In Concert/MTV Plugged - Springsteen, Bruce (CD 1997)

How fitting that 2 years ago, Boss's Day as my calendar proclaimed, I walked into my office and graciously received a copy of the Boss's new album. New? Who am I kidding? This concert was already 5 years old and it was just being put on disc as some kind of elaborate marketing ploy... I think. I'll admit I don't understand many such ploys but this is interstellar!

At any rate, Bruce is Bruce and it doesn't matter when I get the goods. He has been and still is one of the finest concert draws around the world. More than just intimate and interactive, he provides a pulse-pounding itinerary of high class rock ballads. Long-renowned as a working man's poet, a kind of middle America personified, Springsteen has always had that precious ability to tap into the bloodstream of whatever vein feeds the conscience of the United States. This is not exploitation; it is more like emotional exploration. Rage is vented, and the struggle is voiced; tales of lost dreams and the promises of the future are told.

Bucking the pass trend of recording Unplugged albums, Springsteen shows up and says, "hey man, these songs were meant to be electric." The words are obviously what matter most to this man. On this disc we get to hear the best but not necessarily the most popular (i.e. Born in the U.S.A.). Lucky Town, My Beautiful Reward, and Atlantic City are a few samples of the Boss's standards but there's more. He belts out Light of Day to the crowd's roar but even better is the song that starts it all off. Raunchy and fun, Red Headed Woman is a pleasant departure from the usual oeuvre. Listen to this: "Well listen up stud, your life's been wasted till you've got down on your knees and tasted a red headed woman." Not for the family sing-along for sure but maybe a keg party.

I'll admit that even though I'm not from New Jersey I cannot readily associate with much of what the regional nostalgia he expresses but the show is still a lively session.