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Singing and sliding with Springsteen
Local boy steals show -- briefly -- from the Boss

by Glenn Wohltmann

It's not easy to upstage the Boss, but that's exactly what a 9-year-old from Pleasanton did -- with a little help from his dad -- at a recent Bruce Springsteen concert at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.

Jordy Strain is a lifelong fan and his son, Nick, is following in his footsteps.

"He's been listening to Bruce Springsteen with me in the car since he was very young. I think I probably had it on for him since he was 18 months old," said Jordy of his son. "He's enjoyed the music for a long time and once this tour came around, I decided he was old enough to go to his first big show."

It's a Springsteen signature piece to bring a fan onstage at pretty much every show. Nick got that chance, thanks to a sign he and his dad made, which read, "I've been practicing, practicing, practicing."

"I found his YouTube videos, and my dad told me I had to get his attention," Nick said.

The sign worked, and the Boss invited Nick onstage to help sing "Waitin' on a Sunny Day."

"We were on the left wing side," Nick said. "He asked, 'Are you ready?' and he said, 'Come up here.'"

Not only did Nick sing along, he did the Springsteen slide -- another signature piece -- and at least one reviewer said he briefly stole the show.

The onstage appearance has made Nick a star: He's been interviewed on TV and radio and there are several videos of the performance on the Internet. He's also a hit with the other kids at Vintage Hills Elementary, where he's a third-grader.

His teacher, Nancy Day, is also a big Springsteen fan, and Nick and Jordy made sure to bring her a T-shirt from the show.

"The very next day, she wore it to school," Nick said.

While they're both fans, Nick and his dad have pretty different tastes. Jordy likes old-school Springsteen, from the "Born to Run" days, while Nick's favorite is "We Take Care of Our Own."

"For one, it's his newest song and I also like it because I like the beat and rhythm to it," Nick said. "I like songs like that."

Jordy said he would have been happy just having Nick at the show with him.

"Being able to take my son and have him experience that with me, that would have been enough. Having Bruce bring him on stage was the icing on the cake," he said.