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At the time, I had seen Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band three times in concert. That number eventually swelled to more than 50. A big reason why I kept coming back was Clarence and his saxophone. His majestic playing on such songs as “Jungleland,” “Thunder Road,” “Born to Run,” “Badlands,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” and “Rosalita” were as much part of the Springsteen concert experience as the Boss himself. Bruce knew it, too, always paying Clarence the respect of introducing him last with long, funny exultations. Hearing the many different ways Bruce introduced him over the years is one of the attractions of listening to Springsteen bootlegs. But nothing beat being at a concert. I was lucky to see a handful of shows from close enough to see the engravings on Clarence’s saxophone. (He even gave me one of his percussion sticks at a Milwaukee show.) From that close, you could feel the bond that Bruce and Clarence shared whether they were standing shoulder to shoulder looking over the crowd, slapping their hands to a clasp above their heads or dancing goofy together. Bruce often walked over to Clarence and complimented “C” after one of his sax solos. The iconic “Born to Run” album cover came to life in concert. It was glorious to witness.

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I have so many memories of Clarence in concert. The two most memorable don’t even involve his saxophone. On St. Patrick’s Day at the Rosemont Horizon, the crowd was in a frenzy during “Rosalita” when the band slammed into a frozen stop. They stayed silent and motionless for a few moments, and then Clarence broke into an Irish jig with Bruce. The crowd went wild. In 1999 at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich., Clarence was a sight to behold as he shimmied across the front of the stage in his sharp suit, shaking a pair of maracas on “She’s the One” as he and Bruce slowly moved toward each other like magnets. Clarence looked like the baddest man on the planet! Near the end of the show he pointed at me “sitting” on the side of the stage and said, “You’ve got soul!” I felt like I had been blessed by the Pope.

I made sure to soak up the shows I saw from last tour. Fans felt like it could be the E Street Band's final tour. Keyboardist Danny Federici had already died of skin cancer and some other band members were experiencing health problems, most notably Clarence, whose knee and hip troubles required him to sit in a chair at times during concerts. Sometimes he didn't even leave the stage between encores. But he could still play and was a highlight during the shows at the United Center and Milwaukee's Bradley Center when the Born to Run album was played in sequence. I thought that Milwaukee show could be the last time I saw the band. Time will tell about that, but it was the final time I saw Clarence. The news of his death from complications from a stroke hit me hard. He was the oldest band member at 69, but it was too soon for him to leave life's stage. I can't imagine what Bruce is going through after losing his friend and foil of four decades. I know how sad I feel. Yet I also feel fortunate to have seen Clarence create magic onstage so many times. Thanks, Big Man, for the great music and some of the best nights of my life.X