Nottingham grad wrote dissertation on Bruce Springsteen and then gave it to him at his gig

A recent graduate from University of Nottingham wrote his dissertation on Bruce Springsteen and then gave a copy to the rockstar at his recent Edinburgh gig.

Nathan Collett has been a fan of Bruce Springsteen since childhood and decided to write his 12,000 final year dissertation on how masculinity is presented in the singer’s work.

The history graduate was then able to personally hand a copy of his diss to the rockstar at his most recent gig by catching his eye with a homemade sign reading: “Can I give you a copy of my thesis?”

Nathan has been a fan of the 73-year-old singer from a young age and when the tour was announced he decided he wanted to try and give him a copy of his research entitled “Brilliant disguises: An Analysis of Masculinity Through the Works and Life of Bruce Springsteen”. He made the 186 mile trip to Edinburgh from his home in Liverpool to attend the concert with his father.

Nathan told the Daily Record: “I’ve been a fan of Springsteen since I was 10. When he announced the tour I decided I was going to try and give him a copy of my dissertation myself.”

Around 52,000 fans attended the show in Edinburgh, which was the only Scottish show on his 2023 tour, where alongside the E-Street Band, Springsteen performed a number of his classic songs from all decades of his career including Glory Days, Born in the USA and Dancing in the Dark.

During the show Nathan was able to get to the front of the crowd and catch the eye of the singer with a sign saying: “Can I give you a copy of my thesis.”

Many of Nathan’s friends didn’t believe he would be successful in getting noticed by Springsteen but during one of the songs the singer gave him a smile after noticing his sign. After noticing the sign for a second time the singer took the paper from Nathan,  looked over it in front of the crowd and later put it down next to the drum kit.

Nathan continued: “For a whole year I’ve had people saying to me ‘you’ll never be able to get it to him, you’ll never get close enough’. During his set he read my sign and pulled an impressed smile.

“Later he was going past again and I held up my dissertation and he said it was was very nice before putting it down near the drum kit.”

Nathan and his father were ecstatic over the moment and celebrated throughout the rest of the concert.

“We were jumping all over each other and cheering. We celebrated like it was the 90th minute winner. I was on cloud nine for the rest of the show and the concert was phenomenal. Nobody puts on a show like Springsteen,” said Nathan.

Featured image via @Nathan_collett3 

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