Bruce Springsteen made his first public appearance since postponing his tour dates due to health reasons and inducted his wife, Patti Scialfa, into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
At the ceremony on October 29th, Scialfa was celebrated alongside The Sopranos creator David Chase, who was inducted by the E-Street Band’s Steven Van Zandt. The event marked the 15th anniversary of the Hall of Fame, and hosting duties were carried out by local legend Danny DeVito.
“Hello, New Jersey! It’s so cool to be here tonight for my baby,” Springsteen told the audience as he walked on stage. Touching on his relationship with Scialfa, he noted: “Together, we carry on the Irish-Italian mating tradition so prevalent along our little stretch of the Jersey Shore. I met Patti at the Stone Pony. Where else?”
Looking back on his musical partnership with Scialfa, who is also a member of the E-Street Band, Springsteen explained how “singing harmony was not one of” their specialised areas, therefore, he recruited her to be their “secret weapon” in 1984.
During her speech, Scialfa said: “To meet and work with so many brilliant musicians and artists and find a piece of that world — a little piece of that world — for myself, I am so deeply grateful to the many people I’ve worked with who have reflected back to me the beauty and transformative power of music.”
Springsteen recently updated fans on his peptic ulcer disease after postponing tour dates due to ill health. During an episode of SiriusXM’s From My Home To Yours, broadcast on October 10th, the singer-songwriter introduced himself to listeners by saying, “Your favourite rock star with a bitch of a bellyache.”
Later in the broadcast, Springsteen said: “Let me take a moment and thank my fans affected by our postponed shows for their understanding. I am deeply sorry, but this belly thing, despite my ability to laugh at it, has been a monster and is still unfortunately rocking my internal world.”
Watch a clip from the New Jersey Hall of Fame ceremony below.
Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Steven Van Zandt and Tony Orlando singing *backup* for the finale of the New Jersey Hall of Fame ceremony. pic.twitter.com/U5sF0lKCZE
— Amy Kuperinsky (@AmyKup) October 30, 2023
