New for 2023: Audio for 1988
1974: Bruce and the E Street Band play their very last opening set ever, at the Wollman Ice Rink in New York City’s Central Park. The story will become legend: Bruce is a late substitution for original headliner Boz Scaggs, but managers for opening act Anne Murray successfully argue that she has a greater claim to the headliner slot than Bruce does due to her greater album sales. Murray therefore ends up headlining a show that was originally advertised with Bruce as the headliner, and as a result only a quarter of the crowd stays to the end of Murray’s set. Bruce has become an impossible act to follow, and no one will attempt it again.
1976: Bruce debuts an early version of “The Promise” on Night Three of six at the Monmouth Arts Center in Red Bank. The lyrics are different from the final version, most notably the chorus. Take a listen–it’s the only time this version will ever be performed.
1988: The Tunnel of Love Tour wraps up with a final show at Camp Nou in Barcelona.
2005: Bruce opens his solo acoustic show in Grand Rapids with the tour premiere of “Tunnel of Love.” Later in the show, Bruce also tour premieres “Sherry Darling” and “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City.” It’s a fantastic performance, captured in full as part of Bruce’s official archive series–get it here.
