Despite playing to several near-vacant audiences on his most recent tour, Bruce Springsteen's new Blu-Ray disc proves he's still watchable.
Last summer I was invited to see Bruce Springsteen perform live in Chicago, where I was visiting. He was in the midst of his Seeger Sessions Band Tour, which was hyped up by Bruce’s usual media supporters and his obsessed fans to be a groundbreaking event that would change the face of music. Because of my disappointment with Bruce Springsteen over the past decade, I kept my previous arrangement - watching a local nursing home ensemble perform My Fair Lady. Those who went to the show (and they did praise it) talked about the outdoor venue, where Jimmy Buffet was scheduled to play soon after, being half empty.…
Article comments
26 - daryl d
Never wasted my money on something I knew I wasn't going to like. Nice imagination though!
27 - Ray Ellis
Glad you asked, Daryl. I'm not sure what "assistant music director" means in regards to you. Could mean anything, I guess. But I'll happily tell you where I come from. I never worked for any fan club. Not my style. I'm too proactive.
I have been writing about music, film and pop culture in general for over 25 years, both here and abroad. Like most of my colleagues here, I've been immersed in music all my life. I've worked for labels, I've run record stores, and I've played in bands. Like Glen Boyd, Mark Saleski, El Bicho, Pico--it was the love of music that drove me to write about it. It's that love of music that colors our criticisms--not an illusory, ill-advised axe to grind that has nothing to do with the music.
What bothers me about your rants is they don't hold up to the light. I'm not just talking about music. You don't write about music any more than you write about politics or film. You only use those arenas to espouse your personal prejudices. And to add insult to injury, you never, ever make anything resembling a cohesive argument to back up your stances. And when somebody, anybody, calls you on it, you resort to puerile defenses. Whoever criticizes you is immature in your eyes. You'll never grow that way, Daryl.
Any other questions?
28 - ERIC MILLER
SORRY FOR SHOUTING BUT THIS THREAD MAKES ME ILL! FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T LIKE DARYL'S MUSIC REVIEWS, BUT SOME OF HIS OTHER ARTICLES HAVE BEEN OUTSTANDING! THE ONE ABOUT PRIME TIME TELEVISION AND THE ONE ABOUD DAN RATHER HAVE BEEN SPOT ON! THE ONLY REASON I COME TO THIS SITE SOMETIMES IS TO READ HIS ARTICLES (DAVE NALLE, I LIKE YOURS TOO!).
BUT FOR OTHER BLOGCRITICS TO COME HERE AND CRITICIZE HIS CRITICAL SKILLS IS RATHER TRANSPARENT, DON'T YA THINK? THE MUSIC SECTION HAS BECOME THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FANCLUB SITE. YOU GUYS ARE JUST AS PATHETIC AS CLAY AIKEN FANS. IF THIS WAS 20 YEARS AGO WHEN BRUCE WAS STILL SELLING RECORDS AND MAKING GOOD MUSIC, THAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT. BUT PLEASE DON'T CRITICIZE DARYL'S MUSIC CRITIC SKILLS (WHICH I ADMIT AREN'T HIS GREATEST STRENGH) WHEN YOU GUYS ARE FAR WORSE. DARYL, PLEASE KEEP COMING UP WITH YOUR HILARIOUS, OVER-THE-TOP ARTICLES BECAUSE THEY MAKE MY DAY!
YOUR FAN (MOST OF THE TIME)
ERIC MILLER
29 - Melissa
Daryl,
You have a whole thread arguing about whether you are a good writer or not. Some people hate you, some people love you. I would take that as a compliment. Personally, I think you are great. I loved your articles about U2 and Janet Jackson. Personally, I am a Bruce Springsteen fan, completely hated your article about him. But I am not a blind fanatic, like most of the people on this site, who have to go to Bruce Springsteen websites and write personal insults about you, even though they don't know you.
30 - Tom Johnson
Let's get something straight: there is NO SHILLING on Blogcritics. None. None at all. No one is paid to do any writing here. We write what we write because we want to, plain and simple. If I wasn't involved with Blogcritics, my writing would simply exist on my website, or I'd find another outlet for it, and that is the case for everyone else on Blogcritics, too. Here's another way to put it: if there were "shilling" going on, wouldn't someone have put a stop to Daryl's rants, since they go against the whole point of the shilling? (And it's interesting that Daryl knows how Blogcritics works and yet does nothing to stop the commentary about shilling, isn't it?)
I'd also like to point out that I'm not a Springsteen fan by any stretch of the imagination. I don't ever envision a time in my life when I would be. I'm simply here to back up the good writers of this site, not defend Springsteen.
And, Daryl, yes, you do know you're going to dislike Springsteen releases. You go in assuming the worst by bringing your prejudices to any Springsteen release you purchase. Your immediate reaction is morbid curiosity - "Because of my disappointment with Bruce Springsteen over the past decade" - rather than simple curiosity. And that's fine, as many of us have been burned by an artist in some way that makes us wary of their new releases. But don't try to play innocent after the fact.
I really wish that, instead of the negative diatribes you've become known for, you'd take your writing skills and put them to use on things you actually do like. I think we'd all enjoy reading about what you enjoy listening to. The best reviews are the ones that aren't taking any particular bent but are simply telling the readers about the album, why things work, why things don't work. Too often you rely on anger and negativity. It's just so spiteful sounding, to be honest. Armchair psychology: I think you get a thrill out of the attention the negative stuff gets you, rather than the thrill of simply writing a good piece. I know it's a more subtle thrill, but it's a lot more satisfying.
Also, I'm curious, is that "Cop Killer" song on this release?
31 - El Bicho
Sandra, I'm not sure what my articles and my comments have to do with each other, but considering you find daryl a fantastic writer, I'll take your assessment of "highly immature" as a compliment.
"But I can't find an article where he wrote afterwards, unless something is wrong with my browser."
Can you scroll down? It was in the comments. There's a difference between saying SP had a few bad episodes in a season, which it always does, and it jumped the shark. Go to their website and you'll see.
"I would have to consider [WTC] a flop."
Unfortunately, you would be wrong as well because "flop" means complete failure, and financially it wasn't. In Jan. when the statements were first made, WTC had made back 90% of its budget, while U93 had made 75%. No matter what someone says or how many times they say it, 90% will is better than 75%. Notice in the original article and here now no backup knowledge is provided to dispute the figures from IMDb.com. Numbers don't lie.
"that doesn't answer why the media doesn't keep going after [O'Reilly] on this. This should have ruined his career, but it didn't because the general media are too afraid to question him."
Olbermann and plenty of other people still bring up the incident, so it never went a way, but apparently you also think that from 2004-07 the media should not have bothered with Iraq, North Korea, Iran, the '06 elections, Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami, the death of Pope John Paul II, et al, so they could devote time to a non-story after the initial reports. Sorry, but I don't want to live in that world.
And just why should it ruin his career? Was Bob Barker's career ruined when he got into similar messes? Is the general media scared to take on the beloved host of The Price Is Right? O'Reilly stayed because he makes and would continue to make a ton of money for a lot of people and that far outweighed the value of complaints received. Show business is a business.
No one is telling you or anyone else not to enjoy daryl's work, but to claim he has "more backup knowledge than a lot of people on this site" is not accurate, but believe what you will.
32 - Matthew T. Sussman
"there is NO SHILLING on Blogcritics."
That's right, he has his own blog -- 38 Pitches.
...wait...
33 - daryl d
Gosh, I didn't realize I had fans that come to this site just to read my articles. I am really honored about this. No wonder why some other critics here hate me so much. Thanks Eric and Melissa.
34 - Ray Ellis
It's mind-boggling, alright. Eric and Melissa even structure their sentences the same. And oddly, they've admired you from afar all this time. Go figure.
35 - daryl d
Nice imagination, Ray. Go back to your fanboy club.
36 - Ray Ellis
That's your best shot, Daryl? Please enlighten us. How exactly do you define a fanboy, and how does that exclude you from criticism. This will count as 1/3 of your final grade, so don't be tardy.
37 - daryl d
I am in NO WAY excluded from criticism. In fact, I've only been writing critical articles for 7 months. I'm in NO WAY an expert. I do like feedback and the feedback I've been getting over my work here has been 50% fantastic and 50% poor. Sort of interesting, really. I am especially interested in the poor feedback because there is always room for improvement. But I feel some of the feedback I'm getting around here has nothing to do with my writing, but it is rather just blatant personal attacks from "fanboys" of a certain artist or computers - by the way, HP has recalled many of the "tablets" I gave a bad review to, so I feel vindicated there --I don't think that anybody from Blogcritics is being paid by Bruce Springsteen's record company. But I do feel that Blogcritics (the music section at least) has become a gathering spot for his main fanatics and if you don't agree with them, damn you to Hell!
About my job as Assistant Music Director. I worked in a MAJOR market. Let me tell you that I was involved in many payola offerings, had many chanced to get laid in order to get records played, and I even had a casual fling with a MAJOR MEGASTAR back in 1992 (and I'm surprised only a couple tabloids ever picked it up). I am responsible for some songs that were released as singles ("I'm Every Woman" by Whitney Houston was released as the second single, rather than the third - from the Bodyguard - because of my input). I know what went on. I have a great background knowledge (mostly of 80s and 90s music) so I do have a place to write from.
Ok, I answered your question the best I could without getting too angry.
38 - Little Steven
"I even had a casual fling with a MAJOR MEGASTAR back in 1992"
Ah, your hatred of Springsteen makes sense now.
39 - daryl d
LOL! It wasn't Bruce, but I know I set myself up with that comment.
40 - daryl d
To make matters worse: I'm relocating to New Jersey next week!
41 - Ray Ellis
Good news for LA. Bad news for Jersey.