Bruce Springsteen’s Artifacts Coming to Grammy Museum

Bruce Springsteen performs at Stand Up For Heroes in New York on Nov. 1, 2016. (AP)
Bruce Springsteen performs at Stand Up For Heroes in New York on Nov. 1, 2016. (AP)
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Bruce Springsteen’s Artifacts Coming to Grammy Museum

Bruce Springsteen performs at Stand Up For Heroes in New York on Nov. 1, 2016. (AP)
Bruce Springsteen performs at Stand Up For Heroes in New York on Nov. 1, 2016. (AP)

Bruce Springsteen's handwritten set lists and a favorite guitar are among the marquee items that will make a cross-country trip for a museum exhibit this fall.

The Grammy Museum announced Wednesday that Bruce Springsteen Live! will open at the Grammy Museum L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles on Oct. 15. The interactive exhibit — which runs until April 2 — will feature Springsteen and the E Street Band’s live performance footage, instruments, stage costumes and exclusive interviews.

Springsteen’s exhibit ended its stint in New Jersey earlier this year.

“We’re also thrilled to offer a special, expanded exhibit with the help of Springsteen fans for a one-of-a-kind immersive experience,” said Jasen Emmons, chief curator and a vice president at the Grammy Museum. It will invite fans to submit videos of their concert experiences from Springsteen’s previous shows on Sept. 23 – the legendary singer’s 73rd birthday.

Springsteen’s modified Fender guitar that was featured on several album covers such as “Human Torch” and “Born to Run” will be displayed. Other items will include stage clothing from Springsteen and members of E Street along with a signed itinerary from his Human Rights Tour, a six-week benefit tour in 1988. A ticket booth stage prop from the Tunnel of Love tour will also be highlighted at the exhibit.

A saxophone played by the late Clarence Clemons — who performed alongside Springsteen for 40 years — will be on display. The saxophone was passed on to Clemons’ nephew, Jake Clemons, who continues to use the instrument as the newest member of the E Street Band since 2012.

Through an interactive kiosk, visitors will be able to view Springsteen’s handwritten set lists and create their own encores to compare against the legendary performer’s original.

The Grammy Museum partnered with the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University.

“Since his first west coast show as a touring musician at the Troubadour in 1973 to the present day, Bruce has performed over 100 shows in the Los Angeles area and has thrilled millions of fans with his electrifying performances,” said co-curator Eileen Chapman, director of The Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music. “This extensive exhibit provides a peek behind the curtain and a stirring trip down memory lane.”



Pharrell’s Animated Biopic Populated by LEGOs 

Singer/songwriter Pharrell Williams attends the international premiere of Piece By Piece at the Princess of Wales Theater during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 10, 2024 in Toronto. (AFP)
Singer/songwriter Pharrell Williams attends the international premiere of Piece By Piece at the Princess of Wales Theater during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 10, 2024 in Toronto. (AFP)
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Pharrell’s Animated Biopic Populated by LEGOs 

Singer/songwriter Pharrell Williams attends the international premiere of Piece By Piece at the Princess of Wales Theater during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 10, 2024 in Toronto. (AFP)
Singer/songwriter Pharrell Williams attends the international premiere of Piece By Piece at the Princess of Wales Theater during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 10, 2024 in Toronto. (AFP)

The flesh-and-blood Pharrell Williams walked the red carpet on Tuesday with the star of his new animated biopic – a Pharrell Williams made of LEGO blocks – as "Piece by Piece" made its international premiere in Toronto.

The animated feature, voiced by Pharrell and fellow pop stars Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z, takes the audience on an unconventional journey through the musical virtuoso's upbringing and vibrant career by casting LEGO pieces as the characters in his life story.

Pharrell, a renowned recording artist, producer and songwriter, said LEGO characters, a favorite of children around the world, gave the picture a global appeal and enabled the film to sidestep cliches in telling his story.

"LEGO really helps to universalize the story so that it can be received by anyone that comes from a marginalized community," Pharrell, who has won 13 Grammy Awards, including three for Producer of the Year, said on the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival.

"I didn't want to tell a story that's like poverty porn. That's a usual Hollywood trope and that's not what this is."

Director Morgan Neville said one of the reasons he tackled the project was his long-standing interest in music producers, who he said often have a larger vision.

"Pharrell is famous for seeing the world a little differently and approaching music differently," Neville said on the red carpet.

The film was not the first Neville focused on musical artists. His credits include the 2015 Keith Richards documentary and 2023’s "Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman."

Neville said animation was an ideal media to tell the story of Pharrell's life.

"Pharrell has synesthesia, which means when he hears music, he sees color," the director said. "The idea that ... you could actually see the color and make all this stuff come alive and taking the beats he was writing and turn them into physical objects."

Pharrell wrote an original song for the film, also titled "Piece by Piece," about building a dream from the ground up.

He told Reuters the diversification of the LEGO characters was part of his dream.

"There's all kinds of people on this planet," he said. "All of this continues to be a gift," he said.