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Working on a Dream and 2009 Tour

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by spnited, Jan 27, 2009.

  1. Beaker

    Beaker Active Member

    Finally listening to the album now. I'm enjoying it, but not as much as I enjoyed Magic the first time through.
     
  2. Piotr Rasputin

    Piotr Rasputin New Member

    Washington Post reporter tells her story, worries about the Super Bowl appearance:

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/23/AR2009012302934.html

    I know that some feel Born in the USA was a "sellout!!!!" for Springsteen. The Super Bowl is, yes, a massive corporate event. But so many acts have played it, and it's only 12 minutes, so who cares? I'm more concerned with its impact on my ability to get tickets the next day.

    Every major band has that moment where they take a shot at filling stadiums; my personal favorite band, Metallica, did the same. I got over it. If the band is that good, you just don't get to keep the secret forever.

    If I were a hardcore for Springsteen, I would have been more interested in his explanation (which turned out to be "we screwed up" regarding the exclusive Wal-Mart sale of the new (and minimal) Greatest Hits package.
     
  3. The album's getting roasted by Boss fans I know.
     
  4. Piotr Rasputin

    Piotr Rasputin New Member

    The new album, or the Greatest Hits?

    The most common reaction to the new album I've heard from friends who are Boss fans is, "Cool! Oh . . .it's OK . . nothing special . . . another tour, then, right?!"

    The Greatest Hits is not something they'll buy. It's not something they need. Maybe people will like the halftime show, then run out to Wal-Mart.
     
  5. Magic In The Night

    Magic In The Night Active Member

    I think most true Bruce fans like some of the stuff on the new album and can take or leave the other stuff, kinda like me. But you're right, there is much angst over the Wal-Mart decision and a number of threads on the fanboi thread about it. I was horrified by the decision, given my longtime boycott of Wal-Mart not because I would need the CD (God knows, I have everything on there several times over) but the fact that Bruce, the workingman's hero, would deign to sign a deal with the devil. I appreciate that he apologized for it in the New York Times interview a few days ago.
     
  6. The new record. The reaction is pretty much what it is here.
    Is every new Bruce album's value going to primarily be that it gets him out there on tour again because he's really going to hate that.
     
  7. Magic In The Night

    Magic In The Night Active Member

    Well, she'd have a lot more cred if she at least knew the lyrics to two of Bruce's most famous songs. She talks in there about how Bruce needs an editor. Maybe she needs one or at least needs to learn how to self-edit or get some knowledge about his music. "All the redemption I can offer girl is beneath this dirty hood" is from Thunder Road, Liz, not Born to Run, as you wrote. Also, I have knowledge that she once plucked a beer bottle off a table at a bar because Bruce drank from it and took it home. This speaks more like stalker than fan to me. Get over yourself. He's a rock star. He's gonna play arenas, play the Super Bowl, put out some songs and records you don't like. She is the reason that people who might have become Bruce fans don't.
     
  8. Piotr Rasputin

    Piotr Rasputin New Member

    Thought it was "All the redemption I can offer girl is beneath this dirty hood."

    Agree on the rest. I resisted dude for years because his hardcores got on my nerves.
     
  9. Magic In The Night

    Magic In The Night Active Member

    Right. Redemption. Guess I need an editor! I was typing so fast because I was so annoyed by that piece I couldn't post fast enough.
     
  10. Beaker

    Beaker Active Member

    I'm excited to see him on tour again (I hope to be getting tickets on Monday), but I'm hoping he doesn't play too much from the new disc. There aren't many songs that would do well in an arena.
     
  11. PCLoadLetter

    PCLoadLetter Well-Known Member

    I think you've misread a lot of this.

    For starters, I'm quite confident Liz Clarke knows what song that line is from, and the reference is to the song coming from the album "Born to Run." (Those who have listened regularly to Tony Kornheiser's radio show are very familiar with Liz, and trust me, she knows her Springsteen.)

    And Bruce bought her the beer and she kept the bottle. She didn't steal his beer and run off.

    On a bigger level, though, I think there are two points here.

    One is, Bruce went to some effort to not be a typical rock star in his early days. You can say he's a rock star so you should just expect the capped teeth, fake "moments" in the concert and cheesy Super Bowl appearance, but given that he once positioned himself as disdaining stuff like that, it's a fair complaint. And the Wal-Mart thing is fucking inexcusable. It's nice that he apologized, but near as I can tell, he still cashed the check.

    Second, from a fan's perspective, it sucks when an artist you love suddenly gets huge. One example: I saw Midnight Oil play in clubs packed with hardcore fans, and they were one of the greatest live acts on earth. A few years later "Diesel and Dust" came out, they played massive amphitheaters filled with people who only knew "Beds are Burning." The band would pause for a sing-along during "Power and the Passion" -- one of their biggest songs -- and nobody knew the words. From a fan's perspective, that's fucking miserable. It's silly to blame the artist, as Liz seems to be doing, but the disappointment is the same. I'm a big Neil Finn/Crowded House fan, and used to drop in on a fan board now and then. It was filled with people who were devising strategies to make the band more popular, hoping they could increase the fan base. I always thought, what's in it for the fans? I've seen Crowded House play repeatedly in a bar. I've also seen them play in an NBA arena. Trust me, the bar shows were better.

    One other thing: I think part of her disillusionment comes from her view that his recent work just isn't very good. I've gotten tired of getting the new Springsteen album and listening to it over and over, trying to convince myself it's any good. After 20 years of that, I'm done. Sounds like she is too. "Working on a Dream" sounds like a beer ad. I'd be surprised if he took more than 10 minutes to write that one. It's unrealistic to think a guy is going to produce stuff on the level of "Thunder Road" 30 years down the line... but it's still disappointing when he turns into Bon Jovi as a lyricist.
     
  12. Everything that PCLL just wrote made me glad I became a Who fan in 1965.
    Those guys never had any pretense about wanting to make money.
    Their third -- and greatest -- album was titled "Sellout."
    Please consult car ads and various CSI shows for further details.
     
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