Bruce Springsteen - Hammersmith Odeon - London 1975
In 1975 Bruce Springsteen was hailed as the savior of Rock and Roll by the CBS Hype machine in America and he came to London in November 1975 to play two shows at the Hammersmith Odeon. But, Bruce was a shy and sensitive artist and the hype bore heavily on his shoulders. There was a party after the show in the Balcony Bar and I knew that the only way for him to get there from Backstage was to walk around the side of the building. I waited near the front of the Theatre with some fans when he walked alone towards us, wearing the same wooly hat that he had performed in, he looked more like a homeless person than a Rock Star, he signed a couple of Autographs and then looked up at the big sign above the entrance. 'Finally London is Ready for Bruce Springsteen' it proclaimed. I took this photo exactly at the moment he was reading it. His mood changed immediately and he appeared agitated and upset, I took no further photos but watched as he ripped down a poster inside the Theatre before going upstairs and joining his party, after talking to a couple of the Record Company Executives he told his manager to instruct CBS to stop the hype and let the music sell itself. This is a very intimate moment in Rock history and I'm very lucky to have been in the right place and the right time to witness it.