Bruce Springsteen - Classic or Dud ?

(To gesture toward answering the question – "Walk Like a Man" instead of “Tougher Than the Rest”)

What’s interesting is that the CD and 2x LP versions up for pre-order both only seem to have 18 tracks. So is the 31-track version just basically going to be a playlist?

I mean, I’m not sure what “digital edition” would mean? I’m assuming streaming and those who pay for FLACs I guess?

xp Same as tipsy mothra except "Darkness on the Edge of Town" instead of "Prove it All Night."

Agree that it feels more Greatest Hits than Best of. If it's genuinely Best of, then I'd like to add in one more each from The River and Nebraska - maybe "Wreck on the Highway" and "Open All Night." I get that he's trying for something that genuinely spans his career, but I think he can still go a little heavier on his classic period. We don't need fully half of the songs to be post-BITUSA, it could be 2/3 early, 1/3 late and people would still get the idea.

I think after "Human Touch" is where my idea of Springsteen's Best of really diverges from his. I'd probably do something like this:

Human Touch
Local Hero
Streets of Philadelphia
Youngstown
Highway 29
The Rising
Living in the Future
Wrecking Ball
Western Stars
Hello Sunshine (or Stones, which I actually like better)
Ghosts (or Rainmaker, or Burnin' Train)
One Minute You're Here

did yall already post that amazing story he told on graham norton's show about his relationship with this family in st louis
really made me happy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx0GllhVJks

I love how Bruce gives absolutely no explanation of why he did this, because to him it's clearly just "eh, why not?" And meanwhile everyone else is going "OMG this is the craziest thing we've ever heard!"

100%

Local news story on that story where they interview the family:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezPRW1wt0NE

*news report on that story

solid

that's a great story, the kids that approached him must have been terrified it would become a "don't meet your heroes" moment

TIny bit of Rashomon to this but still a great story

The third Passaic night (sept 21st) of the legendary 1978 Darkness tour has now been released officially too (aka Coup De Grace) - and even though it may not one of The Big Five (the 5 shows that were broadcast on the radio & became the most bootlegged & wellknown), you can't go wrong with any of these shows, really.

Been digging a live version of “Because the Night” by Patti…Lupone. She makes it sound like an outtake from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

From this:
https://playbill.com/article/patti-lupone-at-les-mouches-vintage-lupone-club-act-arrives-in-stores-nov-11-com-155028

Which was a midnight Saturday cabaret show she was doing in 1980 while she was in the midst of doing Evita.

From old cassette tapes! Pretty appropriate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMRF7PiJBAs

Anyway, sorry for the seeming derail. It’s just the only version I’ve heard that seems to take the Patti version and put a tiny bit of spin on it rather than just being…okay and similar but not quite as good like every other version.

The performance clips from the video are on the verge of being an SCTV parody, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Even redeems a crummy Kinks song.

If one can redeem something terrible by making it terrible in a brand new way. You weren't kidding about SCTV!

Listening to that album now. Almost laughed out loud at the veiled Tina Turner reference in “Heaven Is a Disco”

This thing is from the same universe as that Lou Reed live with The Toys albums.

The Tots, not The Toys. American Poet.

Springsteen joined Mellencamp onstage last night at NJ PAC for "Pink Houses":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qo_-W4lBe4

Bruce looking lithe, limber and ready to get back on the road.

Wait, hold up, is that Lisa Germano?! She's back!!

Yes it is! I saw Mellencamp at the Beacon and he was awesome. At one point, he let a kid get on stage and let HIM sing one of his hits while he walked off for what seemed like a smoke.

Tour resumes tonight, Bruce lookin' good!
https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/432766426_949567229858904_5539654209860653751_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=VIQrTwEDuDIAX-pUF_u&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&oh=00_AfAb_AU3DFryU1mnOECcjxasUkZHb2Bs1-l5gM3TKWfI8A&oe=65FE75E5

hottest silver fox in town

Some nerd livestreamed the whole show, if you want to watch it:

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1083363189561218&id=1182636260&mibextid=qi2Omg

More or less the same set, slight tweaks.

Had no idea he was even on tour!

Interesting:

https://pitchfork.com/news/bruce-springsteen-movie-starring-jeremy-allen-white-in-the-works/

The Bruce

The movie is just gonna be him floating down a river in a canoe listening to the songs on a boom box. Would watch!

Love that Bruce is getting back in the habit of popping up on stage with other musicians. Somebody leaked the news yesterday, and I think he flies home between shows anyway, but Bruce flew east from Cali to play with Zach Bryan in Brooklyn yesterday.

I'm not familiar with the song they played together "Sandpaper."

I think it's new.

Just found out about this guy flying home between shows. That's wild. (Not to mention, environmentally questionable.)

Carbon footprints of the rich and famous. But he's 74, it's probably nice to go home for a few days.

Speaking of flying, some friends and I are talking about flying up to one of the Philly shows. I don't know if it'll come together, but I really would like to see him (at least) one more time.

going to see him for the first time in sf on Sunday. excited!

you are in for a treat my friend

Looks like he is loosening up the setlists, maybe 5%, throwing in some songs he hasn't played yet, taking the occasional request. Still mostly the usual, but I think he knew people were getting a little tired of that.

I think I'm going to try to see him again in Philly this August, depending on prices.

Some nice additions in Los Angeles last night, reportedly. And 32 songs, 3 1/2 hours! He's done this before, recently, one tour leg exciting but still relatively conservative, and then the next one loosening up, with more requests and surprises.

Bob Seger used to do the same thing. Play two or three shows, fly home for a few days, go back out. Metallica, too.

Zeppelin kind of invented the home-base method of regional rock band touring, as I understand it. Set up in Chicago, head out for a bunch of shows within a certain radius. This is not what Bruce is doing, though I think Bruce does fly home after almost every show. I meant that Bruce toured for much of 2023, took time off to get healthy, and now has returned to the road (for many months) reportedly reinvigorated.

The sound at the show last week was almost unbearably loud (forgot to bring ear protection which i basically always tote to a show). The horn section was just blaring and after 2 hours I was semi covering the ear most exposed to a speaker stack when they came in. But I am really happy that I went and jeez feel like we really got our money's worth. Band sounded great and was awesome to see those legends.

it's quite remarkable to see him in 2024 and consider that he is more or less 40 years past his live peak.

I love, for the boss' sake, that he has a "Little Big Man" in the band

Jim DeRogatis has been pretty upfront about how much he hates Springsteen, but apparently he said on a recent podcast that he was bullied by Springsteen fans when he was a teenager (mentioned just in passing while dumping on Springsteen's music). This sounds like mockery but I would've been like "Jim, if Bruce knew, he would've gone out there and stood up for you." (And he would've too!)

What does he dislike about Springsteen's music?