I think he's written and recorded nice songs and is most likely sincere about what he does like only an American can be. And I have seen seventies gig of him and the E Street Band - not the tightest outfit on earth and not Little Feat as regards musicality either - which definitely had something. But in a stadium scenario, crowd pleasing as he is, all nuances of his music are lost. It becomes chest beating do-gooder music. The music tries desperately to be so grand - as if Manowar did a Pete Seeger tribute, except that you can at least laugh about them.
The show reminded me of latter day Elvis sometimes, that mass adulation he soaks up is hard to bear. Give me an ill-tempered Bob Dylan or Lou Reed anytime. This was just too much for my jaded European eyes.
As the concert went endlessly on, I marvelled at how perceptive Ronnie Montrose's interview comment in the late eighties was according to which Springsteen's music treaded a formula as narrow as AC/DC's and how that comment always set people off, but Herr Montrose was in fact right, at least as regards the stadium version of Bruce.
BTW, his wife wisely stayed at home for the tour.
