It’s hard to believe, but Bruce Springsteen is 75 years old. As the narrator of Thom Zimny’s rousing music documentary “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,” The Boss is focused on the future while ruminating on the past. If you’ve ever wondered how these legends planned those three-hour-plus concerts that fans love and cherish, this film provides a captivating peek inside the process behind the 2023-24 tour.
The setup is a bit different this time around. For their first tour in six years, the band is mostly sticking to a fixed setlist, a deviation from the hundreds of concerts where Springsteen took requests from the audience and surprised repeat attendees by shaking up the order. It’s hinted that this idea became more palatable after Springsteen did his show in the much stricter arena know as Broadway.
With that concept in mind, it’s important that the 25 chosen songs seal the deal. A setlist tells a story, Springsteen explains. It’s the tale he wants to tell that night. Each song has to flow into the next, weaving the tapestry of storytelling that’s the legendary singer-songwriter’s stock in trade. This tour will also feature songs from 2022′s R&B cover collection “Only the Strong Survive” and 2020′s album “Letter to You,” the latter of which was the last time the E Street Band recorded together.
As the first rehearsal begins early in “Road Diary,” we hear the band’s concern about returning to the grueling length of concerts, as well as their worry about how well they’ll play together after several years. There are also new singers and performers with whom to rehearse, including percussionist Anthony Almonte. After a mildly bumpy start, everything starts to click. Steven van Zandt takes over as the official music director; he’s equally funny and strict, and he has everyone’s undying trust and respect.
This isn’t Zimny’s first brush with The Boss; for the past several years, he has been Springsteen’s documentarian, so there’s an easy rapport between him and band members Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg, Nils Lofgren, Garry Tallent, and Patti Scialfa, Springsteen’s wife. You get the sense they’re sharing some opinions with Zimny they might not mention to their leader. We also learn the medical reason behind Scialfa’s absence from performances, and why she’s been taking it easy as of late.
The rehearsals run smoothly, even if van Zandt thinks they’re too short and demands the band practice more hours. They’re a far cry from the early days of Springsteen driving the band crazy by making them play for hours as he checked every seat in the entire arena to hear how the music sounded. Zimny gives us video proof of Springsteen’s thorough seat-checking, as if sensing the audience wouldn’t believe such a story. The director also does a very good job interweaving old footage of everyone in their prime, as well as interviewing fans about the upcoming tour.
I’m an enormous fan of my fellow New Jerseyite — I mean, I saw the concert this movie’s based on — but I’m not starstruck enough to ignore that “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band” is ultimately a carefully constructed and curated product. It’s a bit rougher around the edges than the standard star-driven documentary like “Martha,” but I still longed for a bit more grit. Springsteen’s narration is at times a bit corny, but the guy knows how to tell a story that hits you where you live.
Most importantly, the film doesn’t scrimp on the musical goods, and that’s where it shines brightest. I was especially taken with Springsteen’s revamping of The Commodores’ tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, “Night Shift,” presented here in an arrangement closer to the original than the studio version.
The setlist here ends with “Last Man Standing,” but we’re given an encore of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” during the closing credits. As I sat in the theater at the Toronto International Film Festival, I turned to my seatmate and said, “Bruce played that one because he knew I was here.” Spoken like a true fan.
★★★
ROAD DIARY: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND
Directed by Thom Zimny. Starring Bruce Springsteen, Steven van Zandt, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg, Nils Lofgren, Garry Tallent, Patti Scialfa, Anthony Almonte. On Hulu, Disney+. 99 minutes. Unrated.
Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.