By Neil Offen
noffen@heraldsun.com; 419-6646
Stephanie Rosen of Chapel Hill poses with Bruce Springsteen on Washington Street in Durham on Thursday.
slideshow Fan meets his idol as the Boss plays Page http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/7107464/article-A-brush-with-Bruce?instance=homefourthleft
DURHAM — Who was that familiar-looking guy over on Ninth Street on Thursday, and then later over by the old Durham Athletic Park?
You know, the same guy who was later in Page Auditorium?
The guy who walked on stage during the Rosanne Cash show, just as Cash was introducing the duet she sings with Bruce Springsteen on her CD “The List”?
On tour, one of her band members usually “plays the part of Bruce Springsteen,” Cash said. “But tonight, we’re fortunate to have … Bruce Springsteen playing the part of Bruce Springsteen.”
And then he walked over to the mic. Yes, The Boss was in town. In fact, all over town.
According to reports, Springsteen had come to Durham with his high school-age daughter, who is looking at Duke University as a possible college choice.
Rocky Rosen, a longtime Springsteen fan and former assistant managing editor at The Herald-Sun, heard that The Boss had been seen at Ox and Rabbit on Ninth Street and headed over.
But Springsteen, having finished his chocolate-vanilla shake, was gone by the time Rosen arrived.
From there, The Boss headed over to a Sound Pure recording studio at 808 Washington St. According to Doug Wessling, vice president of Sound Pure, someone at the Ox and Rabbit mentioned the studio to Springsteen and told him he should drop by.
The people at the studio didn’t think he would, but, sure enough, The Boss appeared.
“That does not happen every day,” Wessling said.
When Springsteen walked in the door, the reaction was “panic,” Wessling said. The staff was worried: “Is the place clean, are the bathrooms clean?”
There were four people at the studio when Springsteen arrived and the visit turned into a “social hang,” Wessling said. Springsteen told stories and played some guitar.
“I have not met a lot of famous people, but I imagine there aren’t that many who are that gracious and down to earth,” Wessling said.
Meanwhile, Rosen and his daughter, Stephanie, arrived outside the studio. They waited. After 6 p.m., they heard someone unlocking the front door to the building.
“There was Bruce,” an excited Rosen said. “I’ve seen him so many times and thought so many times about what it would be like to meet him, but it was always in the context of outside of a show, or in a big city like New York or L.A. But the thought of meeting him here in Durham, I never thought that was possible.”
Handshakes happened. Pictures were taken, including one with Stephanie, who already has seen The Boss twice in concert.
Springsteen “was incredibly gracious,” Rosen recalled. “When you think about the number of times he is stopped in a day, to be able to do it with such politeness and be so accommodating, it’s amazing.”
Moments after, Rosen recalled “all the things I would have liked to have asked him about. But as soon as I saw him I lost the ability to see or think clearly. I think I was able to get across to him how much the music has meant to me.”
A couple of hours after the meeting, there was The Boss again, at Page Auditorium.
When he came onstage at the Cash show, a gasp went through the audience, several members of the crowd reported. Then everyone stood and cheered. They shouted, “Bruce, Bruce.”
He sang “Sea of Heartbreak” with Cash, like he does on the album, and then walked off.
“I’m the luckiest girl,” Cash Tweeted later. “Bruce Springsteen came to my show and sang with me tonight. Not TOO exciting!”