For nearly half a century, Bruce Springsteen has been one of the most electric live acts ever to hit the stage, whether touring with The E Street Band, solo, or even doing his own one-man show with Springsteen on Broadway. When rumors started to spread that his current stadium tour might be his last—which would be understandable, since The Boss is now 75—Springsteen stated, “We ain’t doing no farewell tour bullshit!” and “Get the hell out. I ain’t going anywhere.” Touring and the community that has been built around Springsteen’s live shows have become integral to Springsteen fandom, so it’s almost surprising no one has attempted to chronicle this spectacle in film before.
Director Thom Zimny has been chronicling Springsteen for decades now, winning an editing Emmy for the 2001 HBO special Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live in New York City, and more recently, directing the Springsteen on Broadway special, Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You, and co-directing Western Stars with Springsteen. Simply put, if someone was going to cover Springsteen in film, you probably couldn’t pick a better documentarian than Zimny. With Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Zimny gives audiences a look at what it takes to put on a Springsteen tour, yet considering how many postponements, medical problems, and various issues have arisen on this tour, it’s a shame that Zimny’s film doesn’t explore these elements, but rather, only shows the early days of this still-running tour.
What Is ‘Road Diary’ About?
Zimny takes us inside the creation of Springsteen’s tour, which began in 2023 and is scheduled to conclude in the summer of 2025. The most insightful moments of Road Diary come from showing the setup of the tour and how the band’s process has changed over the years. The band last toured together in 2017, and even in that short period, how their concerts come together has drastically changed. While Springsteen used to allow for more improvisation in his tours, even pulling out signs from the audience with requests listed on them, his time on Broadway has made him more focused on telling a story through the performance itself. It’s a fascinating process as Springsteen tries to figure out the specific songs, the order, and what type of story he wants to tell through his tour, as opposed to creating a more unpredictable event.
Another major aspect of Road Diary is Springsteen and The E Street Band’s dedication to still being as dynamic and impressive live as they were when they were starting. Naturally, the band has grown in size, members have passed or left the band, and everyone has aged several decades, but the spirit and heart are still there in the performance. While Springsteen used to walk every stadium before each show to test the sound system from every seat and practice until everything was just right, now, he has more faith in those he surrounds himself with, knowing that he doesn’t need to be central to every choice that makes the tour go. He’s still a perfectionist, yet he knows what his job is, and what everyone else’s job is, and lets himself pull back on the aspects that he doesn’t need to control.
‘Road Diary’ Doesn’t Answer the Primary Question It’s Asking
But therein lies the fascinating question within Road Diary that Zimny only slightly addresses: as a band comprised of musicians in their 70s who haven’t toured together in six years, can they create a live experience that is just as exciting and stunning as they have in the past? Zimny attempts to breach this issue, but in doing so, turns Road Diary into a disappointingly straightforward, standard look at the band that’s a bit too basic for existing fans, and not engaging enough for potential new fans. We learn why audiences love seeing Springsteen live, Springsteen gives lovely tributes to members of the band that they’ve lost, and we get an often lovely look at what life on the road is like for this band that’s been together for almost 50 years. It’s entertaining for what it is, yet this isn’t particularly eye-opening, especially for the initiated.
And yet, in regards to this question, this tour has had plenty of speed bumps along the way that make this the ideal tour to explore the band’s ability to keep up at the same level. This concert was originally planned to take place in 2020 in support of the album Letter to You, but was delayed for years due to COVID, and didn’t get started until 2023. The tour was also only supposed to run until the end of that year, yet delays from positive COVID tests, Springsteen undergoing treatment for peptic ulcer disease, and vocal issues have pushed the tour into 2025. For a band that wants to prove that they’re still as exhilarating as they’ve always been, this tour has been an uphill climb to make this clear. However, by only showing the early days of this tour and not addressing the medical issues that have arisen, Zimny’s film feels like it’s missing a deeply essential part of this tour and the story this tour is still telling.
‘Road Diary’ Is Enjoyable, But Could’ve Been Much More
As with the majority of Zimny’s work with Springsteen, it’s the music that’s central, and while that’s absolutely worthwhile here, it also leaves a fan wanting more. There’s a story being told with this tour, and Road Diary does its best to move past that. It’s similar to how in his 2024 documentary, The Beach Boys, co-directed by Frank Marshall, the documentary decided to avoid anything remotely dark about the band, like what happened to Carl and Dennis Wilson, and not even broaching the mental health issues of Brian Wilson. Like that film, it’s as if Zimny only wants to highlight the positive, avoid the negative, and create a favorable look at these artists. It’s an admirable goal, and it lets the music take the forefront, but for fans who know the deeper story, it makes the film feel lacking in its approach to the artist, and makes Zimny have to choose between telling a compelling story or an optimistic one.
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band is a straightforward yet enjoyable trip with one of the best live bands ever to exist. Yet considering the story that this tour has told so far, it’s a bit of a shame that Zimny’s documentary doesn’t explore the entirety of what this road diary had to offer.
Thom Zimny’s documentary following Bruce Springsteen on tour is entertaining for what it is, but misses the larger story this tour has been telling.
- It’s fascinating to watch how Springsteen puts together his tour at this point.
- The E Street Band still sounds as fantastic as ever.
- By not showcasing the entire tour, ‘Road Diary’ misses a major aspect of this tour’s importance.
- Fans of Springsteen aren’t going to learn anything new from this doc.
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band offers a rare glimpse into their iconic live performances, showcasing rehearsal clips, behind-the-scenes moments, and commentary from Springsteen himself. Fans can enjoy expertly filmed footage from the 2023-2024 tour, capturing the band’s distinctive preparation and shows for massive audiences worldwide.
- Release Date
- September 8, 2024
- Director
- Thom Zimny
- Cast
- Bruce Springsteen , Garry Tallent , Roy Bittan , Max Weinberg , Steven Van Zandt , Nils Lofgren , Patti Scialfa
- Runtime
- 99 minutes
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band comes to Disney+ and Hulu on October 25.
Watch on Disney+