Not even Bruce Springsteen knew how much he relied on the E Street Band - until it was too late. When in 1988 he decided to let them go, it was with a view to stretching himself, to getting different sounds and moods from collaborations with new people.
What Bruce hadn't considered on was how vital the band was to his music. They'd played with him his entire professional life, and had developed a unique and fluid insight, both with Bruce himself and with one another, that couldn't be found elsewhere. What's more, they gave life and character to his (usually) simple songs, putting vivid flesh on their bones.
Which is why, with most of the music he's made since, he's sounded exposed and limited - an underachiever.
When he reformed the E Street Band for a couple of sessions in '95 to add new material to his imminent Greatest Hits collection, it seemed just a gesture, but it was obvious to all ears that, though they were simply playing outtakes and off-cuts, this was the finest music he'd made in the '90s.
Which is why music fans rejoiced when Bruce and the Band decided to tour the world in '99. It didn't matter that for their legendary 'Born In The USA' shows, they were in their mid-thirties, and were now pushing (or past) fifty. 'Cos this was about chemistry.
How right they were. As these CDs, taken from the closing nights of the year-long tour, amply demonstrate, the man was on the sort of astonishing form few believed they'd ever see from him again. The huge sound generated from a dozen players on stage coalesced into a rock'n'roll-tinged soul revue, taut with energy and inspiration.
In a bid to quell nostalgia, the set mostly contained more obscure tracks from the back catalogue. Some of the classics, like 'Thunder Road' and 'The River', had been dramatically reworked. 'Born In The USA' became a bedraggled blues number, conveying more of the song's true sentiments than the air-punching anthemic version ever could.
And then there's the new stuff. Songs like 'Land Of Hope And Dreams' are up there with the best of them, but it's the controversial 'American Skin (41 Shots)' that most grabs your attention. A haunting and powerful track inspired by the shooting of Amadou Diallo, it led to the NYPD refusing to cover the shows, and news coverage around the world. Both for the music and the message, it deserves as much attention as it can get.
By the time the Stones were this age, they'd become clapped out, doddery old rockers. Which makes it even harder to believe that Springsteen is better than ever.
But them's the facts.
