It was a global battle of the bands.
73-year-old New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band. vs. 73-year-old Long Island, New York, native Billy Joel and his fine musicianship.
Two of them Best singer-songwriter has ever been produced in the United States.
Face off on consecutive nights, Thursday and Friday, on neutral turf.
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No, not Central Park. Hyde Park. And no, not Hyde Park, New York.
Hyde Park, London. Around 60,000 people attend each night of the British Summer Time series.
British venue Appropriate. Both Springsteen and Billy Joel were huge fans of and played with members of England’s best – perhaps the world’s best – rock ‘n’ roll band, The Beatles. (Joel even did a cover of “Hard Day’s Night” in his encore.)
Yet these two artists have a 50-year long track record that stands on its own. Both have been releasing albums since the early 70s. Most have gone platinum or gold. Each performer has sold over 150 million records… and counting.
And their New York-New Jersey blue collar roots are well known. Billy Joel played his last concert at Shea Stadium. Bruce Springsteen closes out Giant Stadium. Their post-9/11 tribute is remembered by all. Springsteen’s “My City of Ruins.” Joel’s “New York State of Mind.”
But that’s where things start to differ. Springsteen has released 22 studio albums to date. Joel 12, essentially stopping after 1993. (As Joel likes to note, The Beatles also released “only” 12 albums.)
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Springsteen treated his audience this week to cuts from his two most recent albums. Joel commented, “I’ve got bad news and good news for you. The bad news is you won’t hear any new material at this concert. The good news is you won’t hear any new material at this concert.” (Though, it must be said, Springsteen himself leaned heavily on older material. He did most of the ’80s “Born in the USA” albums and most of the ’70s “Born to Run” discs.)
Both of them looked great for their 73 years. Both are wearing “dad jeans” and showing off a little punch under their black shirts. Bruce has more hair. Joel at one point looked up at a jumbo screen version of himself and said, ‘Hi dad… I never thought I’d look like my dad.’
And Bruce of course ran around more, including up and down the stairs to work the audience (although he ended up dancing on top of the speakers).
Both have fine voices. (No near-turtle-croaking Dylan for these two.) Joel has good “nick,” as we say here in the UK Springsteen’s sometimes gruff vocals are a product of 50 years of arena shouting.
For better or worse, both remain significant Clear from politics Either international (read Russia’s war on Ukraine) or US (read 2024 race for the White House). That’s if you exclude ’80s slump songs like Springsteen’s “USA” and Joel’s “Allentown.”
Both had a sense of humor… but different. Bruce leans more toward locker-room and rough-housing antics on songs like “Glory Days” and “Mary’s Place” with his beloved E Street Band. Joel had a more wise-acre self-deprecating line.
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In fact, Billy’s relationship with his music was pure Brill building, the hit factory of the ’50s and ’60s. When he would introduce songs like “My Life,” “Innocent Man,” “Sometimes a Fantasy” and “Don’t Ask Me Why,” he would say “this song was from that album” or “this is an album cut that Never had a hit.”
Most of Springsteen’s songs had no spoken introductions. As if the opening melody and building melody are enough for the eager and dedicated fans to recognize massive epic songs like “The Rising,” “The River” and “Badlands.”
They were, in fact, two completely different concerts. Springsteen was an epic and spanned three hours… 28 songs. Joel’s set was the better part of two hours, and still 23 songs, no doubt polished during his time. Madison Square Garden Show residency.
This was my eighth Springsteen concert and the big difference this time was his awareness of mortality. Songs from his latest album such as “Last Man Standing” and old songs refer to friends who have passed. Includes late band members such as sax player Clarence Clemons.
Although I’m sorry to say as a Long Island boy I only saw Joel twice. This week he came to mark his closest time on this planet with his closing salutation to the London crowd: “See you again… maybe.” And of course, his classic, “Only the Good Die Young.”
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For listeners, both should be said to rank slightly higher on the demographic meter. “Boomer or bust” with well-worn tour T-shirts. But enough adult age and younger kids are mixed in to give a wider audience feel.
And both audiences, equally, in their own ways, are devoted to their artist.
Bruce’s fans were more dedicated and obsessed. We spoke with a colleague Newton, Massachusetts, reported that he went to 150 Bruce concerts…11 on this tour. At the end of each song, fans let out the trademark chant, “Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucg aw” (Which always sounds like “boo!” but we know it’s not).
Joel’s fans, I’d say, are more loving and caring… and a bit old-fashioned. Every song was one big karaoke. A concert neighbor gave a running analysis of each song. And a young couple nearby decided that every love song deserves accompanying affection.
At the beginning of this story, I described it as a “battle of the bands.” With the assumption that a winner will be announced at the end of it. Sorry, but I’m going to “cop out” and call it a “draw”. But a “good” draw with everyone as winners, musicians and listeners.
Both Bruce and Billy have been playing and/or performing for decades. They and their band looked like they were having a ball on stage. Bruce’s songs, I would say, are more roots-driven and emotional. Billy’s inventor and pop.
No one sings “Born to Run” or “Piano Man” on stage! Especially poignant because these “Old World” audiences embraced these “New World” bands as their own.
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Apart from ubiquity cell phone With many outstretched hands seeming to record every minute of the concert, everyone had a few hours to come together, forget the extent of their problems and small problems, and bask in one big communal love.
To quote another line from these four British “mop-tops,” “a great time is guaranteed for all.” And it was.
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