Cita:.... Springsteen has always been one of the most unpretentious musicians of his generation, a "regular guy" that most of us find instantly accessible and real. That working class ethic shines through the London Calling concert, when from the first thrashing moments of the title song, Bruce and band simply let loose with a good, thumping rock beat and pretty much never let it go for the rest of the three hour tour. Springsteen visits all eras of his now multi-decade career, hitting a lot of the expected hits ("Born to Run" and "Dancing in the Dark"—albeit without a Courtney Cox stand-in ushered up on stage) to lesser known and/or newer material from his Working on a Dream album. (There are some notable missing tunes like "Hungry Heart," so read the set list at the bottom of this review if you're looking for some tune in particular). Through it all, Springsteen doesn't just perform the songs, he embodies them physically, with a grimacing face and often tightly shut eyes, as if he's being transported away to some private island of creativity. Springsteen is one of those rare performers who seems to really enjoy what he's doing, and manages to convey that without a scintilla of pretense. This is just good, basic rock and roll, delivered honestly and with a lot of integrity.

London Calling: Live in Hyde Park is an ambitious concert documentary by any stretch of the imagination. First, there's the incredible length of the piece: Bruce and band come on stage and then rip through one song after another for an astonishing two hours and fifty-plus minutes. There's little chit-chat, just the occasional count off by Bruce as the band lights into yet another rock classic. But the filmmakers also had to contend with the awesome size of the crowd, which seems to go on for miles. Lots of aerial crane shots capture the teeming masses that are there to adore their hero, and it's really a breathtaking sight to see so many thousands swaying in unison. But perhaps most ambitious of all is the lack of high-tech magic to supposedly distract us into believing the music is better than it is, so often the refuge of other, less gifted artists who tend to rely on the visual rather than the aural to make their live concerts memorable. This is a mostly well-filmed concert with an unusually wide array of angles and shots, and most importantly, it gets the viewer right up there next to Bruce for the bulk of the evening. Some may quibble about a couple of botched shots in terms of capturing soloists and the like, but the overall proximity to Bruce and his crack players more than makes up for these passing qualms.

There's rarely a break to catch a breath throughout the evening. In fact I was repeatedly struck by the lack of ballads and lower key material on the main concert offering (there is a nicely reflective version of "The River" included as a bonus performance). How can Bruce and the band keep their energy so unflagging for so long? They obviously suck in waves of love from the audience, and Bruce does make a foray or two out at least close to the front row, at one point taking a handful of huge poster "requests" back to the stage. At another point, he jokingly falls down in exhaustion after having hiked out to the audience and then back up a long flight of stairs. But within a moment he's up on his feat, thrashing at his guitar and emoting with that husky, almost hoarse, voice that has become his trademark. This is a guy who's obviously in it for the music, both for what that music provides to him personally and how it communicates something ineffable to his audience. It's such a refreshing pleasure to see someone performing honest, down to earth rock music without any frills. A lot of Johnny-come-lately's could take a lesson from The Boss, as London Calling amply proves. Bruce and the E Street Band may indeed be senior citizens in official terminology, but their music is timeless and this concert proves that age is no obstacle for good, old fashioned rock 'n' roll
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Cita:.... London Calling: Live In Hyde Park muestra tanto la experiencia de un artista encima del escenario como la del público sumergido en el ambiente de un gran festival. El DVD permite a los espectadores ver a Bruce Springsteen al frente de la E Street Band y la evolución del concierto de principio a fin con canciones que recorren desde los tiempos de Born To Run a la era Working On a Dream, incluyendo versiones de The Clash (London Calling), Jimmy Cliff (Trapped), The Young Rascals (Good Lovin') y Eddie Floyd (Raise Your Hand). Springsteen también interpreta favoritos como Hard Times (Come Again No More), escrita por Stephen Foster en 1854. Brian Fallon, de The Gaslight Anthem, se sube al escenario como invitado para cantar con Springsteen el tema No Surrender.

El concierto fue un delirio. The London Times lo definió como "épico" y The Independent publicó: "Conquistó a 50.000 personas empapadas por el sudor ya en la segunda canción, lanzando su guitarra a los roadies con el vigor de un líder y bajando a pie de escenario para encontrarse con sus admiradores y escuchar sus peticiones. La intensidad de Springsteen asombró a todos".

Tom Zimny (ganador de premios Grammy y Emmy) y el director Chris Hilson, habituales colaboradores del equipo de vídeo de Bruce Springsteen desde hace décadas, han supervisado la película, cuyo sonido ha sido mezclado por Bob Clearmountain. Como material extra se incluyen imágenes tras el escenario de The River filmadas el 27 de junio de 2009 en Glastonbury y el vídeo completo de Wrecking Ball, rodado en el Giants Stadium de Nueva Jersey ....