Wrecking Ball Tour
The Boss is here this week with a series of dates bringing the New Jersey muscle!
TONIGHT JULY 16 Thomond Park Limerick
THURSDAY JULY 18 Pairc Ui Chaoimh Cork
SATURDAY 20 Kings Hall Belfast
SATURDAY 27 Nowlan Park Kilkenny
SUNDAY 28 Nowlan Park Kilkenny
Heartland Rock
As American as apple pie, pastrami on rye, biscuits and gravy Bruce Springsteen has carved a rich niche into the American music landscape through his own brand of flag waving heartland rock - a music that infuses the everyday struggles of the blue-collar, working man in the street and his native New Jersey with a noble grandiloquence.
Born to Run
Bruce started out playing rootsy folk rock - and he was bequeathed lazy comparisons to both Bob Dylan and Van Morrison; it didn't take him long at all to silence his critics with superlative songwriting and his energetic live shows very quickly became legendary.
In 1975 The Boss released "Born to Run" to huge critical acclaim - it took over 14 months to record and the title track "Born to Run" six months alone. The album jettisoned Springsteen to major stardom and cemented a more rocky sound and a penchant for nostalgia.
When he first heard the recordings back Bruce threw the record into an alleyway unhappy with the results. The record was a commercial and critical success and he was featured on the covers of both Time and Newsweek in October of '75. The 20 song opus "The River" was released in 1980 and the single "Hungry Heart" gave The Boss his first top ten single.
You probably know some of Bruce Springsteen's popular records "I'm on Fire", "Philadelphia", "Dancing in the Dark" and "Born to Run".
Nebraska
In an unpredictable move that might have spelled disaster and entirely against the grain of commercial sense Bruce released his own portastudio demos as the album Nebraska in 1982.
It is probably his greatest work - stripped naked the complete absence of production lends the songs a heartfelt honesty. An emphasis upon darker themes and an all pervasive sense of impending sorrow permeates these eerie recordings which paint a landscape of sorrow around everyday people trapped within desperate circumstances, guilt, lonliness and failure.
What happens when your life falls apart?
What happens when fate steps in and deals you a deck of terrible cards?
If you've ever struggled to find a reason to admire the music of Bruce Springsteen beyond his hit catalogue then have a listen to the album "Nebraska".
