CD/DVD PACKAGE Bruce was 'Born to Run,' but he does other things

The real Bruce Springsteen draws from the whole musical well.
By DAVID HINCKLEY
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
When Columbia Records confirmed last week it will release a 30th anniversary CD/DVD package of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run," it doubtless sparked a familiar cry in some corners of Bruce-land: "Finally! The Real Bruce again!"
It's a sentiment Springsteen has been hearing ever since he followed his anthemic "The River" album and tour with 1982's quiet, reflective "Nebraska."
Some fans who would follow Bruce and the E Street Band off a cliff wouldn't walk across the street to hear him sing the acoustic stuff he's doing on his current "Devils & amp; Dust" tour.
The Real Bruce, the man who can heal the sick and raise the dead, is "Spirit in the Night," "Badlands" and "Jungleland."
The guy on the road now strumming acoustic tunes about mother-son relationships and the desperate dreams of immigrants, well, they don't hate him -- they just figure they'll go out for a beer till the Real Bruce returns.
Still listening
That doesn't mean no one is listening now. Other fans are enjoying this part of his journey. Critics adore the show and praise his decision not to take the easy path to the biggest dollars.
A Bruce ticket is still a sweet thing. These shows just produce less frenzy than the E Street tours, because fewer people want to reflect on the doomed pilgrim of "Matamoros Banks" than want to pump their fists for "Out in the Street."
Does this bother Springsteen? To all appearances, not at all, because he has never wanted his songs reduced to fist-pumping triggers with content as an afterthought.
Yet he obviously approved releasing the "Born to Run" package as he wraps up the present tour -- knowing that in some eyes the "BTR" guy will overshadow his current self.
Specifically, the "Born to Run" package will include a remastered copy of the record, a DVD of a previously unreleased 1975 show at London's Hammerstein Odeon, and a 90-minute DVD documentary on the making of "BTR."
It's a holiday feast for fans, and releasing it for gift-buying season makes, as usual with Bruce, perfect marketing sense.
But this set would sell no matter when it was released, and the fact he doesn't mind pitting his latest incarnation against his almost mythic younger self says a lot of things, all good, about his self-assurance as an artist.
Springsteen mixes up his music to some extent because he can. His success bought him that freedom. .