Author Topic: Springsteen's Halftime Show  (Read 756 times)

Shallow

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Springsteen's Halftime Show
« on: February 02, 2009, 11:28:47 AM »
As many here know I'm a big Boss fan. I was just wondering what non-Bruce music fans thought of the Halftime show last night at the Superbowl.


I'll admit I was a bit worried about how he'd do in a compressed 12 minutes but I really thought he pulled it off and had a great little set with a lot of fun, comedy, and rock and roll. I think it really showed a lot of fans from the 80s that he can still go in concert (no tthat he needs help since his last tour that just wrapped up last year made 200 million dollars).


So what about everyone else's thoughts? I'm not asking to argue and tell anyone they were wrong if they didn't like it. I'm just wondering.
 

adamanthraxe

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2009, 11:38:10 AM »
Im not a fan of "the boss" but it was a good performance. Although I dont think he could top the performance PRINCE put on last year.

Shallow

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2009, 12:08:18 PM »
Im not a fan of "the boss" but it was a good performance. Although I dont think he could top the performance PRINCE put on last year.


I loved Prince's last year and put it neck and neck with this year's. I'd give Bruce the edge but that's my personal bias at work.
 

white Boy

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2009, 01:55:04 PM »
just posted this in the superbowl thread
^ shallow no comment on bruce? i thought he was good but pretty predictable line up, i guessed all exept 10th ave freeze out, they were bustin him on espn cause he didnt do born in the usa, saying 'there was young people there and he was doing complex songs' or something along that, some dumb shit

but also, that fat guy with the doo rag anoyed me
 

white Boy

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2009, 01:56:02 PM »
oh and on bruce, how do you like his new album, ive yet to check it, havent even peeped magic yet, read a bad review this morning but from a bad source,
 

Chamillitary Click

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2009, 02:06:24 PM »
i turned on Wipeout on like ABC or TBS lol.
 

white Boy

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2009, 03:34:50 PM »
since we on the music topic



why bobby why, it would have been an ok commercial (even though i hate the idea of my favorite artists being used for marketing), But that fag will-i-am, wtf, ANYONE would have been better than him
 

Shallow

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2009, 03:50:21 PM »
just posted this in the superbowl thread
^ shallow no comment on bruce? i thought he was good but pretty predictable line up, i guessed all exept 10th ave freeze out, they were bustin him on espn cause he didnt do born in the usa, saying 'there was young people there and he was doing complex songs' or something along that, some dumb shit

but also, that fat guy with the doo rag anoyed me


Predictable is what he should have went for. No one wants to hear The Ghost of Tom Joad on the Superbowl, and most of his hidden gems that are incredible live, like the 99/2000 Light of Day, are way too long for a Superbowl half time show.

I knew Tenth Ave was going to start because of reports from the practices. It was just Bruce having fun, like he did in most of the 80s, and the Magic tour. My ideal show would have a 4 minute Bandlands ending with the crowd "ooohs" that goes right into an 8 minute Light of Day. But the way it ended up was great. It was like little snap shots of a full show and of his career. They basically opened with the BTR Album picture.

Born in the USA would have been silly, but most people still don't get it's a protest song and thought it was going to be played. Glory Days fit the mood, and it's really not a song that gets played that much.



As for the albums. The Rising, Magic, and WOAD are a trilogy films (with Devils and Dust being like a TV series that aired between the first two films). Rising was trying to heal from the tragedy, Magic was letting that tragedy nearly destroy you (with D and D setting it up a bit), and WOAD is releasing yourself from all that and just trying to live again, but never forgetting your past. It is very much like the last trilogy he released (BTR, Darkness, and River. But no where near as good).

9/11 happens and that sparks The Rising. It's about going through that loss, and mourning, but there are also songs on it like Waiting on a Sunny Day, Lets Be Friends, and Mary's Place that set up WOAD by telling stories of people trying to find light in the darkness. Magic is about post-9/11 USA, the Iraq war, invasion of rights and privacy, sneaky politics, and WOAD is finally letting go of everything just loving again.

The album starts with a story of a man trying to run from his past and almost dieing because of it and the album ends with a tearful eulogy. It's basic thesis is don't forget all the bad things that have happened and don't run from all the bad things you've done, but don't consume yourself with them and don't forget to live because death can be around the corner for anyone at any time.

But it's approach is very different, almost WIESS-esque, and very abstract. Bruce could have told this whole story in the vein of D and D or Joad and told it brilliantly with lyrics like he always can, but he slowly toned the lyrics down with each album of the three and pumped the music up. Rising was straight forward, Magic was almost Born in the USA like with it's harder songs depicting sadder themes, and WOAD is almost kooky in parts, some guys on the Bruce boards call it stoner music.

But in the end it makes sense, to me at least, the world in each album is seen through different eyes. He's sad in the Rising, cynical in Magic, and basically so jubilated in WOAD he seems crazy, and so does the world. The first song, Outlaw Pete could have been the plot lay out for a 60s Clint Eastwood cowboy film, but the last song is very somber as it is a tribute to fallen member Danny Federici, but does so with a proper reference to Wild Billy's Circus Story from his second album, referencing the crazy while not being upfront about it (since you can't make a parody song for a guy who really died).

Bruce seems to make fun of himself a lot, or at least make fun of his old overly-romantic character from the old songs. Queen of the Supermarket almost sounds like a Ben Stiller parody of Bruce singing a Bruce song with it's lyrics, and many fans hate that idea.

I haven't fully figured out either of the three yet but I'm getting there slowly. They each got 5 stars from Rollingstone and i think in hindsight they'll be seen as deserving those grades, and just about every credible music source gave all three albums great reviews so it's not just Rollingstone on Bruce's dick again.


Anyway, I highly recommend listening to all three in order when you get the time.

If you just want to tune in to some of the newer tracks to check them out I'd recommend My Lucky Day, Good Eye, Life Itself, Kingdom of Days, and The Last Carnival. Also "This Life" has a great Motown style intro.



"that fat guy with the doo rag?"
 

Teddy Roosevelt

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2009, 03:55:08 PM »
"that fat guy with the doo rag?"
Steve Van Zandt?
 

Shallow

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #9 on: February 02, 2009, 03:59:45 PM »
"that fat guy with the doo rag?"
Steve Van Zandt?


I hope he's not talking about Miami Steve, aka Sylvio Dante.


Little Steven with his radio show, and on stage coolness, is one of the great ones. All of my music friends that absolutely loathe Bruce always give their respects to Van Zandt.
 

white Boy

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #10 on: February 02, 2009, 04:09:44 PM »
^ i just thought he was goofy, dont dislike him, or have any reason for any feel any certain way, but thats is what it is, and i dont watch sopranos, but lookin at pics, wow, i almost didnt recognize,

but thanks for the album info, im still at the tip of the iceberg with bruce esp with post 80s stuff, but ill def eventually give full proper listens to all his stuff, im currently in love with open all night, also wat did you think of the inauguration performance of the rising, i like the dynamic of bruce with solo guitar and the entire choir
 

Javier

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #11 on: February 02, 2009, 04:19:18 PM »
I thought it was pretty cool.  I wouldn't know where to start with his music though, it seems that people enjoy his new stuff as much as they enjoy his older albums. 
 

Rick McCrank

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #12 on: February 02, 2009, 04:59:38 PM »
who even watches the halftime show?

lord knows I took a 20 minute break from the TV

no need to see back-to-back-to-back advertisements
 

white Boy

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #13 on: February 02, 2009, 05:03:59 PM »
who even watches the halftime show?

lord knows I took a 20 minute break from the TV

no need to see back-to-back-to-back advertisements
i was happy to watch the commericals, some where pretty dope
 

LodiDodi

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Re: Springsteen's Halftime Show
« Reply #14 on: February 02, 2009, 05:10:58 PM »
Im not a fan of "the boss" but it was a good performance. Although I dont think he could top the performance PRINCE put on last year.
Prince was 2 years ago, don't remember who was last year, maybe Paul McCartney?