A man with a plan

This man is at the top of his game, on top of the world, just plain on top.

I watched the PBS Great Performances broadcast of The Seeger Sessions last night. Heckuva performance, heckuva show, heckuva band.

Springsteen obviously had a good time, and he's almost certainly still having a good time, not just because of everything he's already accomplished, but because of what that enables him to do in the future, to wit: just about any damn thing he pleases. It's not just a money thing, it's much deeper than that. Lots of people have more than enough money to do whatever they want to do (within the laws of our land, and there are plenty of rich dopes out there who attempt to do ANYTHING they wish; there's a higher power that deals with them, as the nation found out earlier this week). Choosing to do things, however, that make you feel good about yourself AND contibute to the betterment of society in general, man, that's the way to go.

In an interview last month, Sringsteen talked about having the ability to do whatever he wanted musically. There's no conglomerate to walk arm-in-arm with, no contractual obligation, no responsibility to sell out mega-shows, no real 'music business' to deal with, and those details only exists for a handful of artists. Even the biggest names in entertainment are beholden -- even if it is more than an amicable relationship -- to someone, be it a movie studio, music label, cable or broadcast network. When we read, see or hear reports about multi-jillion dollar box office, signing bonuses or contract signings, it is a gobsmack amount of cash, but it comes from somewhere, and it all has golden strings attached. The bigger the name, the more weight the name can throw around during negotiations, but even the biggies recognize that big dough comes with big expectations, and the financing entity needs to get that dough back from sales, sales, sales.

Along the way, the good, smart artists, plan ahead, for the time they can 'do what they want'. Springsteen's doing what he wants, and we're better off for it.

I must confess that, aside from knowing Pete Seeger's history, seeing him in documentaries and knowing his songs, I wouldn't have neccessarily called myself a fan. I appreciate his talent, his deserved iconic status and his contributions to the communal sense of knowing that government is (always supposed to be) of, for and about the people. Springsteen realizes this about Seeger -- safe to say Springsteen channels the Seeger energy -- and also realizes that this is a time when we need to hear Seeger's work, and understand what that work says about us.

So Springsteen decides to do Seeger, whilst putting his own Bruce stylings on the songs, and he puts a band together and goes on the road. From a musician's point of view, it's really obivous that, at least on the night(s) they taped, Springsteen enjoyed himself immensely. There are certain looks and interactions that musicians can pick up on that convey very specific things. There are the glances among bandmembers that convey a missed change, a cue to end the song, or a cue to extend a jam, or the signals to the guitar roadie or the house mixer. And then there are these other, more personal looks, and among those looks are the special smile or expression that only comes from someone who is part of a very special swirl of sound, a creation of energy that is one of the few times a human can create and be the creation at the same time.

Every musician loves being part of a really good band, but there is nothing like being in a great band, at a great time, in a great place. The Seeger Sessions is a great show.

Twenty-two years ago I worked a Springsteen tour, and while setting up my camera on the floor of a huuuuuggge venue, the boss was walking around the building, listening to the band as it did the soundcheck. As he walked up the center aisle to get back on stage, he made a slight detour to stop by and 'introduce' himself to me, and said, "Just wanted to say thanks for your work."

Helluva a guy, huh?

We're lucky to have Springsteen around, and really lucky that he's going down the road, doing what he's doing. He could choose to do anything he wants, he's chosen to do something obviously important to him and, maybe, more of us will understand why what he's doing is, and should remain, important to us.