The performance that almost derailed Bruce Spingsteen’s career: “By showtime, I’m fucked”
Why do they call Bruce Springsteen The Boss? Well, if you want to get technical, it’s because he used to look after the money the band made on the road. However, if you’re going to understand better why the nickname has stuck, all you need to do is see him perform live. Even now, decades into his career and at an age where many artists might call it a day, Springsteen continues to go on stage every night and blow away crowds with one of the best live shows on the planet.
The stage is a sanctuary for Springsteen. He stands at the altar, the crowd in worship, God being music and Springsteen the vessel through which it’s projected. Every second of every set is packed full of energy as Springsteen performs an array of songs from his discography. Old classics, covers, and new material ring out in what is one of The Boss’s favourite places on earth.
After decades of performing, he has developed an affinity for the live show. He is an incredibly aware artist, knowing full well that people have paid money to see him, and therefore, anything below his very best would be doing them a disservice. He believes he has to win the audience over, and they should be guided by his performance and his performance only. It was this mindset that landed him in a tricky position when he arrived to do his first London show.
In his book, Springsteen reflects on arriving at the venue, “As we pulled up to the outside, the brightly lit marquis reads, ‘Finally!! London is ready for Bruce Springsteen’. Reflecting, this is not exactly the tone I’d have preferred been struck,” he said, “It feels, perhaps, a little too… presumptuous?”
The presumptions didn’t stop there either, as the venue had doubled down on advertising Springsteen as one of the best musicians in the market. “Once I am inside I am greeted by a seas of posters on every available flat surface and in every seat proclaiming me ‘the next fucking big thing!’” Something that Springsteen described as “The kiss of death!”
He spent all of his time pre-show taking the posters down because he hated them so much. “My business is show business and that is the business of showing… not telling. You don’t tell people anything, you show them, and let them decide.”
Once the posters were down, Springsteen struggled to get back into the swing of the gig. The feeling in the dressing room was a nervous one, and he was unable to settle. “By showtime, I’m fucked,” he recalled, “I’m pathetically wrecked and nervous.” Regardless, Springsteen managed to go on stage and perform what ended up being a pretty good gig, even if it didn’t feel like it at the time. He has looked back on the footage since and is pleasantly surprised at how well the show turned out.
The point isn’t about how good the gig may have been in hindsight, though. Springsteen still tours and keeps making music because he is passionate about it. That means that he holds himself to a high standard. He wants to be the best because he is the best; he doesn’t want to tell people he’s the best and then not be able to live up to it. As such, there should be no posters at his shows proclaiming him to be above anyone else; they’re direct orders from The Boss.
