The Rising is the 12th studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 2002. In addition to being Springsteen's first studio album in seven years, it was also his first with the E Street Band in 18 years. It is centered around Springsteen's reflections on the September 11, 2001 attacks. Upon its release, The Rising was a critical and commercial success, and hailed as the triumphant return of "The Boss". It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of over 520,000 copies. With this, Springsteen became the oldest person to achieve a first-week sales of over a half of a million in the U.S. The album also garnered a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2003; although nominated for, and widely favored to take, the Album of the Year award as well, it was bested by Norah Jones' debut album Come Away with Me. Title song "The Rising" was also a Grammy nominee and recipient. For the year 2002, The Rising was one of only two albums to receive Rolling Stone's highest rating—five stars—the other being Beck's Sea Change. While most of the songs were written after September 11, 2001, a few of them pre-date the attacks. "My City of Ruins" was originally performed in, and written about, Asbury Park, New Jersey. After its performance by Springsteen on the post-September 11 America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon, however, the song took on an expanded meaning. "Further On (Up the Road)" was performed live in Madison Square Garden during the summer of 2000 at the end of the