This story originally appeared in the Asbury Park Press on Oct. 18, 1995.
ASBURY PARK – Don Zamora found out yesterday that a little patience and perseverance can pay off, especially when you get to hang out with the Boss for a while.
Zamora, 26, was all alone when he arrived at The Stone Pony at 8 a.m. to be first in line to see a concert by Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers, with a special appearance by Bruce Springsteen anticipated.
Standing in the chilly morning air, the Andover resident knew he would have an excellent spot by the stage for arriving so early.
Slowly, other rock ‘n’ roll fans arrived at The Stone Pony, Ocean and Second avenues, until about 20 were standing around in the mid-afternoon.
Then Zamora and a few others got to meet their idol.
“(Springsteen) was here for a sound check and he just walked out and started talking to us,” Zamora said. “It was an incredible feeling and something that will only happen to me once in a lifetime.”
While Zamora admitted to being a Grushecky fan, he said Springsteen was an added draw to the concert.
“It’s special getting to see him in a small setting like this. Usually he plays big halls and arenas,” he said.
Springsteen talked to fans for a while, signed some autographs, and posed for some pictures, other concertgoers said.
“I haven’t seen Grushecky yet, but just getting to see and meet Bruce Springsteen is an added bonus,” Chris Jankura of Guilford, Conn., said.
Jankura, 27, and some friends arrived at The Stone Pony around 11 a.m. — also to get close to the stage when the doors opened at 7 p.m.
“I had butterflies in my stomach when I met him. I couldn’t talk; I couldn’t speak. Nothing came out of my mouth,” she said.
More than a hour after the doors opened, about two dozen people could be seen milling about outside the club — most waiting for their friends to arrive with tickets.
At least one scalper was on hand selling the original $20 tickets for $30 — a bargain to some of those without tickets.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bruce Springsteen greets fans at Stone Pony, 1995
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