Together for 50 years, Bruce and his legendary band have not lost their rock 'n' roll spirit. But now they know what awaits them.

By Owen Gleiberman

When Bruce Springsteen stands onstage, staring out at the audience, or with his head bowed, his guitar braced behind him, the pose is now as iconic as a young Abraham Lincoln with an axe slung over his shoulder. It’s a mythic image of American nobility. “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band” follows Springsteen, in his first concerts since the pandemic, as he reconnects with his legendary band as they embark on a six-day rehearsal and tour that will take them from the U.S. to Europe, from 2023 to 2024.

All of this is interspersed with grainy footage of Bruce performing in the 1970s and early 1980s. By this point, we’re so used to the older, more dignified Bruce that it’s almost shocking to see how much he moved onstage when we watch some of the earlier clips. He danced in a way that was crazy and flamboyant. The documentary points out that the main reason he originally recruited his buddy Steven Van Zandt as the band’s guitarist was so that he—Bruce—could free himself from holding a guitar. That’s how much Bruce, in his prime, loved to dance.