Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen‘s birthday is now an official holiday in his home state of New Jersey, and, to quote Lizzo, it’s about damn time.
In the past year alone, we’ve seen cities designate Goose Day (Cincinnati, OH), Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe Day (San Diego, CA), and Capitol Theatre Day (Port. Chester, NY)—not to mention moe.day (Albany, NY), which was created in 2018 and this year saw a major street temporarily named after the band—yet none of these artists (or venues) are as strongly associated with a place as the pride of the Garden State, Bruce Springsteen.
Having been born and raised in New Jersey and first established himself in the still-vibrant Asbury Park music scene, Springsteen has maintained deep connections to the state throughout his career. New Jersey is a big part of what makes Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen and vice versa. It is only right, then, that the state recognizes its most beloved cultural export with an official holiday.
The proclamation was made by Governor Phil Murphy, who last year issued a statement demanding answers from Springsteen and Ticketmaster about outrageous prices for tickets to his ongoing world tour. Tickets for some shows on the tour wound up plummeting to single-digit prices just days before the show, but that wasn’t the case in New Jersey, where the tour’s first leg concluded on Friday.
Murphy announced the designation of September 23rd, Springsteen’s birthday, as Bruce Springsteen Day back in April during the first American Music Honors at the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music in West Long Branch, New Jersey.
“I know my place in the hierarchy of New Jersey,” Governor Murphy stated. “After all, I may be the 56th individual to be called ‘governor,’ but there will ever only be just one ‘Boss.’”
The proclamation enumerates some of Springsteen’s achievements, including his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and his performance at Barack Obama‘s first presidential inauguration. “Bruce Springsteen will forever be remembered as the voice of the Garden State, signaling to the world that New Jerseyans were born to run,” the proclamation reads. Check out the full proclamation below.
Having just concluded the first leg of their latest world tour, Springsteen and the E Street Band will head to Europe this summer before returning to the States for another leg of tour dates in the fall. For more information including a full list of tour dates and ticketing details, visit the band’s website.
[Originally published 4/17/23]
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