Today is Friday the 13th, a traditionally unlucky day on the calendar. Interestingly, there's no particular logic behind why there are superstitions surrounding the day, though there are several theories, the most convincing of which is that it's actually a mash-up of two different superstitions. 13 is a naturally unlucky number because in numerology, the number 12 is considered perfect (while 13 is prime and "unnatural"). In some cultures, Friday is considered an unlucky day, dating back centuries (Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday, making it something of a cursed day). Friday also has negative connotations in Norse traditions.

In the modern era, Friday the 13th has mostly been associated with the film series of the same name (about a sometimes supernatural mass murderer named Jason Voorhees) and a handful of natural disasters that happened to occur on the day (including the 1972 plane crash that inspired the film "Alive").

Though any evidence pointing to Friday the 13th being unlucky doesn't stop people from picking up an extra bit of paranoia ever time it rolls around. Luckily, there are music videos to help. Plenty of songs and clips have embraced the idea of luck (and, more importantly, keeping bad luck away). Madonna sang about her "Lucky Star," Jagged Edge declared one woman their "Lucky Charm" and Ace of Base celebrated "Lucky Love." And Fridays don't end poorly for the Cure (as long as "Friday I'm in Love" is to be believed).

So check out the official Friday the 13th video playlist, including those clips plus those from Jason Mraz, Tom Petty and, of course, Britney Spears.

"Just this one time! Too long to do it again!"

And with that tongue-in-cheek introduction by the world's greatest rock frontman, the first — and probably only — full album performance of Bruce Springsteen's 1980 double-album The River began at New York City's Madison Square Garden. In an arena most often populated by athletes half his age, this minister of rock and roll — armed with a black vest and his signature yellow Fender — preached to 30,000 devoted congregants whose enthusiasm for the show was matched only by his own.

Prefaced only by the ultra-new "Wrecking Ball" at the top of the show, the Boss and his band launched into the 20 song opus of love and dreams and youth in Jersey. Although full album performances aren't new to the E Street Band, The River had never been among them. The album's odd mix of down-tempo, heartbreaking ballads like the title track and "Point Blank" stand in stark contrast to rolling, boisterous tunes like "Cadillac Ranch" and "The Ties That Bind."

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A few weeks ago, New Jersey's favorite son Bruce Springsteen played a series of shows at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, marking the final concerts that would be hosted at the venue (which is being torn down in favor of a brand new football stadium that will open next year). Now it turns out that New Jersey's other favorite sons (favorite nephews?) will be the first band to play the new stadium next spring. The band announced today that their shows on April 26 and 27 would be the first events hosted by the new park. The two dates will wrap up the group's tour for their new album Circle, which hits stores next month.

Bon Jovi is a great and appropriate choice to open the new stadium, which cost $1.6 billion to construct. Interestingly, the naming rights to the new stadium are still up in the air, and rather than just sell it off to the highest bidder, they should really name it something Jersey-centric. (There's nothing more boring than naming a building after a corporate entity, is there?) And even if they don't want to name the new football venue "Slippery When Wet Stadium" or "Darkness On The Edge Of Town Field," frontman Jon Bon Jovi should really place a bid himself. Who wouldn't want to hop in the car to see the Jets play the Dolphins at "Livin' on a Prayer Park"?

But here's the best option: Bon Jovi and Springsteen should pool some money and make a formal bid for the naming rights. Obviously they'd have to combine two things to represent each party, so perhaps we can look forward to "Born to Runaway Stadium," "Blaze of Glory Days Pavillion" or "Wanted Dead or Alive in the U.S.A. Field." (That last one is a mouthful.) Or maybe they just simplify it and call it "Springsteen Bon Jovi Park." Come on, guys — help us avoid the inevitable "Pepsi Field" or "Verizon Park."

By Lindsay Wallace

On Thursday and Friday (October 8 and 9), the legendary Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band rocked Giants Stadium with the final concert performances at the venue (the stadium is being demolished in favor of a new building for football's Giants and Jets beginning next season).

At the start of the show on Thursday, Bruce came out to the center of the stage in front of 60,000 screaming fans, smiled and waved before grabbing his microphone and launching into "Wrecking Ball," the song written specifically for the occasion of Giants Stadium's demise. The tribute consists of lyrics like, "My home is here in these Meadowlands/ Where mosquitoes grow big as airplanes/ Through the mud and the beer, I've seen champions come and go/ So if you got the goods mister, if you got the balls/ Then step in line and bring on your wrecking ball!"

"Well, it's nice to be in my backyard and be here to shut the old lady down," Bruce said after the song was finished. "We've had a lot of great nights here, let's make this another one."

On Thursday, the band performed the entirety of the critically acclaimed 1975 album Born to Run. Read more...

By Nuzhat Naoreen

Bruce Springsteen fans are in for a real treat, especially if they've got tickets to his concert with the E Street band at Giants Stadium in New Jersey this October. Instead of playing just a compilation of songs, Springsteen announced yesterday that he plans to perform a classic album in its entirety each night of the five-night run. The full-lengths that will be represented include hits like Born to Run (September 30, October 8), Darkness on the Edge of Town (October 2) and — perhaps most tantalizingly — Born in the U.S.A. (October 3, October 9).

Fans in Chicago are to thank for the change in format, at least according to Springsteen's manager Jon Landau. Springsteen started off his Chicago concert in late September like any other set, but then halfway through he broke off to perform all eight songs from Born to Run.

"Chicago convinced us that this was really worth doing," said manager Landau. "The audience was so supportive of the concept that it convinced us to go ahead with this at Giants Stadium."

But just about all the songs on Born to Run are in regular rotation in the Boss' setlists. Born in the U.S.A., however, contains a handful of tunes that are a little rarer, like "Downbound Train" and "I'm Goin' Down."

The concert also has some sentimental value: It's the last that will ever be hosted at Giants Stadium, which is being torn down at the end of the current football season to make way for a brand new home for the Giants and Jets.

There was a ton of buzz surrounding last night's U2 show at Giants Stadium in New Jersey last night. It wasn't so much that it was the first New York-area stop for the band's massive "360" tour (though that was a big part of it), but there was a great deal of speculation about how Bono would celebrate Jersey folk hero Bruce Springsteen's 60th birthday yesterday. After all, it seemed as though it would be impossible for the group to play a show without tipping their collective hat to the Boss.

While Springsteen didn't step on the stage at Giants Stadium during the over two hour show, Bono did wish Bruce a happy birthday and swapped out "she" for "he" during the chorus of "She's the One." MTV News' Rachel Josue was at the show live and snagged a bit of video, so jam on "Mysterious Ways" while you get your belated birthday card together for Jersey's favorite son.

It's been a good week for celebrating athletic feats. On Monday, we raised a glass to the stunning Olympic performance of Michael Phelps with some Lil Wayne, and today, we present a candle-filled cake to Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. Phelps grabbed the headlines at last year's Olympiad, but the 23-year-old Bolt's stunning runs through the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints were thrilling to behold (Bolt actually took first place in the 200 — breaking the world record in the process — just hours before his birthday last year). Not just a remarkable athlete, Bolt is seen as a salvation-bringer for international track sports, which have been plagued by doping scandals over the past decade.

Not content to rest on his previous accomplishments, Bolt grabbed headlines again this week at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin. In taking first place in both the 100 meter sprint, Bolt broke his own world record, racing to the finish line in a stunning 9.58 seconds. (If you haven't seen the incredible video of that performance yet, prepare to drop your jaw.) And then a few days later, he destroyed the world record in the 200 as well (which is an even more stunning piece of video). It's amazing that one human could be so enthralling and entertaining just by running, but greatness comes in many forms.

Usain Bolt and Bruce Springsteen don't have very much in common — in fact, Springsteen is the musical equivalent of a pleasant countryside jog, not a whirlwind sprint. But once they draw you in, it's impossible to take your eyes off of either of them. Plus, they were both "Born to Run."

While writing about the Gaslight Anthem last year, I called frontman Brian Fallon "perhaps the most hopelessly romantic kid ever to have been raised in New Brunswick, New Jersey."

I didn't mean it in the "candy-and-flowers" sense of the term, but rather that he was in love with the romantic ideals about rock and roll music: That hard-charging, blue-collar rock can empower and make dreams come true, and that on Gaslight's terrific The '59 Sound album, Fallon had created a world where "a punk act from Jersey can move crowds like the Boss."

Little did I know they'd actually get to move a crowd with the Boss.

Late last month, Fallon and his Gaslight brothers were invited by Bruce Springsteen himself to share the bill on the massive Hard Rock Calling festival in London's Hyde Park. Turns out the Boss was a fan, and he very much wanted them in London.

So, of course, the Gaslight guys showed up. And while they powered through their mid-afternoon set, something amazing happened: Springsteen surprised pretty much everybody by showing up, throwing on a guitar and playing a duet with Fallon the the title track from Sound. The crowd — and, to be honest, the band — looked on with amazement, and Springsteen looked like he was having a ball.

And as soon as it was all over, we grabbed the Gaslight Anthem to get their reaction.

See? Rock and roll dreams really do come true.

By Melanie Wolfson

It's no secret that going to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is an all-day event. It begins in the parking lot midday with beers, subs, footballs and stereos blasting songs by the Boss. People reminisce about decades of shows past and their expectations for the night ahead — and yesterday's show on the Working on a Dream Tour at the Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia was yet another astounding performance. After scoring a pair of floor-level tickets back in February, I knew I would be in for an incredible night and, truth be told, I was left nearly speechless afterward and couldn't think of where to begin with summarizing the show. I have narrowed my long list of reasons for why the show rocked down to five highlights, so check them out! Read more...

By Alex Shapiro

It's only February, but music lovers across the country can already start planning their summers: After months of speculation surrounding Coachella and Bonnaroo, the initial lineups for both have been announced, and they are amazing!

The Coachella lineup is made up of some heavy hitters: Former Beatle Paul McCartney will kick off the fest, followed by '80s goth-rockers the Cure, with synth-rock group the Killers closing it out on the last day. The other 116 announced acts make up a smorgasbord of techno, rock and rap acts that will prevent anyone from saying, "There isn't one band there I'd pay to see." If I was anywhere near Indio, California, I wouldn't miss this one. Read more...