Spiringsteen

[Peache Calhoon]

I did honestly try to like it, purely because everyone was saying how good he is.

but it was dull, very very dull.

Sorry

[1mills]

In fairness everyone I spoke to loved him, there was only 1 big fan that I spoke to.

Of our crowd 5 intended to catch the first 30mins of Springsteen and then shoot off elsewhere as they'd given a blast to cd's but couldn't get into him. None of them left in the end as they were loving it.

With regards to the crowd leaving didn't a similar thing happen to Jay-Z last year where everyone said he nailed it?

How far back did the crowd start leaving, we were to the right of the stage and fairly well back and it never cleared infront of us to get any closer (I'm just asking this out of general curiosity).

The only people I did hear criticizing Springsteen's performance in the morning was from a tent near me, where they were saying he was shit because he never played in Born in the USA and also he was getting booed after every song because he never played that. I actually popped my head out of the tent to see if I could explain to them, that people weren't booing, they were going "Bruuuuuuuuuccccceeeeee".

[Langdale Wolf]

I don't think that, I am just saying that I spoke to many people who felt he was brilliant, where as you found many who thought he was boring.

So are we in agreement that people either love Bruce form the first time of hearing him, or that the hate him?

[eFestivals]

I think that a lot of this is to do with expectation. I bet that many thousands turned up hoping to see someone who a lot of people (many of whom post on here) claim to be 'the best live act in the world'. Three songs in, if you've not seen something extraordinary then it's a downward slope to disappointment from there on in. I've no doubt that if he had stuck Dancing In The Dark in after Badlands then probably a few thousand extra would have stuck around and probably given him the benefit of the doubt, but I don't think it's something that you, I, he or they are going to lose any sleep over.

agreed - tho knowing what he was playing would have made zero difference to me.

Personally I figured that I probably wouldn't be too impressed by him if I didn't know the songs. So I had a listen to the songs that he was likely to play and because of that I thought he was pretty superb.

likewise, months ago I bought myself 'Working On A Dream"so that I knew some of the stuff he might play. Gawd, that put me off even more.

And that album really is titled wrongly - its real title should be "Working On Boring You All To Death (and Succeeding)".

Seems a bit daft to me to go and see something in the hope of having a good time and whinge when he doesn't play stuff that you know, when you've had six months to 'know' it - if that's what you're really after.

I've not whinged at all about him not playing stuff I knew - in fact, after knowing "Working On..." him not playing stuff I knew was a huge bonus, there was actually a chance of it being good. Turned out I was kidding myself.

[eFestivals]

same as the punters who you asked and didn't like him.. no more or less valid than the punters who liked him

true - and I've said nothing different.

However, I've had Bruce fans trying to tell me that there was no one who wasn't hugely impressed, that I didn't really ask lots of people what they thought (and get told 'dire' by just about all), that the crowd didn't noticably shrink, and that my opinion is simply wrong.

Oh dear. Either those Bruce fans or me have it badly wrong. Which can it be I wonder?

[OssO_87]

Im Converted! i thought he was great! that guitar swing round his back thingy was awesome! ROCK N ROLL MAN!

[eFestivals]

With regards to the crowd leaving didn't a similar thing happen to Jay-Z last year where everyone said he nailed it?

yep, it probably did.

But I reckon the difference was that while many might not have been hugely taken with the musical content of Jay-Z just as many weren't for Bruce, Jay-Z's entrance alone made that performance worth it.

[alframsey]

so you've seen him now...??

3 and a half minutes out of more than 2 and a half hours..

that's because they didn't want to start an argument with you... everyone knows where that ends up...

I knew you wouldn't enjoy him. You don't like his music, why would you. You just went for a couple of minutes so you can say you've seen with your own eyes how 'crap' he really is

I should have out some m oney on it...

My opinion??...

He could have done less of his newer stuff... his voice seemed to be suffering sometimes.. cool damp air maybe? It was odd seiing him play to a non-Bruce crowd, but I thought he did great. Everyone I knew who weren't fans (around 500 or so... ) were impressed. For the first half hour there was guy behind me (who wasn't a 'fan') who couldn't stop saying how amazing he thought he was...

I didn't expect it to be as thrilling as one of his own shows, knowing that some people weren't massive fans has an effect. It's like watching a band (or a film) with someone you know isn't enjoying it.. it spoils it a bit

one big bug-bear... why do they make the bottom end of the pa syatem so loud, that it obliterates everything else in places (and this wasn't just for Bruce)? The beginning of the Born To Run, where the bass drum is almost constant, was ridiculous

[HolmbridgeLad]

Freeze Out

Atlantic City

Rosie

Jungleland

Growin' Up

Racing in the Street

Night

Just off the top of my head.

[ml1dch]

agreed - tho knowing what he was playing would have made zero difference to me.

likewise, months ago I bought myself 'Working On A Dream"so that I knew some of the stuff he might play. Gawd, that put me off even more.

And that album really is titled wrongly - its real title should be "Working On Boring You All To Death (and Succeeding)".

I've not whinged at all about him not playing stuff I knew - in fact, after knowing "Working On..." him not playing stuff I knew was a huge bonus, there was actually a chance of it being good. Turned out I was kidding myself.

[alframsey]

agreed - tho knowing what he was playing would have made zero difference to me.

likewise, months ago I bought myself 'Working On A Dream"so that I knew some of the stuff he might play. Gawd, that put me off even more.

And that album really is titled wrongly - its real title should be "Working On Boring You All To Death (and Succeeding)".

I've not whinged at all about him not playing stuff I knew - in fact, after knowing "Working On..." him not playing stuff I knew was a huge bonus, there was actually a chance of it being good. Turned out I was kidding myself.

[russycarps]

I didnt mind it and would not call him crap. He is a good showman and has ridiculously impressive amounts of energy and his band are very very talented musicians (nowhere near at the bad seeds level mind...) but I think his set would have benefited from being an hour shorter. No way should he have had that length a set. My legs ached by the end and it sobered me up.

And thanks to him I am booked in for an operation at the hospital tomorrow to have my toes surgically uncurled after that "lets build a house of love" crap in the middle.

All in all, I would say he is definitely not the worst headliner ever, but equally nowhere near the worst.

[eFestivals]

so you've seen him now...??

3 and a half minutes out of more than 2 and a half hours..

I know for sure that if I'd have seen more I'd have hated it no less. It was simply the most bland act I've EVER heard at Glastonbury (and re4member, his albums confirm that blandness as his overriding trait).

that's because they didn't want to start an argument with you... everyone knows where that ends up...

.... that's right, every random at Glastonbury knows me by sight, they were saying to themselves "here com es that Neil from eFestivals, we'd better agree with him else he'll argue with us".

Except I know how to ask a non-leading question. And I know how not to be as big a moron as you're now being.

I knew you wouldn't enjoy him. You don't like his music, why would you. You just went for a couple of minutes so you can say you've seen with your own eyes how 'crap' he really is

I went to give him a chance. That chance proved him as bland live as on record.

Is that my fault he's as bland as it gets? Nope. It's only my 'fault' that I don't like bland and you do.

My opinion??...

He could have done less of his newer stuff...

thank f**k I did leave so soon.

Did he play "I was Made For Loving You" by Kiss ... sorry .... "Outlaw Pete"? When an act has to revert to ripping off the blandness of Kiss and making it even more bland (which I wouldn't have believed possible till I heard it) then it's really time for the retirement home. I'd recommend Eastborne for the bland of his calliber.

I didn't expect it to be as thrilling as one of his own shows, knowing that some people weren't massive fans has an effect. It's like watching a band (or a film) with someone you know isn't enjoying it.. it spoils it a bit

Are the very best festie performances the ones where the act wins over those who aren't bothered, or not?

[alframsey]

Well fair enough.

So...in the nicest possible way, why did you bother going in the first place? If you knew what he was going to play and knew that you didn't like them, why bother with something that you knew you wouldn't like?

And why did you then go and ask a hundred different people their opinions about something you didn't like? Just seems a bit masochistic to me.

People who I spoke to, I asked them about Springsteen, Nick Cave and Gaslight Anthem (all of whom I liked) and didn't bother mentioning Kasabian or CSN (neither of whom really did it for me).

Just seems that you were almost going out of your way to have a less-than-fun time.

[The Nal]

I thought it was a good gig considering he skimmed on the hits. Some of the opinions on here are pig ignorant by the way (Neils in particular, "I left after 3 minutes but still have an opinion on the gig" ). I shouldnt even respond.

The River was incredible.

[sifi]

y'see... calling Barbara Striesand 'crap' kind of says enough really. You don't like her?.. fine, but she is/was one of the amazing voices of the last 50 years or so

[alframsey]

I know for sure that if I'd have seen more I'd have hated it no less. It was simply the most bland act I've EVER heard at Glastonbury (and re4member, his albums confirm that blandness as his overriding trait).

.... that's right, every random at Glastonbury knows me by sight, they were saying to themselves "here com es that Neil from eFestivals, we'd better agree with him else he'll argue with us".

Except I know how to ask a non-leading question. And I know how not to be as big a moron as you're now being.

I went to give him a chance. That chance proved him as bland live as on record.

Is that my fault he's as bland as it gets? Nope. It's only my 'fault' that I don't like bland and you do.

thank f**k I did leave so soon.

Did he play "I was Made For Loving You" by Kiss ... sorry .... "Outlaw Pete"? When an act has to revert to ripping off the blandness of Kiss and making it even more bland (which I wouldn't have believed possible till I heard it) then it's really time for the retirement home. I'd recommend Eastborne for the bland of his calliber.

Are the very best festie performances the ones where the act wins over those who aren't bothered, or not?

[eFestivals]

So...in the nicest possible way, why did you bother going in the first place? If you knew what he was going to play and knew that you didn't like them, why bother with something that you knew you wouldn't like?

I didn't know what he was going to play.

I did know that I don't like him on record, but a live act is very different. I'm prepared to give any live act a fair chance.

To put that in context, I detest Scissor Sisters on record - there's no way on earth I'd ever want to hear them. Yet live they are simply fantastic, one of the very best live acts around (or at least were a few years back). So I go and see acts play live with a properly open mind; I see around 400 or so live acts each year.

Which is how I approached Bruce - with an open mind. Yet it was clear in the very little I heard that the live thing was going to be no less bland and boring than on record. So I bailed; there's no point in torturing myself.

And why did you then go and ask a hundred different people their opinions about something you didn't like? Just seems a bit masochistic to me.

because - as the owner of this website - I like to try and validate what I've experienced with other people's opinions; if I keep getting back something different to what I think then I re-evaluate what I experienced, trying to see how and where they got a different experience. There was absolutely nothing I heard when asking about Bruce which leads me to think I've got it wrong*.

(* wrong as in "my opinion was so out of tune with all others that it's not worth very much").

Just seems that you were almost going out of your way to have a less-than-fun time.

that's right - I walked right across site when there were things I quite fancied seeing where I was at that time just so I could spend less than 5 minutes watching bruce, so that I could then post trolling comments to wind the likes of you up.

Or alternatively, I walked across site to give Bruce a proper fair chance.

The fact that he's as bland as it gets ain't my fault. The fact that you like as bland as it gets ain't my fault either.

[eFestivals]

oh well....

you bought it after you herad how bad it was on the radio??

it is his weakest album...

it can only get better

no, I bought it after hearing one song on the radio that I couldn't believe the awfulness of.

I thought "it can't all be this bad surely?" so bought the album to prove that it wasn't. Only it was.

It might be his weakest. But they don't get much stronger from what I've heard (which isn't a small amount).

[MEGABOWL]

While we're being completely scientific, I asked 12-15 randoms I was chatted to, and a couple I know who were there (neither of whom know his stuff very well), and it was half split between he was awful and he was good.

Equally scientifically, I didn't bother as I was crying to Bon Iver at The Park but I did see him do his first song at Glastonbury when he came on with The Gaslight Anthem, and even though it wasn't his song, it was brilliant, so therefore he was amazing and everyone else is wrong. Except people who agree with me.

[eFestivals]

To me, while I accept that he asked around 100 people their opinion, all of which are valid of course, it seems he went out of his way to 'prove' just how 'crap' he is.

At the end of the day, I really really enjoyed it, the best gig i have ever seen, and I know hundreds of people who also loved it and hundreds who were converted on the performance alone!

That's right,. I "prove" how crap he is by asking people the simple question "did you see Bruce? what did you think".

And when they say it was as bland as it gets (the word 'bland' came up again and again and again, always from their own lips), that's because I've telepathed that idea into their heads.

If you care to notice, it's far from just me that's posted in this thread that he was bland.

And if you care to notice, there's no so many saying he was fantastic either. Certainly far less than has been the case with other controversial headliners such as Jay-Z last year.

Really, get over yourself. There were plenty who thought it dire.

[chrisdebag]

there is a forum called digital spy i am sure most here have seen that and there used to be a well known poster there called mr blond who used to wind up the forum by always going against the other posters

usually in big brother ok ok i know but i do watch he used to support the vilest housemate and say weird things as a joke

i am starting to think neil is doing the same or he spent too muh time at the stone circles while drinking meths

anyway i find it all funny and at least it has given me something to read this afternoon

now if he says florence and the machine had the best voice in history i know something is up

oh dear i wasnt gong to post anymore and now look

[sifi]

Thanks whoever it was bringing up the old Streisand. I'm now listening to her sining a duet with Donna Summer. Excellent.

[tobski]

and Because The Night... that was fantastic

[sifi]

there is a forum called digital spy i am sure most here have seen that and there used to be a well known poster there called mr blond who used to wind up the forum by always going against the other posters