When the world shut down in 2020, effectively putting live music on hold, missing out on past acts like Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band felt an extra pain. In the autumn of their lives there was less spectacle and less time to practice the craft that defined their existence. For these artists, the last time many of them were in one room was during recording. Letter to you (2019). So when they gathered in a Red Bank rehearsal studio to prepare for their return tour, they had a clear narrative in mind.

Thom Zimny’s reflective documentary “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band” is an intimate portrait of the band trying to honor their history while looking forward to their future. With his background with the Boss—Zimny ​​is actually the artist’s chronicler—he has an unusual rapport with the band. This intimacy, especially the behind-the-scenes elements of Springsteen and co. Creating a set list is invaluable in a film whose message is as direct as the concerts it captures.

The film is unofficially divided into several parts. The first twenty minutes or so are the band’s rehearsals. Springsteen’s narration explains his goals for these crossovers: Shake off the cobwebs and find the story you want the track listing to tell. For the most part, the band’s main fear in these early stages is that they won’t be able to deliver the kind of show fans are used to seeing. After all, the band is several years older, in a profession where the years are increasingly felt since they last performed live. Interestingly, when they first played He is the Onenoticeably slower than normal. There are also new band members like singer and percussionist Anthony Almonte. There are also new songs from the “Letter to You” album and Springsteen’s R&B covers album “Only the Strong Survive”; Two albums that, like this film and the tour it captures, are a reflection of the past.

Much like the set list, which seems to be the guiding structure of the film, the first few minutes reveal the many losses Springsteen and the band have experienced over the years. It commemorates his first band, The Castiles, and the deaths of E Street saxophonist Clarence Clemons and keyboardist Danny Federici. Thanks to songs like Letter to you Archival footage of past performances and interviews with Carter and Federici reveal a portrait of an artist whose perfect performance is not accurately defined. Instead, it’s a tool of remembrance that connects these songs and this band to memories shared with fans and each other.

Zimny ​​jumps into footage of past concerts from decades before the contemporary tour, re-juxtaposing the exhilaration of playing shows with his love of rough-and-tumble among small dives and sparse crowds. On contemporary stages, Steven Van Zandt is often featured and leads rehearsals as the tour’s Musical Director. His mischievous sense of humor also provides further levity. Zimny ​​talks to the whole group: Garry Tallent, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg, Nils Lofgren and Patti Scialfa – he can be quite harsh. Tallent was particularly tired when he thought about how meticulously Springsteen had gone through sound checks in recent years—walking around every row of the arena to hear the music while the band played for hours. The openness of these talks is another sign of how comfortable the parties are around Zimny.

This movie, like many other road documentaries, was of course carefully selected. Zimny ​​is respectful of his imperfections and never allows the Boss to lighten the band’s workload (Van Zandt even observes that rehearsals are too short, requiring him to lead the band for additional time). Zimny ​​also includes interviews with fans who talk about what it’s like to have the band on the road again. These moments are thoughtful in concept but not organically woven.

The film is at its strongest when we see Springsteen and company create these performances. The setlist rarely changed from night to night, as Springsteen wanted the setlist to have a story (a notable change for a band known for granting audience requests). A great example of this building is what the Commodores cap is like. Night Shift developed during the trip. I personally wasn’t enamored with his remixing of the track for “Only the Strong Survive”. The heart and soul of the song are the harmonies, and Springsteen removed them for the studio version. But in live shows we see him working with his singers to bring back these components. Night Shift One of the highlights of the tour. These moments of evolution are so fascinating that I wish there were more of them.

The fixed set list and the way the songs talk to each other further crystallize the emotional themes of the documentary. When we get to Springsteen’s solemn ode throughout the movie, Last Man StandingThe feeling of pain permeates every frame. Everything falls into place here: “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band” does not intend to give a familiar artist a new direction. It wants to loop and loop, from side A to side B and back again, until the sense of mortality at the heart of this tour becomes as unshakable as the music itself.