Springsteen - 2.5hr set

[Jens Wildman]

Are you joking? He's taking it too seriously!!? You have seriously been sucking Bruce's member on this thread. Its verged on the embarrassing to be honest

Edited February 27, 2009 by Jens Wildman

[Jens Wildman]

By the great publication that is NME... what a great accolade.

Edited February 27, 2009 by Jens Wildman

[sifi]

By the great publication that is NME... what a great accolade.

[eFestivals]

well it would be more surprising if an act of his stature didn't get a response from fans saying how excited they were, wouldn't it?

I don't really get why people who don't like 'whoever', feel the need to get in the act of telling their fans why they shouldn't be liking them as much as they do

There's excited, and then there's ranting.

And surely the negative comments have been more along the lines of "I don't see how that's great" rather than what you suggest?

[Ed209]

By the great publication that is NME... what a great accolade.

[meatyparson]

because it takes more than bland to get me excited I guess.

[Jens Wildman]

but what else was on offer to that crowd at the same time?

There's 40+ other stages for people to choose from at Glasto.

Edited February 27, 2009 by Jens Wildman

[sifi]

Rolling Stone used to be one of the best (and my favourite) music journal... I think it kind of sold out a while ago though.

[lilac]

Eavis gave a press conference at the nme awards last night where he said that Bruce is getting 2 1/2 hours for his set.

[eFestivals]

I`m sure the Jazz feast audience had elsewhere to go. Here is the line up. Springsteen played the first weekend.

ahhhh .... there's somewhere else to go, and then there's Glasto's somewhere else to go.

There's only a few big-ish names on that. Glasto is overflowing with big (often huge) names, where those big (often huge) acts are directly competing against the main stage headliner (there's no festival in the world that has as many big acts as Glasto does on at the same time).

Glastonbury's second stage can accommodate around 75,000 people. Glastonbury's third stage can accommodate around 50,000 people. Then there's many that take around 10,000 - and they have those capacities because they can attract crowds of that size even when the likes of Bruce is on the main stage.

[Jens Wildman]

ahhhh .... there's somewhere else to go, and then there's Glasto's somewhere else to go.

Edited February 27, 2009 by Jens Wildman

[somecoolusername]

I don't think he will play it safe.. I hope he put`s a dark and gritty edge to it. And I don't think most of the glasto audience is people who prefer Human Touch over Jungleland.

[daveinafield]

Where's the gig? America? Yeah, they're all Bruce neutral, eh?

if that's the extremely low standard you're expecting him to beat then you're surely onto a winner.

But I though you (and all the Bruce obsessives) said he was the best live act ever? If he is, he can win over any crowd, and ALL of them. The real test will be the crowd when he plays - not the size of it, but whether it grows or shrinks as he plays. If it shrinks then he ain't doing it.

[benisright]

well, there's obviously no point in using any example to show how Bruce does with a non-Bruce crowd, as the answer will always be "yes, but this is Glastonbury...".

...we'll just have to wait and see

[albietrue2]

Have enjoyed the Springsteen threads immensely. Some good wind ups as well as some sterling efforts by Jens Wildman and Tory Blair to mount their Brucie offensives. As a Bruce lover myself at times reading Jens's sorties I've felt a bit like some badly lapsed Jehovas Witness for not chiming in with a few dozen You Tubes of Thunder Road.

Anyroad, I thought I'd throw in my own twopennyworth as an informative note for any neutral who might be wavering about whether or not to make the effort to see the man.

First off, I'd say tne thing I've found not represented in any of the comments so far is what I see tends to constitute the basic essence of a a typical Springsteen show. It is the very essence which has been at the core of his artistic being from day one, namely the underlying seam of emotion that he brings to the table.

So, if you're the sort for whom intense emotional occasions veer towards the naff then I'd guess Springsteen is not for you. Similarly if you're looking for irony or an evening of pure pop or pure rock or some refined musical interlude to which you can space out or some indulgent instrumental virtuosity then I'd suggest you look elsewhere.

Fact is, Bruce is all about drama and emotion. His very presence exudes it. His musical arrangements drip with it. You scratch the surface of any of the lyrics of his major works and Bruce is invariably cranking up the ante of raw emotion from the very off. With Bruce, there's either a loser or a downtrodden dog on the main street howling or the alienated loner either trying to escape or attempting to fight against their circumstances by striving for redemption or a Land of Hope and Dreams with every sinew they were born with. If they don't come from down in a valley where they bring you up to do just what your daddy did then there's gonna be a head on collision smashing in your guts or a 100 mile walk just to shed your skin.

It's dramatic stuff. Cinematic. Of course he laces it with some lighter moments and there's invariably oodles of pure get you out of your seats rockers. But always, underscoring the whole occasion is that feeling of high drama and emotion. And always, by the end of the show, come the E-Street cavalry laden with inspiration, escape and redemption.

I guess as an analogy, a Springsteen concert is rather like a visit to Anfield on a dramatic European night. Or a Cardiff Arms Park match against England or France back in the '70's. Just as those occasions tend to be remembered more for the high emotion rather than the sport, so with a Springsteen concert you come away charged and inspired by the emotion rather than simply the music.

That's not to say the sport is not great in such places. It clearly is. Likewise the music Springsteen lavishes on you is invariably of high quality. It's just that the emotion of the show is what you tend to take away with you. It kind of transcends the music. You end up drained yet inspired. You feel good. And, of course, to really get the experience you cannot just dip in and dip out. You have to go with him on the entire rollercoaster. The ups don't come without the downs. There's a price to pay as Springsteen will be only too willing to remind you half a dozen times during the show.

Clearly, if your tastes operate on different strokes to Bruce's canon then give him a wide berth. However, if you've got the weeniest yen to see what the fuss is about then do give him a try.

[daveinafield]

Have enjoyed the Springsteen threads immensely. Some good wind ups as well as some sterling efforts by Jens Wildman and Tory Blair to mount their Brucie offensives. As a Bruce lover myself at times reading Jens's sorties I've felt a bit like some badly lapsed Jehovas Witness for not chiming in with a few dozen You Tubes of Thunder Road.

Anyroad, I thought I'd throw in my own twopennyworth as an informative note for any neutral who might be wavering about whether or not to make the effort to see the man.

First off, I'd say tne thing I've found not represented in any of the comments so far is what I see tends to constitute the basic essence of a a typical Springsteen show. It is the very essence which has been at the core of his artistic being from day one, namely the underlying seam of emotion that he brings to the table.

So, if you're the sort for whom intense emotional occasions veer towards the naff then I'd guess Springsteen is not for you. Similarly if you're looking for irony or an evening of pure pop or pure rock or some refined musical interlude to which you can space out or some indulgent instrumental virtuosity then I'd suggest you look elsewhere.

Fact is, Bruce is all about drama and emotion. His very presence exudes it. His musical arrangements drip with it. You scratch the surface of any of the lyrics of his major works and Bruce is invariably cranking up the ante of raw emotion from the very off. With Bruce, there's either a loser or a downtrodden dog on the main street howling or the alienated loner either trying to escape or attempting to fight against their circumstances by striving for redemption or a Land of Hope and Dreams with every sinew they were born with. If they don't come from down in a valley where they bring you up to do just what your daddy did then there's gonna be a head on collision smashing in your guts or a 100 mile walk just to shed your skin.

It's dramatic stuff. Cinematic. Of course he laces it with some lighter moments and there's invariably oodles of pure get you out of your seats rockers. But always, underscoring the whole occasion is that feeling of high drama and emotion. And always, by the end of the show, come the E-Street cavalry laden with inspiration, escape and redemption.

I guess as an analogy, a Springsteen concert is rather like a visit to Anfield on a dramatic European night. Or a Cardiff Arms Park match against England or France back in the '70's. Just as those occasions tend to be remembered more for the high emotion rather than the sport, so with a Springsteen concert you come away charged and inspired by the emotion rather than simply the music.

That's not to say the sport is not great in such places. It clearly is. Likewise the music Springsteen lavishes on you is invariably of high quality. It's just that the emotion of the show is what you tend to take away with you. It kind of transcends the music. You end up drained yet inspired. You feel good. And, of course, to really get the experience you cannot just dip in and dip out. You have to go with him on the entire rollercoaster. The ups don't come without the downs. There's a price to pay as Springsteen will be only too willing to remind you half a dozen times during the show.

Clearly, if your tastes operate on different strokes to Bruce's canon then give him a wide berth. However, if you've got the weeniest yen to see what the fuss is about then do give him a try.

[albietrue2]

what a great post....especially love the Anfield analogy....perfect

[newguy(paranoid)]

let's face it, the springsteen obsesees here are going to claim it will be the 'biggest crowd ever', which it won't, those slagging springsteen are doing exactly what they did for Jay-Z last year - 'oh the crowd will be tiny, loads more to do'. In reality we all know neither of these is true, Springsteen will have a large crowd, as will the other headliners, the people there will say it was huge, the people walking past or not even there will say 'I heard/I saw that the crowd was small'.

Sorry to be the boring one, but we all know that this will be the case. Personally, I hope a lot of people go watch something else becasue I'm really looking forward to Springsteen and I want a decent view. I've never seen him before but the 'hits' will be fun to see and I'm slowly giving his albums a listen to see what else stands out.

[russycarps]

it makes me laugh how all the bruce obsessives think bruce is the greatest lyricist in the whole world, like, EVER.

He wont even be in the top 5 at glastonbury this year, let alone the world. Nick Cave, for example, has a million times more songwriting talent.

These are the facts I'm afraid.

Edited March 3, 2009 by russycarps

[Jens Wildman]

it makes me laugh how all the bruce obsessives think bruce is the greatest lyricist in the whole world, like, EVER.

He wont even be in the top 5 at glastonbury this year, let alone the world. Nick Cave, for example, has a million times more talent.

These are the facts I'm afraid.

[sifi]

I've just got this email from Glasto perennial camping supplier favourites Millets ....

In keeping with the general theme of the festival this year and specifically inspired by the much mooted Saturday night slot by Bruce Springsteen, Millets, the nationwide camping equipment supplier, will be returning to Glatonbury with a special range of new items for 2009. Millets announced that the items will be tailored to the general ethos of the festival but specifically aimed at Bruce Springsteen fans. A spokesman said "We are very excited about Bruce's appearance at Glasto so we've come up with a few "Brucie specials" for the event. First up We've got some special hand towels with Bruce's picture on them. I think they'll go like hot-cakes amonst the Springsteenistas, they can't resist a bit of old flannel from Bruce. We've also got some special tent pegs and mallets which are available in sets which feature an overtly long size and will ensure that Bruce fans are happily banging away for at least two and a half hours. Other items that are sure to interest Bruce fans are our special Springsteen guy ropes. They are all second hand, but I'm sure Bruce fans have been used to shelling out good money for old rope for years now.

Edited March 3, 2009 by sifimaster

[russycarps]

Fact? I could state that Elvis is the best lyricists EVER, does it make it true? There are many out there who claims that their favourite it the best EVER. That is off course bullshit. Music is a subjective thing, not a competition. If Cave resonates with you that's great. But, to say that one is better than the other on a objective scale.. well, then you are in a bubble.

Pony boy, Giddy-up giddy-up giddy-up whoa!

[Jens Wildman]

upset about it mate. Bruce is ok, sure, but there are many many artists that tower over him.

Edited March 3, 2009 by Jens Wildman

[Red Day]

I've just got this email from Glasto perennial camping supplier favourites Millets ....

In keeping with the general theme of the festival this year and specifically inspired by the much mooted Saturday night slot by Bruce Springsteen, Millets, the nationwide camping equipment supplier, will be returning to Glatonbury with a special range of new items for 2009. Millets announced that the items will be tailored to the general ethos of the festival but specifically aimed at Bruce Springsteen fans. A spokesman said "We are very excited about Bruce's appearance at Glasto so we've come up with a few "Brucie specials" for the event. First up We've got some special hand towels with Bruce's picture on them. I think they'll go like hot-cakes amonst the Springsteenistas, they can't resist a bit of old flannel from Bruce. We've also got some special tent pegs and mallets which are available in sets which feature an overtly long size and will ensure that Bruce fans are happily banging away for at least two and a half hours. Other items that are sure to interest Bruce fans are our special Springsteen guy ropes. They are all second hand, but I'm sure Bruce fans have been used to shelling out good money for old rope for years now.

[russycarps]

What has this got to do with Bruce?