Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band to Begin Tour in Europe

The first dates of Bruce Springsteen’s tour to promote his new album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions will be in Europe, according to Pollstar. Bruce Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band as they are billed by Pollstar have scheduled 10 dates in May beginning in Ireland and ending in Sweden.

05/05/06 Dublin, IRE
05/07/06 Manchester, UK
05/08/06 London, UK
05/10/06 Paris, FRA
05/12/06 Milan, ITA
05/13/06 Barcelona, SPA
05/16/06 Amsterdam, NET
05/17/06 Frankfurt, GER
05/20/06 Oslo, NOR
05/21/06 Stockholm, SWE

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions is set for release on April 25. The album is a collection of covers Springsteen has done of folk artist Pete Seeger (not to be confused with Bob Seger) music. Glen Boyd suggest not everyone in SpringsteenNation is thrilled with the idea of a folk-covers album.

I tend to agree with those in SpringsteenNation who are a tad grumpy about this album. I have yet to hear a single song from it so my criticisms or concerns are about the album as an idea, not the actual album itself. I am a Springsteen fan. He has been right more often than he has been wrong. He gets the benefit of the doubt. He will get my money. I just think this is not an album I am going to enjoy as much as his past work. It may turn out to be fantastic. I will know later this month. It’s just not the record I had hoped he was going to make.

Bruce Springsteen’s greatest strength as an artist is as a songwriter. The E-Street Band is great and Bruce is a better guitarist than he is given credit for but the reason I care is because of the songs. He has written some of the best songs in rock music history. There are a lot of fine singers out there in need of quality material. They should do Seeger albums. Springsteen can supply his own material. Springsteen should provide his own material.

As for this Seeger Sessions Band … it does not roll off the tongue quite as well as The E-Street Band. In the end, that is what most of Springsteen’s fans were likely hoping for with this new album. They wanted Bruce and the E-Street Band to make a new record and tour it. Of course, most of them would then want him to play nothing from the new album instead choosing to do 57-minute versions of “Racing in the Street.”

It is the challenge most veteran artists with loyal fan bases face. Artists get scourged if they stray too far from what made them popular and get hammered if they stay the same. It is a no-win proposition. I believe I am willing to give him more latitude than some of his fans but in the end I want what I want. Just like everyone else.

This is something from an e-mail a friend sent to me. It was posted on the respected Springsteen fan site GreasyLake.

Dear Mr. Springsteen

As you prepare to embark on your next tour I would
like to share with you some feedback from your real
fans here at Greasy Lake.

Please make this a full E Street Band tour, however
keep in mind Clarence is too old, Patti sings like a
cat in heat, it is not necessary to have Steven and
Nils on the same stage, and Soozie is not a real
member of the band.

Do not just perform a greatest hits show, but all the
new songs that we haven’t even heard yet are pure
crap.

Please do not perform in small venues, amphitheatres,
arenas or stadiums

Please have something to say, as long as you just shut
up and play.

While Nebraska is a great album, Bruce acoustic sucks

Interact with the crowd, just don’t tell us stories or
tell jokes

While we don’t mind paying for the privilege of seeing
you perform live, please play enough bad songs for an
adequate number of pee breaks.

For most of us, we love your voice, your passion, your
lyrics. We are lifelong fans, but can you please try
to be a little bit more like Phil Collins.

Make the shows just like 1978

Please have a fresh and innovative show, just don’t do
anything different.

Long Time Comming and The Hitter are beautifully
written songs but no one wants recycled songs. Please
play This Hard Land instead

Make the shows just like 1983

People would love to see you perform in a small
intimate setting, just don’t sit on a stool and strum
a guitar

I am sure as we get closer to April we will have many
more ideas for the tour, what the heck stick around
here long enough and you may just decide to forget the
whole thing, and save your fans the inconvenience of a
tour altogether.

Exactly.

I still want what I want even if I should just shut up.