In September 1979, Bruce and the E Street Band participated in a special pair of Madison Square Garden concerts, under the aegis of “Musicians United for Safe Energy,” a musical coalition advocating for an end to nuclear proliferation.
The MUSE concerts featured a stellar artist line-up that besides Bruce included Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, The Doobie Brothers, Carly Simon, Crosby, Still, and Nash, and more.
But the concerts were significant for another reason: the subsequent triple-album that documented these shows featured Bruce’s first live appearance on a record.
One of the songs they performed was a cover of Maurice Williams’ “Stay,” and Jackson and Rosemary Butler joined the band for that special performance. Here’s a look at that moment. The video quality is rough, but the audio is wonderful.
“Stay” was first recorded and released in 1960 by Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs. Williams wrote the song when he was only fifteen years old. The song went to number one, and has been covered extensively over the years (including by Jackson Browne). It remains the shortest song ever to reach number one.
Stay
First performed: September 21, 1979 (New York City, NY)
Last performed: June 30, 1989 (Atlantic City, NJ)
