Customer Reviews

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - Live in Barcelona

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

The wide disparity between the previous reviewers may be likely due to the fact they may not have actually seen this DVD.

It's stunning. Absolutely stunning. Here we have an entire Springsteen show (the first half aired live on MTV Europe) in front of a rabid Barcelona audience. There are things on this disc that you can show to people that aren't Springsteen fans that will make them convert. In a heartbeat.

Barcelona is known for being particularly Springsteen-philic. It shows. I doubt if you will ever see a concert where the crowd is so enthusiastic and appreciative, yet considerate (they shut up when they're supposed to...) and knowledgeable. The "Rising" album hadn't been out all that long, yet they're singing along to most of the then-new tunes.

The picture is crisp and vivid, and the audio sounds terrific! My disc #2 had a little glitch where it wouldn't initially play, but it was momentary.

The performance itself goes without saying. It is obvious that the E Streeters are energized by the crowd. Reaction shots of the various members throughout the show tell the story. The first portion of the show was pretty standard "Rising Tour" stuff, but it seems that every time the band turns up their performance, the audience rises to the occasion. Seriously...the crowd even sang instrumental parts! They knew the lyrics to the new songs, and mind you, this is Spain we're talking about. English isn't even their mother tongue.

There's a two-song somber mini-set from "The Rising", "Empty Sky" and "You're Missing" that are simply haunting. The show then swells, a joyous "Waitin' On A Sunny Day" leading into "The Promised Land" and so on, until Bruce opens up "She's The One".
That song comes off absolutely ferocious...the band so tight you'll simply marvel. It's like they put their collective feet on some unseen accelerator pedal and took OFF.

Then Bruce turns a relatively non-descript (for him) party tune, "Mary's Place", into a barn-burner. It's a joy to watch...folding in several old Motown/Stax/soul songs into the mix. The Palau Sant Jordi literally lifts off.

After the MTV Broadcast ends, he does several "requests"...songs not necessarily done night after night. Watching him call out songs, seeing the band scramble to get the right guitar, etc., is part of the fun. It happens several times during the show.

Solo piano versions of "Spirit In The Night" and "Incident on 57th Street" are striking...it's hilarious when Bruce flubs a line during the latter tune.

The encore opens with a tour rarity, "Night" (another request), a rollicking "Ramrod"...heck, you can see the setlist for yourself. It's one highlight after another.

As he's bidding the audience farewell, after "Land of Hope and Dreams" (the standard second encore concert closer at the time), you can see him giving in to the crowd and calling out to the band for "one more..."Thunder Road".

The performers all seem to be having a great time...smiles are everywhere. Their interplay is something you rarely get on concert discs nowadays.

I honestly can't see the fault in this disc...I do not understand the negativity whatsoever! A 3-hour, reference quality complete concert DVD?

The add-on mini-documentary is fine, with brief tantalizing clips of tours gone by...but make sure you stay through the whole thing.
The "Night of the Living Boss" clip, hidden at the end, is a hoot. Shot at Fenway Park, it uses the opening "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" and "Diddy Wah Diddy" to underscore some amazing footage. It'll bring a smile to your face, Bruce fan or not.

Now, it's time to start putting together the footage from the past. It's time for "official" bootlegs. There's GOTTA be footage from the "Born In The USA" tours, if not earlier. Let's start releasing those, huh? Please?

This is the first time ever, in Springsteen's 30-plus-year career, that an entire show, from start to finish, has been officially released, whether audio or video ...

Setlist: The Rising/Lonesome Day/Prove It All Night/Darkness on the Edge of Town/Empty Sky/You're Missing /Waitin' on a Sunny Day/The Promised Land/Worlds Apart/Badlands/She's the One/Mary's Place/Dancing in the Dark (end of broadcast)/Countin' on a Miracle/Spirit in the Night (solo piano)/Incident on 57th Street (solo piano)/Into the Fire
First Encore: Night/Ramrod/Born to Run
Second Encore: My City of Ruins/Born in the U.S.A./Land of Hope and Dreams/Thunder Road

For [the price] how can you say no?

Awesome stuff. Don't miss it.

I don't know what all this is about the sound quality being poor on this DVD, but this is the best concert DVD I have, from Bruce or any other artist, and the reason, beyond the fact that Bruce is one of the best, if not the best, performers still showin' us how it's done, is the awesome sound quality. It is so good I burned a audio CD and listen to it all the time. For my money Bruce's songs generally sound better live than in the studio recordings - they benefit so much from having that live energy -so having a great setlist like this to listen to is like a dream come true.

It's over a year later and I still pop this in just to listen to it. And then I'll peek in at the picture and I'm trapped! Whatever I'm doing I stop and watch this thing I've seen a hundred times and still pulls me in! I love this concert!

So how can some reviewers here say the sound is great and others say its so bad that its not worth having? I have two theories: There are some lower quality prints circulating and/or some people have burned copies of this - not the real thing. The only other thing I can think of is that these people so down on this haven't actually seen this DVD. If I'm wrong about that than the only explination I can fathom is my first suspicion that there are some crap copies out there, because mine rocks! Maybe its time for a new TV and some surround sound.

My other beef with some of the reviews I'm seeing here are coments like Bruce looks old, tired, fat and sounds that way too. Again, I don't know what concert you guys are watching! As with the sound quality issue, I had the exact opposite reaction. The first time I watched this all I could think was how fit the Boss is for his age, how much energy he poured out for over 2 and a half straight hours and how I hope I look that good in 25-30 years! So again, did you people actually see this?!?!?!

People have watched this with me - even non-Bruce fans - and have been blown away; mezmerized by the performance! So this is not just me wanting to like this DVD.

I have to give props to three other critics who reviewed this DVD here at Amazon; one who says this is what it is like to be at a Bruce stadium show, and like being right there in Barcelona for this one, another calls it, "absolutly incredible," saying her 13-monh-old is addicted to it (I'm telling you, no one can tear their eyes away from this performance once they start watching it; it's great to hear Bruce can and will touch a whole new generation of fans - I hope when I have a kid they will feel the same), and lastly, the writer who calls this DVD "Simly the Best... 5 stars and more." I couldn't agree with all of you more. Interestingly, all of these reviewers testify the DVD has incredible sound and production values. Why others don't is a mystery, but it is a shame they are making posible buyers wary of this product. All I can say is make sure you buy the real thing and check the sound options on your TV and/or surround sound.

As for the highlights: "Mary's Place" is a high-energy kick. "Dancin' In the Dark's" live treatment bests the synthed-up album version, as does the throbbing, more guitar driven "Born In the USA" (I don't know how anyone can watch him blaze though this tune and say he looks anywhere near old or tired), "Ramrod" here becomes a classic because the whole band infuses a goofy energy and Bruce's piano spots work on a whole other emotional level. Also, this is the only place to see a full, uncut concert (it comes close to the performance I saw last year at Miller Park, but closer to the arena show I saw a year earlier; either way, its like being back there again), get great live performances from "The Rising," and see hits not included on the New York DVD, like "The Promised Land," She's the One," and the aforementioned "Dancin' In the Dark" and full-on-electric "U.S.A.," all of which are incredible! I can not say enough abouth this DVD!

I feel sorry for those who couldn't enjoy this because of their goofy hang-ups. Get your eyes and ears checked! Everyone else, get this DVD!

. . . or as close as you can get on dvd. If you want to show somebody who's never been to one what a Bruce stadium show is like -- what it's actually like to be there -- you cannot ask for better than this. I was at two of the Giants Stadium shows in the summer of 2003, and apart from the occasional references to Barcelona and some passing Spanish, it would be hard to tell this show from one in New Jersey. Except, perhaps, that the overall quality of the performance does not flag for one moment from start to finish. Play "Badlands", the big sing-along number, for the initiate, which is followed immediately by "She's The One" with the ferocious backbeat. Then play BTR, with the awesome reverse pan over the crowd. The Boss will have a new fan for sure.

As for the sound: who are the critics kidding? The sound at stadium shows is univerally atrocious. The sound here is pretty good by comparison, imo. No mushy booming bass. Voices that can actually be heard and, for the most part, understood. The only Bruce show I ever saw with decent sound was at the Meadowlands in 1980, when he opened the arena (literally), during the River tour. You can get a sense of it on the Live! 3-disc album, especially the River and Independence Day. At Giants stadium, by contrast, if you sat far enough back, there was an appreciable delay between the time you saw a motion on stage or the big screen and the time you heard it (that old bugaboo physics, light moves faster than sound); and if you didn't already know the words, you'd have been lost. The sound on this dvd is far superior to any outdoor Bruce stadium show I've ever seen.

This Barcelona show was so good, it's making me almost like most of the Rising songs. I wish it had Sandy or Jungleland or Rosie like the Giants Stadium show I saw last July, but it's pretty good anyhow.

Some artists are great songwriters but their live performances are either pedestrian, predictable, or uneven. They may be great if you catch them on the right night, but may phone it in for other shows. Bob Dylan is in this category. Other artists or bands put on an exciting show, but their catalog of truly great music is limited. This will raise some disagreement, but I see The Who in this category - while I certainly acknowledge that some of the greatest hard rock ever written comes from Pete and the boys, their creative flame burned brightly for only a few years. Of course, there are the Dinosaurs, the once great groups that haven't produced any good music in many years, yet tour and tour as tribute bands to themselves. The Rolling Stones top this list.

Then there is Bruce. His live performances have been legendary for over 30 years. There are no mediocre Springsteen concerts - there are great shows and the shows that are better than that. If you were to see Bruce perform for the first time you would think that surely he was playing his last show ever. He saves nothing for the next night. No one puts it all together better - he is simultaneously one of rocks greatest writers and performers. In their biography, VH1 matter of factly refers to him as "the world's greatest living rock n' roll star." His records are arguably among the greatest in rock history (a recent poll in Rolling Stone ranked Born to Run (1975) as rocks greatest album). His range is astounding. His concerts are a lot like a Broadway musical, with much better (and louder) music. The audience leaves a Springsteen show having experienced the important human emotions. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll feel the sheer exhilaration of being glad you're alive.

Rock and roll doesn't come across well on television. It is meant to be experienced live and loud. However this DVD (which was released in November, 2003, not 2000 as your Amazon date indicates - the Barcelona show was in the late summer of 2002) brings the viewer about as close to live Bruce as the medium allows. It probably does about as well as Saving Private Ryan in creating the feeling of being in combat without having to actually deal with imminent death.

The crowd response is enthusiastic and very much like many of the 43 Springsteen shows I have attended. The show was performed toward the beginning of the hugely successful international tour in support of his 2002 album, "The Rising." Unlike the Dinosaurs, about ten of 24 songs are from that album. You'll enjoy the show more if you first listen to "The Rising." Bruce and the E Street Band performed 120 shows on the tour, which were attended by over three million people.

It speaks volumes of his stature that he sold out arenas and stadiums all over North America and Europe a full 18 years after his popularity peaked with the album and tour, Born in the USA, which was released in 1984. In 30 years of international touring, this is the first complete Bruce Springsteen show ever released. I recommend getting a large screen TV, with a great sound system, and for three hours, "turn it up, turn it up, turn and up," and watch and listen to one of the greatest shows on earth. (Its worth noting that $14 is a GREAT price for a double DVD when single CDs can cost as much.)

A Bruce Springsteen concert is akin to a religious experience a sort of rock and roll baptism. Recorded live in Barcelona two months into the tour to support The Rising the Boss shows what he can do and why fans continue to believe.

This show is pure rock and roll energy. The show is made up of equal parts old and new music. There are powerful renditions of classics live Born in the USA, Badlands, Ramrod and others. Thre are quiet reflective moments including Spirits in the Night and Incident on 57th Street. There are new songs soon to be classics like The Rising.

The band was in peak form the night that this show was recorded.They were a cohesive whole. This was the E Street Band of the past but with a unique sense of the present. They played loud and agressively.

The discs are not without problems. It seems that Sony does not do its usual best for some reason when they present Springsteen. There are comments about the special features not working on disc two. The sound abruptly shifted from Dolby 5.1 to PCM 4.8 for the encores making the end of the show sound like it was recorded in a tunnel.

Another comment thats going around is that the mix is muddy. I don't see this as a problem. E Steet has always been abouit power not finesse. All in all a worthwhile view but Sony really needs to do a better job with its presentation.

This is a hard DVD to review. It's very good, don't get me wrong. Recorded in April 2002, at Barcelona, Spain, it has an entusiastic and energetic crowd, the E-Street Band at top notch form (as almost always is the case!)and great sound. Bruce had so much confidence in his new album at the time (THE RISING), that he played TEN songs from the album on this show. It is very rare for an artist this old to play so many new songs on tour. Also, it's the first time they released a copmplete concert of him. And this talk about him being "old" is mean, man. What did you want??? The man had 53 years of age at the time of the concert. He gives his best the whole show, he captivates the audience, he plays guitar, harmonica and keyboards.

The trouble here comes from the comparison with the NEW YORK DVD.. Some of the band's energy found there is definitely NOT here in Barcelona... But I can't find who's to blame: if the band'is a little bit more slow really or direction, editing or another technical stuff are responsible for it. Also, to advertise a 7 minute extra like a "documentary about the tour" was not very honest...

Anyway, this is another necessary product in your Springsteen collection.

Don't believe a word about Springsteen in Europe being somehow less inspired than Springsteen in the USA. As Little Steven has pointed out, the intensity and appreciation of audiences in Europe took the band by surprise. And along with the Italians, the Spanish are the most fanatical of the lot. This shows in this DVD, where the audience actually become a part of the experience, to Bruces evident delight. It's one of the best music DVDs I've seen, by Springsteen or anyone. The greatest live band there has ever been, caught on a great night. Buy it now.

You sometimes have to feel sorry for Bruce- for having such a devoted following, he rarely pleases the majority of his audience. Part of that is the perhaps unfair standards to which he's held- even he can't be THAT good ALL of the time, and no recorded material could ever capture the glory of his live performances. On the other hand, he does make strange choices with his products, especially with his archival releases: B-sides to singles that contain previously released songs rather than unreleased cuts, discs of unreleased material like "Tracks" that contain empty space and leave off fan favorites, live albums that are edited and overdubbed and never contain an entire show, and his overall infrequent, excrutiatingly slow output. Of particular frustration to many fans is the way he handles live material- when other artists like Pearl Jam, The Who, Peter Gabriel, Jimmy Buffett and of course The Dead are releasing "official bootlegs" of many or virtually all of their concerts, Bruce still refuses to release a complete show, much less a bunch of them. His fans will go to great length to obtain inferior sounding bootlegs of the performances, yet Bruce oddly refuses to address the obvious demand.

So here we finally have a "complete" Bruce Springsteen concert. It's on DVD, which is arguably even better than on CD (although I'd like both, since I rarely have time to rewatch a complete DVD but can always listen to music in the background). This should be great news, and to an extent it is. But once again, for a number of reasons, there's cause for us ungrateful fans to complain. Here's why:

1) Part of this show was already aired on CBS and European MTV- not a huge deal, but parts of it have been seen already. It also repeats a few songs from his last DVD, making this one seem not quite as essential.
2) It's been known for a while that Bruce filmed his later stadium shows. There's some concern that THIS Barcelona release would cancel out the release of the later filmed shows, which have different (not necessarily better) setlists with material from Tunnel of Love, Human Touch and Lucky Town. Releasing these later shows would address the problem of redundancy from his previous DVD.
3. There's the already discussed problems with disc 2. Mine works fine on a Toshiba DVD player, but apparently many people can't access the menus on Disc 2. That's a manufacturing problem and shouldn't be attributed to Bruce, and this will certainly be addressed by Columbia. Small comfort to those who can't view disc 2, I know, but at least no one should be stuck with these faulty discs.
4. This is MY main complaint: the sound quality, while good, doesn't match that of many other concert DVDs, including Bruce's Live in NYC. The sound is less crisp, the keyboards and drums sound muted and tinny, and, well, it just doesn't sound as good as a DVD should in 2003. I really don't believe it's my system, because some concert DVDs are just mind-blowing in their sound quality. Not this one.
5. The editing is jumpy and sometimes headache inducing. There's too much focus on Bruce and not enough on the rest of the band. This shouldn't be some hyper MTV video. Sure, our focus is on Bruce, but part of the fun of seeing him in concert is focusing on the other members of the band, both playing the music and interacting with one another during and between songs.

So those are the complaints. But let's talk about the good stuff. This IS a Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert. That IS a good thing. Even though the setlists later in the tour might have included more interesting rarities, you still get stuff like the piano Incident and Spirit, Night, as well as live renditions of The Rising material. Bruce sitting solo at the piano is truly something unique and special, and you get two doses of it here. Complaints about the setlist being "standard" aren't that valid anyway- I'm glad that Bruce didn't cater to the minority of fans who were "bored" with these songs after having seen dozens of shows on the tour. This DVD gives a good document of what the majority of setlists were like throughout this tour, and it's not our problem that a few people burned themselves out on these songs by seeing too many shows. Life's tough when your biggest complaint is that you saw too many Springsteen concerts and you're tired of the songs he performs regularly. The majority of fans see one, two, maybe zero shows on a given tour, and this is a great remembrance if you were there or a close-to-being-there experience if you didn't make it to an actual concert. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't like to see the Fenway and other stadium concerts- hopefully Bruce will follow the lead of the Stones and release a multi-DVD (and CD) set of the various concerts that ended this tour.

So while it's great to have a full concert from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, you also can't help feeling that this, like his Essential CD, was a rather rushed job. Hopefully it's just a preview of bigger and better things to come...

I have been lucky enough to see Bruce Springsteen live twice in Melbourne when he has toured Australia. The first time was seeing him alone & acoustic after he released The Ghost Of Tom Joad, and the second time was earlier this year on The Rising tour. This DVD release captures what I saw both times when I saw him live, that is a living rock 'n' roll legend giving it everything he's got, putting every ounce of energy and effort into his performance.

I have read about some people having problems with disc 2, but there was nothing wrong with mine so I reckon it must have been a problem with the first releases only that has now been fixed.

Yes I agree with some other reviewers that the sound quality on this DVD could have been better, but it's not that bad so don't let it stop you buying it. It is a great show.

I feel far more satisfied with this DVD than the "Essential" compilation released on CD at about the same time. In my opinion it is this Live DVD that is the "essential" purchase.

The Rising is one of my favorite of Bruce's albums and much of the songs in this concert are from that album, but there's also some great older tunes mixed in aswell such as The Promised Land, Thunder Road, Dancing In The Dark, Ramrod & Born In The USA which all sound good, but the high-lights for me are:
1. Spirit In The Night and Incident On 57th Street. (Bruce alone on the piano)
2. Mary's Place. (I thought this was not one of the best tracks on The Rising but it is a great live track)
3. Empty Sky (Played acousticly with Patti singing in the background. I was amazed at how haunting and emotional this song sounded when I heard it live, and whilst I don't think it sounds quite as good on this DVD as when I heard it in Melbourne it goes a long way to capturing that feel)
4. The crowd. (This crowd really gets right into it, and you can see that the fans get to be right up the front, unlike Melbourne where we never had that opportunity because all the corporate fat-cats had preferential prioroty tickets!)

The rest of the concert really rocks and Bruce and the E Street Band give what is sadly lacking with many modern artists in this age of carefully crafted formula music, that is a genuine, honest rocking performance delivered with 110% effort from the heart.