Decades since he last performed it, Bruce Springsteen brings Chimes of Freedom back to the stage. A cover of Bob Dylan’s classic protest song, one of many, to be fair, it fits right in on the Co-Op Live Arena stage. With how many enraged social media posts the president of the United States has made, presumably because he is a folk traditionalist and not a man set to spend half a billion on a golden dome, it seems Springsteen has touched a nerve in the White House. This is not the first time. Chimes of Freedom is the final nail in a political coffin, the right-leaning fool who thinks Born in the U.S.A. is an act of patriotism and not a pounce on those pathetic enough to fall for blind love of country. An EP release from Springsteen has brought Chimes of Freedom back into contemporary discussion.
Its message is a sadly relevant one all those decades later, and in covering the Dylan classic from Another Side of Bob Dylan, Springsteen comments on the slow crawl of the human race, the death of goodness. Springsteen has noted this with Chimes of Freedom before. His first time performing the song in over three decades is a sign of perilous times. A need to warn those in attendance falls into the hands of the legendary rock artist, as it does for the contemporary acts voicing their opinion on public tragedy. A song as poised in the political sphere as Chimes of Freedom is hard to assess without humanity and political belief. Springsteen performs this Dylan track effortlessly, a closer style to The Byrds’ cover than the Dylan original. Whatever the case, Springsteen does away with the nerves of a first night performance and brings a blistering, outstanding cover to the stage.
From the slow rise of that ever-promising one man and his guitar aesthetic to the roar of the whole band bringing in those quality instrumentals, Chimes of Freedom has never sounded better on stage. There are parts of this cover which feel stronger than the original. A tough comparison, especially with Springsteen backed by contemporary fears and rebellion, but all the same, a phenomenal performance. These are twisted times and everyone knows it. Which way you twist, however, that is a matter of principle or lack thereof. Chimes of Freedom is a powerful song; it always has been. For those who find it controversial to hear a songwriter whose music has always been for the oppressed speak to them once more, then it is exploration of the self, of the heart, which is needed. Not criticism of Springsteen.
Beyond the clear political rising in this Springsteen cover is a tender and bold performance. Pulling the band into place with those familiar, uplifting tones gives the song a sense of hope. That is what is needed, after all. You can play a set featuring Born in the U.S.A., Born to Run and Chimes of Freedom, but it is the subtlety of the instrumentals which carries it. This is not an empty gesture where Nils Lofgren and Stevie Van Zandt are given the chance to noodle away on a Dylan cover, but an effective and roaringly great interpretation of Chimes of Freedom. Adapting it to the modern state of the world is, sadly, all too easy. Its still-relevant momentum is carried well by Springsteen and The E Street Band in what has become a very fitting set ender on the Land of Hope and Dreams tour.
