When the system just don’t matter

So I stumbled across something tonight via paste magazine and it brought me back to a time in my life when I was 19. The only thing that mattered was the music. I know some of you won’t relate - but seeing Springsteen when he was young was epic. Sometime between 79-84 I saw him about 20 times. His albums sonically have been disappointing for the most part - but it just doesn’t matter when I see something like this that literally changed my life. Do you have an artist where the system just doesn’t matter. You could listen on your iPhone speakers and get Pumped ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEtymNVX5TA

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I only saw Springsteen live once in 2007, Ottawa, Ontario. It was an awesome show. The Big Man and Little Steven on stage were a joy to watch. Using the the DSD Sr. and 96/24 QoBuz, the early albums are now tolerable to my ears. Born To Run has awesome songs on it but the SQ has always sucked.

Pretty much; and too bad. I have not had the pleasure, but I am sure the music was/is great live.

BTW, I love me some E Street Band on the car radio. I can barely sit through a whole song on the “big rig”, unless I am listening in “background mode”.

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I often listen to music using poor equipment, such as a laptop. This is not limited to a particular performer, but applies to all music.

The system does not matter, the music does.

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I’ll listen to music on whatever’s available.

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My wife produced a movie called Blinded By the Light, last year. Check it out!
Kyle

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I routinely listen to my 24/7 local classical station WFMT streamed via my laptop with cheap computer speakers I purchased from Microcenter. Doesn’t diminish my enjoyment of the programming one iota.

Wow, Kyle. Impressive. That looks like a really good film. She was executive producer?

Yeah Paul, she was one of the executive producers. Really good film. Based on a real story.

Thanks. I’ve always wondered what an executive producer actually does. Get financing?

They have a hand in everything, including artistic approach, funding, and script writing. Amazing how much input producers have.
Bruce played at the rap party, held in Bruce’s home town Freehold borough NJ.

There is a high-quality official audio download of the 9/20/1978 BS&TESB show available for purchase here:

http://live.brucespringsteen.net/live-music/0,18679/Bruce-Springsteen---The-E-Street-Band-mp3-flac-download-9-20-1978-Capitol-Theatre-Passaic-NJ.html

I have it in 24-bit, 48kHz PCM and it is spectacular.

great movie. The scene at the US immigration had me laughing for a long time.

Congrats

I can’t think of a better reason to visit the US!

I saw it and it was a amazing movie!

This actually addresses a deeper topic. In general, what provides joy, satisfaction, and contentment? Are we waiting for a particular quality of sound, a favorite music, a trip to the beach, an interaction with another person, etc, are we dependent upon external experiences to trigger a pleasurable, or painful, reaction? Or does our joy, peace and contentment come entirely from within? Is that happiness something that flows from within, out to the world, looking for nothing in return, and utterly independent from the cycle of cause and effect?

From that deeper space, perhaps, music played over a mega system, over a laptop, or not played at all would have a similar effect on us because we’re centered on a foundation of peace and joy that cannot be touched by the world, by its wealth and poverty.

My point - probably an aside to your observation - which I have made before in another thread, is that Springsteen’s recordings are often unlistenable (too my ears, at least) at more than a very low volume on anything better than an average car radio or set top fm radio. Something about his producer/engineering preferences, I guess. I just don’t know. So, with Springsteen the system does matter – just in the opposite way one would expect. Any work of his that has the least bit of “energy” in it is just plain dissonant.

Others have made similar observations.

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I am unable to comment on Springsteen recordings. I do not know his music.

I know, from your posting here, that you are a classical music fan (and a bit of a maven).

I suppose a good way to describe it for you would be if one of your favorite symphonic works was so poorly mixed in the recording that a dynamic passage (forte?) comes off as discordant or “screechy”.

For some reason, I often experience this with Springsteen recordings. :man_shrugging:

Cheers.

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Right? And this is my point. Anyone that saw him pre politics and the youth and energy he shows here - it’s bedazzling. Lol. But this isn’t really about Bruce. I just ran across this and it made me smile and not care about sound quality or what it was played on. It just brought me back to a place in time. And I was asking if anyone else had a particular piece or performance that just transforms you to a place when nothing really mattered or just made you just say - ‘I’m good’ regardless of sound quality.

Classical music. Only my Maggie’s brought me that.