-- and Thousands Cheered the BAND ORGAN!

Imagine a band organ on a lift in a stadium filled with tens of
thousands of people.  At the start of the show the band organ is
lifted up above the stage with a spotlight on it.  It starts to play
and thousands _cheer!_

No, this is not a dream.  This actually happened the other night at
the huge United Center Stadium in Chicago during the Bruce Springsteen
Concert!

Several weeks ago I was contacted about a band organ by Bruce
Springsteen's staff.  Two staff members had given the organ as a gift
to Bruce in memory of Bruce's long time personal assistant and good
friend, Terry Magovern.  Bruce immediately was thrilled with the band
organ and placed it as the opening act to his new show that is
currently on tour.

For years Bruce Springsteen has been sentimental about Asbury Park in
New Jersey where he grew up and achieved his initial fame.  For one of
his videos he even moved a carousel into the long abandoned Asbury Park
carousel pavilion.  It is then no wonder that he would be thrilled by
owning a band organ.  Even his wife likes it and wants it in the home
soon for entertaining and parties!

On Sunday, Oct. 21, I went to downtown Chicago to look over the organ.
I arrived at the back entrance of the United Center promptly at 4 P.M.
as requested by the staff.  The security and show production manager
took me backstage to where the band organ was situated.  They showed
me how they used the organ in the show and let me walk around the stage.
The view from the stage toward the audience seating areas was awesome!

The organ turned out to be a DeKleist-style 125-roll-playing band organ
built by long-time enthusiast Bill Kromer of Pennsylvania.  The organ
looks like a Wurlitzer 125 with brass trumpets, with the addition of
orchestra bells.  It is operated like a vintage band organ via a crank
shaft, pitman arms, a pressure and vacuum bellows and a roll frame.

Evidently the organ was built by Bill for a carousel and ended up in
an office building frequented by the Springsteen staff.  The organ was
in respectable playing condition, having played several major cities
already.  Prior to my visit, the staff had requested that I provide
the song, "New York, New York," for the organ's appearance at Madison
Square Garden.  I ended up providing instead the old favorite,
"Sidewalks of New York," courtesy of John Polhpeter and Mike Grant.

Regarding the organ, I made suggestions to the staff on its tuning and
maintenance.  I must say that the staff was already very intuitive on
a lot of the details of band organ operation.  I spent some time with
them showing them mechanical music machine pictures and giving them
a brief history of band organs.  They were very interested in learning
about what they had!

The staff then invited me to a buffet dinner with Bruce Springsteen's
famous E-Street Band and his behind-the-scenes production staff.
On the way to the room, I was introduced to Bruce Springsteen and
complimented him on his band organ!  I gave him and his staff a CD,
courtesy of Chris Carlisle, of the Paul Eakins' 157 Wurlitzer Band
Organ that once played for the large PTC Asbury Park Carousel.  I also
gave them a CD of George Cushing's Thursford Collection.  I arranged
a visit for the staff to see the magnificent Sanfilippo Collection.

Also, on the way I was presented with tickets for a family member and
I to see the evening's show.  We took our place in the stands which had
a great view of the stage.  The show was sold out with tickets being
scalped for $250.00 on e-Bay!  That evening there were about 20,000
fans in the stadium.  Yes 20,000+ FANS! The main floor was filled with
hundreds in standing room only.

At about 8:15 P.M. the crowd started to stir.  Then all of a sudden the
spotlight came on and the organ started to rise up from underneath the
stage, playing "The Man in the Flying Trapeze".  The band organ gleamed
proudly in the spotlight and played its best!  Upon seeing and hearing
band organ, the crowd became ecstatic: they cheered and applauded the
band organ which was the only performer on stage!  The applause
continued throughout the song.

Words cannot describe the intense electric thrill I had seeing thousands
of people cheering and applauding the band organ!  I am sure that most
had never seen a band organ before.  In fact, when you think about it,
this is the first band organ to have played for such immense crowds in
such a way!  After the song was over the band organ retreated into the
stage.  The excitement lingered and then Bruce Springsteen came out
with the band to more cheers and applause as he played his new song,
Radio Nowhere.

The E-Street Band along with Bruce Springsteen are superb professional
musicians.  Bruce is a consummate showman and entertainer.  He and the
band played their new and vintage hits for the next two and one-half
hours with the energy and synergy that has made them famous.  Bruce
Springsteen ended the show with a recent melodic patriotic number,
"American Land," played with a unique Irish jig/rock rhythm accompanied
by an organ, two accordions, a violin, guitars, a grand piano, and
driving percussion.  The audience sang along with the words on the
monitors.  The whole event was a fantastic experience indeed!

But best of all for me, as a long time band organ enthusiast, was
to see that band organ thrill the audience -- especially a contemporary
audience -- and confirm what I have witnessed in a much smaller way
with my own instruments amongst the public.  The magic was there and
the public responded enthusiastically!  I will never forget the cheers
of thousands for the band organ!

Thanks to Bruce Springsteen for making it possible and making history
in the sometimes closed, underexposed world of mechanical music by
exposing a band organ to _thousands._  And the _thousands_ responded
with repeated _cheers_ and _applause!_  Wow!

The Bruce Springsteen Show is currently on tour and is even going to
England and Europe with the band organ.  Try to see to see the show if
you can.  You will have an experience you will never forget!

  http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html

Click on the following and then click on the band organ picture to see
photos of the Bruce Springsteen Band Organ at the United Center event:

  http://www.timtrager.com/aboutme.htm

Tim Trager

 [ At http://www.brucespringsteen.net/songs/CountyFair.html :
 [
 [    Well baby you know I just love the sound
 [    Of that pipe organ on the merry-go-round
 [    Baby, down at the county fair.
 [
 [ -- Robbie