Movie Review: Bruce Springsteen in "Springsteen & I"

Starring: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Director: Baillie Walsh

In a few words...: A Springsteen documentary /concert film centered on his legions of fans, and what the music means to them
 
Rating: 9/10

Beware: SPOILERS AHEAD

For forty years, Bruce Springsteen has been writing songs about the common man, epic tales full of cars, women, good times and bad times, working-class anthems about New Jersey and America, his words conjuring images of the United States of America through the decades. From anti-war anthems to songs about the Global Financial Crisis, The Boss has written them all, and will go down in history as one of the great recording artists, not just of his generation, but of all time.

As legendary as his songwriting are his marathon concerts - 3 hours and more, when most bands these days are in a hurry to leave the stage after a paltry 90-minute effort - that feature varied set lists from one night to the next, big hits, rarities and fan requests by way of homemade signs brought into the shows. The Jersey Devil connects with his giant fan base in such a way as to make most other bands hugely jealous.

In many ways Springsteen & I is a love letter from Springsteen's fans to The Boss himself. A creative team led by the brilliant Ridley Scott asked for submissions from fans around the world, wanting to know what Springsteen means to each of them. Surely, there were literally hundreds of thousands flooding in, and it was the job for the film's producers at Scott & Associates and director to pick out the best ones, and those, naturally, make up the crux of the film.

When you aren't watching talking about Springsteen and his music, there are brilliant concert clips of some really great songs: it's a rip-roaring trip down Memory Lane and through the decades, from the pre-Born to Run days, right through to footage from the current Wrecking Ball tour, from the album of the same name, released in 2012. The great thing is that it's all - well, aside from a few well-placed bits - fan-shot footage, brought together and mastered to show off both glorious sound and picture. It's like YouTube on the silver screen - and it's great!!

You'll love this if you love Springsteen - I do. If you're not a fan, some of the people who feature would probably come across as rather freaky. It's something akin to a Cult, those who are Springsteen fans, and some of the more unorthodox people are represented here, from an Elvis impersonator who just wants The King to sing with The Boss (the "Philly Elvis"), to grown men who cry in their car at the thought of some Springsteen songs and what they mean, right through to mega-fans who have, over the years, subjected their partners to hours and hours of concerts. One such less-than-fan, who accompanies his Springsteen-made fan, when asked what he would say to Springsteen if he ever got the chance, quips, "Make your shows shorter."

Of all the people we meet, Philly Elvis is the best! That Springsteen would let someone from the crowd up onto the stage to basically take over a gig like that is incredible! And unheard of, for that matter!! The Elvis impersonator going to become a legend amongst Springsteen fans...if he hasn't already! What a tremendous experience to be able to relate to your kids and grand kids! I think the Elvis scenes are the one enduring memory I'll have of the doco, above and beyond the bonus footage post-credits (see below).

There's an interesting collection of fans and concert footage from all eras of a performer who's been around for such a long time (and is still relevant and killing it today), and most people likely leave the cinema with the feeling that no matter how much of a big-time Springsteen addict you thought you were, you've got a long way to go to get into the stratosphere of some of the people shown on film. It's an unashamed love-in, and it could have crashed and burned, but it didn't. It was cleverly packaged together.

It does, however, go a long way to illustrating the relationship between Springsteen and his fans, and just how damned important his music is to so many people. It's great to witness scenes like in Copenhagen where, walking down a street, Springsteen comes across a busker who is a fan, and sits in with the man for a while. How many other superstars would do that? Answer: not many. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a man who hasn't forgotten the fans, who have made him what he is. 

The best thing of all? Bruce Springsteen seems like a genuinely nice guy who cares about his fans. The story of the British fans upgraded from the back row at Madison Square Garden to the front is but one example.

As the credits roll, up comes a surprise: footage of Springsteen at Hard Rock Calling 2012 in London's Hyde Park. That's the famous gig where, at the end, Sir Paul McCartney joins the E-Street Band on stage...and after two songs - "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Twist & Shout" the band is subsequently told to leave the stage due to a curfew. That's an absolute travesty, and I can't help but wonder if the person who made that decision is still employed? Certainly, the crowd weren't happy - and you can't blame them. It was a moment they would never forget cut unfortunately too short.

Also included in this bonus footage (of about 30 minutes in length): a scintillating piano-only version - maybe the best live version I've seen - of "Thunder Road", "Because The Night," where Nils Lofgren steals the show with a great solo, a gospel-infused raucous take on "Shackled & Drawn" in the rain (from the recent Wrecking Ball album) and a performance of a song from the same album that's really growing on me: "We Are Alive." It's quite a thirty minutes. "Shackled & Drawn" particularly, is becoming an excellent, toe-tapping live inclusion.

But it's the footage of Sir Paul and The Boss that's most impressive, and I figure I would've been quite happy just seeing those two performances. On the big screen, with perfect sound and vision, it is absolutely jaw-dropping. Springsteen quips that he's been waiting forty years for this to happen, and you have to wonder why it didn't happen earlier. The E Street Band are in fine form here: there isn't one person on that stage who doesn't look like they're having the time of their lives. It reminded me of the energy we saw on the recent Springsteen tour here in Australia. 

As Sir Paul and The Jersey Devil are leaving the stage, an "epilogue" appears, featuring the stars of the earlier submissions getting to meet their idol. There are some incredible moments in this film, but that might be the best.