In April, 2016, Bruce Springsteen canceled a concert in Greensboro, North Carolina. He issued a statement explaining why:
North Carolina just passed HB2, which the media are referring to as the 'bathroom' law. HB2... dictates which bathrooms transgender people are permitted to use. Just as important, the law also attacks the rights of LGBT citizens to sue when their human rights are violated in the workplace." Pivoting to refer to people fighting against these measures, Springsteen added, "I feel that this is a time for me and the band to show solidarity for those freedom fighters. As a result, and with deepest apologies to our dedicated fans in Greensboro, we have canceled our show scheduled for Sunday, April 10th. Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry... is one of them. It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards.
Yesterday, Bruce Springsteen appeared in an advertisement for Jeep. Leave aside, for a moment, the notion of Springsteen "selling out." The case can easily be made that that ship sailed back when he played the Super Bowl halftime (sponsored by Anheuser Busch), or more recently when he put out his "Letter to You" documentary film exclusively on Apple TV+.
Leave aside the craftsmanship of the 2 minute spot, which was put together very quickly in the final days before the Super Bowl. It's visually beautiful, sounds great, and to anyone who watched recent Springsteen films such as "Western Stars," the motifs will seem instantly familiar.
Consider what Springsteen says. He didn't write the script draft, but he worked on it and ultimately delivered it, over some atmospheric music that he composed and used for the ad:
There’s a chapel in Kansas standing on the exact center of the Lower 48. It never closes. All are more than welcome to come meet here — in the middle. It's no secret the middle has been a hard place to get to lately, between red and blue, between servant and citizen, between our freedom and our fear.
The cross in the middle of the flag in the middle of the chapel in the middle of the country.
By now, the imagery has shifted from the chapel's steeple, to a an image of the inside of the chapel where there's a wall with a heart on a cross in front of the middle of a map of the continental United States, minus Michigan's Upper Peninsula, with 41 stars, and the red and white stripes reversed, to Bruce behind the wheel of his open-air 1980 CJ-5 in the snow, without a fastened seat belt. Whether or not Bruce is actually driving the vehicle is not entirely clear to me.
He goes on to talk about how it's our freedom that connects us all... in the middle. "We need the middle."
The platitudes continue: "We just need to remember, the very soil we stand on, is common ground."
Who is this person preaching such a curious form of Manifest Destiny, and what happened to the person who refused to compromise in 2016?
Bruce's stand back in 2016 had an impact: Others followed. And, while Bruce's stand wasn't the immediate cause, within a year the law was rolled back.
In April, 2016, I did not know that I had a transgender child, but I felt I understood what it meant to take a stand on that issue. I wonder, now, with whom among the supporters of travesties such as HB2 am I supposed to find common ground? As a Jew, am I supposed to find common ground in a church, in front of that cross? Where is "the middle" with people who sought to deport Muslims? Where is "the middle" with the people who carried tiki torches in Charlottesville, or with those who stormed the nation's Capitol? Where is "the middle" with those who would separate parents from children?
Springsteen behind the wheel of his 1980 CJ-5
As I wrote in 2016, I wasn't happy that the show was canceled, but I was thrilled with the decision.
Today feels like the opposite. Yes, it's a beautiful ad. Well crafted by Springsteen and film-maker Thom Zimny and producer Ron Aniello, The music is nice and the sentiment is sweet and earnest and even hopeful. Never mind that Springsteen has campaigned for every Democratic candidate for President since John Kerry, he sounds like the middle is his place. The ad received many nice reviews, including a 5-star review in AdAge labeling it a "triumph." And, as one of my fan friends quipped, "no classic Springsteen songs was harmed in the making of this commercial."
The ad appeared with eight minutes and six seconds remaining in the game. By that time, the competitive portion of the Super Bowl was over. Maybe better that way.
Today was "The Main Event" of the Born to Run 50th Anniversary weekend at Monmouth University, and it was the most thrillingly unique day I've ever experienced as a Springsteen fan. Walking in to the Pollak Theater in the morning, I was immediately struck by how happy everyone seemed. Then I noticed how many in the capacity 750-seat room I've known for decades. Today was to document the anniversary, but in a way it was also for us. Consisting mostly as panel discussions and interviews, the day started with a Boom. Boom Carter, that is, the drummer that most Springsteen fans have never seen, who recorded exactly one song as a member of the E Street Band: Born to Run. Boom was joined by Garry Tallent and David Sancious for the first panel of the day, moderated by radio personality Tom Cunningham on the band as it existed from February through August 1974. Sancious was eloquent recalling events from long ago, though he also noted that in 1974 he was busy focusing on the ...
Bob Seger at Pine Knob, June 19, 2019 Bob Seger lives across the other side of the school district . Our kids went to the same public high school . Our kids played in the West Bloomfield High School Marching Band , and we were both active in the Band Boosters Association, separated by a couple of years. And... ok, there's no "and." We live in different zip codes. One summer afternoon, Lori and I visited friends who have a home on Upper Straits Lake and went kayaking. Almost immediately, we saw an immense mansion on the right. "What's that ???" "Oh, that's Bob Seger's new house." But Bob remains a Michigan man, and there's a strong "he's one of us" feeling to many people who grew up here. But in all this time living in the area, the only time I'd had a full concert with Seger was when we just happened to be seated directly behind him at a Bob Dylan concert in 2007. I'd seen him perform just once, a rendition ...
2025 has presented an almost embarrassing haul of new released material by Bruce Springsteen. In June, Bruce released a 7-album set, "Tracks 2," focusing largely on unreleased material from the 1990s. And now... an item that seemed to many fans the holy grail of vault items, "Nebraska 1982," featuring most prominently the oft-rumored but never heard "Electric Nebraska" as well as 4 other discs. Bruce said many times over the years since "Nebraska" came out that he had tried out the tracks with The E Street Band and that everything he tried to do with the band just made the songs worse. So he ended up releasing the cassette tape he'd carried around in his pocket, of his original bedroom demos. But did we fans believe him? Uhhhh... maybe. Anyway, now we have the evidence. Due to production delays, the official release won't make it out until October 24th, but the songs have started circulating. So... let's get to it! Was Bruce right? ...
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