New for 2024: Review for 1981 and 1996
1969: Bruce, Vini Lopez, Danny Federici, and Vinnie Roslin jam at the Upstage in Asbury Park. Within weeks, they will debut their new band, Child.
1970: Steel Mill plays their second of two shows at Richmond’s Free University. This is Vinnie Roslin’s final show; Steven Van Zandt will replace him within the month.
1973: Bruce and the as-yet-unnamed E Street Band play the only show out of two weeks of scheduled gigs opening for Paul Butterfield’s Better Days that is held as scheduled–the rest were cancelled for low ticket sales–and even this show is poorly attended.
1977: The Lawsuit Tour is in full swing with a stop at the Fox Theater in St. Louis.
1981: Bruce and the band bring the River Tour to the Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina–his first time performing for what will prove to be one of Bruce’s most fervent and appreciative audiences.
1985: Bruce makes the cover of Rolling Stone when he tops the Readers’ Poll for the magazine’s annual music awards.
1986: MTV airs the results of Rolling Stone Magazine’s Readers Poll for 1985. Bruce wins the award for Artist of the Year.
1988: The opening stand of the Tunnel of Love Express Tour continues with the second of three shows at the Centrum in Worcester. Bruce is still a little rusty: he forgets the opening line to “Born to Run” (played acoustically on this tour) and has to restart it.
1995: Bruce’s Greatest Hits album is released, featuring four new songs recorded for this collection: “Secret Garden,” “Murder Incorporated,” “Blood Brothers,” and “This Hard Land.”
1996: Bruce’s solo acoustic tour moves on to the Apollo Theater in Manchester, England.
2000: The Reunion Tour resumes with a show at Penn State University, featuring the U.S. debut of “Lion’s Den” in honor of the Nittany Lions.
2003: The second leg of The Rising Tour kicks off at the Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia. Perhaps feeling a bit salty losing a well-deserved Grammy Award for The Rising to Norah Jones, Bruce opens with a slightly different version of a speech he might have otherwise given a few days earlier.
2006: Bruce releases a new live CD, Hammersmith Odeon, London ’75, the soundtrack for the DVD release included in the anniversary box set for Born to Run.
2008: The Magic Tour resumes at the Hartford Civic Center with the tour premiere of “So Young and in Love.” The set also features rare outings for “Loose Ends” and “Janey, Don’t You Lose Heart.”
2018: Springsteen on Broadway resumes its theatrical run at the Walter Kerr Theater in New York City after almost a month-long break. Patti is absent with a back injury, so Bruce plays the B-set (“Long Time Comin’” and “The Ghost of Tom Joad” stand in for the two duets).
2020: When a local third-grader profiles Bruce for her biography assignment at school, Bruce surprises her class by attending in person.
Video, 2.28.08: Did not know, or forgot, that Nils sings the entire second verse (beautifully!) of “Janey” and shares the mic with Bruce on the chorus. The Hartford crowd appreciates it. Clarence adds a nice solo as well. “Feel like a stranger that, that knows too much…”
The 2/28/81 Greensboro show was my first. Needless to say, I was hooked!