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    • Why Bruce Springsteen decided to change the setlist ends with this song
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    Why Bruce Springsteen decided to change the setlist ends with this song

    Idris Bevan Posted on

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    There are few things that make you feel more alive than a Bruce Springsteen concert.

    But when Springsteen and the E Street Band returned to the stage in 2023 after a six-year hiatus, the end of the tour was death.

    Or at least mortality, as described in “Road Diary,” the documentary about Springsteen, his hallowed band, life on tour, and the inevitable change of time. The two-hour-plus film will be released on Hulu on October 25th.

    As far as revelations go in this visual chronicle, the biggest comes from Springsteen’s wife Patti Scialfa, who revealed that she has been suffering from a rare cancer called multiple myeloma since 2018.

    But the film reveals deep themes and insights into the way the boss creates relatable music experiences for fans.

    More: Bruce Springsteen speaks out about the “enormous pressure” in the music industry following the death of Liam Payne

    Springsteen chooses his setlist to “complete the narrative”

    Springsteen, who turned 75 in September, immediately recognizes the importance of a set list as he and the E Streeters gather at a theater in Red Bank, New Jersey, to “shake off the cobwebs” and prepare for their 2023 tour (which was extended). until 2025).

    It’s the first time he’ll be able to perform songs from “Letter to You,” his profound 20th albumTh Studio album released during the 2020 COVID wave and he is on a mission.

    The setlist, Springsteen says in the documentary, directed by trusted friend and filmmaker Thom Zimny, will convey the story to fans. “In 25 songs, I focused on completing the narrative of what I wanted to say and letting the audience know who I am at this point in my working life,” he says.

    For a collective almost as famous as The Grateful Dead for remixing songs and coming up with surprises at every concert, the first shows of 2023 demonstrated meticulous discipline.

    Why Springsteen ends his performance with this song

    With a few exceptions, the opening quartet consisted of “No Surrender,” “Ghosts,” “Prove it All Night,” and “Letter to You.” With zero exceptions – even during the current round of fall shows – Springsteen ended his concerts onstage alone with his acoustic guitar, leaving fans with the sweet meditation on loss and spirituality: “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”

    “It’s critically important that he brings together the underlying thoughts and feelings that make this show different than any other show he’s done,” says an unidentified voice that sounds like Jon Landau, Springsteen’s manager for nearly 50 years . (One criticism of the documentary: The band members are only named once, and given the enormous size of the E Street Band, it is often difficult to determine who is speaking based on show footage and backstage throwbacks.)

    More: The Grateful Dead named MusiCares Person of the Year: How they’ll be honored during Grammy week

    Throughout the film, there are references to late band members Danny Federici, who died in 2008, and Clarence Clemons, who died in 2011 (“Clarence and I, we were different parts of the same spiritual body,” says Springsteen). It also confirms what fans had already suspected – that the setlist addition of “Night Shift,” Springsteen’s soulful cover of the Commodores’ 1985 tribute to Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye, is a tribute to Federici and Clemons.

    But strangely, given the overarching theme of mortality, it’s strange why there’s no mention of the debilitating stomach ulcers that forced Springsteen off the road for the final four months of 2023 before he and the band returned in March.

    A segment focused on a fanbase equally enthusiastic in parts of Europe (particularly Barcelona) and the United States offers insights that are as much about the ticking clock as the exuberance of Born to Run.

    “We don’t expect him to be on tour forever,” says a supporter in Ireland. “We want to soak up every moment of it…just in case.”

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    Idris Bevan
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