Much of Bruce’s catalog demands concentration and invites analysis.
And then there are songs like “Where the Bands Are.” If you analyze them too carefully, you miss their entire point.
“Where the Bands Are” is Bruce in pure power pop mode, the E Street Band at their most joyous and unrestrained.
Just listen to this River-era outtake from Tracks, and marvel at how much leash Bruce gives each member of the band and how they stay perfectly attuned to each other even while strutting their own stuff. Max in particular has a ball, and Steve and Bruce’s guitar solos dance effortlessly with each other:
Amazing, isn’t it? It’s hard to think of a song on The River (or any other album) that shows off the talent and cohesion of the E Street Band better than “Where the Bands Are.” And those hand claps and harmonies–Steve has never sounded better.
Lyrically, there’s no subtext here. Bruce lays it all out nakedly: “Where the Bands Are” is all about the joy of rock and roll, of losing yourself in the music and power of a hot band. The only times Bruce uses metaphor is to drive home the power of the music: it delivers both freedom and heartbreak, and it blows minds:
I hear the guitars ringing out there
Ringing out down Union Street
I hear the lead singer shouting out, girl
Now I wanna be a slave to the beat
Yeah tonight I wanna break my chains
Somebody break my heart, somebody shake my brains
Downtown there’s something that I wanna hear
There’s a sound, little girl, keeps ringing in my ear
I wanna be where the bands are
I wanna be where the bands are
Where the bands are
I wanna be where the bands are
When that chorus kicks in, it’s a declaration, and Bruce wisely leaves it unadorned. It resonates with any fan of live music, and we instantly wrap ourselves in it. It’s our anthem, and my money says that even the first time you heard it, you were singing the chorus, too.
The second verse makes it clear that this song isn’t just about the music, though–it’s also about the other thing that drives us to experience live music: connection.
Get off from work and I grab something to eat
I turn the corner and I drive down your street
Little gray houses darling looks like nowhere
But hey I know you’re hiding in there
Come on out for just a little while
You know that heart of stone, girl, it just ain’t your style
Tonight I wanna feel the beat of the crowd
And when I tell you that I love you (tell you that I love you)
I wanna have to shout it out loud (shout it out loud)
Shout it out loud
That “heart of stone” isn’t a throwaway metaphor–it’s verbatim link to a song that did make it on The River that’s also about connection: “Two Hearts.“
Is Bruce asking his girl out because he thinks the music will free her inhibitions, or because he knows it will free his own? The answer is yes to both. (I’m sure it’s no coincidence that they’re headed down to Union Street.)
(Side note: Bruce ironically repurposed the first two lines of that carefree verse and used them in one of his least carefree songs: “Jackson Cage.” The songs are so substantively different that I’d wager most fans never notice the self-plagiarism.)
“Where the Bands Are” was recorded in 1979, but fans didn’t get to hear it (officially, at least) for almost two decades–until it was finally released on Tracks in late 1998.
However, a raw mix of the same recording had escaped and circulated earlier. It runs a bit fast, but I actually prefer it that way. Combined with a bit of coarseness in the mix, it has more energy, grit, and a bit of edge:
Unlike other River-era outtakes, “Where the Bands Are” didn’t receive its live debut until after its official release, early on the Reunion Tour in Milan, Italy. Luckily, that premiere performance was captured on video. (Unfortunately, so was Clarence’s solo–not one of his better performances.)
Once set free on stage, “Where the Bands Are” made many return appearances throughout the 1999 leg of the Reunion Tour, but surprisingly Bruce dropped it after the holidays, playing it only once for the remainder of the tour.
For a while, it seemed like Bruce would treat “Where the Bands Are” as an infrequent wildcard, playing it seven times over the course of the Rising Tour, but it’s been absent from Bruce’s setlists now for almost as long as it was before its 1999 live debut.
The sole exception: a dedication from Bruce to his fans during his Wrecking Ball stand in Gothenburg, Sweden. That performance remains my favorite live rendition of the song, starting slowly and solo before the band barrels in and nails it. Again, we’re fortunate to have that performance captured–in amazing quality. Enjoy the last performance to date–but hopefully not the last for good–of “Where the Bands Are.”
Where the Bands Are
Recorded: October 9, 1979
Released: Tracks (1998)
First performed: April 19, 1999 (Milan, Italy)
Last performed: July 12, 2012 (Gothenburg, Sweden)
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