He's seen Bruce Springsteen over 100 times.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

I know this makes me a bad guy, but was only lukewarm on Springstein back in the day and find him to be a bit like Ric Flair at this point, enough already with the gimmick.

Lately, claw, you get your kicks from just driving Bruce down, down, down, down.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

There aren't many people who know less about music and pop culture than I do; however, I thought The Boss was universally loved by everyone who was into rock.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

The first question that popped to mind was: why?

He's right there with Elvis for the most overrated "musicians" of all time imho.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

I can't recall an entertainer that I've seen more than 5 times. I'm impressed by his dedication.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Bruce Springsteen is no Jeff Tweedy.

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I'm a greatest hits fan but I don't understand the love for his 3 hour concerts. Who wants to stand at a concert for 3 hours?

I know one or two superfans of the Boss. None of them have seen him 100 times, but they have seen him on multiple occasions. His concerts are marathon performances...he plays long shows with a lot of music. The set lists are mixed up and vary, so it's not the same formula repeated night after night. You'd never know it, but he's a much more skilled guitarist live than he's ever let on a record. I believe that's the rationale for seeing him repeatedly.

I wish I would have made myself see him on at least one occasion, but it never happened. Call it a regret, but I won't lose any sleep over it.

What I do know is he's one of many smug asswipes that feel he's qualified to strong-arm political opinions on anyone within ear's reach. Ted Nugent is the same way on the opposite end of the scale. Both of them can go fuck themselves.

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For the life of me, I don't get the appeal of that guy.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

I like how Springsteen rebranded from Jersey trash to a guy who seems vaguely western and dresses like he works a cattle ranch.

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To be fair, wearing almost exclusively denim is essentially the main fabric/look of both Jersey trash and cattle ranch wear.

I've traveled to other parts of the country to see bands, always smaller bands. Seeing the band was the least significant part of that activity. Visiting another town, meeting up with some of the same people from over and over played a larger role in those trips. I don't think I've seen any band more than a couple dozen times, at most. Never seen Springsteen. Saw Bob Dylan once, that sucked.

The crew I hung out with while in college was pretty much 100% into classic rock and the common refrain was that Springsteen was for “wimps and women”. Of course this was around the Dancing in the Dark era so his prevalence at parties amplified the level of disdain.

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“Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.”- JD Vance
“My god, what an !diot.”- JD Vance tweet on Trump
“I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy”- JD Vance

I'm a big Springsteen fan, but I could see why others wouldn't like him. He's extremely earnest, to the point that when he does irony (Born in the U.S.A.) no one accepts it and instead assumes that he's still being earnest.

I've seen him live twice. The last time was in 2003 when I paid $75 for the privilege of sitting in the very last row of the upper deck in Comiskey Park. After that, I vowed never to see him again.

To Antioch's point, he started affecting a southern accent in the mid 90's and hasn't lost it since. I think it's his attempt to remain a man of the people.

That's an interesting comparison. I'm not sure if you're serious. I like Tweedy better. But there may not be a Tweedy if there hadn't been a Springsteen. Who knows? He had to have been an influence to some degree.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Some things I've read have lead me to believe that "Dancing in the Dark" is considered one of the great songs in the Springsteen canon. I see it as a trifle. A weak pop song at best.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

I have a friend who has seen the Stones fifty times. Aggravated Bob has seen them a lot too. I don't think that many though. But he has seen them in London.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

I agree with all of that. The reason I mentioned Tweedy here is that Springsteen is frequently discussed as the greatest American songwriter since 1970 or so (after Dylan's peak). But I'd say Tweedy has Bruce beaten by a pretty wide margin at this point.

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I don't know if it's a wide margin, but I certainly think Tweedy is as great and maybe greater than Springsteen as a songwriter. But he hasn't had the same kind of commercial success as Bruce. And he's not part of the culture in the same way that Springsteen is. He'd be closer to Arthur Russell or Jeffrey Lee Pierce or Westerberg than he is to Springsteen or Dylan or Prince.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Springsteen is a very literal straight ahead songwriter. You usually don't need to think too hard to catch the meaning of one of his songs. So, if you're looking for lyrics that are a little harder to unpack, you have to give the edge to Tweedy.

On the other hand, while I know an album like Summerteeth has a lush sound and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot has an inventive if not always tuneful sound, I still don't think Tweedy has made something as musically satisfying as Born to Run or Darkness on the Edge of Town.

Greatest American Songwriter since 1970 (post Dylan)....
ahem....Tom Waits??
You could also argue Prince, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, James Taylor.

I like Springsteen but I don't have him Greatest of Anything.

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I like a fair amount of Petty's catalog, but most his songs are about as deep as a puddle. Eddie Vedder's "Porch" is better than anything Petty every wrote.

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There isn't a single Vedder/Pearl Jam song that is in the same ballpark as "American Girl."

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

That one song with the really sad melody where Vedder mumbles for a few minutes is pretty good.

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"Yellow Ledbetter"?

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Better Man
Tom Petty a far more decorated songwriter than Eddie Vedder, but you asked for a single song. BOOM!

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Present Tense has better lyrics than anything Petty every wrote.

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Someday we’ll go all the way.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

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