New for 2024: Review for 1981
1970: Steel Mill opens for Boz Scaggs at The Matrix in San Francisco.
1971: Bruce jams at an open mic night at The Upstage in Asbury Park.
1972: The Bruce Springsteen Band opens for Crazy Horse at the Sunshine In in Asbury Park.
1974: Bruce and the still unnamed E Street Band play the University of Kentucky, their first time performing in the state. After a fight with road manager Steve Appel, drummer Vini Lopez is fired immediately after the show, and the next three shows are cancelled.
1977: The Lawsuit Tour continues with a show at the Ottawa Civic Center.
1981: The original River Tour stops in Mobile, Alabama.
1990: Bruce, Sting, Bruce Hornsby, and others attend and perform at a benefit for the Rainforest Foundation in Beverly Hills. Among the numbers Bruce performs: his only known cover of “Big Yellow Taxi.”
After the show, Bruce, Sting, Don Henley, Herbie Hancock, Branford Marsalis, and Joe Walsh hit the China Club in Hollywood and jam on stage.
1996: Bruce begins his first European solo acoustic tour in Frankfurt.
1997: Bruce’s marathon solo acoustic tour continues with a fifth and final show at the Capital Theater in Sydney, Australia.
1999: Bruce records audio and video for “Give My Love to Rose” for a Johnny Cash tribute special. It will be broadcast in April.
2012: Bruce and the E Street Band open the Grammy Awards with the live debut of “We Take Care of Our Own.” At the end of the show, Bruce joins an epic jam with Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, and Joe Walsh on “The End.” Watch both performances and behind-the-scenes footage below.
2014: Night Two in Adelaide is a scorcher… literally. It was a hot day, and it prompts Bruce to open with a cover of “Heat Wave.” This show also features the first and only (to date) performance of “Hunter of Invisible Game.”
2016: At the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Bruce gives Philly their customary special perks, adding tour premieres of “My Love Will Not Let You Down” and “Jungleland” to the post-album set. For more highlights and memories, see my Where the Band Was report.
