Bruce Day Part 1--Good Morning America
Some thoughts on the April 25th GMA coverage of Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band live from Asbury Park, N.J.:
1) Unlike the Today show coverage of a similar launch concert for The Rising, GMA didn't move their whole production down to the Shore. They sent Robin Roberts and their weather guy to do remote spots and crowd interviews.
2) Neither of these folks know a lick about Bruce or his fans.
3) Very superficial coverage, no stories about how this is his first covers album, the switch to folk/acoustic music, how loose this band is: nothing.
4) The segues were ragged and the show often talked over or cut away from Bruce performances--two full songs only. "Jacob's Ladder" and "O Mary Don't You Weep." Both are raucous, New Orleans-style, procession back from the graveyard jazz. Fiddle and horns predominate.
5) This GMA format clearly showed the drawback of this kind of alternative marketing forced on older musicians: Bruce wasn't the focus of the show, just another disposable segment, jammed between the tearful expose on step-parents and the hot new mother & child accessories for this summer. The hardcore fans get a taste, but we cannot dictate the coverage.
6) Mario Cuomo was NYS Governor and seriously considered running for president. Andrew Cuomo was HUD Secretary and current front-runner for NYS Atty. General. Why is Chris Cuomo pitching $2,000 baby strollers on an A.M. magazine show?
1) Unlike the Today show coverage of a similar launch concert for The Rising, GMA didn't move their whole production down to the Shore. They sent Robin Roberts and their weather guy to do remote spots and crowd interviews.
2) Neither of these folks know a lick about Bruce or his fans.
3) Very superficial coverage, no stories about how this is his first covers album, the switch to folk/acoustic music, how loose this band is: nothing.
4) The segues were ragged and the show often talked over or cut away from Bruce performances--two full songs only. "Jacob's Ladder" and "O Mary Don't You Weep." Both are raucous, New Orleans-style, procession back from the graveyard jazz. Fiddle and horns predominate.
5) This GMA format clearly showed the drawback of this kind of alternative marketing forced on older musicians: Bruce wasn't the focus of the show, just another disposable segment, jammed between the tearful expose on step-parents and the hot new mother & child accessories for this summer. The hardcore fans get a taste, but we cannot dictate the coverage.
6) Mario Cuomo was NYS Governor and seriously considered running for president. Andrew Cuomo was HUD Secretary and current front-runner for NYS Atty. General. Why is Chris Cuomo pitching $2,000 baby strollers on an A.M. magazine show?
