One of the all-time greats died on this day in 2011. Clarence ‘Big Man’ Clemons passed too soon from this existence. We keep losing our touchstones, the ones that act as signposts to a life better lived.
I obviously never knew this extraordinary man, except through the music he gave us, but his passing has left a hole in my world that I know will never be filled. This blog post from the week he left us touched me and I felt compelled to share.
“…my soul is lost, my friend….”
~ My City of Ruins, Bruce Springsteen
Saturday evening, my wife was out with a friend. My kids were asleep, I was finishing up dinner, trying to get into Inception.
At some point, I checked my Twitter feed and noticed that RIP Clarence Clemons was a trending topic. (yes, Twitter is how I often get my news now). I did a quick Google search and found out, from RollingStone.com that the legendary saxophonist of the E Street Band had passed away due to complications from the stroke he suffered last week.
I think we fans all knew this news was inevitable. The Big Man had been not well lately. When The Geek Whisperer and I saw Springsteen and the E Street Band opening night of the last stand at Giants Stadium back in 2009, Clarence spent most of the show seated. He had…
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Runaway American Dream 
Thank you very much for reposting, sir! I posted the Stone Pony photo to my FB page, and someone put “The day the Big Man left the band.” Not true (though I won’t argue the point n FB.) CC IS E Street Band. He may not be on stage, but he’s never left it.
PS: Been reading your back posts…Glad you had a good time in NJ/NY recently. And congratulations on the upcoming nuptials!
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Thanks Mark! And you’re welcome on the repost. I really like your photographs. I agree about CC still being with the band. His presence is palpable at times.
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Great blog post. Glad I found it.
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Thank you. Glad you did too. 🙂
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Was watching a local bar band with a horn section last night and they did Tenth Avenue Freeze Out, which of course got me thinking about the Big Man.
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A change was made uptown…
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Even before I saw who you were talking about in this post, I thought of Clarence Clemons when I saw the words “The Big Man” in the title. Of course I did! It also brought to mind my favorite song from Springsteen:
Thank you for remembering what day it was, and the sadness it will always foster.
Fim
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Mine, from the same album,
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What’s interesting is they’re all my favorite when I’m listening to them. Mr. Q will attest to that. But Jungleland is outstanding!
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Big Man’s finest hour in many ways.
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