Kingdom of Days: January 9

New for 2024: New entry for 2023

1971: Bruce plays the second of two nights at the Upstage in Asbury Park as one of headliner Steve Van Zandt’s “friends.” Other friends on stage include Garry Tallent, Danny Federici, and Southside Johnny.

1973: Bruce (and the band that was still more than a year away from being known as “E Street”) drop by Boston’s WBCN-FM for an in-studio interview (Bruce’s very first) to promote their week-long gig at Paul’s Mall. The boys perform six songs, including the ultra-rare “Bishop Danced” and “Song for Orphans.” They also perform an early version of “Wild Billy’s Circus Story,” which wouldn’t be recorded and released until later that year. Here it’s called simply “Circus Song.” The first half is in pretty final form; the second half, however, features some very different lyrics. Take a listen to the audio below–it’s the earliest known live recording of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

Bruce plays two more shows that night at Paul’s Mall.

1980: Bruce Springsteen joins very young cover band Atlantic City Expressway on stage at The Fast Lane in Asbury Park. The band’s front man: seventeen-year-old Jon Bon Jovi. Jon is still two years from recording his first hit, three years from forming his own band, and four years from releasing his first album. Atlantic City Expressway is quite familiar with Bruce’s work–his songs often appeared on the band’s set lists. Tonight, Bruce and the band perform “The Promised Land” together.

1995: The E Street Band (including Steve Van Zandt) reunites in the studio for the first time in eleven years to record new songs for the forthcoming Greatest Hits album. Their recording sessions and tentative reunion that month are captured in the documentary Blood Brothers.

2014: Bruce’s 1980 album, The River, wins fourth place in Rolling Stone’s readers’ poll of the greatest double albums of all-time.

2018: Springsteen on Broadway resumes after the holiday break. Patti makes her return to the show after being absent for several shows in December due to illness, and the set list accordingly returns to its original state.

2023: Bruce convenes rehearsals for the E Street Band’s upcoming world tour at The Vogel in Red Bank, NJ. First-hand reports from obsessive fans (including this blogger) lurking outside the theater confirm the first known performance of “Janey Needs a Shooter,” which unfortunately will not be played on the tour. (Photo credit: Robyn Sherer)