During the lengthy run of Springsteen on Broadway at the Walter Kerr, I actually made 6 trips to New York but was never able to snag a reasonably priced ticket to see it. In 28 years of seeing shows on Broadway, Springsteen was the only really good, high profile show that I didn't see that I regret missing. I was prepared to go as high as $175 for a ticket, but $275 was the least expensive ticket I was ever offered by the box office.
Anyway, I watched it yesterday on Netflix. I'm not sure what took me so long. I did buy the OBC CD well over 2 years ago and enjoyed it, although it's a bit of a slog to get through. Springsteen's telling of the story of his life is certainly interesting, but does not come across well on CD. In addition, the slower than usual performance of many of his greatest hits on the cast recording is not as enjoyable as listening to his classic albums from the past.
Nevertheless, watching the show on Netflix is an emotionally powerful experience. The filmed performance does a good job of capturing the magic that must have been present on Broadway 5 nights a week for over a year.
I still wish that I had seen it at the Walter Ker, but my compensation is that I still have great memories of catching his legendary concert at Soldier Field 35 years ago. By chance, were any other ATC-ers there in 1985? |
