Bruce Springsteen is one of the greatest singer-songwriters and live performers in rock history. He was hailed as the future of rock-n-roll in the 1970’s and he more than lived up to all the hype. While he became a mega-star with 1984’s “Born in the U.S.A.,” his previous three records rank up with some of the best albums in rock history. “Born to Run,” “Darkness on the Edge of Town” and “The River” are essntials to any Bruce Springsteen collection, and young fans should probably start here. Over the years, Bruce’s music has matured, and while few rock artists can match the brilliance of their earlier work, Springsteen has consistently produced excellent records through the years.
With his legions of faithful fans and his ability to create great music even in his 50s and now his 60s, Bruce remains one of the top draws in rock music. His halftime performance at the 2009 Super Bowl is easily one of the best halftime shows ever.
Bruce has often spoken his mind about political topics such as war and nuclear power, but he never participated in partisan politics. That changed in 2004 when Bruce decided to actively campaign for John Kerry. Some of his fans were disappointed, but Bruce felt strongly enough about that election to put his popularity on the line. He continued his activism in 2008 with his enthusiastic support of Barack Obama.
Regardless of one’s opinion of Bruce’s decision, the Vote for Change concerts were incredible, and the fans who attended one of those shows were able to see some unique performances by Bruce and the E Street Band with other great performers like REM and John Fogerty. Bruce and Michael Stipe couldn’t be more different, but together they blew away the crowds at these shows with awesome duets like Bruce’s “Because the Night.”
Videos
There are a ton of great Springsteen videos on YouTube, particularly all sorts of concert clips. Springsteen fans can get lost there for hours, particularly as you surf through videos posted by fans. The official “Born to Run” video posted below is naturally popular, but it really captures the energy of Springsteen concerts with some great footage from the 1984-85 stadium tours when Bruce’s popularity exploded. It’s a great video to watch when you want to perk up and get into a good mood.
Bullz-Eye Reviews
Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ
Concert review:
Bruce Springsteen: Columbus, OH — Dec. 16, 2002
The Red Rocker enjoys a memorable performance delivered by Bruce and the E Street Band.
Films and Documentaries
“Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run” (2005)
This 2005 Grammy-winning documentary (Best Long Form Music Video) was directed, edited, and produced by Thom Zimny. It chronicles the creation of Bruce’s iconic 1975 album Born to Run, widely consider to be one of the greatest rock albums of all time.
Quotes
“Blind faith in your leaders, or in anything, will get you killed.”
“The great challenge of adulthood is holding on to your idealism after you lose your innocence.”
“Well, there I was sitting down on the couch in my pajamas with my eldest son. He was watching TV. I was doing one of my favorite things: I was tallying up all the money I passed up in endorsements over the years and thinking of all the fun I could have had with it. Suddenly I hear ‘Uno, dos, tres, catorce!’ I look up. But instead of the silhouettes of the hippie-wannabes bouncing around in the iPod commercial, I see my boys! Oh my God! They sold out! Now, what I know about the iPod is this: it is a device that plays music. Of course, their new song sounded great, my guys are doing great, but methinks I hear the footsteps of my old tape operator of Jimmy Iovine somewhere. Wily, smart. Now, personally, I live an insanely expensive lifestyle that my wife barely tolerates. I burn money, and that calls for huge amounts of cash flow. But, I also have a ludicrous image of myself that keeps me from truly cashing in. You can see my problem. Woe is me. So the next morning, I call up Jon Landau (or as I refer to him, ‘the American Paul McGuinness’), and I say, ‘Did you see that iPod thing?’ and he says, ‘Yes.’ And he says, ‘And I hear they didn’t take any money.’ And I said, ‘They didn’t take any money?’ and he says, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Smart, wily Irish guys. Anybody ‘anybody’ can do an ad and take the money. But to do the ad and not take the money… that’s smart. That’s wily.’ I say, ‘Jon, I want you to call up Bill Gates or whoever is behind this thing and float this: a red, white and blue iPod signed by Bruce ‘The Boss’ Springsteen. Now remember, no matter how much money he offers, don’t take it!'” – from Bruce’s speech inducting U2 in the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, 3/14/05