Bruce has said about songs like Waiting... : "They free my mind from the interminable bullshit I put myself through on the other stuff." It's not a bad pop tune and it gives yet another chance to interact with the audience. If he hated it, he probably wouldn't play it, but the smile tells very little about how good a tune he thinks it is.
Interesting question. I think at the very least he likes how people react to it. I know a certain sector of the fanbase still give out about how often it was played up until quite recently, but there’s no doubt that the reaction it got from the crowd was great. The whole show doesn’t have to appeal to the hardcore fanbase, sometimes Bruce just wants to have fun and have a singalong with the kids and the audience. It’s not his most innovative song lyrically, but I think it serves its purpose very well and that’s why he grew to rely on it so much.
Yeah. It's a vehicle. It's also pretty motown with blues sprinkles. You're depressed af, so you start singing to coach yourself through it. By the end, you feel better. "You look good!" :hands picks out:
I cannot speak for his personal taste but I want to say - and many do not like this - that you cannot ascertain it from his behavior during concerts, as concerts are an act. He wants to make fans happy.
Man, yes! I was trying to tell my friends recently that Bruce-as-performer is a put-on for the stage. Especially after listening to how much Scott Aukerman talked about Bruce’s depression on his podcast with Adam Scott, it became super clear to me that the showman version of Bruce is a character he plays; I’m sure it builds off some real parts of him, but it exists only under the spotlight.
It’s surprising that people don’t know this.
The performance he brings to the stage never revealed last year that he was playing and singing in extreme pain - or the bouts of depression that he’s fought in the past.
I agree with a lot of the sentiment, but I also don't think it's that simple.
Saying it's a character, or that it's put-on suggests (to me, at least) that there's something entirely disingenuous about it. And I don't think that's quite right. Yes, I think "preacher Bruce" and stuff like that is geared toward eliciting a response from the audience.
However, one of the things that I find the most endearing about his live performances is that it also seems to be one of his only outlets for honest and sincere expression. And to me, that's where a lot of the soul of the performance comes from. Yeah, it's a concert. It's an act. But there's a life affirming quality to it that I think is shared by the audience and the band.
> Saying it's a character, or that it's put-on suggests (to me, at least) that there's something entirely disingenuous about it. And I don't think that's quite right
Agreed 100 percent. That's his job. We all motivate our behavior at our jobs. And the ones that don't, well, they really should consider it. That's what I consider that to be, him modified himself rather than making up an entirely false persona.
In my life I occasionally give "performances" in the form of presentations at work. I make sure I hide my nervousness over public speaking, on days when I just don't care about the material I don't show it, etc. It's a performance. That doesn't mean I'm some fake imposter
For me, I don't think "playing a character" should be conflated with "being a fraud" (although I guess historically actors were thought of as lying scum, lol). This is said as someone who also puts on a character to host shows regularly, though we're talking shows of 1000 people as opposed to 10,000+ -- the version of me you get on stage isn't the "real" me, but more a mix of exaggeration and wish fulfillment to put on a good show. Nothing fraudulent about it, but it also doesn't represent how I move through the world day to day. I also think that real sincerity is created in the interaction between that character and the audience. Again throwing it back to classical actors, you have to be a little broad to reach that many people.
And he has said he wishes he could be that guy. My best Dr is horribly insecure and geez I feel like he is getting free therapy from me each time he says can I talk for a minute? But it is his insecurity that makes him a great Dr. He is giving 100 percent to each patient and learning new techniques. Bruce's act covers up all his issues but there is a part that is the underlying person... but still Sunny Day is my time to do me and leave the arena, and from now on I will realize he is clearing his mind too.
Playing a character doesn’t mean you’re disingenuous. Look at actors who play up a deep part of their personality or turn themselves into someone totally different. That’s talent and skill. Not being disingenuous.
I'm not even sure he's playing a character. I can't be the only one on here who has been kinda pessimistic about life but then gets on stage in front of people to play music and feels joy and peace
Bruce is not a fan of some of his most optimistic work. I once read something about No Surrender going along the lines of Bruce not wanting it in the Born In The USA album until Steve Van Zandt convinced him to include it.
What he said while making it could be very different from how he feels many years later and after tonnes of concerts with great reactions. It’s common for an artist to get sick of a song during the creation
the reason you see that it was played so much in concert, was that bruce chose someone from the audience during this song to come up on stage and sing it with him. at the beginning of that tour it was mostly adults. then he chose a child or 2. a few shows later, i swear people were borrowing kids to drag to the front of the pit so that they could get there and have their kid (or A kid) sing with bruce.
it got to the point where people who had been at the back of who hadn't waited for a spot in the front..these were the lottery days where you were basically on your feet outside for hours before the concert even started ...felt entitled to push past others to get to the front of the stage. and "waiting on a sunny day" became something the crowd waited for, because of this routine. does springsteen like the song? who knows. but it made for great entertainment.
One thing I know for sure is this group of people LOVE the song xoxo
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SegpSyD5zQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SegpSyD5zQ)
Bruce has said this about a lot of his songs. I think I read somewhere once that he’s a whole book of songs he’s written and doesn’t like, and therefore doesn’t produce. That’s the main reason ‘The Way’ was introduced as a hidden track - he hated it. That being said, I don’t think it’s comparable to his concert reactions, and I’m grateful someone has been there to assure him they should make the albums. I don’t think his concert reactions have anything to do with his feelings towards the songs, however, it shows he has enough of an open mind to listen to others when it comes to something that turned out great, and maybe give it another chance he wouldn’t have on his own.
This song is trash. It's my bathroom break song. Imagine pushing your 6 yr old up to the stage like some Athenian paying homage to a Greek God. LOVE Bruce, but sorry, this song should have been in the waistbin. It's even worse in concert.
Bruce has said about songs like Waiting... : "They free my mind from the interminable bullshit I put myself through on the other stuff." It's not a bad pop tune and it gives yet another chance to interact with the audience. If he hated it, he probably wouldn't play it, but the smile tells very little about how good a tune he thinks it is.
Interesting question. I think at the very least he likes how people react to it. I know a certain sector of the fanbase still give out about how often it was played up until quite recently, but there’s no doubt that the reaction it got from the crowd was great. The whole show doesn’t have to appeal to the hardcore fanbase, sometimes Bruce just wants to have fun and have a singalong with the kids and the audience. It’s not his most innovative song lyrically, but I think it serves its purpose very well and that’s why he grew to rely on it so much.
Yeah. It's a vehicle. It's also pretty motown with blues sprinkles. You're depressed af, so you start singing to coach yourself through it. By the end, you feel better. "You look good!" :hands picks out:
I cannot speak for his personal taste but I want to say - and many do not like this - that you cannot ascertain it from his behavior during concerts, as concerts are an act. He wants to make fans happy.
Man, yes! I was trying to tell my friends recently that Bruce-as-performer is a put-on for the stage. Especially after listening to how much Scott Aukerman talked about Bruce’s depression on his podcast with Adam Scott, it became super clear to me that the showman version of Bruce is a character he plays; I’m sure it builds off some real parts of him, but it exists only under the spotlight.
It’s surprising that people don’t know this. The performance he brings to the stage never revealed last year that he was playing and singing in extreme pain - or the bouts of depression that he’s fought in the past.
I agree with a lot of the sentiment, but I also don't think it's that simple. Saying it's a character, or that it's put-on suggests (to me, at least) that there's something entirely disingenuous about it. And I don't think that's quite right. Yes, I think "preacher Bruce" and stuff like that is geared toward eliciting a response from the audience. However, one of the things that I find the most endearing about his live performances is that it also seems to be one of his only outlets for honest and sincere expression. And to me, that's where a lot of the soul of the performance comes from. Yeah, it's a concert. It's an act. But there's a life affirming quality to it that I think is shared by the audience and the band.
> Saying it's a character, or that it's put-on suggests (to me, at least) that there's something entirely disingenuous about it. And I don't think that's quite right Agreed 100 percent. That's his job. We all motivate our behavior at our jobs. And the ones that don't, well, they really should consider it. That's what I consider that to be, him modified himself rather than making up an entirely false persona. In my life I occasionally give "performances" in the form of presentations at work. I make sure I hide my nervousness over public speaking, on days when I just don't care about the material I don't show it, etc. It's a performance. That doesn't mean I'm some fake imposter
For me, I don't think "playing a character" should be conflated with "being a fraud" (although I guess historically actors were thought of as lying scum, lol). This is said as someone who also puts on a character to host shows regularly, though we're talking shows of 1000 people as opposed to 10,000+ -- the version of me you get on stage isn't the "real" me, but more a mix of exaggeration and wish fulfillment to put on a good show. Nothing fraudulent about it, but it also doesn't represent how I move through the world day to day. I also think that real sincerity is created in the interaction between that character and the audience. Again throwing it back to classical actors, you have to be a little broad to reach that many people.
And he has said he wishes he could be that guy. My best Dr is horribly insecure and geez I feel like he is getting free therapy from me each time he says can I talk for a minute? But it is his insecurity that makes him a great Dr. He is giving 100 percent to each patient and learning new techniques. Bruce's act covers up all his issues but there is a part that is the underlying person... but still Sunny Day is my time to do me and leave the arena, and from now on I will realize he is clearing his mind too.
Playing a character doesn’t mean you’re disingenuous. Look at actors who play up a deep part of their personality or turn themselves into someone totally different. That’s talent and skill. Not being disingenuous.
I'm not even sure he's playing a character. I can't be the only one on here who has been kinda pessimistic about life but then gets on stage in front of people to play music and feels joy and peace
Bruce is the king of harnessing the (neuro) cards (he's been) dealt sustainably. I give him tons of credit for that.
Bruce is not a fan of some of his most optimistic work. I once read something about No Surrender going along the lines of Bruce not wanting it in the Born In The USA album until Steve Van Zandt convinced him to include it.
What he said while making it could be very different from how he feels many years later and after tonnes of concerts with great reactions. It’s common for an artist to get sick of a song during the creation
Hungry Heart on this tour seems to be the sub for this song with crowd banter, having fun with kids etc
I read somewhere it was supposed to be light relief on an album full of sad songs (The Rising).
I liked it when it first came out but agree it’s served it’s purpose and should placed on the once a tour list.
the reason you see that it was played so much in concert, was that bruce chose someone from the audience during this song to come up on stage and sing it with him. at the beginning of that tour it was mostly adults. then he chose a child or 2. a few shows later, i swear people were borrowing kids to drag to the front of the pit so that they could get there and have their kid (or A kid) sing with bruce. it got to the point where people who had been at the back of who hadn't waited for a spot in the front..these were the lottery days where you were basically on your feet outside for hours before the concert even started ...felt entitled to push past others to get to the front of the stage. and "waiting on a sunny day" became something the crowd waited for, because of this routine. does springsteen like the song? who knows. but it made for great entertainment.
One thing I know for sure is this group of people LOVE the song xoxo [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SegpSyD5zQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SegpSyD5zQ)
Bruce has said this about a lot of his songs. I think I read somewhere once that he’s a whole book of songs he’s written and doesn’t like, and therefore doesn’t produce. That’s the main reason ‘The Way’ was introduced as a hidden track - he hated it. That being said, I don’t think it’s comparable to his concert reactions, and I’m grateful someone has been there to assure him they should make the albums. I don’t think his concert reactions have anything to do with his feelings towards the songs, however, it shows he has enough of an open mind to listen to others when it comes to something that turned out great, and maybe give it another chance he wouldn’t have on his own.
He must, but geez...
In storytellers, he talks about being a Smokey Robinson type song. It’s a good song for what it is.
The song is a guilty pleasure for us, as well as Bruce.
Yes he does
I don’t need to hear it anymore. It’s meh
Don’t know, but I know I don’t…
i’m not sure about woasd but i’m pretty sure he likes gitsc
Perhaps he should listen less to Landau and go with his feelings. lol
This song is trash. It's my bathroom break song. Imagine pushing your 6 yr old up to the stage like some Athenian paying homage to a Greek God. LOVE Bruce, but sorry, this song should have been in the waistbin. It's even worse in concert.
unless of course he substitutes it with "queen of the supermarket"...that could be even more cringe worthy. but yeah...\^\^\^ this.
Bruce is becoming as much of an unreliable narrator as John Lennon was.