Music • March 10, 2014
High Hopes documentary to air on HBO
Bruce Springsteen’s High Hopes, a documentary chronicling the making of his 18th studio album, will debut exclusively on HBO on April 4 at 9:30 pm ET/PT.
The half-hour documentary by Grammy and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Thom Zimny delves into the making of High Hopes, which reached the No. 1 position in 20 countries after its January release. The film features rare behind-the-scenes studio and rehearsal segments, exclusive E Street Band tour footage and revealing interviews with Springsteen and album collaborator Tom Morello, guitarist for Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. The two discuss their artistic choices for the project and how Morello brought a distinctive twist to Springsteen’s material.
Morello joined Springsteen and the E Street Band on tour in Australia in 2013 and the two began collaborating on ideas that would make their way onto High Hopes. Morello’s guitarwork is featured on several tracks, including “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” on which he also shares lead vocal duties with Springsteen.
Following a successful 2014 tour of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Springsteen and the E Street Band return stateside for U.S. dates in April and May. The E Street Band will also be honored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a special Award for Musical Excellence at the April 10 induction ceremony, which will air on HBO in May.
High Hopes was released Jan. 14, 2014 to rave reviews. NPR’s “Fresh Air” said it, “makes you want to follow Springsteen wherever he may go,” while Esquire noted, “Springsteen is once more a man standing with a guitar in his hand, triumphant,” and American Songwriter called the album, “a compelling, unified statement: part grief and grievance, part love and transcendence.”
In 2011 HBO aired the Springsteen documentary “The Promise: The Making of “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” which was also directed by Zimny.