Since they got together way back in 1972, Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band have built a reputation for staging exhilarating, and very long, live performances that have thrilled their fans.
Now, a feature-length documentary from long-time Springsteen collaborator Thom Zimmy offers an intriguing look behind the scenes as ‘the Boss’, now 75, and his band rehearse for and embark on their first tour in six years.
Here's everything we know about Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band...
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band release date
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be available worldwide on Disney Plus from Friday, October 25.
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band premise
‘This is the story of them coming back together after the world was shut down,’ says Zimmy, who won an Emmy for concert special Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Live in New York City. ‘But there is also this other story of Bruce taking his set list and working on telling a story that reflects him looking at his past, and where he is now.’
As well as seeing the formidable logistics that go into a modern-day Springsteen tour, the film winds the clock back the the band’s early days travelling from gig to gig in a van.
‘I wanted to convey the early days because you have to understand their commitment, since the 1970s, to getting out there and performing this music,’ says Zimmy.
At one point one a band member likens the live experience to going to church, and Zimmy was keen to capture the atmosphere at the shows, and the special connection Springsteen has with his audience.
‘How do you describe a Bruce Springsteen show?’ says Zimmy, a long-term fan who first saw Springsteen play live on The River tour when he was 18 ‘Well, it is a concert, but there's a great thing that happens emotionally inside, So one of the things I did in making the film was the focus on the faces in the crowd, having what I considered this moment of transformation, where they are deeply connected.’
Another memorable aspect of the shows captured on film is fans holding up song requests on cards that Springsteen plucks out of the audience, and instructs the band to play off the cuff.
‘That was an important story point to get across, because Road Diary is about a guy building a set list and telling a very detailed story,’ says Zimmy. ‘But there's a whole other side of Bruce that throws the process into a bit of chaos!’
Is there a trailer for Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band?
Yes! It shows Bruce on the road, doing what he does best, as cameras capture all the behind the scenes drama that comes with being one of the world's most loved musicians. You can watch below...
