Something many people posting here will hate or if it is something they like then they will complain that it should have been released earlier or in better sound quality.
I've no view either way on the first part of your sentence. Regarding sound quality issues, what is wrong with wanting these releases to have decent sound quality that hasn't been compressed to death and made ear bleedingly loud? You do realise this is an audiophile forum don't you? folks around here do actually care about having good sound quality, this is the main reason why many of us are members here.
I agree with you...but I also think that standard tends to slide as the performer ages. It's natural, but who aside from Neil Peart has ever hung it up because they knew deep down they couldn't cut it anymore?
I'm not sure I need to see Bruce Springsteen grinding through Dancing In The Dark in football stadiums anymore. And at this point I really don't care all that much who is in the backing band. He's 70, and some changes are probably in order. Smaller venues, shorter shows, and some more diversity would be welcome steps in the right direction.
At this stage I am most looking forward to the movie of Western Stars. So many beautiful songs, it is going to be fascinating to hear how they translate to live performance (though probably with quite a lot of post-performance sweetening, I imagine!)
A few, but not nearly enough. Granted, for most artists, I don't think the standard should be "shows they did 40 years ago." I enjoyed seeing the Stones in 2015, I didn't expect it to be comparable to any of the shows I'd listened to from before the 90's, but it was mostly comparable to their late period Voodoo/Bridges-onward era, which was fine. But I also understand most real musicians are going to go out and play, because that's just what they do. Bruce is just such an anomaly that his shows reached such heights as he and the band got into their mid-60's, but it's not sustainable. That wouldn't sell tickets, though. Although I'd be fine with a new band as long as it was a band, and they were rockin'. Steve Jordan played on the decidedly non-rockin' Devils And Dust, but I've always wanted to see what he'd sound like playing with Bruce in a live setting. But E-Street sells tickets, there's no getting around that, and it's hard not to think he's still somewhat scarred by the response to the Other Band, since he's never dared try anything else like it in 27 years. Plus, I think he just likes playing with Max, Garry and Roy...he can throw anything at them and they'll pick it up, from his own obscurities to covers, and that is the one thing there that can't easily be replaced.
I think it's E-Street or solo from here on out. I cannot see him playing with a different band in any extensive touring.
It will (if there is one) be a show that has a special place for Bruce, even if we might go 'why did he pick that?'
Now that they've apparently "cracked the code" of whatever the issue was with the Rising live tapes, I assumed they'd be playing catch-up on some of those. But nothing since that initial release.
I mean, it worked in Europe because he was a stadium act playing comparably intimate arenas and other venues. And I think the live album from Dublin is great. But it's not comperable to anything else he's done. The only point of reference in a rock context is the '92-'93 tour, and he seems terrified of making that mistake again, so if it's gonna be a big rock tour, it's gonna be E-Street or nothing.
The sales figures for Western Stars pretty much confirm that the US is his weakest mainstream market.Per capita sales figures were much stronger in Europe and Australasia which are the other places he has regularly toured.
That's not surprising. Americans typically aren't interested in new music by older artists. Sad, but true, and you don't even need irrelevant sales figures to back it up.
I would be interested to know how many physical copies it shifted globally. Does anybody know? I don't think that Billboard magazine actually shows compact disc sales around the world.
There are some posts on a Western Stars thread on Backstreets that had the numbers for different countries.Will try to find it but not sure I’ll have the time if it doesn’t jump out at me quickly.
