Of all the meanings that "folk" carries in the music world, watching Bruce Springsteen cover Lorde's "Royals" reveals one of the most important elements of what makes music "folky" ... a message that resonates with a wide base of common people. Thankfully, a fan in the crowd of New Zealand's Mount Smart Stadium was able to capture this moment and upload it to YouTube for the rest of us to enjoy. Watch above.
The camerawork in the beginning of the video is pretty shaky, but it smooths out. Springsteen plays the song solo acoustic, with guitar and harmonica. He changes around some of the words, and interprets the song his own way while staying pretty true to the original. You can feel the excitement from the Auckland crowd when they realize he's playing a song by one of theirs. Toward the end of the song, The Boss throws in a Neil Young sort of line, "Long ago, I was the next big thing. Now I'm in love with being King." This is followed by Springsteen playing chords by pounding his guitar with a closed fist and then bringing the house down as he finishes the passionate performance.
Previously on this tour, Springsteen has played unusual covers like "Highway To Hell" by AC/DC and "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees.
For more Bruce Springsteen music, news, and tour dates, check out his Zumic artist page.
