Review of Bruce Springsteen: Live In New York City

Introduction

Bruce Springsteen has had a fantastic career, becoming very successful in America after the release of his "Born to Run" album in 1975, which was followed by three acclaimed albums "Darkness on the Edge of Town", "The River" and "Nebraska". Then, in 1984, "The Boss" unleashed "Born In The USA", which was a worldwide smash, selling over 10 million copies and suddenly Springsteen became a superstar across the globe. Another acclaimed album, "Tunnel of Love" followed, but sadly this 12 year run of brilliance started to fade away.

In 2000, Bruce reformed the E Street Band, and performed ten nights at New York`s Madison Square Garden, the last two of which were filmed for an HBO special, which won an Emmy Award, and this program is now presented on disc one of this DVD. Disc two features a further 11 songs from the concerts not in the original TV show, which had 14 tracks, and there is a surprise inside the box which isn`t mentioned on the packaging - an audio CD featuring two more tracks from the concert!

Video

The video is presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen and is of a very high standard throughout the show - very crisp and detailed, very stable, no grain, no dirt and no compression problems - an example of how all music DVDs should be presented.

You`ll know what to expect from the visuals - the band, on stage, performing their hits in front of a delighted audience - and although this isn`t particularly exciting, it is very well shot and looks fantastic.

Audio

The sound comes in a choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 or PCM stereo. I watched the concert with the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, which filled the room nicely and presented the songs very well indeed. The vocals, crowd and instruments are very well reproduced, and the concert is as pleasing to listen to as it is to look at. In comparison, the PCM track is adequate, but nowhere near as satisfying.

As far as the music goes, it is utterly superb, but surprisingly his most successful album, "Born in the USA" gets little exposure, with only the title track making an appearance. But Springsteen is more than one album - those that preceded "Born in the USA" were masterpieces, and this DVD provides a pretty comprehensive collection of that material. I`ve got over 30 music DVDs, many of them featuring live performances - and this one is one of, if not the best, in my collection. The performance is superb, with Springsteen and all band members giving the audience brilliant renditions of the songs - simply put, the vocals and music are great.

Features

With 25 tracks spread over 2 DVDs and a 2 track music CD, it`s also nice to also see a 15 minute featurette "New York City Serenade" which looks behind the scenes and features interviews with Springsteen and the band, and is very interesting. There`s also a photo gallery.

The disc is packaged in clear Amaray with twin trays, which also contains the liner notes and audio CD (which is in a paper wallet).

Conclusion

Overall, whilst the £24.99 price tag looks expensive, there is over 3 hours of top-notch entertainment on the three discs included in this package, and any Springsteen fan should rush out and buy it immediately.

This is a superb performance by Springsteen and the E Street Band, which is very well presented on this DVD plus there is an interesting featurette and a bonus audio CD for you to enjoy.

Recommended.