More Bruce!

It's come to my attention that there is a faction of Bruce fans who are unhappy about him playing halftime at the Super Bowl. I learned this from a recent Joe Posnanski column on the subject, and it seems as though a number of die-hard fans think that because he has been turning down the opportunity to play the Super Bowl halftime show for years, his agreeing to do it this year means he is somehow "selling out." Now, I don't know if the people discussed in Posnanski's column actually represent a large number of Bruce fans, but I don't have the energy to go scouring message boards and Bruce blogs, so I'll just assume there is a relatively sizable number of Springsteen fans who feel this way. If so, that's just silly.

On a 1-10 scale, with 1 being "I'll stupidly sing along to Glory Days when it gets thrown on the jukebox," and 10 being, "I have a copy of an experimental ska album done by Clarence Clemons and Nils Lofgren," I'd say my Bruce fandom rates at about a 7. I love him, and of course the E Street Band, but I am not fanatical about him. I went through a two-year period around the turn of the century when I was obsessed with his three-disc live album, and I have now seen him in concert four times. In fact, on more than one occassion I've told people that seeing him with my three of my closest friends in a luxury box box (with an open bar) at Madison Square Garden in 2001 was the most fun I've ever had. And I meant it.

That being said, I am not as obsessed as many others are. And as a result, I may not have the same kind of connection deep in my soul where his decision to play the Super Bowl could somehow affect me. But at this point in his career, it's hard to imagine there is any way Bruce could realistically "sell out." The guy has been packing stadiums (not arenas, stadiums) for decades. He's sold millions of records and been worshipped by pretty much everyone everywhere.

Furthermore, the whole concept of selling out is kind of stupid to begin with. When musicians start making music, they're dream is to get as big as someone like Springsteen. That's the goal, to fill venues and sell countless records. The whole thing reminds of a quote about selling out that I believe has been credited to James Hetfield of Metallica. "Yeah we sold out. Every night, every show, every building." At this point, the only way I think Bruce could actually sell out is if he and the E Street band did a U.S. tour in support of Sarah Palin's 2012 presidential campaign. If that happens, then yeah, he sold out.

I realize it's common for fans who have been with an artist from the beginning to feel a sense of detachment when they hit it big. And when it happens, they will accuse the band of "selling out." But usually what happens in those cases is that the band then develops a whole new mainstream following and loses its original die-hards in the process, kind of like Blues Traveler. But even if there were Bruce fans who gave up on him when he hit it big, they are long gone. So if you're still a Bruce fan, you've lived through "Dancing in the Dark," you've lived through "Human Touch." For Godsakes, you've lived through that remix of "The Secret Garden" that played all over the radio that included audio clips from "Jerry Maguire." If you stayed with Bruce after that, how the hell could you think he is selling out now?

So what if Bruce has been turning down the Super Bowl for 20 years and suddenly decided he wants to do it. At this point, the guy doesn't have a lot left that he hasn't accomplished musically. Playing halftime of the Super Bowl is one more thing to check off the old list. And some might say he's only doing this because he wants to pimp his new record. So what? The guy just made a new album he's proud of, and he wants people to listen to it. Why not promote to the entire fucking world?

There's a chance that Posnanski is wrong, and Bruce fans aren't actually upset about this. If so, then I guess this whole post can serve as my feelings about the concept of "selling out."