Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa Taylor Hill/WireImage/Getty Images
Bruce Springsteen’s wife, Patti Scialfa, received a rousing E Street welcome back to the stage after recently revealing she was diagnosed with blood cancer.
Scialfa, 71, joined her husband, 74, and his legendary band during their headlining set at the Sea.Hear.Now Festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on Sunday, September 15. Together, they sang Springsteen’s 1987 song “Tougher Than the Rest,” a noteworthy choice given Scialfa’s recent admission about her health.
In the new documentary Rock Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, Scialfa revealed she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, in 2018.
Scialfa cited the condition as why she has not been on the road with Springsteen and the E Street Band on their current tour. “I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go,” she said in the documentary.
But it didn’t stop her on Sunday, as Scialfa received a raucous welcome from the fans in attendance at the concert, just a stone’s throw from where Springsteen made a name for himself early in his career.
Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa Taylor Hill/WireImage/Getty Images
“She’s lookin’ good too!” Springsteen said after introducing his wife, who was dressed in an all-black ensemble.
The couple — who got married in 1991 and share sons Evan, 34, and Sam, 30, and daughter Jessica, 32 — shared a microphone for a performance of the song, which was featured on Springsteen’s album Tunnel of Love.
“Well, there’s another dance / All you gotta do is say yes,” they sang. “And if you’re rough and ready for love / Honey, I’m tougher than the rest.”
Bruce Springsteen found his “Jersey Girl” in wife Patti Scialfa. “We’ve been together for 30 years. That’s a long [time] – you’ve shared a lot,” Springsteen gushed during an October 2019 appearance on CBS Mornings. “You know, Patti’s been at the center of my life for the entire second half of my life … and […]
Springsteen and Scialfa embraced after the song, as she waved to the crowd before making her exit.
In the documentary, Scialfa opened up about why a performance like the one on Sunday has become something she’s been forced to embrace.
“Every once in a while, I come to a show or two and I can sing a few songs on stage, and that’s been a treat,” she said. “That’s the new normal for me right now, and I’m OK with that.”
Rock Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band premieres October 25 on Hulu and Disney+. Meanwhile, Springsteen’s world tour rolls picks up again at the end of October, with dates throughout Canada until the end of November. The band returns to the road next summer with dates in France, Italy and Czech Republic.
