Reply to thread

I thought it wonderfully shot, Zimny is a very talented filmmaker, and the sound was fantastic.

It was a lovely way to capture that portion of the tour, and the archival snippets were both amazing to see, and frustrating to know how much is in the vaults that we will likely never see.

Unfortunately, Zimny is very much inside the tent, and so ultimately this was hagiography more than documentary.  Springsteen as an individual, and the band in general are perfect subjects for critical assessment of their legacy and place in the wider musical world.  However, JLM have built the walls so high around Bruce nobody not prepared to genuflect on the way in is allowed.

The recent books by Zanes and Hyden covering the Nebraska and BitUSA period sent me down a rabbit hole a few months back watching a lot of the scarce footage of Bruce from that era such as the lengthy UK interview to promote Live 75-85.  What stood out back then was even at the height of his fame, he was so unsure of himself.  Long pauses, grasping for the words. Clearly a very intelligent man, fighting to articulate what was in his head.  But he came across as genuine.  Listening to him reading from a script in the voiceovers was just Bruce playing the "Bruce Springsteen" character he has developed over the past 25 years.  I would love to see under the surface, unguarded and honest.  Not sure we ever will.

The best bit of self reflection was watching the ponderously slow version of She's The One bleeding into the pedal to the floor version from I'm guessing around 76.  I'm surprised that made the cut, to be honest, but it was revealing to see it.