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| Bruce Springsteen, performing Springsteen on Broadway, 2018. |
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| CD cover for Springsteen on Broadway, 2018. |
Bruce Springsteen’s series of Broadway appearances recently
concluded in December. Springsteen on
Broadway ran for 236 performances at the Walter Kerr Theatre. The show was
also filmed and released on Netflix in December. The film of Springsteen on Broadway was directed by
Thom Zimny, who has directed numerous Springsteen documentaries, as well as the
excellent documentary Elvis Presley: The Searcher.
Springsteen on
Broadway puts us up close and personal with the Boss as he regales the
audiences with stories of his life and sings some of his most famous songs.
It’s no surprise that there are many stories about his father, with whom Bruce
had a difficult and complicated relationship. Springsteen is very aware of the
ironies and contradictions of his career. He talks about being the voice of the
working man, and then tells us that doing this Broadway show is the only time
in his life he’s ever worked five days a week. He’s never punched a time clock
or worked the night shift at the refinery, which is a testament to how
effective a writer he is. Springsteen also talks about wanting to get out of
his home town, finally adding the punch line: “I now live ten minutes away from
my home town.” (Of course, he did get out and lived away from New Jersey for
many years.)
The show highlights Springsteen’s acute self-awareness, and
how deep his emotions run. At the end of the show he describes his feelings as
he drove by the house where he grew up and discovered that the huge beech tree
in front of his house had been cut down. It’s beautiful how Springsteen
describes his thoughts and feelings about this tree. I probably would have said
something like, “I was so sad that the tree had been cut down. It meant a lot
to me.” Trust me; Bruce was much more eloquent than I would be. Springsteen is
such a poet, and it’s so clear throughout the show how much he loves words, as
he uses the cadence of a preacher to arouse our emotions. He has the soul of a
poet, but also the instincts of a showman. There are very few performers in the
history of rock and roll who have been able to merge the two as successfully as
he has. He’s very masculine, and at the same time, amazingly sensitive.
Bruce is joined by his wife Patti Scialfa for two songs, “Tougher
than the Rest” and the lovely “Brilliant Disguise,” both from his 1987 album Tunnel of Love. Other than that, it’s
just Springsteen and a guitar, or a piano, singing his songs and telling his
stories. It’s an intensely emotional experience, and it’s pretty amazing that Springsteen
could perform this show night after night for so long.
3 comments:
Excellent review. Already on my "My List" but need to bump it up in that queue.
Great insights. Yes, I too am drawn to his lyrics; they can be dark and full of hope at the same time, such as "Atlantic City".
Yeah, you wonder how he identifies so closely with the downtrodden and working class.
Hi Julie, thanks for commenting. Yeah, "Atlantic City" is a terrific song. He is a brilliant writer, and I guess he must be perceptive and empathetic to write the way he does.
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