In the late summer of 1967, seventeen-year-old Bruce Springsteen was rapidly becoming the center of attention in his high school band, The Castiles.
Bruce’s vocals were becoming increasingly confident; more often than not he now sang the lead. And as a guitarist, he was already well on his way to earning his “fastest in the east” reputation. Unsurprisingly, the band began seeking out material that allowed Bruce to show off his chops, and if you fancied yourself a guitar hero in 1967, there was one idol you couldn’t help but try and cover.
That’s probably why The Castiles’ set list on September 16, 1967 featured not just one but two recent releases by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. I shared the latter one, “Purple Haze” last year; now here’s the song The Castiles used to open their show: “Fire.”
It’s not quite as assured a performance at first as “Purple Haze” would be a few songs later (perhaps the young lads needed a few songs under their belt to feel fully comfortable), but by the instrumental break, Bruce was on fire.
It’s amazing to think he was only seventeen at the time.
As for the Hendrix original, the funk and soul song was released on Are You Experienced in 1967, but it would be a few years before “Fire” was released as a single–which means Bruce had probably spent a fair bit of time listening to the complete album in the summer of 1967. It sure showed.
Fire
First performed: September 16, 1967 (Freehold, NJ)
Last performed: September 16, 1967 (Freehold, NJ)
