One of the most raw and inspiring concert performers of our time is Bruce Springsteen, and one of the most recognizably tight bands of all time is his E Street Band. As such, tickets to the concerts are expensive and hard to come by. Even when you do get one, it’s hard to be close enough to the stage to see the faces, the sweat , and everything else that makes every performance as much a wonder as it is a showpiece.

That’s why I was thrilled to find the “Live in Barcelona” concert (in High Definition) on a station that may be one of the better kept secrets of TV land: the Palladia channel. Have you heard of it?

I did a little homework and found that Palladia is owned by Viacom’s MTV Networks, and it has access to programming from VH1, CMT, MTV, and MTV2. This means great music shows such as “Soundstage” and “The Storytellers” can be found here, in HD format.

Beyond that, what makes Palladia wonderful is that it’s almost exclusively music, something that some of us remember from the old days of MTV and VH1. This is sort of like VH1 without the VJ, at least most of the time. Apparently, there are three–George Oliphant, Mayleen Ramey, and Jeremy Bloom–but I haven’t seen them yet.

This week, Palladia’s programming has included not only Springsteen’s concert–complete with the production values and close-ups that give you the least expensive best seat in the house–but also Coldplay’s 2005 concert in London, Elvis Costello in Memphis, R.E.M., Paul McCartney, Green Day, Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera, and even “V Fest 2008” which featured Duffy, OneRepublic, Newton Faulkner, The Kooks, and the Stereophonics.

Good concerts have always been inspirational to me. Many performers are at their best with a live audience which gives them the chance for some spontaneity. I believe that excellence with talent honors God and inspires people, and I’m glad Palladia’s on the map to help my bride and I see more this year on TV than we’ll be able to afford in person!

My bride and I plan on spending more redemptive TV time in 2009 and the Palladia channel will be a frequent stop. You can learn more at Palladia.tv.