Haven't heard the new Bruce album yet but I'm curious now about how it sounds. I have to agree that both bands are at their very best live, overall I enjoy listening to BJ records more though. I have trouble listening to alot of Bruce on records.

I do think The Rising is a very good record, but for me it's a moment in time piece has absolute, very specific memories attached to it. At the time it was a wonderfully done record, but it is attached to that event, and I think for alot of people even now it's hard to hear those songs and not associate it with 9/11.
When it's said BJ played it safe, I don't think safe was the intention, it was more saying to themselves, what songs are we going to be able to play for ten years?? It did end up coming out as a very jumbled record, not one of their best but I do think at the time it was more about not having those songs so associated with 9/11 that they wouldn't be able to play them at some later time. They probablt should have gone ahead and done a straight up memory of 9/11 record, but hindsight is always 20/20 and I see what Jon was trying to do.