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Bruce Springsteen Makes a Grown Man Cry in New Documentary Trailer

bruce springsteen, springsteen and i

Bruce Springsteen inspires intense loyalty. That’s the thesis behind Springsteen & I, an upcoming crowdsourced documentary that looks at the effect the Boss has had on his fans’ lives. The movie’s just-released trailer features several Springsteen diehards gushing about the icon, throwing out descriptors like “absolutely genuine” and thanking him for his work — one guy tears up on camera. 

Springsteen & I is made up of fan submissions and includes “some of Bruce’s most loved songs and previously unseen performances,” according to his website. Baillie Walsh directed the film; Ridley Scott Associates, Black Dog Films, and Scott Free London produced. The doc is scheduled to premiere during a global simulcast event on July 22; a list of participating movie theaters will be revealed on June 4, the same day that tickets go on sale. 

Ridley Scott writes on the project’s website, “This beautifully crafted film allows us a unique and powerful insight into the relationship between a recording artist and the impact he has on those who connect so profoundly with his music.” The idea to draw on fan contributions and testimonials was inspired by Life in a Day, a 2011 docu-drama that was crowdsourced from 80,000 submissions. A contest offering a chance to appear on the official Springsteen & I poster is currently taking place, with rules detailed here.

Earlier this year, Springsteen was named the MusiCares Person of the Year and honored with an all-star tribute concert that included performances from Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Eddie Vedder, Tom Morello, and Patti Smith, among others.