By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
July 31, 2002
“The Rising” is making a strong move toward the top.
By early afternoon Tuesday, fans had snapped up about 100 copies of Bruce Springsteen’s new CD at Tower Records, 2301 N. Clark. Two dozen or so were purchased in the wee hours.
“Usually it’s kids who come to the midnight sales, but this crowd was mostly baby boomers,” said Darren Hallowell, the store’s rock buyer. “They seemed excited that he had a new record out.”
That branch sold about 200 copies of “The Eminem Show” during the rapper’s first day of sales in May. But figures for most artists pale compared to the Smashing Pumpkins, whose “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” sold more than 600 in the first hour.
At Rolling Stones Records in Norridge, rock buyer Tom Wojcik said Springsteen’s album is “doing incredible,” selling about 60 copies in less than half a day.
