Don't sing along with Bruce — he's telling a story on Broadway

NEW YORK - Bruce Springsteen opens his new Broadway show with some terrifically unnecessary advice - namely, an accounting of some of the attributes you might find helpful "if you ever come face to face with 80,000 screaming rock 'n' roll fans."

The singer drew from real-life experience, of course, in compiling his list, which includes natural ability, study of craft and "a naked desire for fame." As one of rock's biggest superstars - and a widely acknowledged spokesman for everyday folks - Springsteen has spent decades playing arenas and stadiums, inducing massive crowds to sing along to every word of indelible hits like "Born to Run" and "Born in the U.S.A."

But 80,000 screaming fans isn't just a sight you and I are unlikely ever to encounter. It's also a sight the singer himself avoids in "Springsteen on Broadway," which was to open Thursday evening at the Walter Kerr Theatre.

In this limited sold-out engagement, set to run through early February, he's playing for fewer than