(Credits: Far Out / Takahiro Kyono)
Fri 27 June 2025 21:00, UK
Lately, Bruce Springsteen has found himself in the crossfire of one of the biggest battles known to man: how to stay young, relevant, and exciting. Plagued by the reality of countless generational heroes being left by the wayside to make way for fresher faces, Springsteen has performed his own type of artistic surgery time and time again to ensure his voice always remains among the loudest.
This isn’t a battle that he faces alone, but it’s one he seems to have mastered more than most, coming away from the fight relatively unscathed even after standing off with some of the more prominent (and villainous) opposers, like his recent one with Donald Trump. Obviously, his concerns with our ageist society feel far more high-stakes than telling the US President off, especially when the latter’s only weapon is going after the singer’s “Radical Left Politics”.
But this forms part of a larger whole, with Springsteen’s ability to step out and into the light with such vivacity stemming from a broader, more hard-hitting truth about who he is in the modern landscape: a voice that people still want to listen to. That in itself is even difficult for modern stars to achieve, most of them sort of favouring the sitting duck position over speaking up with any sort of indication that could eventually tarnish their reputation (but activism versus silence is a whole other debate entirely).
The point is: Springsteen still has his platform not because he speaks up on matters but because he’s always primed his stage with delicacy, evolving with the times like the gradual or subtle changes every iOS update – not exactly the perfect metaphor, but the idea is that, to Springsteen, keeping pace when you’re growing older is an exact science. You can’t move too fast, but staying still is almost certainly self-sabotage.
More to the point, it’s not just about Springsteen’s ability to stay integrated into the political climate. That’s what he’s always done, and it’s not necessarily new now. But it certainly feels like it’s entirely unforced, though perhaps that’s more reflective of someone who has no interest in imitating who they once were or becoming the stars of today: Springsteen knows what he has to offer, and that’s always been his deepest truth.
But who else has entered this strangely niche arena filled with older legends who’re still at it as feverishly as they were back then? The ones who still play among newcomers today, without karaoke-ing themselves into oblivion? According to Springsteen, it’s names you’d probably expect to hear when it comes to everlasting warriors. “Dylan keeps making good albums,” he told The Times. “The Rolling Stones are playing the best they’ve ever played.”
He continued: “These guys are trying to figure out the same thing I’m trying to figure out: how do you do this now and how do you stay great? Today, the music of youth is Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. You have to let other people have their time, but you still have a bunch of older guys with something to say. Ultimately, it’s simple: you’re still trying to bring joy, thought and inspiration into people’s lives.”
In all fairness, maybe this is far less complicated and intricate than delving into Springsteen’s musical and political history: maybe it’s about inherent authenticity and knowing how to play the game by not playing anything at all. Springsteen, from day one, has remained honest by speaking from the heart, and, while the parameters for what that means have changed over time, it’s allowed a certain kind of rawness you can’t replicate by trying to stay relevant. It just is, and people either buy it or they don’t.
Related Topics
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independant voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.