Springsteen Exhibit at National Constitution Center Closes September 3

As we've previously reported, we are all huge fans of From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. If you haven't had a chance to visit the exhibit yet, time is running out! The exhibit runs through September 3rd and is well worth a visit to pay homage to the Boss. Here's a bit more information about the exhibit courtesy of the National Constitution Center...

Less than one month remains for visitors to experience the smash-hit exhibition From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen, which debuted at the National Constitution Center on February 17 and will conclude its run on September 3, 2012. The Center is the only venue to host From Asbury Park to the Promised Land outside of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. With no future tour dates set, this is truly the last chance to see the exhibition that is “as American as apple pie and fun to boot,” according to Philadelphia Magazine. Legendary radio personality Pierre Robert says “fans can get a rare and wonderful glimpse into the impact this one man from the great Garden State has had on so many people all over the world. It gives me such pleasure that this tribute is here at the National Constitution Center, in the city that was, and still is, such a vital part of the story of Bruce Springsteen.”

The final days of the exhibition coincide with back-to-back concerts by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Those who visit the Center by August 30, 2012 can enter to win a special VIP Springsteen prize pack featuring a pair of tickets to the first Springsteen concert at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, September 2; an overnight hotel stay at the Holiday Inn Philadelphia-Stadium location; and $50 towards dinner at Xfinity Live! To enter, guests must visit the Center in person and complete an entry form. One lucky winner will be chosen at random on August 31, 2012. The contest is open to residents of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen - National Constitution Center Exhibition

Currently on display at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia is From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen, a transport of the celebrated collection from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.  The exhibition is running through September 3.  The Legends of Springsteen gang took a road trip out to the city of brotherly love this past weekend and got to experience the magic firsthand.  It was worth every mile we drove.

Chronicling Bruce's rock 'n roll career from his days as a teenager in a garage band through near-present day, the exhibit is a treasure trove of memorabilia for Bruce fanatics.  While it may not offer a wealth of surprises for the most devoted fans, it offers complete and utter immersion in Boss-mania.  The biggest surprises are likely found when you first enter the exhibit and are face with the teenage Springsteen, a floppy-haired Flower Child who played in bands like Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom and sported psychedelic attire.  In addition to the photos and promotional posters, a listening station offers never-released tracks from The Castiles, Bruce's high school band.  An original song called "That's What You Get For Loving Me" is a peppy tune with traces of Bob Dylan and The Everly Brothers that is almost worth the price of admission alone.  You can also hear covers of "Purple Haze" and "Eleanor Rigby", but those are better left in your imagination.

In terms of memorabilia, there is a large variety of his outfits with everything from funky '70s garb to the t-shirt, jeans, and cap he wore for his Born in the U.S.A. album cover shoot.  Vehicular enthusiasts will delight in seeing Bruce's 1960 Chevy Corvette that he bought after Born to Run and the Harley-Davidson he rode across the Southwest following the Tunnel of Love tour.  Truthfully, neither of them appealed to me as much as seeing his Oscar for "Streets of Philadelphia".  A few of the quirkier knick-knacks on display include an award from Blistex for the "Boss-est Lips" and an OJ-styled carton of "Bruce Juice" - a promotional item from a radio station.  Both of these pieces illustrate the degree to which Bruce saturated pop culture in the late '80s.

Scattered throughout the exhibit is an overwhelming number of notebook pages containing Bruce's handwritten lyrics.  Along with the chance to inspect his penmanship (which was beautiful in my opinion), you can see his scribbles and cross-outs.  Scouring these pages will reveal a few fun nuggets, like alternate opening lyrics to "For You".  There's also something deeply personal about seeing Bruce's handwriting that makes the lyrics resonate all the more profoundly; reading the lyrics to "Walk Like a Man" almost brought me to tears.  Also on display is the small table at which Bruce wrote the majority of his early songs.  I'd always envisioned Bruce sitting on a rocking chair with his feet propped up on a windowsill doing his writing, but the shabby, circular table is characteristically pedestrian.

For the passing fan, the exhibit offers a number of engaging access points such as video monitors with interviews and performances, blown-up posters showcasing lyrics to his most popular songs, and a PostSecret-esque wall inviting visitors to contribute a post-it with the song that means the most to them.  I left my mark with "Happy".

The exhibition's layout is its only weakness.  After stepping into Bruce's early days, the rest of the exhibit adheres less to chronology and more to thematic groupings of objects, which comes off as a bit scatter-shot.  The gift shop also leaves much to be desired.  All three Legends of Springsteen editors were ready to waste some serious cash but with a limited selection of overpriced coasters and mugs, we had to settle with matching magnets.  But these are both minor quibbles.  We strongly recommend anyone within driving distance of Philadelphia to make a visit to this shrine to Springsteen as soon as possible.