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"As portraits of artists go," wrote The New York Times' Jesse Green on October 12, 2017, "there may never have been anything as real - and beautiful - on Broadway." The critic was referring to Bruce Springsteen's performance the evening before on the stage of the intimate, 939-seat Walter Kerr Theatre. Even before it opened, Springsteen on Broadway became New York theatre's hottest ticket - and most expensive. Rapturous reviews greeted The Boss' Broadway debut, with most critics marveling at the musical storyteller's facility for blending spoken word (based, in large part, on his 2016 memoir Born to Run) and stark new solo interpretations of some of his most personal songs. When Variety revisited the show five months into its run, the trade paper praised how its moments "took on shading and emotions that have evolved as he's settled into the show." Springsteen extended the show multiple times before scheduling a final bow for December 15 after 236 sold-out performances. Happily, Springsteen on Broadway will live on, thanks to a new "cast recording" from Columbia Records coming to both CD and LP plus digital download and streaming.
On December 14, the artist's longtime label will release Springsteen on Broadway, capturing songs and selected stories from the acclaimed, Tony Award-winning engagement on the Great White Way. Mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Bob Ludwig, the album arrives one day before the closing show, and also just before it's broadcast in full on Netflix. The streaming giant will premiere the production at 12:01 a.m. PT/3:01 a.m. ET on December 16. The audio on the 2CD or 4LP set is taken directly from the audio of that broadcast, so this is technically a soundtrack.
Springsteen on Broadway features his stripped-down, emotionally raw, and powerfully charged performances of such classic songs as "Growin' Up," "My Hometown," "Thunder Road," "Born in the U.S.A.," "The Ghost of Tom Joad," and "The Rising," as well as duets with his wife and bandmate Patti Scialfa on "Brilliant Disguise" and "Tougher Than the Rest." Springsteen accompanies himself on piano and guitar. Most of these tracks are prefaced by Springsteen's introductory stories as heard every night at the Walter Kerr. The audio for "Land of Hope and Dreams" is currently streaming:
It's unclear whether Springsteen will take his intimate theatrical event on tour, but happily, his record-breaking Broadway engagement will live on via the Springsteen on Broadway audio and video releases. Look for the recordings on December 14 from Columbia Records! You'll find links below to pre-order.
Springsteen On Broadway (Columbia, 2018)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
- Growin' Up *
- My Hometown *
- My Father's House *
- The Wish *
- Thunder Road *
- The Promised Land *
- Born In The U.S.A. *
- Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out *
- Tougher Than The Rest (with Patti Scialfa) *
- Brilliant Disguise (with Patti Scialfa) *
- Long Time Comin' *
- The Ghost Of Tom Joad *
- The Rising **
- Dancing In The Dark *
- Land Of Hope and Dreams **
- Born To Run *
* introduction and song
** song only
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Hm... I will certainly watch the video when it hits Netflix, but unsure about the album. The intros will likely be interesting to listen to once and only once. After that, I’ll likely skip them.
Even then, it’s hard to say. I read all the stories in his book already, and his brief performance at the Tonys earlier this year was pretty dull. Long, rambling intro to “My Hometown,” followed by just one verse and chorus of the actual song. I would guess the partial song was just due to TV time constraints, right? He should’ve played the whole song and cut down the intro.
Anyhow, it’s a fine collection of songs. But even so I’d guess I’ll opt for the original recordings for most of these, most of the time, instead. Guess I’ll see how much I like the film first.