Fun fact #1: Bruce’s last “first-ever” at an in-person, public concert to date (as of this writing, anyway) was an eerily prescient team-up with Jesse Malin at Light of Day 20, almost exactly a year ago.
Jesse wrote “Meet Me at the End of the World” as a commentary on the dire state of world affairs… in 2017. (If he only knew what was coming.)
Fun fact #2: Alejandro Escovedo was Jesse’s co-writer, so the Bruce connections in this song run deep.
With a catchy two-chord riff, an awesomely gonzo video, and a theme that Jesse calls “P.M.A.” (Positive Mental Attitude), “Meet Me at the End of the World” is irresistible. Seriously, go ahead: try to resist it.
But of course, the world got progressively end-ier after 2017, so two years later Jesse recut the song as “Meet Me at the End of the World Again” for his excellent 2019 album, Sunset Kids.
This time, Jesse and his trusty road manager Bob Strauss (Jesse never goes anywhere without him) took their crew to the west coast to recreate the video.
“Meet Me at the End of the World” is one of Jesse’s most infectious songs, and with it now committed to disc into two versions, it was pretty much a lock for Jesse’s set at Light of Day last year.
What wasn’t a lock was seeing him perform it with Bruce.
Bruce took the stage for the first time that night to join Jesse on their 2007 duet, “Broken Radio,” surprising the audience only with his appearance, not with their song choice.
But Bruce stayed on stage for one more song after “Broken Radio,” treating the audience to his first and only performance to date of “Meet Me at the End of the World.”
Bruce and Jesse gave a great performance, keeping fans on their feet and dancing for the entire song.
I can personally attest to that, too, thanks to my vantage point that night. Keep your eyes on the small group of people hanging out on the side of the stage over the shoulder of James Cruz, Jesse’s bass player.
Given the zoom factor, you’ll need to trust me on this, but you can see me bopping my way to the end of the world.
Meet Me at the End of the World
First performed: January 18, 2020 (Asbury Park, NJ)
Last performed: January 18, 2020 (Asbury Park, NJ)
One Reply to “MatR: Jesse Malin and Bruce Springsteen: Meet Me at the End of the World”