How The River cemented Bruce Springsteen's place in music

As Bruce Springsteen brings his River tour to Ireland, Ed Power looks back on the 1980 album that suddenly feels so relevant again

IT WAS the record that confirmed Bruce Springsteen as the bard of blue collar America and reshaped our idea of what constituted a great rock album. Now, 36 years later, Springsteen has taken The River on the road and will perform the sprawling double LP in its entirety at two Croke Park shows this weekend.

That the 1980 release holds a special place in the affections of Springsteen has long been obvious “The River was a record that was sort of the gateway to a lot of my future writing,” he told an audience in 2009.