Springsteen on Broadway (2018)

No one else could do what Bruce Springsteen has achieved in his Broadway show. Forget the jukebox musicals, this is storytelling at its finest. The show is ostensibly an adaptation of his memoir but the truth is that Bruce has been building up to this show for his entire career. The consummate lyricist, yes, but always a storyteller. He sings acoustic versions of his hit songs with piano or guitar/harmonica as well as some of his lesser known ones, all introduced by a story, told rhythmically, somberly and with tons of heart. He mines his childhood, adolescence, early career and success for emotional stories that really hit home. There are lots of highlights but I think My Hometown is the most poignant and moving, and the simple piano introduction really works for me.

And Bruce is not just a musician.  In this show, he is truly an actor. Telling these stories, he is purely acting, memorizing lines, delivering them in a particular style, with dramatic timing and emotion. Bruce has always spanned different genres, but I admit all the songs sounds very similar with just an acoustic guitar. Because of this, you can really hone in on the lyrics. They are intricate stories, told with some high level vocabulary without basic repetition. I want to draw a brief comparison to Bob Dylan. It's an obvious comparison, but I recently saw Girl from the North Country, the new play adapted from Dylan's music.  It is a stage production that gives Dylan's songs new context and re-imagined melodies. It is a braver task to reinvent your own music, especially because the stories are so personal for Bruce. This is an intimate experience that must be seen. I'm very glad Netflix could share this with everyone that couldn't come by a ticket to the show in person. This will surely be Bruce's EGOT (a special Tony, yes, and an Emmy for the Netflix adaptation, and probably a Grammy too for the recording).