We’ve made several trips over the years back to Black Friday in 1976. That was the night the Bruce Springsteen joined Patti Smith and her band on stage for two shows at The Bottom Line in New York City.
Bruce didn’t provide any vocals that night; in fact, at times he was barely hanging on at the piano. That’s because this wasn’t just the first time Bruce played some of these songs. It was the first and only time Patti performed them, too.
Patti’s shows were already famous for her improvisational setpieces that bordered on performance art, and tonight she put Bruce to the test as her sole accompaniment while she invented songs on the spot. We took a listen to the first of that night’s on-the-fly compositions way back when this blog first started. (Check out “Slowly Walking Down By the River” for their first number, along with Patti’s confession about why she was late to discover Bruce’s talent.)
“My Car Was Invisible” followed immediately after, serving as Patti’s explanation for why she had to hang around the club a little later than she wanted to the previous night.
As Patti’s vocals grew in power (and distortion, unfortunately), Bruce’s piano accompaniment grew more confident as well. After a few minutes, Patti segued her musical monologue into a plea for all present to write letters to the musician’s union to plead the case of Bruce Springsteen. For what, I cannot tell–the audio is too muddy. (If you can figure it out, though, please leave a comment and let me know!)
It wouldn’t be the last time Bruce and Patti would team up on stage (in fact, Bruce would be back just hours later for a second show that night), but never again would they be quite so loose. For a performer known for his seat-of-his-pants setlists, it’s fun to hear a young Bruce Springsteen do his best to keep up with one of the few rock icons who can out-improvise him.
My Car Was Invisible (The Case of Bruce Springsteen)
First performed: November 26, 1976 (New York City, NY)
Last performed: November 26, 1976 (New York City, NY)
