Michele Amabile Angermiller The inaugural American Music Honors awards show — a fundraiser for the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University — launched Saturday night without two very important presenters in attendance: Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa.
Bob Santelli, the Archives’ executive director, broke the news that the Springsteens were both diagnosed with COVID-19 just hours after Springsteen took a final bow Friday night at the Prudential Center, wrapping the first part of his 2023 tour with the E Street Band. “It broke our hearts around 6 a.m.
this morning when I got a call that two of the most important people who were supposed to be here, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, unfortunately came down with COVID.” While the news was met with silence in the crowd, host Jon Stewart lightened the mood, joking, “They’re alive.
Don’t overreact. You can still see them in concert. They’re home sitting by the fire eating French onion soup.” Despite his absence physically, Springsteen was feeling spry enough to tape two videos presenting awards to Darlene Love and fellow E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt.
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