SPRINGSTEEN TO RELEASE DVD/CD OF “THE SESSION BAND” LIVE- IN CONCERT FROM DUBLIN
Bruce Springsteen and Columbia Records announced today that they will release “‘Bruce Springsteen With The Sessions Band Live in Dublin” on June 5 as a concert DVD and a separate two-CD set release. The two-CD set and DVD will feature 23 songs recorded during shows that the gave at The Point in Dublin, Ireland on November 17, 18 and 19, 2006. The band will perform many of the songs featured on the 2006 CD “We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions” as well as new interpretations of Springsteen originals and other songs that were performed on the recent tour.
The first item that jumped out at me is that this new project is being billed as “The Sessions Band”. During the tour, Springsteen’s group was clearly labeled as “The Seeger Sessions Band” – and a host of paraphernalia such as T-shirts, programs and buttons boast that name. For some unexplained reason, “Seeger” has been dropped from the title – at least according to the press release. Perhaps that is a good thing.
While Pete Seeger clearly was the inspiration for the 2006 CD and the tour, the spark created a fire that outgrew the original intent. Actually, it might have been right on the money all along but needed to find its own level.
Springsteen learned a valuable lesson from Seeger – the spirit of creating and sharing music, and using it as a tool to spread a message, is what is important. The music needs to come from within as a living tradition – not to be museum pieces admired from afar. ALL of Pete Seeger’s involvement with music has pointed to teaching that lesson that the music is OURS and WE should be making it instead of simply experiencing it.
Bruce Springsteen “got it”. As he listened to the older recordings, he heard something that is at the core of “folk music”. Springsteen gave the songs new life through his own experience and perception and created a body of work that has thrilled, and hopefully inspired, his audiences. Springsteen showed audiences that folk music is not a stereotyped “grandma and grandpa” music – but a living entity that continues to speak to audiences and performers.
The tour behind this album initially was small. As word spread, so did the touring. Bruce Springsteen and his new band found themselves performing throughout the United States and Europe in 2006. What appeared to be a one-off recording that would be destined for bargain-bins in a few years suddenly turned into a huge operation. The CD received a Grammy for Best Traditional Recording in 2007. A special “American Land” edition of the CD was released in the fall with addtional tracks. A PBS documentary of one of the early UK shows aired across the nation.
Make no mistake, Bruce Springsteen and all involved made money from the “Seeger” sessions.
From all I’ve gathered, the inspiration for this project did not really see any of the benefits. I am not aware of any donations or sharing of the profits to the organizations that Pete Seeger has been involved in. Wouldn’t it have been nice to see Bruce Springsteen throw some support to the Clearwater or any of the dozens of causes that Pete has been involved with over the years. In fairness, I do know that Bruce Springsteen has supported numerous causes in his own career (he has been a supporter of World Hunger Year and recently donated a song to a benefit CD) and is also providing employment to 17 people in his band alone! He also has donated portions of the proceeds from all Amazon.com sales to charity. Yet I can’t help but have a feeling, which I share with others, that Bruce Springsteen could have done something more.
Putting the business end of the story aside (which may be impossible for some), the “art” of this project should not be ignored. Bruce Springsteen created unique and ultimately satisfying settings for these classic songs. I witnessed one of the shows at Madison Square Garden, and I will never forget hearing the sold out arena join in singing “Froggy Went a Courtin” or the power that could be felt when we sang “We Shall Overcome“. The role the music has played in changing our lives was evident.
The new live CD set will feature several songs that were performed on tour but not in the original CD. The song “How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live“, written by Blind Alfred Reed in 1929, took on new meaning as Springsteen dedicated it to the people of New Orleans was a highlight of the concerts and will be featured in this new collection.
Springsteen re-worked a song that Pete Seeger performed called “He Lies in An American Land” (In 1947 Seeger wrote an English translation from a Slovakian poem written by Andrew Kovaly about based on a true story of a co-worker who had immigrated to Pittsburgh from Slovakia, saved enough money to send for his family, but was killed in a mine accident before the family arrived.) The song shows the link between the work of Seeger and others have been created and the story-songs of Bruce Springsteen, which also speak to the common man.
I would hazard a guess that most of Bruce Springsteen’s fans were not familiar with Pete Seeger or even folk music before this tour. Springsteen sprinkled in a number of original songs in the concert, but like “American Land” the songs that were chosen shows the link. Springsteen chose songs such as “Highway Patrolman” and “Atlantic City” that could have capture similar stories and feelings that people like Woody Guthrie chose in his songs. In addition, Springsteen “classics” such as “Blinded by the Light” and “Open All Night” took on new significance in the hands of this band.
From an artistic standpoint, I look forward to the release of this CD set and DVD. I hope it captures the spirit that I witnessed at MSG and may inspire artists to re-examine their own music. For that, we will all benefit.
I also hope that Bruce Springsteen and Columbia Records might take some additional time to think about Pete Seeger and the work he has stood for. While Pete is certainly not looking for accolades, I feel it is important to recognize what Pete Seeger stands for and the path that he has shown us. With some help, we can carry on the work that Pete started and introduce future generations to the music and social responsibility. For that, we will all benefit.