Garland Jeffreys and Bruce Springsteen both started writing and performing around the same time, and they each released their first records in 1973.
Nineteen years later, they reintroduced themselves to the world at the same time, too. In March 1992, Bruce released his Human Touch and Lucky Town albums after a five-year absence. Garland returned to record stores as well, with his first album in nine years.
Garland’s reception was much more muted than Bruce’s, but Don’t Call Me Buckwheat still garnered critical acclaim for Jeffreys’ exploration of race relations and tension in America.
None of the album’s singles charted in America, but “Hail Hail Rock ‘n’ Roll” was a minor hit in several European countries, and a follow-up single of “Welcome to the World” managed to crack the Top 100 in the Netherlands.
“Welcome to the World” is one of the album’s most overt pieces of social commentary. It seemed a fitting yet optimistic choice for the set list when Bruce invited Garland to join him for his run of Asbury Park holiday benefit concerts a few months after the events of 9/11.
Garland played it each night of the run (except for one show he missed), and during his performance December 6th, Bruce joined him at the mic to take a verse. Take a listen below.
Bruce and Garland would go on to perform together fifteen times over the next fifteen years, but never again (to date, at least) would they play “Welcome to the World.”
Welcome to the World
First performed: December 3, 2001 (Asbury Park, NJ)
Last performed: December 8, 2001 (Asbury Park, NJ)
