Bruce Springsteen

The perfect candidate for the Storytellers series, Bruce Springsteen translates his long-winded banter into explaining where eight songs he's written originated. Over two hours, Springsteen entertains a relatively small audience by performing classics like "Brilliant Disguise" and "Nebraska" before self-analysing them line by line. What might sound like torturous tedium proves to be an insightful and fascinating exercise. Springsteen is appropriately stoic reflecting upon "Devils & Dust" and "The Rising," though he speaks of the songs' subjective significance rather than their perceived connection to the recent Gulf War and 9/11, respectively. While "Blinded by the Light" may have elicited "new Dylan" comparisons, Springsteen charmingly speaks of using a rhyming dictionary to compose it. Closing with "Thunder Road," Springsteen suggests that the song marked a pivotal point in his career as an artist. If it's not already clear from his records, this unique concert conveys the earnest thought Springsteen puts into every song he writes. Plus: audience Q&A (SMV)