On this Tuesday morning, many Atlantic Canadians are wondering what’s happening in the world of MAJOR Magnetic Hill concert negotiations.
The good news is that we may be very close to an official announcement from promoters and the City of Moncton on the 2012 Magnetic Hill Music Festival.
Sources tell Atlantic Canada Rocks that BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the E STREET BAND are signed to play the Magnetic Hill concert venue on the weekend of August 25th. The show is said to be happening on the Sunday night, August 26th.
News of the Springsteen date comes after months of intense negotiations between Springsteen and the city. Talks are said to have started even before U2 played the site for over 75,000 fans last July.
The late-great Ian Fowler is reported to have played a huge role in securing the show prior to his death as a result of colon cancer.
All of these findings line up with reports that The Boss will tour select Canadian cities in late August supporting his latest studio effort, Wrecking Ball, Springsteen’s first record following the death of longtime E Street Saxophonist Clarence Clemons. Toronto and Montreal are also said to be confirmed for the outing.
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A spokesperson for DKD Events, the Montreal promoter that operates the Magnetic Hill Festival could not confirm or deny the Springsteen talk, calling it “rumour at this point.”
Hotels in and around Metro Moncton are getting ready for the festivities, increased rates and two night stay caps have already been put in place, one hotel spokesperson went as far as to say “something big is definitely happening, we just don’t know what or mostly who.”
Up to 70,000 are expected to attend the August show.
In November 2011, ACR launched “It’s Boss Time”, a campaign aimed at luring The Boss to Atlantic Canada. The web/social media campaign has experienced 80,000 visitors to the itsbosstime.ca website and hundreds of Facebook supporters.
At this point, the show remains unconfirmed, sources say an announcement can be expected in the coming weeks, along with the remainder of the “Wrecking Ball” Canadian dates.
When the festival is announced, it is widely expected that a “Summer Kick Off” will be unveiled featuring Coldplay on July 21st. ACR first reported in December 2011 that a Coldplay deal was “near final.”
Moncton Mayor George Leblanc declined to comment on the speculation. The Mayor did note however, that he is a huge Springsteen fan. “I can’t comment on any rumours. What I can say is that I have been a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band ever since Born to Run was released. It has long been my hope that we could bring them to Moncton.” Leblanc said in an email to ACR.
Stay tuned to ACR and It’s Boss Time for the latest on The Boss’ potential Moncton concert this August 26th.
What time is it? IT’S BOSS TIME!
(Story has been cross published with ACR/Itsbosstime.ca.)