Glory days. And glory weeks. And what's beginning to feel like glory months and glory years.
I'm wondering if there's ever a glory hour when Bruce Springsteen isn't being Bruce Springsteen somewhere in Ireland. I don't dislike Bruce. Perhaps even worse than that, I've no feelings for him or his music at all. His fans, though...
You'll know someone is a Bruce Springsteen fan because they'll tell you. I've covered this on this page previously - apologies for the repetition, but repetition is a Bruce trait too.
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And it's a Bruce fan trait. They repeatedly go to his gigs. So he repeatedly keeps coming back. Then I end up repeating myself by pointing this out. A vicious Bruce circle.
I've previously said Bruce occupies the rung on the ladder that's the next one above Bon Jovi - and I stand over that. To elaborate, I think if Bon Jovi had a slightly more edgy name - maybe Bruce Jovi - he'd be considerably more successful here.
But instead it's Bruce who's back. It's Bruce who's in pubs for a pint. It's Bruce who's in a chipper. It's Bruce who's at the horse jumping thing. It's Bruce who's in Kilkenny.
I'd have thought the latest Bruce World Tour of Ireland would have been one too many for even the most hardline Bruce fans - but no. They can't get enough. He keeps coming around with the same stuff like a scratched Bruce record. Isn't anyone bored?
At the risk of infuriating Bruce fans even more than the Bon Jovi comparison does, I think there's a Friends comparison to be made also. Start at the beginning of an episode. There's a mundane guitar riff that's played over and over again. Always stuck in second gear indeed.
Then there's the entire series - repeated over and over again. Then there's the fans. Perhaps I'm making enemies here, but yeah... there's the fans. The average Bruce fan is okay. Generally, even they seem to be aware that his colour by numbers style of everything is a bit, eh, faded now. It's the more devoted ones that I believe I have to call out - again - and perhaps suggest that at some point in the future they might try listening to something else?
Just because someone plays for seven and a half hours only stopping for a short break during the eighty minute saxophone solo, doesn't mean they're good.
Maybe they should try some Bryan Adams. He played until his fingers actually bled, apparently. They might like him, 'Bryan' is a cool name like 'Bruce'. It's okay to do that. I'm sure Bruce wouldn't mind. I'm aware that nobody is more exposed to Bruce fans than Bruce himself... He might even be relieved.
Do you agree with Billy? Let us know in the comments below
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