Springsteen Makes It Official: ’99 Tour Will Feature E Streeters

For a decade, devoted fans of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have wondered when--or if--the celebrated rock ‘n’ roll alliance would ever tour again.

They got their answer Tuesday: summer 1999.

A brief, faxed statement from the Jon Landau Management Co. on Tuesday confirmed the worldwide tour, but said all the key details--such as dates, prices and venues--won’t be announced until early next year.

Still, just the news that Springsteen and his former bandmates would reunite for their first tour since 1989 was enough to excite the concert industry and the rocker’s fans, who have long clamored for a rekindling of the stage magic created on the “Born in the U.S.A.” and earlier tours.

“Phenomenal news,” said Chris Phillips, editor of Backstreets, a Seattle-based Springsteen fanzine with 10,000 readers. “The phones [have] been ringing. . . . It’s been in the air for a week that an announcement might be coming. This is a dream come true for Bruce fans.”

Though Springsteen’s managers and his record company would not elaborate on the statement, interviews with promoters around the country suggest that Springsteen is leaning toward arenas rather than the stadiums that he played on the colossal “Born in the U.S.A.” tour in the mid-’80s.

“From what I understand, Springsteen’s camp has been gathering information about various buildings and dates for months, so they could present Bruce with various options,” said one major U.S. promoter.

Springsteen toured with other musicians after his “Lucky Town” and “Human Touch” albums in 1992, but even he has acknowledged that some fans were disappointed by the absence of the E Streeters.

“I felt the shows were very good and, in general, I thought the response was good,” Springsteen told The Times in 1995. “At the same time, I can understand how some fans found it disorienting. With the E Street guys, we were like family, like neighbors.”

Though it went through various changes over the years, the most famous E Street lineup included Clarence Clemons on saxophone, Roy Bittan and Danny Federici on keyboards, Max Weinberg on drums, Gary Tallent on bass, and either Miami Steve Van Zandt or Nils Lofgren on guitar. The statement didn’t detail which members would be on the tour.

Springsteen is expected to review various tour options--such as starting in Europe or North America and the number of U.S. shows--after the first of the year.

The thought of Springsteen and the E Street Band joining a summer concert season that will also feature the Rolling Stones and perhaps tours by Madonna and Barbra Streisand is a tantalizing prospect for promoters, said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of Pollstar, the concert industry trade.

“If they play arenas, it’ll be the hottest and hardest ticket of the year, no doubt,” Bongiovanni said “And they have the ability to fill stadiums if they chose to do that.”

Ticket-pricing for the tour is an interesting subplot, Bongiovanni said. The Rolling Stones have priced the best seats at their upcoming “No Security” arena tour at $300, while Garth Brooks, who has sold 5 million tickets on his most recent tour, has won the hearts of fans by setting admission prices under $20. Which way will Springsteen and his bandmates go?

“Somewhere in the middle, I suspect,” Bongiovanni said.