Speculation has been circulating for months and now “The Boss” himself, singer Bruce Springsteen, has confirmed that he’ll gladly take part in an upcoming memorial for victims of last summer’s terrorist attacks in Norway.
Coincidentally or not, Springsteen and his E Street Band are scheduled to perform in Oslo on July 21, with two more concerts in Bergen on July 23 and 24th.
That means they’ll have a day off of sorts on Sunday July 22, which will mark the first anniversary of the bombing of Norway’s government headquarters in Oslo and the massacre that followed at a Labour Party summer camp on the island of Utøya.
The Labour youth organization that was targeted by the terrorist, AUF, already has been planning a memorial gathering for AUF members, survivors and victims’ families back on the island on July 22. The speculation has centered on whether Springsteen would perform for them, on Utøya, even though it would be an event closed to the general public.
Springsteen’s longtime band member Steven Van Zandt (“Little Steven”) has been a frequent visitor to Norway in recent years, not least in connection with his starring role in the locally produced TV series Lilyhammer. When he spoke out quickly in support of the terrorists’ victims last year, it didn’t take long for fans to note that both Little Steven and Bruce Springsteen would be in Norway when the anniversary of the attacks rolled around.
Springsteen, who launched his band’s European concert tour in Spain over the weekend, told Norwegian reporters in Sevilla that he hadn’t been formally asked to participate in a July 22 memorial yet, but he’d be interested in doing something since he’d like to contribute.
Springsteen called the attacks “beyond terrible” and said he’d been closely following news about them ever since. He said the attacks shook him badly, and he’s known for his support concerts following the terrorist attacks in the US and for other causes.
Newpaper Aftenposten reported that a representative for Springsteen’s record company, Sony Music, c0nfirmed that Springsteen’s management had an inquiry about a special July 22 performance on the table but that no agreements had been made. AUF officials have also said that no agreement was in hand, at least not yet.
Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund
Please support our stories by clicking on the “Donate” button now:
