On January 12th 2017, Bruce Springsteen played the White House in a private, intimate farewell concert for Barack Obama and his Presidential staff. With Obama being a notable fan of Springsteen and Springsteen being very vocal in his support for Obama during his Presidential run, this came as no surprise. That being said, nobody could have imagined that night in the White House would be the genesis of a Broadway behemoth.

It wasn’t until June 16th 2017 when reports about a residency for Springsteen on Broadway began, with social media reporting the Walter Kerr theatre to be the venue of this mysterious and interesting venture. Speculation as to what this show would be immediately followed, with notions of a one man show similar to the Devils and Dust Tour with rarities from Springsteen’s catalogue – both released and unreleased – to be performed alongside the usual suspects being prominent amongst the Springsteen fan base, while some fans speculated the possiblity of a Born to Run The Musical scenario. Two months later, there was confirmation on http://brucespringsteen.net from Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau, that the run would begin on October 3rd and would quite simply be an intimate experience featuring Bruce, using his guitar and the piano, to tell his stories and sing his songs.

The setlist of the show, in a surprising contrast to Springsteen’s live career, has been very much set-in-stone for the two-hundred+ plus shows performed since the previews began on October 3rd and the show officially began on October 12th. Instead of making variations to the entire setlist as is usually the case, the show has retained fifteen to sixteen key songs from Springsteen’s catalogue that are imperative to his story both on and off the stage, focusing on aspects of his upbringing, his political viewpoints, his growth as a performer, his love-life, his friends, those who have passed on, and what the future may bring.

Despite being something completely different to anything Springsteen has done in his fifty years as a performer, the show has been universally acclaimed from prominent figures and celebrities ranging from President Obama to Andrew Lloyd Webber; Reese Witherspoon to Danny DeVito, critics and fans (a majority of whom attended the show despite the hassle of Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan system and excessive ticket prices). Regardless of the strenuous task of purchasing tickets, it was made clear by all who attended that the show was worth it.

As great as reviews were, there was one problem. The show’s residence in New York City essentially made it impossible for all Springsteen fans to experience this event. Fortunately, on July 18th 2018 it was confirmed that “Springsteen on Broadway” would be airing on Netflix on December 15th (it would later to be changed to December 16th), the date of the final show in New York. This particular performance on Netflix is not the live December 15th show, but a performance of the show to an invited audience of fans filmed on July 17th and 18th by Thom Zimny, who has worked with Springsteen in the past on projects including the fifteen minute “Hunter of Invisible Game” music video and concert DVD specials Live in New York City and Live in Barcelona. If those are any indication of what the cinematic quality of “Springsteen on Broadway” will be like, you can expect Zimny to excellently convey the intimate and effectual atmosphere on-screen that has made the show such a hit in the theatre. Quite simply, the viewers are in for a treat.

“Springsteen on Broadway” is set to air on Netflix worldwide on December 16th. If you’ve ever been interested in his music and his stories, this is going to be a worth a watch.