'Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band' Brings 'Glory Days' to the Viewer

         On October 25, 2024, Hulu released 'Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band', which has earned predominantly positive reviews from critics and a score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing. In the film, "Bruce Springsteen and "The E Street Band" offer an in-depth look at the creation of their live performances, including footage of band rehearsals, backstage moments, rare archival clips and personal reflections." Read the full review round-up below.

       Johnny Oleksinski of New York Post says, "While “Road Diary” does not concern Springsteen’s personal life as much as “Springsteen on Broadway” or his 2016 memoir “Born to Run” so sublimely did, we sadly learn that his wife, Patti Scialfa, has been suffering from multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, since 2018. Nowadays, she joins him onstage only occasionally for one or two songs.“That’s the new normal for me right now, and I’m OK with that,” Scialfa says." Adding, that the film is "An enlightening behind-the-scenes glimpse at the E Street Band’s current tour."

        David Fear of Rolling Stone notes, "When it digs into why this particular series of shows mattered so much to the people in the audience and those playing these songs -- one person in particular -- it becomes something special." Concluding, "Gone is the human-jukebox vibe of previous tours, when Bruce would gather signs from audience members and play Stump the Band on a nightly basis. The singer has put together a specific set list, one that he says represents “the story I want to tell right now.” There’s an arc to not just what they’re going to be playing once things kick off in Florida, but when they’re playing it — a lot is made of the fact that something like “Backstreets” feels different when it’s following “Last Man Standing,” from the 2020 album Letter to You. Springsteen has a lot to say, and he wants these new shows to reflect that. There’s a narrative here, one that covers, per the Boss, “life, death and everything in between.”

       Owen Gleiberman of Variety writes, "At the end, Bruce, speaking to us in voiceover, says that he plans to just keep going, to play in concert “until the wheels come off.” Watching “Road Diary,” you hope they never do." Continuing, "These guys (and girls, notably Springsteen’s wife of 33 years, Patty Scialfa, who reveals in the movie her diagnosis of early-stage multiple myeloma), have earned the right to salute their longevity and the bliss they bring out in each other. Their acknowledgment of the loss of band members Danny Federici and the great Clarence Clemons (who was replaced by his nephew, Jake Clemons, who does a good job but summons maybe half the sound that Clarence did) are stirring and sobering. (Onstage during the tour, Bruce sings the Commodores’ “Night Shift” as a tribute to them. It becomes one of the concert’s showstoppers.)"

Photo by John Jackson on Unsplash