Boss fan gives Bruce a gift...and gets passport to post-gig party
ONE oversized passport proved to be just the ticket for this Bruce Springsteen fan.
James Coughlan is still reeling after The Boss invited him for a post-show drink.
He may be Born in the USA, but Bruce should have an Irish passport due to his heritage, James said.
So he created a massive document for the rocker and handed it to him on stage at Thomond Park in Limerick.
The music fan was then stunned when he was invited to party with the E Street Band and his hero Bruce. James, who owns Jimi's Barber Shop in Kilrush, Co Clare, said it was during a rendition of Hungry Heart that James got the chance to hand him the huge passport – and included his phone number.
"It was great when he took the passport; he almost stopped in his tracks," James said.
"He showed it to the crowd for a few seconds. Then he opened it up to the photo page and showed it again.
"Everyone screamed. It was a great feeling to have 30,000 people screaming for something you've done."
EXCITED
After the show, James was in Adare, where he was staying, when he got a call from a number he didn't know. "Where you at?" asked the voice on the other end. "Who is this?" James responded. "This is the guy you gave the passport to. You wanna meet up?"
James then met Bruce Springsteen in the Basement Bar in the Adare Manor Hotel for a drink. "My heart was beating at about 1,000 miles per hour, but I tried to stay cool," James said.
"I've met some famous people before, but never got so excited.
"Bruce did most of the talking. He said he was taken aback and he was really proud. He was delighted with the originality.
"He seemed more gobsmacked by the passport than I was by meeting him."
Bruce stayed for about 15 minutes, but James continued to party throughout the night.
"I stayed drinking with members of the E Street Band and some of the back-up singers until 3am," he said. "It was absolutely brilliant."
And James has tickets to see The Boss in Kilkenny at the end of the month – James's 51st concert.
hnews@herald.ie