Like oil and pharmaceutical tankers in the New Jersey night, two of the Garden State's other greatest exports are passing one another on Bay Area tours in the next couple weeks. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are bringing the tent revival vibe to the ORACLE Arena Oct. 25 and 26, while Glenn Danzig and Gorgeous Frankenstein perform a Black Mass at the Warfield Nov. 2. Admittedly, these performers take very different approaches: Springsteen, while prone to pessimistic meditations, gives his albums such hopeful titles as The Rising and, most recently, Magic, while Danzig is more predisposed to label collections like The Final Descent and Circle of Snakes. Still, the two artists do have their parallels, showcased here as we pit the Boss against, well, the Runt (Danzig's like 5 feet 4 inches, y'all).
Springsteen
Hails from Freehold, New Jersey; has been proving his guitar chops since the 1960s.
Danzig
Hails from Lodi, New Jersey; has been studying jeet kune do chops (Bruce Lee's martial art) since the 1980s.
Springsteen
Following his first album, 1973's Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., received accolades about being the "new Dylan."
Danzig
Has a crooning range that gets fans screaming "Evil Elvis."
Springsteen
His "Born to Run" single could be the unofficial theme song to the 1983 film adaptation of The Outsiders, a story of growing up a greaser in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during the 1960s.
Danzig
In The Outsiders, a character named Two-Bit wears a skull T-shirt for the Misfits, the original horrorcore punk band Danzig fronted in the 1980s. (Additionally, Danzig usually looks relatively greasy.)
Springsteen
Wrote 1978's howling, soul-searching Darkness on the Edge of Town.
Danzig
Wrote aggressively about darkness occurring pretty much everywhere.
Springsteen
His newest album, recorded with the E Street Band, is called Magic.
Danzig
Is said to practice that old "Black Magic" on gothic/metal crowds.
Springsteen
In 2005, released solo album Devils & Dust, and has a song, "Devil's Arcade," on Magic.
Danzig
Way ahead on the Satan thing, releasing 1990's Danzig II: Lucifuge; 1996's Danzig 5: Blackacidevil; 1999's Danzig 6:66: Satan's Child; and 2002's Danzig 777: I Luciferi, just to name a few titles.
Springsteen
Often writes about trying to escape from the wrong side of the tracks.
Danzig
Just let the two-CD set The Lost Tracks of Danzig escape into record stores.
Springsteen
Had his song "Born in the U.S.A." ridiculously interpreted by 2 Live Crew.
Danzig
Inspired the coveralls-wearing Grivo, frontman for the band Death Lurks, in the ridiculous Kids in the Hall movie Brain Candy.
Springsteen
With the release of Magic, the Boss has collected eight No. 1 album debuts (beaten only by the Beatles, Elvis, the Rolling Stones, and Jay-Z).
Danzig
Has collected a shit-ton of comic books (and publishes them, too, with a focus on the occult and the erotic).
Springsteen
A concert will knock you down like a televangelist on a miracle crusade.
Danzig
Famously got knocked down backstage by Danny M of the North Side Kings.
Springsteen
Has shared the stage with the American flag.
Danzig
Has shared the stage with Henry Rollins of Black Flag.
Springsteen
The voice of the workers' union.
Danzig
The voice of teenage disunion.
Springsteen
Wants a government that's held accountable, an end to needless combat, and to renew bruised faith.
Danzig
Wants your skulls.
Springsteen
Wears butt-hugging blue jeans.
Danzig
Wears butt-hugging black jeans.
