“Man at the Top” is an obscure choice to cover from Bruce’s catalog, but the covering artist is an obvious one.
Nils Lofgren was a newly minted member of the E Street Band when it was performed (just twice) on the Born in the U.S.A. Tour. He must have taken strongly to it, because for more than a decade after, if you wanted to hear the song performed live, the only way you were going get it was to see Nils live in concert. (Bruce has only played it one time since, in 2013.)
Here’s one of Nils’ earliest performances of “Man at the Top” from the Bridge School Benefit in October 1986:
Nils finally recorded “Man at the Top” in the studio for the 2003 tribute album Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen. I couldn’t decide which version I liked best (live or studio), so you get both!
