David Bowie was the original Springsteen cover artist.
In the summer of 1973, mere months after the release of Bruce’s debut album, Bowie recorded a cover of “Growin’ Up” for his Pin Ups album. It didn’t make the final cut, though, and it would remain in Bowie’s vault for another seventeen years.
The following year, he did it again: Bowie recorded a cover of “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City,” and that one also lingered in the vault–this time for fifteen years.
But in between, Bowie recorded what would turn out to be the most-covered track of his own: his 1974 single, “Rebel Rebel,” with a killer riff that carried it to #64 on the Billboard Hot 100. (It fared much better in the U.K., reaching #5.)
So when Bowie passed away in January 2016, just before Bruce embarked on his River Tour with the E Street Band, Bruce paid tribute to his friend and original cover artist by opening his encore set with a searing performance of the oft-covered “Rebel Rebel.”
It proved to be only a one-off, but the band nailed it–a fitting one-time-only tribute to one of rock’s greatest legends by another.
Rebel Rebel
First performed: January 16, 2016 (Pittsburgh, PA)
Last performed: January 16, 2016 (Pittsburgh, PA)
