18 days, five countries, and seven concerts: this was how long-time Springsteen chronicler and veteran Backstreets contributor Caryn Rose spent her summer vacation, running from Paris to Prague to Vienna to London to Dublin, following Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on tour. Were European Springsteen fans that different from their Stateside counterparts? Were the shows overseas truly better than the ones in the States? Part travelogue and part rock and roll love letter, Rose takes you with her every step of the way: queuing in the rain, sleeping on the sidewalk, and watching Paul Mc Cartney from the front row in London.
Start reading Raise Your Hand on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
Try it free |
Read books on your computer or other mobile devices with our FREE Kindle Reading Apps.
|
| Digital List Price: |
$2.99
What's this?
|
| Print List Price: | $6.99 |
| Kindle Price: | $2.99 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet |
| You Save: | $4.00 (57%) |
|
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Caryn Rose paints a definitive portrait of Bruce Springsteen's current relationship with his European fans (and the fans with him) in Raise Your Hand: Adventures of an American Springsteen Fan in Europe. Rose's encyclopedic knowledge of Springsteen's music and mythology combined with her keen critical eye and estimable storytelling skill make this a must-read for any music fan. --David Gutowski, Largehearted Boy
YOU'LL LIKE THIS BOOK IF: You can't get enough Bruce, you've always been curious about the European concert experience or you want to compare her observations with your own. This is not the upcoming Peter Carlin Ames epic biography, "Bruce." This is one experienced, educated fan's experience. --The Record/northjersey.com
YOU'LL LIKE THIS BOOK IF: You can't get enough Bruce, you've always been curious about the European concert experience or you want to compare her observations with your own. This is not the upcoming Peter Carlin Ames epic biography, "Bruce." This is one experienced, educated fan's experience. --The Record/northjersey.com
About the Author
Caryn Rose is a Brooklyn-based writer and novelist who documents rock and roll, baseball and urban life. She has been writing about Bruce Springsteen for over 30 years, and has been a regular contributor to Backstreets Magazine since 2003. Her first novel, B-sides and Broken Hearts, was published in 2011, and her second novel, You Can't Predict Baseball, is slated for release in the Spring of 2013. Raise Your Hand: Adventures of an American Springsteen Fan In Europe is her first non-fiction book. You can follow her online at jukeboxgraduate.com or on Twitter @carynrose.
Product Details
Would you like to give feedback on images? |
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Marc Dolan
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
In terms of popular music writing, Caryn Rose is something of a unicorn--a fan who can also be critical. Trust me, there aren't as many people out there like this as you might think. The fans tend to be all-accepting, and the critics can often be shockingly superficial. Rose has been following Bruce Springsteen for decades now and knows his work as well as anyone, but she has some very definite opinions about what works and what doesn't. Those opinions are highly individual, not at all a product of groupthink, and they are informed by her love and knowledge of artists other than Springsteen too.
This points to another way in which she is a unique music writer: she doesn't have a Golden Age, any Golden Age, to which she hearkens back. For Rose, there is great rock 'n' roll, live and recorded, in every era. You just have to listen with both joy and care. I don't always agree with her, but she makes me think about my own opinions, my own musical tastes, and that usually makes me want to go back and listen with fresh ears.
Much has been written this year (cough cough, David "Bobo" Brooks) about Springsteen in Europe vs. Springsteen in the US. In "Raise Your Hand," Rose reports live from the belly of the beast, or in this case the GA pit. As always, her mind and her viscera are equally engaged, and this brief book is the best intelligent-fan's-eye account I have ever read of a rock 'n' roll tour. That doesn't surprise me, of course, since I consider Rose's "B-Sides and Broken Hearts" one of the most successful rock 'n' roll novels ever.
Read this book to learn about Springsteen at 62; read it to learn about the fate of classic rock in the 21st century; read it to learn about a sprawling megatour in the time of the declining Euro--just read it. Rose will make you smile, feel, and think.
This points to another way in which she is a unique music writer: she doesn't have a Golden Age, any Golden Age, to which she hearkens back. For Rose, there is great rock 'n' roll, live and recorded, in every era. You just have to listen with both joy and care. I don't always agree with her, but she makes me think about my own opinions, my own musical tastes, and that usually makes me want to go back and listen with fresh ears.
Much has been written this year (cough cough, David "Bobo" Brooks) about Springsteen in Europe vs. Springsteen in the US. In "Raise Your Hand," Rose reports live from the belly of the beast, or in this case the GA pit. As always, her mind and her viscera are equally engaged, and this brief book is the best intelligent-fan's-eye account I have ever read of a rock 'n' roll tour. That doesn't surprise me, of course, since I consider Rose's "B-Sides and Broken Hearts" one of the most successful rock 'n' roll novels ever.
Read this book to learn about Springsteen at 62; read it to learn about the fate of classic rock in the 21st century; read it to learn about a sprawling megatour in the time of the declining Euro--just read it. Rose will make you smile, feel, and think.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Cyn D
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I found Caryn Rose at metsgrrl.com a few years ago and really fell in love with her writing style. Although I'm definitely a baseball fan, I'm not a Mets fan and yet her blog became required reading for me. She has a rare talent where she can write about something you think you have no interest in and before you know it she has completely pulled you into her world. So, although I can't classify myself as a tremendous Springsteen fan, I wasn't surprised that I really enjoyed "Raise Your Hand: Adventures of an American Springsteen Fan in Europe", but I was surprised at how MUCH I enjoyed it.
Not only is it a wonderful glimpse into the way Europeans celebrate both Bruce Springsteen and live music but it's a handy how-to for folks interesting in taking on the same adventure that Caryn and her companion Glenn took on this summer. Most impressively, for me, is how Caryn Rose tells a story. I didn't recognize half the songs she mentions Bruce singing and yet she made me understand clearly what they mean to the fans. (It also compelled me hit iTunes for a few downloads.)
You don't have to be a fan of The Boss to appreciate and enjoy this book. You just have to want to read a fascinating tale of a unique and exhilarating experience from an intimate point of view. After reading this book, I felt like I had been to Europe, slept in the mud, eaten ham sandwiches and witnessed Bruce Springsteen and Sir Paul McCartney on stage together.
There have been many books I've read and immediately regretted spending the time on...this is not one of those books.
Not only is it a wonderful glimpse into the way Europeans celebrate both Bruce Springsteen and live music but it's a handy how-to for folks interesting in taking on the same adventure that Caryn and her companion Glenn took on this summer. Most impressively, for me, is how Caryn Rose tells a story. I didn't recognize half the songs she mentions Bruce singing and yet she made me understand clearly what they mean to the fans. (It also compelled me hit iTunes for a few downloads.)
You don't have to be a fan of The Boss to appreciate and enjoy this book. You just have to want to read a fascinating tale of a unique and exhilarating experience from an intimate point of view. After reading this book, I felt like I had been to Europe, slept in the mud, eaten ham sandwiches and witnessed Bruce Springsteen and Sir Paul McCartney on stage together.
There have been many books I've read and immediately regretted spending the time on...this is not one of those books.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a Springsteen fan for over 25 years and an attendee of dozens of his shows, I thoroughly enjoyed the in-depth look at the European Springsteen phenomenon. Ms. Rose puts readers right in the middle of the long lines, the mud of Hyde Park, and the drunken Irishmen that she encountered along the way. I think any music lover would enjoy this book, but Springsteen fans will be ecstatic with the inclusion of each show's setlist and the detailed discussions of song sequencing and crowd reactions at the individual shows. I'll be trying Ms. Rose's novel, B-Sides and Broken Hearts next.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great read
This was a great read that I couldn't put down. As a major Springsteen fan this book gave me the feeling of wanting to be next to the author as she described the shows!
Published 1 month ago by Nfm
4.0 out of 5 stars
Raise Your Hand and Go Racing In The Streets of Europe With This Fun...
Great insight into how to approach, attend and participate in the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band international concerts. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Betsy J. Wilkinson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Writer. Worthy Topic. Short Book. Big Plug.
In 104 actual pages, Caryn Rose makes a convincing case for the divergent interests of US and European rock audiences, shadowing Springsteen and the E Street Band across Europe on... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Birdman
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting read for Springsteen fans
This e-book is an interesting insight to the European experience at a Springsteen concert. Told from a long-time fan's perspective.
Published 5 months ago by Elaine Bauer
4.0 out of 5 stars
A must if you're a travelling fan
I loved this book- a must if you're a fan! I'm an American living in Europe, and I'm Bruce's age! I haven't been able to follow him around as much as the author, but if i was... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Nancy
1.0 out of 5 stars
Half Springsteen Half Shameless Plug for new Novel
Booooh! Not Bruce and E St Band but the fact that Caryn suckered me into buying her book when it finishes half way and the rest is an intro to her novel . Read more
Published 6 months ago by Sally S.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Raise your hand
Excellent reading for Boss fans. If you, like me, were there great, if not , great.
Well written fast paced, good stuff.
Worth a read
Well written fast paced, good stuff.
Worth a read
Published 7 months ago by Denis Davey
5.0 out of 5 stars
raise your hands to caryn rose
loved caryn rose's account of the european leg of bruce's tour...I am a fan of her blogs and it was very enjoyable to read lengthier and more detailed accounts of her tour... Read more
Published 7 months ago by elntlr
5.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful descriptions of music fan community
I really liked Caryn Rose's rock and roll travel itinerary -- her summer 2012 trip to attend seven Bruce Springsteen concerts in five European countries. Read more
Published 7 months ago by nsbishop
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not Just For Fans of Bruce
I like Bruce Springsteen, but I'm not by any means a HUGE fan. I've never even seen him in my home city, so why would I be interested in a book about one fan's roadtrip through... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Easy Reader
More About the Author
Caryn Rose is a Brooklyn-based writer and photographer who documents rock-and-roll, baseball and urban life. She covers the ups and downs of the New York Mets at metsgrrl.com, reports on Bruce Springsteen for Backstreets Magazine and brucespringsteen.net, and ruminates about music at jukeboxgraduate.com. She lives in Greenpoint with her boyfriend and her cat, Jackie Wilson.Â
==
PRAISE FOR B-SIDES AND BROKEN HEARTS:
"Caryn Rose's B-Sides and Broken Hearts is a rare book, one that incorporates music seamlessly into its core. Rose's debut novel is filled with characters whose love for music is great and relatable, their passion for '80s and '90s indie rock and punk jumps off the page in this absorbing novel." - Largehearted Boy
"If you've ever sat in a diner at 3 a.m. after a concert and hashed over the set list minute by minute, song by song -- or marked the events in your life by what tour was taking place at the time, or which record was just released -- or waited in line all night to buy concert tickets - or drove across the country to see a show -- then likely you will enjoy this book as much as I did...Rose is steeped in rock and roll history, this is her life blood, she walks the walk and talks the talk." - Great Rock & Roll Reads for the Fall, Huffington Post
==
PRAISE FOR B-SIDES AND BROKEN HEARTS:
"Caryn Rose's B-Sides and Broken Hearts is a rare book, one that incorporates music seamlessly into its core. Rose's debut novel is filled with characters whose love for music is great and relatable, their passion for '80s and '90s indie rock and punk jumps off the page in this absorbing novel." - Largehearted Boy
"If you've ever sat in a diner at 3 a.m. after a concert and hashed over the set list minute by minute, song by song -- or marked the events in your life by what tour was taking place at the time, or which record was just released -- or waited in line all night to buy concert tickets - or drove across the country to see a show -- then likely you will enjoy this book as much as I did...Rose is steeped in rock and roll history, this is her life blood, she walks the walk and talks the talk." - Great Rock & Roll Reads for the Fall, Huffington Post
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
