The star-studded event was attended by film subject Bruce Spingsteen, E Street Band musician and film contributor Stevie Van Zandt, director Thom Zimny and producer Jon Landau. Additional notable guests in attendance included musicians Bob Geldof, Danny Jones and Dave Clark, presenters Dermot O’Leary, Edith Bowman, Jeremy Vine and Antoine De Caunes, filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, and actors Roschdy Zem and Viveik Kalra.
The screening was introduced by Deborah Armstrong, UK & Ireland Country Manager, The Walt Disney Company EMEA, and was followed by an insightful Q&A with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Van Zandt, Thom Zimny and Jon Landau, hosted by Edith Bowman. Speaking about the documentary, Bruce Springsteen said, “I wanted to sit with the band and think about this. I could only make this now. I needed these experiences of the 24 years including Springsteen on Broadway. I regret being so superstitious about not filming the first iteration of the band, so I decided to film the rest of the 24 years.”
Bruce added, “The key is you have to look into the audience and find yourself. I look into the audience every night and can find myself in any individual. It could be a kid or anyone, the audience has to recognise themselves in you too. It’s a deep experience and connection that we’ve had with our fans for 50, 60 years…The night you look out and you don’t recognise yourself, it’s the night you go home.”
Stevie Van Zandt said, “It’s all about mortality but we balanced that with vitality. We are not going out quietly. We brought a hurricane! The moment in the middle Thom Zimny [the director] captured so perfectly. It hits you in the face and we bring this every time…we want people to leave with more energy than they came with.” He added, speaking about the band, “This was a complete artistic adventure right from the beginning.”
Bruce Springsteen concluded, “If you get the art right, the music right and the band right, you go out and play every night like it’s your last night on earth. That was the serial philosophy of the band and we’re sticking to it.”
“Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band” offers the most in-depth look ever at the creation of their legendary live performances – sharing fly-on-the-wall footage of band rehearsals and special moments backstage – as well as hearing directly from Springsteen on the topic. Fans get the chance to experience professionally shot footage from the 2023-2024 tour for the first time ever – while following the band through their one-of-a-kind preparation process, and onto performances for tens-of-thousands across continents.
“Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band” was directed by Springsteen’s longtime collaborator, Emmy® and GRAMMY® Award winner Thom Zimny, and produced by Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Thom Zimny, Adrienne Gerard, and Sean Stuart.
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