Frequent readers of this blog know my rule when it comes to covering Bruce’s (or really, anyone’s) songs: do it better or do it different–or else don’t bother.
But sometimes there’s a third option: just commit to it. When a performer truly loves another artist’s song and gets fully into it, it can prove impossible to resist.
Case in point: Warren Zevon’s 1982 performance of “Cadillac Ranch” at the Capitol Theater in Passaic. Zevon doesn’t bring anything new to the song–the arrangement is pure E Street, and especially in that River era, it was impossible to match the on-stage brilliance of the E Street Band with their own material.
But dang it if this isn’t a hoot to watch anyway. Zevon and his band have so much fun with it, and with a song like “Cadillac Ranch,” that’s pretty much the key. Check it out below at the 45:15 mark.
