TORONTO — Lake Ontario transformed into the Jersey Shore on Sunday night.
Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt came north of the border for the world premiere of their documentary “Road Diaries: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band” at the Toronto International Film Festival.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy was also there, away from his jurisdiction. Fans chanted “Bruce!” followed by some devoted Canadians holding their LPs as they followed his black SUV down the street.
“The light doesn't change for 15 seconds!” yelled one fanatic at the crosswalk, desperate for an autograph.
Springsteen was in high spirits. Seated next to Van Zandt in the front mezzanine of Roy Thompson Hall – a sort of royal box – he belted out his classics. He even danced to commercials before the movie.
It was very moving to see that the 74-year-old music icon is still so excited by his contributions to the world. Bruce is the opposite of indifferent and ignored, as this portrait of a talented man proves.
As the title suggests, “Road Diary” is an enlightening look at the E Street Band’s current tour, which kicks off in 2023 after a six-year hiatus.
Because of the long hiatus, the documentary directed by Thom Zimny gives viewers a unique insight into Springsteen's creative process: choosing the set list, adjusting tempos, collaborating with background singers. In short: getting the band back together.
“I promised myself that if I got out of this, I would throw the biggest party ever,” Springsteen says in a story about the pandemic. He fulfilled his vow.
However, this tour, which will continue until 2025, is different from previous tours. Less improvised and more thoughtfully crafted, Springsteen created a 28-song setlist that the band has stuck to.
Drummer Max Weinberg says in the documentary that Springsteen's Broadway show and the narrative it wove “gave him a sense of what he wanted to do” in terms of storytelling this time around.
Watching Bruce and the E Street Band rehearse is a special and human experience.
Weinberg initially lamented in the studio, saying, “We played 'She's the One' so slow it became a ballad!”
The responsibility to keep things under control now rests largely on Van Zandt, who has been appointed the band's musical director.
After obsessively solving problems, they hold a dress rehearsal in an empty field in Trenton.
The documentary then goes on the tour, offering some biographical details and a touching tribute to E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who died in 2011. “Road Diaries” is also a well-made concert film, with “Night Shift” and “Last Man Standing” being highlights.
While “Road Diaries” doesn’t deal with Springsteen’s personal life as much as “Springsteen on Broadway” or his 2016 memoir “Born to Run,” we do sadly learn that his wife, Patti Scialfa, has been suffering from multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, since 2018.
Nowadays she occasionally joins him on stage for a song or two.
“This is the new normal for me right now, and I’m okay with it,” Scialfa says.
But the Boss goes on. As he has done in recent weeks, Springsteen stressed here that he will not be retiring in the near future.
“I plan to keep traveling until my wheels wear off. After being on the road for 50 years it's too late to stop now,” he says.
But on stage after the premiere, Bruce was more reflective. “If I went tomorrow, it wouldn't matter,” he said. “What's the point
Shit ride.”
