Bruce Springsteen has posted the latest in a series of videos promoting upcoming concerts on his current U.S. tour leg with the E Street Band. In the clip, the Boss and some of the band’s members are featured performing a tongue-in-cheek version of the theme song of the old TV sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies.
Videos by American Songwriter
The performance is in anticipation of Springsteen and company’s forthcoming engagement at Kia Forum near Los Angeles. The shows are scheduled for this Thursday and Sunday, April 4 and 7.
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The video was shot onstage at an unidentified venue. Springsteen is seen wearing shades, flanked by Steven Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg, Jake Clemons, Suzie Tyrell, and Charlie Giordano.
“Listen to a story ’bout a man named Jed. A poor mountaineer barely kept the family fed,” Springsteen sings. “Then one day he was out looking for some food…”
The other band members then pipe in, “Out from the ground came a-bubbling crude.”
Springsteen then recites the spoken-word section, “Oil, that is. Black gold. Texas tea,” before launching into the next verse, with additional help from his bandmates: “First thing you know, old Jed’s a millionaire. Kinfolk said, ‘Jed, move away from there!’ They said, ‘California is the place you ought to be.’ So, they loaded up the truck, and they moved to Beverly… Hills, that is. Swimming pools. Movie stars.”
Springsteen finishes the message by addressing the fans coming to the Kia Forum shows.
“L.A., we’re coming to get you,” he says. “You’ve been warned.”
Fans React to Springsteen’s Video Message
The video inspired many Springsteen fans to share their reactions to the clip in comments section of his Instagram page.
“Ballad of Jed f—ing Clampett!!! I can’t!! y’all crack me up!” one fan wrote.
Another commented, “Bruce needs to give his social media manager a raise.”
A third fan wrote, “Oh myyyy godddd lmao this is a group of awesome humans having fun, being grateful and giving back!”
About Springsteen’s Recent Curb Your Enthusiasm Appearance
We can’t say for sure, but perhaps the Boss’ recent appearance on the Max comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm inspired him to sing the theme song to another TV show. Springsteen was featured on a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode that premiered last Sunday, March 31. On the show, Springsteen meets with Larry David, and afterward he comes down with a virus, forcing him to cancel the final concert of a fictional farewell tour.
About The Beverly Hillbillies
In case you’re not familiar with The Beverly Hillbillies, the show ran from 1962 to 1971, and followed the escapades of Jed Clampett and his family. The Clampetts move from the mountains of Missouri to ritzy Beverly Hills after becoming oil millionaires.
About Springsteen’s Upcoming Tour Plans
The current U.S. leg of the trek runs through an April 21 concert in Columbus, Ohio. The tour then will visit Europe in May, June, and July, before mounting a second U.S. leg in August and September.
Following that leg, the Boss and his group will play a series of fall Canadian dates running from late October to late November. Visit BruceSpringsteen.net to check out his full itinerary.
Tickets for the concerts are available via a variety of outlets, including StubHub.
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