Following on from the success of documentaries featuring many of the most well-known musical artists, including The Beatles, U2, The Beach Boys and Ed Sheeran, the next big new documentary follows Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band as they prepare for the 2023-2024 tour.

This documentary features fly-on-the-wall footage of the band in rehearsals and also features some special moments backstage.  Bruce, along with many of the other band members, also get interviewed for the documentary, providing their own point of view of this major tour.  

Fans get the chance to experience professionally shot footage from the 2023-2024 tour for the first time ever – while following the band through their one-of-a-kind preparation process and onto performances for tens of thousands across continents.

While I know some of Bruce Springsteen’s major hits like “Born In The USA” and “Dancing In The Dark”, my knowledge of the band is very minimal, and I was going into this documentary with an open mind.  

This documentary does give a brief introduction to who Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are, but it skips over this very quickly. It feels much more aimed at established fans, rather than at a new audience, such as the recent documentary, “The Beach Boys”.

The main focus is on preparing for the tour, which was delayed due to the pandemic. With the band members being much older, you could see that some struggled a little more than they used to but still wanted to deliver a stellar performance for the fans but felt rustier after years away from performing.

We really get to see how much passion Bruce Springsteen has for performing and how much he wants his fans to enjoy themselves, though it was noticeable from the other band members, that he doesn’t feel as much need to rehearse as he used to and in some ways, almost wing it but just feeling it on the night, highlighting that he has the confidence and skills to do this. 

A big part of this documentary is about how Bruce and the rest of the band members are getting much older, with many of them in their 70s. The film shows how things have changed for them over time and also dealing with mortality, especially with the news that Bruce’s wife and band member Patti Scialfa was diagnosed with cancer, which did impact the tour a little, such as there being less set changes and Patti being unable to attend some shows.   But even this feels glossed over.

The film also discusses how the tour was put together, with a lot of focus on the construction of the setlist and its importance, as well as many other aspects of the show. This will be of some interest to anyone who wants to learn more about how concerts are created, but it did feel like they went into much more detail about how they make a concert than may be necessary. 

Overall:   If you love Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, I’m sure you’re going to enjoy this documentary, but for new audiences, this might not be for you.  There are plenty of great performances throughout.  Unfortunately, I did find this documentary to be a little dull in places; while it’s only around an hour and a half long.  It’s a very polished and well-made documentary, but it may be just for the die-hard fans.

Rating: 3 Out Of 5

“Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band” will be coming to Hulu and Disney+ on Friday, 25th October 2024.

Are you looking forward to watching “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band”?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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