Jersey Boys

Like oil and pharmaceutical tankers in the New Jersey night, two of the Garden State's other greatest exports are passing one another on Bay Area tours in the next couple weeks. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are bringing the tent revival vibe to the ORACLE Arena Oct. 25 and 26, while Glenn Danzig and Gorgeous Frankenstein perform a Black Mass at the Warfield Nov. 2. Admittedly, these performers take very different approaches: Springsteen, while prone to pessimistic meditations, gives his albums such hopeful titles as The Rising and, most recently, Magic, while Danzig is more predisposed to label collections like The Final Descent and Circle of Snakes. Still, the two artists do have their parallels, showcased here as we pit the Boss against, well, the Runt (Danzig's like 5 feet 4 inches, y'all).

Springsteen

Hails from Freehold, New Jersey; has been proving his guitar chops since the 1960s.

Danzig

Hails from Lodi, New Jersey; has been studying jeet kune do chops (Bruce Lee's martial art) since the 1980s.

Springsteen

Following his first album, 1973's Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., received accolades about being the "new Dylan."

Danzig

Has a crooning range that gets fans screaming "Evil Elvis."

Springsteen

His "Born to Run" single could be the unofficial theme song to the 1983 film adaptation of The Outsiders, a story of growing up a greaser in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during the 1960s.

Danzig

In The Outsiders, a character named Two-Bit wears a skull T-shirt for the Misfits, the original horrorcore punk band Danzig fronted in the 1980s. (Additionally, Danzig usually looks relatively greasy.)

Springsteen

Wrote 1978's howling, soul-searching Darkness on the Edge of Town.

Danzig

Wrote aggressively about darkness occurring pretty much everywhere.

Springsteen

His newest album, recorded with the E Street Band, is called Magic.

Danzig

Is said to practice that old "Black Magic" on gothic/metal crowds.

Springsteen

In 2005, released solo album Devils & Dust, and has a song, "Devil's Arcade," on Magic.

Danzig

Way ahead on the Satan thing, releasing 1990's Danzig II: Lucifuge; 1996's Danzig 5: Blackacidevil; 1999's Danzig 6:66: Satan's Child; and 2002's Danzig 777: I Luciferi, just to name a few titles.

Springsteen

Often writes about trying to escape from the wrong side of the tracks.

Danzig

Just let the two-CD set The Lost Tracks of Danzig escape into record stores.

Springsteen

Had his song "Born in the U.S.A." ridiculously interpreted by 2 Live Crew.

Danzig

Inspired the coveralls-wearing Grivo, frontman for the band Death Lurks, in the ridiculous Kids in the Hall movie Brain Candy.

Springsteen

With the release of Magic, the Boss has collected eight No. 1 album debuts (beaten only by the Beatles, Elvis, the Rolling Stones, and Jay-Z).

Danzig

Has collected a shit-ton of comic books (and publishes them, too, with a focus on the occult and the erotic).

Springsteen

A concert will knock you down like a televangelist on a miracle crusade.

Danzig

Famously got knocked down backstage by Danny M of the North Side Kings.

Springsteen

Has shared the stage with the American flag.

Danzig

Has shared the stage with Henry Rollins of Black Flag.

Springsteen

The voice of the workers' union.

Danzig

The voice of teenage disunion.

Springsteen

Wants a government that's held accountable, an end to needless combat, and to renew bruised faith.

Danzig

Wants your skulls.

Springsteen

Wears butt-hugging blue jeans.

Danzig

Wears butt-hugging black jeans.