Bruce Springsteen Excuses a Fifth-Grade Fan From School With a Signed Note

Who wouldn’t be late for school to go to a Bruce Springsteen book signing? Certainly not Michael Fenerty, a fifth-grade student at Philadelphia’s Masterman School.

So he attended yesterday’s event, but came prepared. He asked the Boss to sign not only a copy of his new autobiography Born to Run, but also a typed-up excuse note:

Dear Principal Brown:
Please excuse Michael Fenerty for being late or absent from school today. He came to the Free Library of Philadelphia to meet me and to get a copy of my book.
Thanks!
Very truly,
Bruce Springsteen

Springsteen was happy to sign. “I hope you don’t get in trouble!” he told Michael.

Which “Boss” turned out to ultimately have the power to call the shots, Springsteen or the principal? We can only hope that the latter was understanding—or a Springsteen fan. Not that he got to keep the note: Michael kept that for himself, ceding only a photocopy.

So … should we all have been skipping primary school to go to rockstar events? Alas, regrets.