Bruce Springsteen fans flock to Sea Hear Now in Asbury Park. 'To me, it's everything.'

ASBURY PARK — When Andrew Vogt had the chance to fly from his home in Amsterdam to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play in their adopted hometown of Asbury Park on Sunday, he didn't hesitate.

After all, Vogt said, he grew up here and owes his very existence to the band. It was Springsteen's longtime saxophone player Clarence Clemons who first introduced his parents, setting the stage for what has been a life-long obsession with Springsteen and his music.

"To be here on the beach, where it all started, there are no words," said Vogt, 43, who wore a "Greetings from Asbury Park" T-shirt and a tattoo of Asbury Park's unofficial mascot Tillie on his forearm. "To me, it's everything."

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Vogt was among thousands of Springsteen fans who flocked to Asbury Park on Sunday for the chance to hear Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play on the beach. They came from Amsterdam and Cleveland, Italy and Queens. They wore Springsteen T-shirts and hats. And even the fans who had seen Bruce play hundreds of times agreed: This one had a chance to be special.

Enrico Tasselli, 63, arrived Saturday with his son, Riccardo, 30, and friend Francesco Faccani, 63, from Bologna, Italy. Tasselli said he missed Springsteen's Italy shows after the singer fell sick and canceled. But he caught up with the Boss again in London.

Tasselli said his adoration for Springsteen began when he was in college 45 years ago. A friend gave him a cassette tape of "The River." As he listened, he was in awe. And he has followed Bruce since then, attending upwards of 50 shows with Ricardo following in his footsteps.

Tasselli said they were only staying a few days, but it was worth it. "It's the only time in our life we can see Bruce on the boardwalk," he said. "Maybe. I don't know. But probably."

Half a world away, Bana Moureiden, 33, of Cleveland, Ohio, had a similar reaction to Springsteen. Nine years ago, she was at Case Western Reserve University studying to become a dentist when she was at a local sub shop and "Lonesome Day" came on the radio.

She was struck by the depth of the writing, and when she returned home, she typed Springsteen into YouTube and cycled through the catalog, taken by the storytelling in each song.

Moureiden, now a dentist, said she considered Springsteen an inspiration. She has learned to play the guitar. And she has visited Asbury Park three times just to kick around the city, never seeing Bruce play a show in his hometown — until now.

"Bruce Springsteen playing in Asbury Park," she said. "That's all I needed. I canceled all my plans."

Springsteen and the band are headlining Sea Hear Now, the annual music, art and surf festival that has drawn thousands of people to the Asbury Park beach and boardwalk. Co-founded by Danny Clinch, a rock photographer whose subjects have included Springsteen, the festival has featured blockbuster acts including Pearl Jam, Green Day and Foo Fighters.

But this year's late summer festival has extra buzz. Springsteen and Asbury Park are tied together at the hip. The musician learned his craft in Asbury Park. And Asbury Park has gained international recognition thanks to Springsteen.

Even in Asbury Park's gloomiest days, Springsteen turned up at the Stone Pony for appearances at the annual "Light of Day" benefit shows, before social media was a thing. He dragged "Good Morning America" and "Today" for concerts and interviews, giving Asbury Park a shot of publicity. He wrote "My City of Ruins" about Asbury Park, praying for the town's recovery.

The city remains a work in progress. The music venues in historic Convention Hall have been closed and are awaiting repairs. And Asbury Park's income disparity between the multi-million dollar condominiums along the beach and the neighborhoods on the west side is vast.

But on Sunday, throngs of Springsteen fans made the pilgrimage to a city that has undergone a renaissance to see Bruce once again, playing with the E Street Band, this time at home on the beach.

Camille Belisi, 60, of Queens, New York, was among them. She said she first saw Springsteen when she was 15 at the "No Nukes" concert at Madison Square Garden, launching a relationship that has lasted through different stages of her life.

After attending the festival on Saturday, Belisi said her knees were hurting, but her friend Leslie Chiocco convinced her to go to the Stone Pony, the bar where a young Bruce Springsteen played. Belisi was glad she went. Springsteen made a surprise appearance, adding another chapter in a long-running story.

"Things that happen in my life, you know, just birth, marriage, divorce, he was there for me," Belisi said. "I would put his music on and that just made me happy, made me smile. He was talking about his life and working hard. I just relate to that."

Michael L. Diamond is a business reporter for the Asbury Park Press. He has been writing about the New Jersey economy and health care industry since 1999. He can be reached at mdiamond@gannettnjcom.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bruce Springsteen fans flock to Sea Hear Now in Asbury Park. 'To me, it's everything.'