The film documents the band's 2009 performance at Asbury Park's Paramount Theatre. In an effort to "best capture the starkness of the original album" the performance was done without a live audience present. The result is an in your face, warts and all live rendering of the now classic 1978 album.
Director Thom Zimny, DOC NYC's Creative Director Thom Powers, and drummer Max Weinberg were on hand to talk about how the film and subsequent screening came about. For Zimny, the project spawned from an accidental moment in which the director found himself caught onstage during a band rehearsal. The intimacy and energy he felt on that stage sparked an idea for capturing the band up close, with the cameras onstage and among the performers. The typical Springsteen arena concert with a large audience would require the director to shoot from long distances with telephoto lenses. When Zimny approached Springsteen with his idea and his concerns in bringing it to light, it seems the musician was one step ahead and suggested performing the concert sans audience.
DOC NYC's Thom Powers, who also helped organize the Toronto International Film Festival, spoke of what led to last night's screening at NYC's historic Zeigfeld Theatre. After the Toronto premiere of Zimny's other Springsteen film, documenting the recording of the original Darkness album, the Springsteen camp invited a few people to see some additional footage featured in the upcoming boxset. One clip was from the 2009 Asbury Park performance. Powers was convinced that the 2009 performance needed a larger exhibition than just DVD, if even for one night. Much like Zimny, Powers approached the Springsteen camp with his idea and they quickly agreed.
Springsteen's live shows have well been known for the connection between the artist and his audience. The lack of an audience reveals, as Max Weinberg put it "even in rehearsal, this is no off switch with Bruce." Zimny's camera documents the raw power of Springsteen and his band. We see Max Weinberg read slight visual queues from Springsteen leading the way through the song, we see Clarence Clemons cheering Springsteen on through a guitar solo and we see Steven Van Zandt looking for just the right moment to pull off a soulful fill on his guitar.
As fantastic as the movie is, something must be said for the audio. It is amazing. And loud, very loud. Everything is captured in brilliant clarity, bringing the experience to an even higher level.
It's certainly not unusual to sing along to a live concert. And it's not unusual to sing along to a concert video in your home. But a movie theater has a different decorum. It provides the viewer an opportunity to just watch. While much of the Springsteen experience is participatory, just watching the band provides a different perspective, one Weinberg commented "I've never seen before, and one I think I need to see again. Most in the audience held their applause for the short pauses between each song but more than a few could not suppress the urge for a "Bruuuuce."
A short Q&A session followed with Zimny and Weinberg, in which the drummer revealed he fully intends to tour with the E-Street Band on the "sooner side of sooner or later," and that he usually gets Springsteen a "good book for Christmas." The drummer also spoke of the perspective the film gave him and how while in the midst of performance it's rare to hear the song as a whole. The film allowed Weinberg to watch he and his bandmates perform from the perspective of their audience and in nearly forty years of music it seems to be a rare treat for him.
DOC NYC is being presented in partnership with NYU-SCPS. For the past few months my friends Mark Parsia - who I owe an extra special thanks for an invite to the screening - and Mary Domowitz have been working hard to pull the festival's inaugural running together. The festival runs from Nov. 3-9 and features many wonderful films, panels and events throughout. For a full schedule check out DOC NYC. And also check out NYU-SCPS' Department of Film, Video, and Broadcasting - they have a great selection of courses!
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