Bruce Springsteen recently announced plans to release an expanded box set version of his acclaimed, stark 1982 album Nebraska.
Videos by American Songwriter
Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition will be released on October 17. The multiple-disc collection includes a Blu-ray featuring a film shot earlier this year of Springsteen performing the entire album. The movie captures Bruce performing without an audience at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey.
The Boss was accompanied for the performance by multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell and touring E Street Band keyboardist/accordionist Charlie Giordano. Now, Springsteen has debuted a preview clip from the concert film featuring him playing the rockabilly-influenced Nebraska tune “Open All Night.”
The black-and-white video captures Bruce performing from various angles while sitting on a chair on the dimly lit theater’s stage. Wearing a plaid flannel shirt, Springsteen sings and play the tune on an electric guitar. We also catch glimpses of Campbell strumming an acoustic guitar off to one side of the stage. You can check out the video now at Springsteen’s official YouTube channel.
The live Nebraska film was directed by frequent Springsteen collaborator Thom Zimny.
According to a new press release, the movie features no “narration, commentary or dialogue.” Noted Bruce, “Only the voices of the characters are heard.”
Springsteen Explains Why He Decided to Make the Concert Film
Explaining why he decided to make a film featuring him performing Nebraska in its entirety, Springsteen noted, “The one thing that we didn’t do on the Nebraska album was we didn’t play it live, so my first thought when we were talking about celebrating the record was there’s got to be a performance, singing these songs from top to bottom.”
He continued, “What I was concerned about was getting some of the spooky quality the record had. We’re lucky we got the great Larry Campbell and Charlie Giordano to assist in the very minimal instrumentation on the record, and Rob Lebret did a really nice job of mixing and maintaining the record’s integrity on that level.”
Zimny added, “As a filmmaker, you want to enhance the performance without it being noticeable—to step into that music and really try to be an invisible partner in it, and carry along this presentation. There’s no introduction or explanation. Things just unfold. And that’s the beauty of Bruce as a storyteller, of his writing and of this album.”
More About the Nebraska ’82 Box Set
Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition can be pre-ordered now. It will be available as a four-CD/Blu-ray set, a four-LP/Blu-ray vinyl package, and digitally. The CDs and LPs include a newly remastered version of the original album. It also features an eight-song disc titled Electric Nebraska that includes alternate electric versions of many of the album’s tunes. E Street Band members Tallent, Weinberg, Danny Federici, Roy Bittan, and Steven Van Zandt contributed to the recordings.
In addition, the box set offers a selection of outtakes from the Nebraska sessions, and audio of Springsteen’s live performance at the Count Basie Theatre.
About the Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere Biopic
As previously reported, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, a film looking at the making of Nebraska, opens in theaters on October 24. The biopic, which features The Bear star Jeremy Allen White as Bruce, is based on musician-turned-author Warren Zanes’ 2023 non-fiction novel Deliver Me from Nowhere.
The film was directed by Scott Cooper, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Zanes.
Besides White, the movie features Jeremy Strong as the Boss’ longtime manager Jon Landau; Stephen Graham as Springsteen’s father, Doug; Odessa Young as Bruce’s love interest, Faye; Gaby Hoffman as Springsteen’s mom, Adele; and Marc Maron as producer Chuck Plotkin.
Springsteen and Landau were both involved in the production of the movie.
(Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
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