New for 2024: New entry for 2023
1970: Steel Mill barely makes it across the country from California to Virginia for their gig at Richmond’s Free University.
1971: Bruce jams at an open mic night at The Upstage in Asbury Park.
1972: The Bruce Springsteen Band finishes their month-long residency at The Back Door with a ninth show.
1973: Bruce’s scheduled gig opening for Paul Butterfield’s Better Days in Bakersfield is cancelled due to poor ticket sales.
1975: Bruce postpones a scheduled concert at John Carroll University in Cleveland to make room for Born to Run recording sessions.
1977: Bruce and the E Street Band play a sparsely attended show at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati. I’m a fan of the Muppets too, but I’m still not sure I agree with the local press profile of Miami Steve.
1980: The Big Man is in his prime, but his successor and nephew is born on this day. Happy birthday, Jake Clemons!
1986: ABC-TV’s news series 20/20 airs a story on the 3M plant closure in Freehold and Bruce’s attempt to draw attention to it. Bruce doesn’t agree to an interview, but he does allow the show to broadcast an as-yet-unseen (unless you were there) performance of “This Land Is Your Land.” Here’s the story and performance:
1988: On the release date for “One Step Up,” his third single and video from Tunnel of Love, Bruce visits his friend John Mulheren in the Monmouth County jail.
2000: Bruce and the E Street Band rehearse for the next leg of the Reunion Tour at Penn State University.
2012: Bruce and the E Street Band (plus Curt Ramm) make a guest appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, where they play “We Take Care of Our Own” and “Wrecking Ball.”
2016: At the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” returns in the encore, where it will remain throughout the tour. This show also features a rare “I Wanna Be With You” from the River outtakes and the tour premieres of “I’m Goin’ Down” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.”
2023: Lisa Lowell returns to the stage at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, but Curtis King (and therefore his nightly “Nightshift” duet with Bruce) remain absent. “Trapped” makes its tour premiere in the “Nightshift” slot, and “Land of Hope and Dreams” makes its first tour appearance as well, closing out the main set.
