Bruce Springsteen meets with fans shortly before his May 7, 2008 show at the Basie. (Click to enlarge)
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
Loyal Bruce fans, pack rats or both: The Count Basie Theatre would like to reward you.
If you dig through your dresser drawers and find a ticket stub from a Bruce Springsteen concert, the Basie is giving you a special price — five bucks — for entry to a special night for any fan of The Boss.
For just $5, stubholders will get to see the only screening in New Jersey of the latest installment of Bruuuuuuuce adulation, “The Promise,” a documentary about the making of 1978’s Darkness On The Edge Of Town.
And the older the ticket, the better. The Basie website says a prize will go to the holder of the oldest ticket stub.
Count Basie Foundation CEO Rusty Young said the promotion is a first-time idea way to show a little appreciation to loyal fans. The Basie obtained the Boss’s OK to show the film — which has been running on HBO all month — on its 40-foot-by-17-foot high-definition screen. The screening is scheduled for November 2.
In a May, 2008 benefit for the Basie, Springsteen and the E Street Band played start-to-finish renderings of Darkness on the Edge of Town and its predecessor, Born To Run, straight through for the first time ever.
“I know a lot of Springsteen fans are going to be into this show,” Young said. “So if people could show up with an old ticket stub, we’ll reward them for being good fans.”
As a bonus to getting an inside look at the creative process, Young will show an interview with the documentary’s director, Thom Zimney.
“I just want to fill the place up with as many Springsteen fans and Basie fans that night, and to give them as few reasons as possible to stay home on November 2,” Young said.
Tickets are for sale online and at the Basie box office Friday. Non-stub holders will pay $10. Proceeds from the screening will go the theatre’s facade renovation.
