“Springsteen concerts, when I first attended, were Atlantic Coast joy fests for a small community of like-minded fans. To discover that many other people share a taste for something oddball is a source of true shelter from the agglomerating powers of the mass. A Postmodernist would scoff and say nothing has changed, that Springsteen was always only merchandise. True, but in every possible way, Springsteen holds himself out as a force against such Postmodernist sophistication — on behalf of meaning, sincerity, and authenticity!”
– A snippet from Stephen Metcalf’s piece on Slate that accuses the Boss — his “oddball favorite from middle school” — of misreading the national mood in last night’s performance and moving away from his joy-fest roots in recent years.
Related post: Advance Notice: Bruce Springsteen’s Working on a Dream