“Around and Around” was the B-side for one of the greatest, most recognized songs in rock and roll history, Chuck Berry’s 1958 smash hit “Johnny B. Goode.”
But even though it was overshadowed by its A-side, “Around and Around” still got some love of its own, particularly when The Rolling Stones covered it in 1964.
It’s a song that works better covered on stage than on vinyl, though, and many bands have done so over the years, from the Stones to the Grateful Dead to the E Street Band.
Bruce and the E Street Band covered “Around and Around” for the first time as a one-off in St. Petersburg, Florida, during the Darkness Tour in 1978.
He’d cover it again in 2002 on the Rising Tour, as another one-off performance in Albany, this time a show-closing encore:
Those may have been the only two “official” E Street Band performances, but in between Bruce covered “Around and Around” dozens of times at The Stone Pony, Big Man’s West, McLoone’s Rum Runner, and other small clubs, almost always in surprise, unadvertised appearances.
“Around and Around” is a song that benefits from a more intimate venue. After all, the lyrics celebrate the small clubs where rock bands pack the house and play until dawn–what better song for a surprise Bruce Springsteen club appearance?
Around and Around
First performed: July 29, 1978 (St. Petersburg, FL)
Last performed: December 13, 2002 (Albany, NY)
