That harmonica on The River is so deadly haunting but love it because It does add so much too the song. Ton of love for Bruce and his library. Great tune and reaction Shawn...🎤🎶🇺🇸
My absolute favorite Springsteen song, and one of my favorite songs, period. That last verse is so haunting, and so meaningful. His use of the river as a metaphor is so beautiful, especially after the last verse, where he sings, "I went down to the river, though I know the river is dry...." Wow.
No more cleansing themselves of the pain, loss, sins anymore. Just the barebones lot in life you've made for yourselves and have to go on with. But there's always hope. Hope is a good thing; maybe the best thing.
I was 2nd row center stage in 1980 at his show in Portland on The River Tour. It was like a religious experience. It changed my life forever. It changed how I listened to music, made music a central part of my life, inspired me to learn how to play guitar...and more importantly, made me a Springsteen fan forever.
So many more of his.need heard! From his debut: Spirit in the Night, Growin' Up (from Greetings from Asbury Park), next: Rosalita or 4th of July from the second album: The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, then more third album fare with Thunder Road(!), 10th Avenue Freeze Out, Jungleland. Next up would be from Darkness on the Edge of Town. A lot of big Springsteen fans love this album over some of the others. From Darkness: Badlands (the person who took me to see Bruce for my birthday was not a fan until he saw him, and couldn't stop singing this song lol!), title song, Prove it all Night, or Candy's Room. Because his catalog is so big, and stretches across decades, his music evolved, and it would make sense to start back at the beginning and go forward since you've already heard a sampling and you're really getting into him. I'm not recommending personal favorites, but rather those that his fans go for more, and that will give you a good idea of his sound across those years. Hitting a few from each stage of Bruce's career would be a great journey for you over skipping around and/or doing what this or that individual throws out there. This may be an unpopular opinion over just suggesting personal favs, but I really enjoy seeing a journey of discovery when it comes to an artist with such a big catalog.
Yes, Bruce live is an Amazing experience. I saw him twice in 1985 then not again til last year . ...kicking myself for missing all those years. Saw him 3 times last year and at 74 and suffering a lot of the tour with a peptic ulcer..he gave his all and then some. . ...before finally having to postpone tour months to get healthy.He is feeling better, I watched a live stream of him from Vegas last night... Wow he is back and all of them are still performing at such a high level.Go see him Live!!! On the Jay note,yes Jay is the son of Max,who is Bruce's drummer and has been since 75?? I believe. From everything I have heard about Max is very gracious and kind. My only personal interaction was before the Chicago show last summer..again he took time to talk to us fans and I even got an autograph. I find it hard to believe he would have acted that way....but hey when it comes to our kids, we can all get a little protective.
Your reactions to Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne mean so much. Both of their songbooks are so important to me, and watching you encounter them for the first time is like a time machine transporting me to the early 00's when I was first coming into to contact with their respective geniuses. Pretty magical. So many songs that I know you'd love, but high on that list would be "Racing In The Street" off of Darkness On The Edge of Town. Keep on keeping on!
Hey, Shawn. Your reaction of Bruce Springsteen live may validate what Jon Landau (then a music critic, later Bruce's manager) wrote after watching his gig: "I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time." "Independence Day", a song from "The River" album, also examines the effect of economic force on shattered lives, this time on father and son, is as moving as the title track. And I think you may resonate with "Darkness on the Edge of Town", as you may find it can be the theme song of another Bruce, Mr Bruce Wayne the Dark Knight....😄
This song gives me chills too. I really FEEL this song like I was there. If you haven’t reacted to “Thunder Road” or “Rosalita” (live version), you’ve got to!
Saw Bruce in Ann Arbor Michigan the first show of the River Tour. The Album hadn't been released yet so all those songs were new to the audience. Set a very low key mood for the whole show. Bob Seger came and joined Bruce for the encore. What an amazing show
You gotta go see Bruce Live Shawn!!!! He and the band just resumed a shortened tour from last year. I've seen Mick, Bowie, Townsend, other amazing acts and Bruce is the greatest I've ever seen on a stage!
Shawn, seeing Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live is a fantastic experience ! Including last year, I've seen him eight times, and I only wish it was many more. The first time was at the 4,000 seat Chicago Theater in 1980, just days before his double album "The River" was released. They played 15 of the album's 20 songs, as well as more than half of each of his two previous albums, "Born to Run" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town". The entire show was nearly three and a half hours, and I was directly in front of Bruce in the fourth row. Life doesn't get much better ! A few weeks later, I saw them again in Oakland, and during the show's second set, Bruce jumped into the audience. My friends said that I was grinning ear to ear as Bruce sang a few lines of "Hungry Heart" while leaning with his arm on my shoulder. __________________________ Bruce always named his albums after a song that he was especially proud of and which represented the overall theme of that album. The River is one of his essential songs, and it's a shame that your experience wasn't hearing the heartbreaking studio version first. The performance in your video was from the 1980 tour, but it wasn't released until 2015 for his long time fans. I implore you to experience the original studio version of ANY song before you hear a live version. That's really how those of us like me who were blessed to live when the greatest music ever was brand new experienced it. It'll make a live performance even better if you already know the song ! If you want to get the most out of your dive into Springsteen's music, start with his earliest work. You can look up his recording history and which songs are essential. Springsteen is an empathetic story teller, and I realized years ago that his most important themes are HOPE and DESPAIR. In my opinion, next to Bob Dylan, he's rock and roll's greatest American songwriter. Your enthusiasm for music that's meant so much to us long time fans is infectious ! Your videos reawaken the experience we had when we first heard these songs, and I can speak for your followers when I say "thanks so much !". P.S. I sent you a link to a Springsteen performance in one of your previous videos. I don't know if you saw it, but it's NOT a song he's ever recorded in a studio. In the middle, he improvises a rap where he brags about his home state of New Jersey, mocks his New York City audience and explains his and the E Street Band's mission in life. It's moving and funny. Here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/0QWhPWBJPik/v-deo.htmlsi=1VMEJQV8SPv-cqQH
More importantly, he was singing what we were feeling. The latter half of the seventies was when we got a reality check on the state of life in America. We were no longer the world’s darling. Desolation and closed factories. We of a certain age lived this.
Max Weinberg is most known as the E Street Band drummer and also his band on Conan O'Brien's show. I know his son Jay is also a drummer but that's all I know about him.
Probably the greatest storyteller in rock. When you see him live he tells stories before the song, then completes the story within the song wit all the emotion that comes with. It is *truly* an experience. The band is the tightest and and best live band ever. Bruce would put on 3 to 4-Hour shows back in the day. I remember seeing him in Chicago on a hot summer night back in the 80s and the AC seemed to be having trouble keeping up with the intensity of the show. By the time it was over nearly 4 hours later Bruce and the entire audience was drenched in sweat but we would happily had stayed another hour. He casts a spell during his shows that no one wants broken, neither the audience or the artist. He is truly THE BOSS. You need to check out "Point Blank" and "Independence Day" from The River album.
Shawn, thanks for sharing this, this was definitely Cool; Bruce is definitely on my bucket list to see, I’m still amazed that I haven’t seen him n concert
@@johnthegreek5836 I went to see him once for my birthday. I'd been dying to see him for some time, and my bf took me. He went in not a fan, and came out a huge fan! He was singing Badlands all the way home lol! I got tickets when they were gotten the old fashioned way through individual sale in a newspaper (after being sold out on hold on the phone) believe it or not! I got the paper the moment it hit my parent's porch, and called the first ad I saw immediately, and left a message. Later, the person called me and said he always sells the tickets to the first person who called, and I was the third. My heart sank, Then, he asked me how many times I'd seen the Boss, and I (kept myself from wailing somehow) said 'none'. He said they were mine because he was going through the list of messages and asking that question, and I was the only who'd never seen him! Bruce was the second best concert I ever saw, and second *only* because I'm a die-hard, and silly-over-them U2 fan, so that will always be the best lol! But yeah, Bruce was even better (for me) than Sir Paul and I am a gigantic Beatles' nut :D Bruce's energy and passion are infectious. Honestly, one of the main things I like about seeing U2 is one of the main things I liked about Bruce. Bono's energy and passion rival Bruce's in concert. They both seem to absorb the energy of the fans and put it right back out to them 1000-fold. Sorry for the wall of text lol! I just know you will be very happy to see Bruce. :)
I used to have the concert they did in New York on my DVR and that's what the TV stayed on most of the time. The River and Youngstown were my favorite songs from that concert. Nils Lofgren's solo on Youngstown was terrific.
This is my favorite Springsteen song, but I much prefer the album version. You should listen to that now. P.S. Yeah, this song definitely can give you chills.
Man, I saw him on this tour twice. The first time (Milwaukee) was right before the album came out. The second time was almost four months later (Madison). Two completely different shows. The first show featured almost every song from the upcoming album. But by the time he played Madison he had dropped many of those songs from the setlist. Both were amazing times! Both shows are etched into my mind and my soul. As are every other of his shows I saw back then. No one beats Bruce live. Bruuuuuuuuuce . . .
I thought the same as you at first, but I think it is more about the maturing of love and living through the inevitable hard times most of us face. I think it is a tribute because they made it through while many do not and break up or divorce.
Max Weinberg fron ESB is Jay's father who was the drummer for Slipknot. Everything I read pointed to the fact that Jay was not informed why they were parting with him and he was taken by surprise at their decision. He had been with them for 10 years, this had nothing to do with Max. Max would not have pressured Slipnot in any way, he was very proud of Jay and always spoke well of the band. Slipnot are due to preform at the end of April, I do not know who replaced Jay. At the time of his 'leaving' Jay gave a very gracious post on his Instagram page. A lot more dignified than I would have been for sure!!!
It was tough to get any job then. Hew was telling the story of the times. Listening to "your hometown" brings me back instantly. I believe about 1980 America started declining for workers.
I don't know about the Slipknot drummer, but Max Weinberg has always been the drummer with the E-Street Band. And Max was also the drummer with the band on the Conan O'Brien Show but I think the E-Street Band was more or less on hiatus from touring then (?). Probably about the time that Steve Van Zandt was on The Sopranos (?).
That harmonica on The River is so deadly haunting but love it because It does add so much too the song. Ton of love for Bruce and his library. Great tune and reaction Shawn...🎤🎶🇺🇸
This song was written about his younger sister and her husband. I believe they're still married almost 50 years later.
My absolute favorite Springsteen song, and one of my favorite songs, period. That last verse is so haunting, and so meaningful. His use of the river as a metaphor is so beautiful, especially after the last verse, where he sings, "I went down to the river, though I know the river is dry...." Wow.
No more cleansing themselves of the pain, loss, sins anymore. Just the barebones lot in life you've made for yourselves and have to go on with. But there's always hope. Hope is a good thing; maybe the best thing.
I was 2nd row center stage in 1980 at his show in Portland on The River Tour. It was like a religious experience. It changed my life forever. It changed how I listened to music, made music a central part of my life, inspired me to learn how to play guitar...and more importantly, made me a Springsteen fan forever.
I was in high school in the late 70's, and his first 5 albums were magical to me. The soundtrack for my teens! I'll never complain about that!
You *need* to see Bruce & the band live. 3 hours of non-stop bliss.
So many more of his.need heard! From his debut: Spirit in the Night, Growin' Up (from Greetings from Asbury Park), next: Rosalita or 4th of July from the second album: The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, then more third album fare with Thunder Road(!), 10th Avenue Freeze Out, Jungleland. Next up would be from Darkness on the Edge of Town. A lot of big Springsteen fans love this album over some of the others. From Darkness: Badlands (the person who took me to see Bruce for my birthday was not a fan until he saw him, and couldn't stop singing this song lol!), title song, Prove it all Night, or Candy's Room.
Because his catalog is so big, and stretches across decades, his music evolved, and it would make sense to start back at the beginning and go forward since you've already heard a sampling and you're really getting into him. I'm not recommending personal favorites, but rather those that his fans go for more, and that will give you a good idea of his sound across those years.
Hitting a few from each stage of Bruce's career would be a great journey for you over skipping around and/or doing what this or that individual throws out there. This may be an unpopular opinion over just suggesting personal favs, but I really enjoy seeing a journey of discovery when it comes to an artist with such a big catalog.
I got to see him twice when he was touring behind this LP. Such great shows. I yelled myself hoarse.
Yes, Bruce live is an Amazing experience. I saw him twice in 1985 then not again til last year . ...kicking myself for missing all those years. Saw him 3 times last year and at 74 and suffering a lot of the tour with a peptic ulcer..he gave his all and then some. . ...before finally having to postpone tour months to get healthy.He is feeling better, I watched a live stream of him from Vegas last night... Wow he is back and all of them are still performing at such a high level.Go see him Live!!!
On the Jay note,yes Jay is the son of Max,who is Bruce's drummer and has been since 75?? I believe. From everything I have heard about Max is very gracious and kind. My only personal interaction was before the Chicago show last summer..again he took time to talk to us fans and I even got an autograph. I find it hard to believe he would have acted that way....but hey when it comes to our kids, we can all get a little protective.
'The River' has been in my personal Best Songs of All Time since it came out when I was 23.
Your reactions to Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne mean so much. Both of their songbooks are so important to me, and watching you encounter them for the first time is like a time machine transporting me to the early 00's when I was first coming into to contact with their respective geniuses. Pretty magical. So many songs that I know you'd love, but high on that list would be "Racing In The Street" off of Darkness On The Edge of Town. Keep on keeping on!
This song was heavily inspired by true events with his sister and brother-in-law
Hey, Shawn. Your reaction of Bruce Springsteen live may validate what Jon Landau (then a music critic, later Bruce's manager) wrote after watching his gig: "I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time."
"Independence Day", a song from "The River" album, also examines the effect of economic force on shattered lives, this time on father and son, is as moving as the title track.
And I think you may resonate with "Darkness on the Edge of Town", as you may find it can be the theme song of another Bruce, Mr Bruce Wayne the Dark Knight....😄
The whole Darkness album is what Shawn should hear to be honest!
Live Bruce is such a deep well of experiences. Everything from powerful quieter songs like this to rowdy rockers
This song gives me chills too. I really FEEL this song like I was there. If you haven’t reacted to “Thunder Road” or “Rosalita” (live version), you’ve got to!
Saw Bruce in Ann Arbor Michigan the first show of the River Tour. The Album hadn't been released yet so all those songs were new to the audience. Set a very low key mood for the whole show. Bob Seger came and joined Bruce for the encore. What an amazing show
Most of the time I prefer the studio version ... but for this one, live is absolutely the way to go. The passion in his whole body !!
You gotta go see Bruce Live Shawn!!!! He and the band just resumed a shortened tour from last year. I've seen Mick, Bowie, Townsend, other amazing acts and Bruce is the greatest I've ever seen on a stage!
I bet Bowie comes close! Seen Bruce but not Bowie. He's incredible.
Shawn, seeing Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live is a fantastic experience ! Including last year, I've seen him eight times, and I only wish it was many more.
The first time was at the 4,000 seat Chicago Theater in 1980, just days before his double album "The River" was released. They played 15 of the album's 20 songs, as well as more than half of each of his two previous albums, "Born to Run" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town". The entire show was nearly three and a half hours, and I was directly in front of Bruce in the fourth row. Life doesn't get much better !
A few weeks later, I saw them again in Oakland, and during the show's second set, Bruce jumped into the audience. My friends said that I was grinning ear to ear as Bruce sang a few lines of "Hungry Heart" while leaning with his arm on my shoulder.
__________________________
Bruce always named his albums after a song that he was especially proud of and which represented the overall theme of that album. The River is one of his essential songs, and it's a shame that your experience wasn't hearing the heartbreaking studio version first.
The performance in your video was from the 1980 tour, but it wasn't released until 2015 for his long time fans. I implore you to experience the original studio version of ANY song before you hear a live version. That's really how those of us like me who were blessed to live when the greatest music ever was brand new experienced it. It'll make a live performance even better if you already know the song !
If you want to get the most out of your dive into Springsteen's music, start with his earliest work. You can look up his recording history and which songs are essential. Springsteen is an empathetic story teller, and I realized years ago that his most important themes are HOPE and DESPAIR. In my opinion, next to Bob Dylan, he's rock and roll's greatest American songwriter.
Your enthusiasm for music that's meant so much to us long time fans is infectious ! Your videos reawaken the experience we had when we first heard these songs, and I can speak for your followers when I say "thanks so much !".
P.S.
I sent you a link to a Springsteen performance in one of your previous videos. I don't know if you saw it, but it's NOT a song he's ever recorded in a studio. In the middle, he improvises a rap where he brags about his home state of New Jersey, mocks his New York City audience and explains his and the E Street Band's mission in life. It's moving and funny.
Here's the link:
ua-cam.com/video/0QWhPWBJPik/v-deo.htmlsi=1VMEJQV8SPv-cqQH
More importantly, he was singing what we were feeling.
The latter half of the seventies was when we got a reality check on the state of life in America. We were no longer the world’s darling. Desolation and closed factories.
We of a certain age lived this.
I get it. Listening I can still feel it.
Yes, Max Weinberg (of Springsteen‘s E Street Band) is the dad of Jay Weinberg, Slipknot‘s former drummer.
Max Weinberg is most known as the E Street Band drummer and also his band on Conan O'Brien's show. I know his son Jay is also a drummer but that's all I know about him.
Probably the greatest storyteller in rock. When you see him live he tells stories before the song, then completes the story within the song wit all the emotion that comes with. It is *truly* an experience. The band is the tightest and and best live band ever. Bruce would put on 3 to 4-Hour shows back in the day. I remember seeing him in Chicago on a hot summer night back in the 80s and the AC seemed to be having trouble keeping up with the intensity of the show. By the time it was over nearly 4 hours later Bruce and the entire audience was drenched in sweat but we would happily had stayed another hour. He casts a spell during his shows that no one wants broken, neither the audience or the artist. He is truly THE BOSS.
You need to check out "Point Blank" and "Independence Day" from The River album.
Shawn, thanks for sharing this, this was definitely Cool; Bruce is definitely on my bucket list to see, I’m still amazed that I haven’t seen him n concert
Move it to the top. You won't be sorry!
@@lauraallen55 thanks I definitely will, I’m getting too old for missed opportunities or regrets 😀
@@johnthegreek5836 I went to see him once for my birthday. I'd been dying to see him for some time, and my bf took me. He went in not a fan, and came out a huge fan! He was singing Badlands all the way home lol!
I got tickets when they were gotten the old fashioned way through individual sale in a newspaper (after being sold out on hold on the phone) believe it or not! I got the paper the moment it hit my parent's porch, and called the first ad I saw immediately, and left a message. Later, the person called me and said he always sells the tickets to the first person who called, and I was the third.
My heart sank, Then, he asked me how many times I'd seen the Boss, and I (kept myself from wailing somehow) said 'none'. He said they were mine because he was going through the list of messages and asking that question, and I was the only who'd never seen him!
Bruce was the second best concert I ever saw, and second *only* because I'm a die-hard, and silly-over-them U2 fan, so that will always be the best lol!
But yeah, Bruce was even better (for me) than Sir Paul and I am a gigantic Beatles' nut :D
Bruce's energy and passion are infectious. Honestly, one of the main things I like about seeing U2 is one of the main things I liked about Bruce. Bono's energy and passion rival Bruce's in concert. They both seem to absorb the energy of the fans and put it right back out to them 1000-fold.
Sorry for the wall of text lol! I just know you will be very happy to see Bruce. :)
Great reaction !
From the same concert: "The Promised Land". It is special to me. Almost as special as his song "Jackson Cage".
I love the harmonica, either it's the Boss, or Neil Young, just haunting. Check out "Atlantic City", great song too!
💖💖💖
The song that brought our Springsteen was “ Born In The U.S.A. I don’t remember him singing this wonderful song, I love it! 🧡🧡
I went down to the river.... and the RIVER WAS FUCKING DRY!
I used to have the concert they did in New York on my DVR and that's what the TV stayed on most of the time.
The River and Youngstown were my favorite songs from that concert. Nils Lofgren's solo on Youngstown was terrific.
This is my favorite Springsteen song, but I much prefer the album version. You should listen to that now. P.S. Yeah, this song definitely can give you chills.
One of his / their best songs. As a writer he's up there with Dylan, Al Stewart, Ian Hunter and Dave Cousins.
Man, I saw him on this tour twice. The first time (Milwaukee) was right before the album came out. The second time was almost four months later (Madison). Two completely different shows. The first show featured almost every song from the upcoming album. But by the time he played Madison he had dropped many of those songs from the setlist. Both were amazing times! Both shows are etched into my mind and my soul. As are every other of his shows I saw back then.
No one beats Bruce live.
Bruuuuuuuuuce . . .
Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true, or is it something worse. Powerful lyrics by the Boss
You must react to Bruce Springsteen "Tenth Ave Freeze Out, Live from Madison Square Garden".....its a religious experience!
I thought the same as you at first, but I think it is more about the maturing of love and living through the inevitable hard times most of us face. I think it is a tribute because they made it through while many do not and break up or divorce.
Love his early stuff. Next "your hometown"
Saw Springsteen this tour. Fantastic. I much preferred the pre 85 Springsteen but a great artist always.
Good one for you love you
Max Weinberg fron ESB is Jay's father who was the drummer for Slipknot. Everything I read pointed to the fact that Jay was not informed why they were parting with him and he was taken by surprise at their decision. He had been with them for 10 years, this had nothing to do with Max. Max would not have pressured Slipnot in any way, he was very proud of Jay and always spoke well of the band. Slipnot are due to preform at the end of April, I do not know who replaced Jay. At the time of his 'leaving' Jay gave a very gracious post on his Instagram page. A lot more dignified than I would have been for sure!!!
It was tough to get any job then. Hew was telling the story of the times. Listening to "your hometown" brings me back instantly. I believe about 1980 America started declining for workers.
Perceptively articulate, "reboot" of your first impression at 14:15. Nicely restated.
I don't know about the Slipknot drummer, but Max Weinberg has always been the drummer with the E-Street Band. And Max was also the drummer with the band on the Conan O'Brien Show but I think the E-Street Band was more or less on hiatus from touring then (?). Probably about the time that Steve Van Zandt was on The Sopranos (?).
can you do My Hometown by the BOSS
🌈😁
He always sounds like he’s constipated and struggling. Every song, ugh
Funny thing about YT is you have the option to watch and listen to something you like instead. ;)
@@lauraallen55 or comment on why I do not like it, never have
@@JB-js4ir I'd rather not spend my time on things I don't like but to each their own :)
I like the emotion of his voice. Listen to Bocelli if you’re looking for a voice