Nov 15 2009 02:51 PM ET

Bruce Springsteen confuses Michigan and Ohio in concert

Categories: Music, News

During a Nov. 13 concert in Auburn Hills, Mich., rocker Bruce Springsteen mistakenly referred to his audience as Ohioans, greeting the crowd with “Hello, Ohio!” before realizing his mistake, according to the Detroit Free Press. “That is every front man’s nightmare,” said Springsteen after guitarist Steven Van Zandt apparently corrected him. Springsteen’s current tour is scheduled to continue until next August, with stops across America and Europe.

Comments (1-15) of 59 Add your comment

Page: 1 2 3
  • darclyte

    Doh!
    I’m surprised that he didn’t get booed. I guess the people there were real fans and hadn’t just been dragged along.
    Had I been there, I’d have been dragged along, so I probably would have booed.

    • Carole

      BING – wanna get away….or maybe stop drinking

  • pt

    Oh …. no biggy. What is the difference? One is north of the other.

    • Laura K

      Wow. Condescending much?

      • AcaseofGeo

        Laura, just how is that condescending? pt is not disparaging either state. More appropriate word choice is needed here to voice your disdain.

    • Tarc

      Well, you’d have to be getting senile to confuse the two. Considering that Michigan and Ohio are two of the largest and most important states in the US, there’s a pretty big difference.

      • AnnWC

        To each their own, Laura and Tarc. I’ve lived in both and there’s not a huge difference.

      • Tarc

        Of course, there is a significant difference that Michiganders and Ohioans would see as self-evident. More inportant, Springsteen was at the Palace, which is pretty unique (and a pretty impressive venue). Springsteen is losing it.

      • Brian

        Michigan is a gorgeous state made of two peninsulas, one almost total wilderness. It borders all five of the Great Lakes, and is known for Motown, fudge, it’s summer cherry harvest, gorgeous sand beaches on its western coast, and ultra conservative Grand Rapids. Ohio has the Cavs and Cincinnati and gave birth to Guided by Voices. Any time anyone decides to group states as indistinguishable, they come off as ignorant and condescending. So you’re wrong, acaseofgeo. It was condescending. And ignorant.

      • Dream Out Loud

        if Bruce had bothered to open his eyes, he’d have noticed the plight, the cr@ppy economy, the embarrassment of a governor, the terrible football, baseball, and basketball teams, the terrible weather, the desolate downtown, etc….and he would have KNOWN he was in Detroit.

      • matt

        Michigan does not border Lake Ontario. That’s right. I’m that guy in the comment section.

      • Em

        “Senile…” or on tour and sleep-deprived and stepping off a tour bus only to go from one stadium to another. They must all run together after a while. I’m sure he meant no offense.

      • gina

        “Largest and most important states”???? Really?????? Not a chance in hell. That’s funny though, good job.

    • Sean

      Yes, Laura needs to look up the word ‘condescending’ so that she can learn its definition. It does not apply here.

    • cndn610

      You are obviously not from Michigan or Ohio.

  • deedub

    Yeah, anytime I’ve ever been to Michigan, I’ve been in denial about it, too. OH-IO. Go Bucks!

    • Tarc

      Basing your opinion on *football* kinda negates any point you have.

      • Jessalyn

        ‘Bucks’ is also just another way of greeting an Ohioan, since Ohio is the Buckeye State (not just a football team).

        Ohio and Michigan aren’t nearly the biggest or most important states in the country (unless you’re counting the countless TV shows that ‘place’ themselves there). The ‘big deal’ is that they’re such huge rivals. Ohio’s unoffical slogan is “At least we’re not Michigan.”

      • Em

        There is a HUGE college football rivalry between Ohio and Michigan. No opinions negated – cultural awareness noted.

  • Ace Landon

    He’s Bruce Springsteen, he can call Michigan, Toronto for all i care

    • Alysh

      absolutley! I was at this concert, and he made a mistake! He has been on tour for the better part of 2 years, in a different city each night! He is allowed to make a mistake once in a while!

    • Brian

      Yes, yes. Bruce Springsteen is surely like unto a god.

  • Nachos4Children

    I went to an *NSYNC concert at Iowa State University and they called out “Hello University of Iowa!” which is, of course, they’re interstate rivals (and coincidentally where I went to school). The resounding boooo from the crowd drown out my laughter.

    • Dream Out Loud

      can I boo the fact that you went to an *NSYNC concert?

      • Em

        Ha!

  • Rich

    Just to show anyone can make a mistake… Bruce’s tour ends in about a week in Buffalo, NOT (as this article states) in nine months!!!

  • TJ

    Surprised it doesn’t happen more often.

    • da

      It does…to a lot of band and artists. Why EW chose to make a big deal out of it I have no idea…guess its a slow news day. Nobody’s perfect; mistakes happen. Move on.

  • Shamrock

    If you get upset at this, you are probably one of those people who naively believe them when they say your town rocks the best and how much they love playing there more than anywhere else.

  • Secondrink

    Believe me, any Ohioan south of Toledo would have booed if Bruce said “What’s up Michigan” at a concert here. It’s just a gut reaction ingrained by years of football-based hatred. Shizz happens.

  • Nathan

    Doesn’t really matter does it? There ain’t much difference.

  • sam

    Almost every artist who tours a lot has done this at least once. Considering how much they travel and how little they see of each city, they could be anywhere.

    • Tarc

      And considering the vast amount of cash they are getting, the acts should (at least) get the city/state straight.

  • logan

    Oldtimer’s disease is setting in. He’s performing Born To Walker in it’s entirety next week.

  • kelly

    “Not much difference”? Bull. Yes, the Blue is going through rough times but we’re resilient. And we have a sense of humor. I thought the Boss faux pas was pretty funny.

  • matt

    I love the Boss, but it’s not hard to figure out that The Palace is in Michigan. I’m sure he’s been there several times throughout the past two decades.

    • Jany

      I’m sure he’s played places called the Palace in other cities. It’s a common name for older theaters.

  • Chris

    I saw Huey Lewis and the News in Glascow, Scotland, and Huey yelled out “Hello England!” That was ugly.

Page: 1 2 3

Add your comment

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject - or we may delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk (*) indicates a required field.

When you click on the "Post Comment" button above to submit your comments, you are indicating your acceptance of and are agreeing to the Terms of Service. You can also read our Privacy Policy.
Advertisement
Powered by WordPress.com VIP