If Bill Graham were alive he'd already be mounting a show in North Carolina with a whole bunch of major music and movie stars. Where's Live Nation? (Live Nation, the legacy of BGP.)
Toby Byron
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Fuck Springsteen. A commitment is a commitment.
Chris Branson
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Grew up in the age after the true giants. I used to say that if I had a hero it would be Bruce. After 56 years I'm gonna modify that and say the Bruce IS my hero.
Chris Gottlieb
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Fuckin Aye!
No need to be more articulate nor elaborate.
smitty
Jim Smith, CTIE
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Preach! And the saddest part is how Kanye had that power and gave it up: remember when he said this (https://youtu.be/zIUzLpO1kxI) re: Katrina?
- Ben Schwartz
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Bruce IS America ... he represents every thing that's real and normal and mom and apple pie. And that's coming from a Canadian.
His decision to cancel the concert will have wide-ranging impact, because his cancellation tells not just his fans, but America itself, that this is NOT how the country should be lead, that divisiveness and hate is wrong, and will not be tolerated.
Roxanne Teller
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Enough bashing Kanye. He speaks on social issues frequently - this has always been a huge component of his art, from the very first song on his very first album and only intensifying in the years since. You would know that if you ever listened to his music - but honestly engaging with anything, I know, is contrary to your tired nostalgic ethos. Your generation fucked everything up, stupid.
Oswald Hobbes
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ThankGod for North Carolina & Springsteen is Disgusting
More Signs of Jesus Coming. He will NOT be in HEAVEN
Sidelle
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I grew up in Greensboro. I saw the 85' Born in the USA tour at the Coliseum. My folks still live there. I hope NC gets it's shit together and I assume Bruce pays attention and returns…
My money is on both events happening.
Chapeau to the Boss!
Cheers,
Kirk Peterson
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BRAVO, BRUCE!!!
THANKS!
DON GRAHAM
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Leaving a little money on the table for your integrity is a very good way to be able to live with yourself. No one admires a scared little suck up. Not everyone will love us.
Cinzia Zanetti
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With the show being this Sunday perhaps a better move would have been to play the date for free in spite of HB2 and speak out about it.
I think if given the choice his fans would have rather seen the show and Bruce could have used the money to fight HB2, serve the LGBT community and educate everyone at the show
The promoter could have still received his % and all the people who make a living from a show like this would have benefitted instead of being penalized. I'm not sure anyone who worked to get HB2 done are being hurt, but stagehands/caterers/emts/production suppliers etc certainly are.
A boycott going forward is welcome, appropriate and a better move than pulling the plug on fans and working folks at the last minute.
Steven Gietka
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He can afford it.
zacantczak
__________________________________
In a time when unmitigated greed is celebrated as the norm, leaving money on the table is indeed a radical proposition. While Bruce's working class fans will miss a night with a legend ... Some of his wealthier fans will experience the shock of not getting what they want even when willing to pay top dollar. It may be an eye opener. An impressive Statement from The Boss.
Ted Schreiber
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Kudos to Bruce on North Carolina. I'd like to think I'd do the same if I still worked with a big act or that the act would agree. I remember when the Allman's would set up and play for free at the drop of a hat even after they were making big money and do benefits all the time. Jimmy Carter would have never made it to the Iowa caucus in 1976 without their seed money
William Perkins
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Amen, thanks for bringing more attention to this!
Geronimo Son
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At 69 years of age, I could only cry for all we have lost and how proud I am that some are still willing to remember what it was worth.
John Brower
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Is this about that thing where people want men to be able to go into the bathroom with my daughter.
Cole Hartman
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C'mon Bob...maybe Bruce just needed to take a break for the tour. His working class/everyman shtick simply doesn't resonate with me anymore
Dave Migdal
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All this would be true, had Bruce cancelled a week ago. That way his fans, who are well known for traveling, could have canceled their flights and hotels.
By canceling at the last minute, Bruce is hurting the very people (and no, I am not one of them) who comprise his fan base, one of the most fanatical and loyal core audiences in the world.
Bruce had 3 options here:
1. Do what he did, when he did it.
2. Do what he did, but a lot earlier (this whole controversy started on March 21st).
3. Hold the concert as planned and donate all post expense profits to one or more of the many NC based LBGT legal defense funds dedicated to overturning this idiotic law.
He chose #1 and will be universally lauded because he is who he is (has earned our respect over many years). However, #'s 2 and 3 would have been much better decisions.
Billy Mack
__________________________________
I'm a fan of Bruce's and definitely agree with LGBT equal rights,
But would be better served if Bruce let the show go on!
How about having the proceeds go to the LGBT cause!?
Why disenfranchise fans who didn't necessarily vote for the NC legislature or the governor?!
Art is power, so make it count, instead of shutting it down!!
Wrong decision was made here.
Respectfully yours,
Matt Gorny
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When I saw his statement this afternoon, the first thing I thought of was you, and how for the last several years have asked "What happened to Artists that would speak up?"
We've got our answer. May others follow his lead.
Van Easton
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We need more ACTIVISM like THE BOSS, from the music artist community to address a plethora of issues out there in the WORLD rearing their ugly heads. Think about this...1967 to 2017 is 50 fucking years ago, half a CENTURY. The youth of the WESTERN WORLD need the FIRE of music and it's messengers, to IGNITE their SPIRIT, NOW! Without IT, THEY WILL BE DOOMED.
Olie Kornelson
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Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce. Thanks for what you wrote. It resonated hugely with me. I was at the show a few weeks ago where Bruce closed down the Los Angeles Sports Arena this year. 4 hours of straight rock 'n' roll. I played with him at the Beacon Theater filling in right after Clarence's death. I can't tell you how much I respect what he stands for … what he represents … this guy works harder than any other artist I've ever met or seen perform. He's currently 66 and he's playing twice as long with twice as much passion as any 20 year old for his audience. And he uses the microphone in front of him and his stature as an artist and the lyrics that he writes to better the world. Marvin Gaye did it with What's Goin On. Linda Rondstadt and Jackson Browne and many artists in the 70's stood up for what they believed in. I believe musicians and artists really did stop the war. Now Springsteen stands strong for what's right. I hope a new generation can learn
from him… learn to use their power as creators of music and art to shape the world. It works.
Mindi Abair
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Hi Bob, this one surprised me! I haven't been supportive Bruce and his political activism for eight years now. As a long time Bruce tramp his supporting Barack Obama's socialistic view for American economics appalled me, but I have to applaud him for taking this stance for LBGT rights!
Lavon Pagan
P.S. One more thing... Who the fuck is Kanye West?!
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I'm proud that Bruce cancelled his concert in North Carolina to protest their bigoted law. Proud but not surprised.
I count myself as one of the many senior-citizen Springsteen fans. Growing up in Va. Beach, we had the boardwalk, shore, and our own "tilt-a-whirl down on the south beach drag". And yes, there were many tourist girls who "promised to unsnap their jeans" under the boardwalk.
I went to numerous Springsteen concerts, which were way better than the ones in :LA where the rich folk sit up front looking detached. I grew up driving with Springsteen 8-tracks. I personally wore out a half dozen copies each of Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town. Then I played the cassettes until they squealed. Name an album from today's artists that you have worn out - digitally if not physically. Bruce has always spoken to the downtrodden, the abandoned, the lovelorn, and lonely. In his music we have all found redemption.
And Bob I know you've dismissed Bruce on numerous occasions - mainly for not selling like Kanye West. But he's not singing to you, he's singing to us. Back in 1985 Bruce and Steve Van Zandt were the first aboard the "Ain't Gonna Play Sun City" movement too (hell Steven wrote the damn song). So lets see if artists like Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban R. Kelly, Peter Frampton, Wiz Khalifa etc. will follow suit and cancel their upcoming concerts as well, I'm not holding my breath.
After all, there are artists, and there are performers. Bruce is the epitome of both.
Tom Cartwright
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Bravo Bruce!! Many younger musicians should take a lesson from the Boss and use their music to fight the good fight!! Like the song in School of Rock says "Stick it to the man!"
Harvey Leeds
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Right fucking on Bob!
Rory Johnston
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Bruce and his crew honed their chops as a bar band. Local gigs were available in those days, bands could stay afloat by interspersing dance floor-packing cover tunes with originals. You didn't have to kiss ass..you just needed to show up on time, play loud and in tune, be entertaining, and keep rocking while you developed your own identity. The meager pay--wet 10s and 20s across the bar on Sunday nights was enough to keep you going while you grew a following. If you finally did break through to the next level, you remembered where you came from, and you were prepared to take the high road.
But all those gigs are gone now. Vanished. Replaced with DJs. No wonder that today's young bands regard sponsorships, bullshit branding, and general all around subservience to The Man as the only route to making any money at all.
Paul Lanning
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Bruce Springsteen has been #1 for me since 1978 at the age of 4, when my mother played me over and over in the car rides her tape recording of the Winterland concert simulcast on WNEW, NY.
Never have I been more proud to be a Bruce devotee than I am today.
Thank you Bob for adding your voice and insight to this moment.
Yours in solidarity and gratitude ,
Shiva Baum
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They should refuse to refund the tickets. 90% of that arena doesn't care about no queers' rights just like 90% of his NYC crowd. Let the politicians stew in their muck. Giving everyone their money back let's them of the hook
Anthony Rollo
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Fuck...
Finally..
Three chords and the truth .
Thank you Bob
Kindest regards
Paul Laine
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I'm conflicted about this. I respect Bruce for taking a stand. But his fans there feel the pain, not the legislators and governor. I'm left wondering if it might have been better for him to use the concert there as a platform to speak out against the law, invite the transgender community there to come to the show and advocate against the law, hold press conference with them. There's no real loss of income for the state with his cancellation, since he's responsible for all the costs as it was his decision to cancel. However, if artists and agents and managers refused to book any NEW shows there, that could have a financial impact. And there are several other states passing equally reprehensible laws, not just North Carolina.
Toby Mamis
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Wow. Bruce cancels ONE show and you say, "Look at all that money he's walking away from! Cheer him on!" What a total ass kisser you are. Meanwhile, he bilks the public out of millions with overpriced tickets across the land. Now, if he were to cancel ALL of his shows on principle, that would be something. But he's done nothing here but create a modicum of publicity for himself in trying to endear a tiny, microscopic fraction of the transsexual public so that he appears "down with the issues." But you say, "Art is power!"
What a pantsload. This is a man who has probably garnered hundreds of millions throughout his career and can easily afford to cancel one show.
Bob, you really are fractured, aren't you?
And private corporate gigs? You do realize that most EVERY corporation provides an entertainment fund for their employees, don't you? Because they think highly of the hard work that their people do for the company all year and WANT to bring some happiness to them for ONE NIGHT for the team. But no, you condemn the whole paradigm, because you are an envious little twit who can't stand to see people enjoy themselves. You call them all "corporate pricks." My sympathies go out to you. You are truly a miserable soul.
Don Barnes
__________________________________
Well put and thank you.
http://www.people.com/people/mobile/article/0,,625880,00.html
Wix
__________________________________
Amen Bob.
Joe Dougan
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Bob, I think Bruce made the wrong decision. Now he is punishing his fans by not playing. I'm pretty sure people who love Bruce would support the equality for all principle.
By using this gig as a platform to share his feelings and views around it, he could have really made a statement. Bruce knows how to captivate people with his story telling skills. He could have added in some wonderful songs, like This is Your Land, or something cheeky, like Dancing Queen or some Dylan or Joan Baez....
Instead, he becomes a footnote in this fight for equality. A truth sayer who decided not to get on stage and not speak his truth.
Protest by being silent.
I think he should have risen to the opportunity, instead of making a gesture, to which the lawmakers out there go.... "big deal...."
Jan Roskott
__________________________________
What absolute nonsens. Really Bob???? This is taking a stand, BATHROOMS ? You're getting soft & delusional in your age old man. Here I thought he was standing up for injustice. You and Bruce are just pandering to a stupid base of hipsters.
You're groupie at best.
Saman Sohrabi
__________________________________
Like you, I believe in the power of music to change the world and Bruce is a shining example of speaking truth to power and putting action behind his core beliefs with grace, intellect and no fear. He is an artist who does this day in and day out year after year by supporting grassroots efforts tackling hunger and poverty in communities all across the U.S. It's time for others to get active because together we can change the world.
Noreen Springstead
WhyHunger, Executive Director
__________________________________
Hi Bob - I saw him on Wednesday night in Kansas City where he put on a masterwork of a show. You were right: his slow tunes were the best. Especially Drive All Night. He has never sounded better. A true rock and roll Lion in Winter in touch with his past, contemplating his present and exploding with introspection. As a Southerner (I live in Charleston SC) , it felt like watching history unfold when I read the news about the Greensboro cancellation on the flight home. I am so proud of Bruce for always taking the high ground.
Thank you for sharing your perspective on our culture and society.
Your loyal reader,
Pete Ballou
__________________________________
I may be a lone voice among Liberals on this but I saw Bruce's action as unconscious, self-centered grandstanding.
What about the fans?
The ones who live there.
Who don't support the sex-hating lunatic fringe that has taken control of politics.
What about them?
The ones who vote against bigotry and discrimination in a state that is slowly being pulled out of the dark ages.
The fans who can't fly or drive to another show in another location.
Bruce is supposed to be about the fans.
Instead, he shows off how sensitive he is and how grandly he can make a statement.
The fans don't get to see a show they probably saved for, planned for, and wanted to see.
I'm swimming against the current on this one.
John Parikhal
__________________________________
"Who's gonna stand up and save the earth?" I remember singing these words not too long ago with my favorite rock star and then month later finding him singing to a private rich CEO. Yes, Neil Young! Today, I am sickened every time I think of him and how he has turned over the years. A pity indeed! Especially in these times of need!
Go Bruce!!
Terri Haram
Wake Forest, NC
__________________________________
Way to go, Bruce. Good to know integrity still matters to some people.
Now all we've got to do is organize a boycott of the entire state of Mississippi, which just enacted a law allowing people in the workplace to refuse service to homosexuals if it's based on their religion. I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty sick and tired of ignorant hatemongers who say "Needer needer, can't touch me, because it's my faith." And we enemies of the Cross (i.e., reasonable people) continue to lose faith in the future of our country, seemingly overrun with belching, boasting, bullying, bloviating, bitching, boorish, bibulous, bestial, baggy-ass, bumptious, barbarous, bathetic, bizarre, bellicose, bastardly-bigoted Billy Joe/Bobby Buck baboons. But enough about Donald Trump.
Berton Averre
__________________________________
thank you so much for mentioning the proletariat.......i haven´t seen/heard the term in the political discourse for a far too long time.
all best wishes,
Werner Balzert
__________________________________
Bruce cancelling his concert is equivalent to black communities that destroy and loot their own people's businesses because they're upset with something other event or issue. I'd guess a great majority of the concert goers feel the same as Bruce. Dos he's not changing anything and only hurting the people that might share his feelings.
Jpmartin
__________________________________
Nah, Bruce is already a rich guy. What does one show mean to him? On the other hand, what about all the nurses and truck drivers and waitresses and laborers in NC who spent their hard-earned money on a ticket and you know very well they also took the day off to stand in line and have their day with Bruce? In my opinion, obviously not one you agree with, he should have done the show and taken the opportunity to speak his mind passionately to all those fans without ruining their day. By not performing, he hurts the little people who have made him. He stays home and watches the masters. This in exchange for image points. I call BS. Bad decision.
Lavinia
__________________________________
53 years ago (4/12/63) Bob Dylan refused to appear on the Ed Sullivan
show because they wouldn't let him perform the song he had chosen,
"Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues."
Bob said "If I can't play my song. I'd rather not appear on the show."
It should be noted that Bob Dylan had not yet sold many records and
was not famous at that moment.
Paul Zullo
__________________________________
You're right of course, but this is easy for Bruce to do. Glad he's cancelled, but he'll still eat.
Real courage is Antony not coming to the Oscars because they didn't ask him - now her - to perform his nominated song for the cameras. Venture to say his career could use the attention. But he still said no. That is courage. That is art.
Matt Roberson
__________________________________
Bob, speaking as a life-long Tarheel who's seen more than a few Springsteen shows, starting with the BTR tour (and many of them at the same Greensboro venue that was to host the show this weekend), I 100% applaud and support the Boss' decision, even though it is causing no amount of disappointment among everyone who had tickets. So I just hope people will turn that disappointment into aggravation, and then into action, to call their elected reps here in NC and give 'em an earful. HB2 is utterly shameful, but as you probably know, people often have to be cajoled into action - hit 'em where it hurts, in other words. Incidentally, I noticed that Little Steven's Underground Garage Tour with The Sonics has a May 5 date in Asheville, NC. That's a month out, so I'm betting they're taking a wait-and-see attitude for now. But the closer we get to that date, the harder it will be for Van Zandt not to cancel it, too. As for all the other artists out there - hey, Justin Bieber, looks like you
have NC on your upcoming itinerary, eh? - it will be interesting to see how many follow suit. There are a helluva lot of concert venues in this state. "Shut up and play your guitar," indeed.
Fred Mills
Asheville, NC
__________________________________
Not sure about this one Bob.
Sure - if you are a fan of Bruce, or Jackson Browne, or even Barbara Streisand, you need to understand that social issues are a major part of their persona. But as many of your readers surely have, many times in my life I have spent lots of hard-earned money just to see a special concert. It's bad enough that the entire ticket game is rigged these days and you have to shell out major bucks on StubHub. But if the show you want to see isn't at your back door, there is planning, travel, and more involved.
Last winter I flew across the Atlantic to see Sparks perform with an orchestra. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and an investment - just as "The River" tour is to some Bruce fans. Many people who planned on going to that show took off work, got on a plane, booked hotels. etc... Add the financial loss to the disappointment of missing a highly anticipated show and you've got a seriously disappointed fan.
Love Bruce, hate HB2, but it seems this could have been handled differently......
Dr. Richard Madow
__________________________________
Had the same conversation yesterday after sending the article to a dear friend in Asheville. When a society's artists don't have principles and values, or are unwilling to share those values in public for fear of losing sales, we're fucked. Somewhat refreshing to see Bruce take a stand. What's your art about if it's not a commentary about the human condition? Bottle service? Fuck that.
Joe Weinstein
__________________________________
Fantastic article. It's nice to see that some artist still have a backbone. Artists who stand for something that is noteworthy are doing what the little guys can't. I like Jack Johnson's approach to touring. Making sure that each venue is doing their best to be energy efficient. I am glad to see someone take a stand. As always thanks for all the great weekly reads.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jack-johnson-greening-concerts_us_56e1fed1e4b0860f99d878fe
Best Regards
John Sammel
__________________________________
Bravo
Herb Lamberton
__________________________________
Well said, Bob.
Bruce has taken a stand on an issue with infinitely more impact and importance of course, but fresh on the heels of that story there's this: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/09/arts/music/after-his-induction-steve-miller-rips-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame.html?_r=0.
Again, not comparing relevance of issues but it adds to your point. Although Steve Miller is someone whose songs and many I know grew tired of hearing on the radio decades ago (high school class of '86), he just out "rock-starred" everyone half his age and below.
What kind of world is it where the only artists who take a stand and have this kind of mainstream reach are in their 60s and 70s? Imagine if in the era of The Doors and Hendrix, Tony Bennett and Louis Armstrong were the only ones willing to take a stand. Unthinkable!
Alex Skolnick, Brooklyn
__________________________________
Bernie Sanders it not a rockstar you pig
V
__________________________________
Thanks Bob.
Artists are leaders by nature. When you create something, when you innovate…you're taking the lead. Springsteen reminds us that it's essential to embrace the opportunity you have to speak up for what you believe in. You strengthen your connection to those in the audience who already share that part of your story, and have the chance to be an important catalyst in changing the story of others.
Matthew Carey
__________________________________
Dixie Chicks. I need to rant about them for a minute. Witnessing that entire ordeal as a youth deeply impacted me and still silently guides how I support my artists and what I stand for in the industry years later.
I was a closeted pre-teen year old living in a small Oregon city at the time Americans took up their pitch forks. Should be noted that when the girls were running, the music industry was more than quick to lock the front door, closed the blinds and pretended no one was home.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT THEY WERE 24 HOURS BEFORE NATALIE SAID THOSE DAMN WORDS? "Home" was easily going to win Album of the Year, "Travelin' Soldier" (one of the most beautiful songs ever written - and about a soldier who died fighting for his country, imagine that) was about to hit #1....
I don't really know what I want to say here other than why the fuck are the people reading your blog so quick to agree with you now (retroactively), yet they were the same guys and girls that took part in the black out that ensued for years to come.
Hint: $$$
Bernie, The Pope, etc. are onto something with their speeches on not only the US's but the world's economics... the root of their message is ultimately all about "GREED". A word that not only describes but defines our industry.
I still cringe at the "payback Grammy's" (what was it, 6 or 7?) they were awarded for an album 1/10th of the genius of Home. That album being the extremely so-so Taking The Long Way. Ugh, OK, I'm done....
You've given me motivation for at least another month now! Keep it up, Bob.
P.S. Hoping to travel + see Dixie Chicks in Europe this year! If not, Hollywood Bowl in October. See you there?
P.P.S IF YOU OR YOUR READERS HAVEN'T SEEN "SHUT UP AND SING" (their doc film), I HIGHLY SUGGEST IT!
http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/14/dixie.chicks.reut/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbGBp0oA0ek&nohtml5=False
Kyle Kuhns
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