Laura Jane Grace has recounted the tale of the time she bailed on Bruce Springsteen when he came to watch her perform. Clearly, he wasn't "the Boss" in this situation.
In an excerpt from her audio memoir, Black Me Out — Grace's contribution to Audible's Words + Music series, out today — she recalled the night she dodged the iconic singer-songwriter.
The clip opens with Grace detailing the support she received after coming out as transgender in May 2012. Against Me! were headed out on their European tour at the time, and while they were performing at a festival abroad, they heard Springsteen would be stopping by.
While the rest of the band was excited, Grace said she got so nervous that she started having a panic attack — she knew Springsteen was going to relay a similar sentiment about her decision to come out.
While Grace appreciated the gesture, she confessed: "There was something in me that just didn't want to have that moment with Bruce Springsteen. I didn't want him telling me, like, 'Congratulations on becoming a woman,' or something like that."
Instead of meeting the Boss, Grace's anxiety got the best of her, as she recalled: "I bailed, I snuck out of the dressing room, and went and hid. I dodged Bruce Springsteen the last time he came to see my band play."
Grace's installment of Words + Music finds the singer reflecting on her life, her rise to fame in Against Me!, and how she navigates the music industry as a trans woman.
Late last year, Grace dropped Stay Alive, a surprise-released pandemic album recorded with Steve Albini.
In an excerpt from her audio memoir, Black Me Out — Grace's contribution to Audible's Words + Music series, out today — she recalled the night she dodged the iconic singer-songwriter.
The clip opens with Grace detailing the support she received after coming out as transgender in May 2012. Against Me! were headed out on their European tour at the time, and while they were performing at a festival abroad, they heard Springsteen would be stopping by.
While the rest of the band was excited, Grace said she got so nervous that she started having a panic attack — she knew Springsteen was going to relay a similar sentiment about her decision to come out.
While Grace appreciated the gesture, she confessed: "There was something in me that just didn't want to have that moment with Bruce Springsteen. I didn't want him telling me, like, 'Congratulations on becoming a woman,' or something like that."
Instead of meeting the Boss, Grace's anxiety got the best of her, as she recalled: "I bailed, I snuck out of the dressing room, and went and hid. I dodged Bruce Springsteen the last time he came to see my band play."
Grace's installment of Words + Music finds the singer reflecting on her life, her rise to fame in Against Me!, and how she navigates the music industry as a trans woman.
Late last year, Grace dropped Stay Alive, a surprise-released pandemic album recorded with Steve Albini.
