I have seen the future of TIFF and its name is Bruce Springsteen.
Obviously I am not MOAM. I’m no Mother, but make no mistake: I am a Maven. It’s me, the special guest blogger – call me Mensch of all Mavens if you like.
The arrival of Bruuuuuce put the TIFF in a tizzy last night at the RTH. Intrepid photographers banned from the green room! Hallways cleared of fans and hangers-out & on. Michelle, the security guard, muttering expletives under her breath.
My Woman on the Inside, in grand Auntie Mame mode, got me and my sister (life-long Bruce fans, ok, fanatics) behind the velvet ropes and into the bowels of the Roy Thompson Hall. We weren’t expecting much – a glimpse, a handshake, a photo op. Denied. Such lock-down measures seemed fit for the President, but the Boss?
We did get ushered into front row seats, one row ahead of CTV’s Andria Case (Hey, MOAM name-drops. I’m just following the lead), and right next to a franco-reporter with way too much cologne on.
The screen showed us Bruce & Patti arriving on the red carpet. Maybe that’s why there were no photogs allowed in the green room. Patti does not look good in high def. (My sister was especially thrilled that she looks better than Bruce’s wife).
Though I’ve seen The Boss live in concert many times, I’d never been front row close. There he was: the rock star, the icon, the poet, and the SHORTY. Being of diminutive stature myself, I was thrilled. We’re not talking Prince pint-size, but we’re def talking “can’t reach the top shelf without a step ladderâ€.
The film, THE PROMISE: THE MAKING OF DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN was an amazing insight into the creative process. Not only singular to Bruce, but to the creative process in general. It’s hard to make art about making art (Sunday in the Park with Bruce?), but the movie succeeds.
Interesting: Bruce rarely looks at the camera in the modern-day interview sections. Maybe he’s camera-shy? Maybe it’s not just in the green room.