London got a taste of The Boss on Friday night.
Bruce Springsteen took to a smaller stage than he’s accustomed to in the British capital on Friday night to discuss concert documentaries Road Diaries: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band During an event organized by Disney+, which will premiere the film on October 25 with Hulu.
Following the screening of the documentary, a Q&A session with The Boss provided additional insight, with The Boss receiving a standing ovation from his longtime friend and bandmate Stevie Van Zandt and director Thom Thom Zimny and producer and Sting manager Jon Landau provide additional insight. The conference was hosted by Scottish radio DJ and TV presenter Edith Bowman.
“If you have the right art, music and band, you go out and play every night like it’s your last night on earth,” Sting said of the band’s longevity. “That’s the band’s series philosophy and we’re going to stick to it.”
VanZandt added that the key is a shared vision rather than a focus on financial success. “This has been a complete artistic adventure from the beginning,” he said.
Sting and VanZant also stressed that death naturally became a larger theme and topic for the band as they got older, a key part of the latest world tour captured in the film. “It’s all about mortality, but we balance it with vitality,” VanZant said. “We’re not going out quietly. We’re bringing a hurricane!
When asked what it was like watching the documentary now, Stinging quipped that he slept most of the time. But he later said that working on stage requires a lot of concentration. “The key is you have to get into the audience and find yourself. I look at the audience every night and can find myself in anyone,” he shared. “This could be a child or anyone. The audience also has to recognize themselves in you.
Sting concluded: “This is the deep experience and connection we have had with our fans for 50, 60 years. The night you look out and you don’t recognize yourself is the night you go home.
Bob Geldof, filmmaker Gurinder Chadha and actors Roschdy Zem and Viveik Kalra are among Attended the Friday night event.
The film is hailed as the “deepest look” into how the band prepares for live performances, and offers unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to their 2023-2024 world tour. Sting’s long-time collaborator Zimny (sting on broadway) serves as director and executive producer alongside Sting, Adrienne Gerard and Sean Stewart.
Diary on the road Featuring Sting’s own perspective, as well as interviews with long-time musical collaborators such as guitarist Van Zandt, drummer Max Weinberg, Landau and his wife and fellow musician Patti Scialfa.
Sting, 75, will also be getting the movie treatment again. In April, 20th Century and Disney said they had landed save me from nowhere. Scott Cooper (crazy heart) will write and direct the feature based on the 2023 book Save Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” Author: Warren Zans. Bear Star Jeremy Allen White will play Boss in the movie.
From left to right: Thom Zimny, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Van Zandt and Jon Landau in London. By Dave Bennett/Getty for Disney+.
