The Stone Pony Pays Tribute to The Big Man, Clarence Clemons
The bar, a frequent home of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, honors legendary saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who died on Saturday in Palm Beach, Fla.
The Stone Pony in Asbury Park opened at noon on Sunday to allow hundreds of fans to pay tribute to legendary saxophonist Clarence Clemons. Clemons, 69, the "Big Man" in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, died Saturday night after suffering complications from a stroke on June 12. Springsteen and Clemons, who was 6-foot-4 and weighed 250 pounds, met at the Asbury Park bar in 1971, a story both men have told onstage for the past 40 years. Fans of all ages came to pay their respects to Clemons at the very stage where he and Bruce began playing together. Valerie Koelsch of Bear, Del., and Tony Tanzi of Ocean Township stood in front of the stage adorned with flowers, burning incense and photos, sharing memories of seeing Clarence perform live…
Mickey Brewster
10:21 pm on Sunday, June 19, 2011
Having the opportunity to spend some moments with him at the Hospital for Special Surgery last year, I could see the pain he was in. We talked about Monmouth County, nothing about music, just what a nice place to live it is. Perhaps it was the situation most people are in there, kind of like your all "in it together" but it was really nice to not do the idol worship thing and he seemed relieved … more ›