At the Toronto International Film Festival’s premiere of his new documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen spoke with deep emotion about the fierce loyalty of his wife, Patti Scialfa, and his long-time bandmates. As the lights came up on Sunday night, Springsteen, 74, revealed that Scialfa, 71, has been courageously battling multiple myeloma—a form of blood cancer—since 2018.
Standing onstage alongside Stevie Van Zandt, producer Jon Landau and director Thom Zimny, The Boss paused to acknowledge the unshakeable foundation that his family and band provide. “You’re not alone,” he told the packed audience. “I can look to my left—Stevie’s there. To my right, Nils is there. When Patti’s able to make it, I can see her there.”
He continued, voice thick with gratitude: “I can look around and see Jake. When I see Jake, I also see Clarence. Roy, Max—everyone is there. So I’m not alone.” Each name evoked memories of friends who have shared the stage and life’s ups and downs with him for more than fifty years.
Reflecting on half a century of music, Springsteen painted a vivid picture of life on the road: “You’ve got the only job where the people you went to high school with—you’re still with those people at 75. You live your life with them. You see them grow up, get married, get divorced, even go to jail and come back. You witness every triumph and setback, you watch their hair turn gray, and you’re in the room when they die.”
The E Street Band, formed in 1972, remains astonishingly intact—a rarity in rock history. “Bands break up—that’s the natural order,” he said with a rueful smile. “The Kinks, The Who. Simon hates Garfunkle, Sam hates Dave, the Everly Brothers couldn’t stand each other. If two can’t stay together, what are the odds for a whole band? They’re pretty low.”
Despite the years on tour and the challenges they’ve faced, Springsteen shows no signs of slowing down. Yet, even if the curtain were to fall tomorrow, he feels no regret. “If I went tomorrow,” he admitted with a laugh, “it’s OK. What a f—kin’ ride.”