that night was "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" because it was about the Asbury Park boardwalk where I hung out playing pinball on many a summer afternoon.
My sister, who took me to the concert, told me that you could tell when Bruce was going to play "Sandy" because Danny Federici would leave the organ and come to the front of the stage and play the accordion.
The second encore of that night, Danny put on the accordion and I still remember that feeling his accoridon brought of the boardwalk and the Jersey Shore. Everytime I've heard "Sandy" since, I think of that night in 1976.
Other memories that come to mind are watching Danny run from Roy Bittan's keyboards back to his organ toward the end of "Born In The U.S.A." when Bruce opened the shows with the powerful song in 1984-85 . Danny would start the song playing next to Roy, and then toward the end of the song, he would run like an athlete to his own organ on the other side of the stage.
I also liked when Bruce introduced him as "Phantom Dan Federici." The story goes that the Middletown cops were looking for Danny after the infamous Clearwater Swim Club riot following a Steel Mill show on Sept. 11, 1970.
Danny may or may not have pushed an amp from the stage on to the Chief of the Middletown police. Later, the cops were looking for Danny and he escaped arrest on future nights by disappearing into the crowd when Steel Mill would perform "Ressurection," which started his nickname "Phantom."
I had a chance meeting with Danny in the Tampa Airport following the three great Florida shows in November of 2002. I was flying back to Newark and when I got to my gate, I saw Danny sitting by himself, at the next gate. I hesitated going up to him to say hello, but we had a mutual friend so I figured I would just go up and say a few words.
He was a nice as could be and asked me how I liked the shows in Orlando, Miami and Tampa. I told them I thought they were all great and he said to me "yes, they were. You sure picked three good ones to see."
I was fortunate to be at Miller Park in Milwaukee on Sept. 27, 2003 when Bruce brought Danny up front with the accordion to play "Beer Barrel Polka." That was fun.
Maybe Bruce summed Danny up best with this quote when he was indcuted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 1999.
"Danny Federici, the most instinctive and natural musician I ever met and the only member of the band who can reduce me to a shouting mess. I love you Danny. Your organ and accordion playing brought the boardwalks of Central and South Jersey alive in my music. Thank you.''
Yes Danny, thank you for many nights of wonderful music. That great band in heaven just got itself one great organ and accordion player.
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