Continuing my current obsession with Blu-ray concerts, a new disc arrived today:  A Musicares Tribute to Bruce Springsteen.  About 25 musicians covering Bruce’s songs.

The photo shows Emmylou Harris singing one of my favourites: My Hometown.  Here are some of the lines:

Now Main Street’s whitewashed windows
And vacant stores
Seems like there ain’t nobody
Wants to come down here no more
They’re closing down the textile mill
Across the railroad tracks
Foreman says “These jobs are going, boys
And they ain’t coming back
To your hometown”

I haven’t seen the Blu-ray yet, but one article talked about Bruce being on the edge of tears as Emmylou sang.

How marvelous to have your work appreciated.  Your passion, your commitment to humanity.  Bruce, and all of us, deserve life’s blessings.

I was sitting here reading the liner notes of the Blu-ray, and I came upon this:

Many people to thank.  I began reading the names.

And then I stopped.  I got what I was doing – looking for people I recognized, and ignoring the rest.  I’d heard the name “Jon Landau”.  He’s a record producer.  But the next human being?  “Marilyn Laverty” is a mystery.  And all the way down to “Cindy Zaplachinski”.  Unknown to me … and subtly dismissed in favour of fame.

How sad.  Marilyn and Cindy deserve my respect and love as much as Jon.

It’s time to wake up some more, Bruce.

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Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Kerr

Marilyn Laverty

Cindy Zaplachinski

Us