Bruce Springsteen’s feature-length directorial debut, “Western Stars” opens in movie theaters on October 25th (after limited early screenings on the 19th and 23rd). In the movie, Springsteen performs all the songs from his latest album in his hundred-year-old barn. Springsteen said that the point of the film, which also includes new interviews and archival footage, was to “to get some of the music live to an audience.”
Springsteen was backed by a band and full orchestra for this performance, which took place at Stone Hill Farm in Colts Neck, N.J. He called that the perfect setting during the Western Stars premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
“The [2018] album and the film are both about this fading Western movie B-level star who’s looking back on his life and the decisions he’s made,” said Cameron Bailey, artistic director of the Toronto International Film Festival where the movie debuted. “That narrative and that character shape all the songs. In between the songs, you’ve got Bruce really talking about this character he invented, the story he wrote for the character, and how it reflects back on his own life as he ages and other kind of narratives he’s had in his previous albums.”
Now, the music from the film can be enjoyed outside of the cinema.
On October 25th, Springsteen will release Western Stars: Songs From the Film. It features the live versions of all 13 songs from the album, plus a rousing cover of Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy.” The audio was mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Bob Ludwig, the same duo behind Springsteen on Broadway.
Bruce Springsteen, “Western Stars: Songs From the Film” (Columbia, 2019)
- Hitch Hikin’
- The Wayfarer
- Tucson Train
- Western Stars
- Sleepy Joe’s Cafe
- Drive First (The Stuntman)
- Chasin’ Wild Horses
- Sundown
- Somewhere North of Nashville
- Stones
- There Goes My Miracle
- Hello Sunshine
- Moonlight Motel
- Rhinestone Cowboy
The Fat Angel Sings 