Info
01- Madison, 28 Oct 2004, Afternoon, MSNBC Coverage
02- Madison, 28 Oct 2004, Afternoon, Raw Footage
03- Columbus, 28 Oct 2004, Evening
04- Miami, 29 Oct 2004
05- Cleveland, 01 Nov 2004, CSPAN Coverage
Notes from BruceDVDs:
Discs: 1
Format: NTSC
Generation: 1st (TV)
Video: pro-shot
Audio: soundboard
Menu: authored
Chapters: none
Description: 'No Surrender: Bruce Campaigns for Kerry' is a comprehensive compilation of TV news footage from Bruce's appearances at the Kerry rallies in the days leading up to the November 2004 Presidential election. All four appearances followed a similar format, with a heartfelt speech on American political values sandwiched between acoustic performances of 'The Promised Land' and 'No Surrender'.
First up is the MSNBC coverage of the first rally in Madison, Wisconsin. The live broadcast of 'The Promised Land' and Bruce's speech is included, together with two edited reports shown later in the day (including glimpses of 'No Surrender'). This multicam video has been captured from a digital transmission for near perfect quality.
Further coverage of the Madison rally in the form of raw TV camera footage is also included. This consists of a number of unedited shots from various camera angles. As well as clips from the two songs, we also get extensive shots of the crowd (one cameraman seems particularly fond of a young blonde in the front row) and video of Bruce visiting some student housing nearby. There is also a brief interview with Bruce as he boards his SUV after the show. Many of these clips are only a few seconds each and there is some repetition of the same scene from different angles, so the results are quite uneven. The bit rate is also very low, causing the image to pixilate at times. The sound comes from the camera mikes, rather than the soundboard and is hence a little muffled. Nevertheless, it makes for interesting viewing.
The Columbus, Ohio rally is next, in the form of a single unedited camera angle. Again, the bit rate is a little low, leading to some minor pixilation. As well as Bruce's spot, we also see more of Kerry's speech. The Miami rally is also shown from a single unedited camera, but this time the quality is superb.
The best of the bunch is probably the CSPAN coverage of the Cleveland rally on the eve of the election. Following Senator John Glenn's introduction, Bruce adds a third song ('Thunder Road') and gives a more lengthy and impassioned speech. Again, picture quality is near perfect.
This excellent compilation stands as a testament to Bruce's strong beliefs regarding the state of the US in 2004. Some fans may not agree with his views, but everyone should make the effort to understand them in order to put his body of work as a whole in context. The relevance of material here has obviously dated badly due to the outcome of the election. Bruce's introduction of Kerry as 'the next President of the United States of America', for instance, now rings hollow. However, this DVD plays an important role in telling the Bruce Springsteen story and so should be included in every collection.
