My memory may play tricks on me, plus I don't hear or read everything, but I've been a part of the Springsteen online community since 1995 when it pretty much only consisted of the LuckyTown Digest and RMAS, and I can't remember a tour that has been so well-received by the fans as the Seeger Sessions Tour. Yes, I mean well-received. I can't remember more than very few fan reviews that completely dissed a Seeger show. On the contrary, most of those who were skeptics in advance came back more or less converted. Some admit they would still take the E Street Band any day, but that they enjoyed it more than they thought they would, while others have been completely ecstatic about what they'd just witnessed. That wasn't the case on the last several tours. Bitching and moaning about the setlists, Bruce's voice, the intensity or lack thereof compared to earlier, Patti's voice, Bruce telling the crowd to shut up, the new songs sucking, Bruce playing a ukulele, etc. etc. have dominated lots of reviews since the Ghost of Tom Joad Tour, which was the first tour to be scrutinized on the Internet.

Not so this time. My distinct impression is that there has been very little complaining. If my impression is correct, I think there could be three explanations: 1) the worst bitchers and moaners finally gave up on Bruce and decided to stay home, 2) people have come with much lower expectations than usual, or 3) the shows really are much better than anything we have seen in the last 10 years.

While it may be a combination of all three things, I tend to lean more towards the first and the second explanation. Sure the Seeger shows are wonderful, joyful events, but better than the Rising Tour or the Devils & Dust Tour? Not for my money. As much as I enjoyed the one show I've seen so far on this tour, and as happy and vital as Bruce was, and as well-playing as the new Seeger Sessions Band is, the show is still much more one-dimensional than your average E Street Band show (or the back-catalogue head-dive, multi-intrument tour D&D for that matter), the most important dimension missing - as I also talked about in my Frankfurt review - being Bruce's spine-chilling, invigorating, powerful, legendary own song catalogue. The Seeger version of "Johnny 99" just won't cut it for me.

So while being ecstatic about the Seeger Sessions shows is certainly allowed and justified, let's not give Bruce the crazy idea that we suddenly don't care about the E Street Band or the classic versions of his own songs... or his own future songs that he has in store for us. I will be the first to give Bruce the space to try out other things - I mean, how interesting can it be for Bruce to belt out the same version of "Badlands" year in and year out with the same musicians over and over - but hopefully going down other paths will once in a while also make him want to come back to where he came from and to what he will always do best: playing Bruce Springsteen music that sounds like Bruce Springsteen music.