Springsteen brings a long and winding 'River' to Verizon Center

There are no obvious lyrical or musical themes that unite the tunes on "The River," the 1980 double album from Bruce Springsteen. Not that he ever claimed this was his "Madame Butterfly" or "Tommy." Still, apart from collections of rarities and outtakes, "The River" is the least cohesive song set Springsteen ever released. Which makes his choosing to play it in its entirety during his current tour seem like a flimsy excuse to hit the road, without having to make a new record.