“Blinded by the Light,” the film about a Pakistani-British teenager whose life is changed by Bruce Springsteen’s music, will be released on Aug. 16, and it officially premiered tonight at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park.
Springsteen himself not only attended, but performed four songs afterwards at Asbury’s Convention Hall with Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, Patti Scialfa, Bobby Bandiera and others: “Talk to Me,” the Wilson Pickett hit “634-5789,” “Sherry Darling” and “Having a Party.”
The film is based on “Greetings From Bury Park,” the 2007 memoir by journalist Sarfraz Manzoor. Manzoor attended the event, as did the film’s director, co-writer and co-producer Gurinder Chadha — best known for directing the 2002 hit, “Bend It Like Beckham” — and some of the film’s actors.
The film’s soundtrack album, featuring 12 Springsteen tracks, comes out on Aug. 9.
Here is a video of the complete performance. I also have embedded a trailer for the movie, below it.
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