New for 2024: Review for 1981 and 2005; video for 2006, 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2016
1971: Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom make their debut (and penultimate) performance under that name, at Asbury Park’s Sunshine In.
1974: Bruce cancels a scheduled gig at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tennessee, to make room for recording sessions for Born to Run.
1981: Those poor ticket holders for Bruce’s second River Tour show in Manchester, England: The original concert was postponed from March 24th when Bruce took ill, and on this night, Bruce is sick again. He performs an abbreviated set (five songs fewer than the night before) at the Apollo Theatre, the shortest show of the European leg.
1985: Bruce and Julianne hold their wedding reception, a day after their wedding.
1988: On American Top 40, host Casey Kasem introduces Natalie Cole’s cover of “Pink Cadillac” with a medley of Springsteen covers that hit the Top 40.
1993: Bruce’s World Tour 1993 moves on to Germany for the first of four shows. The opener is in Berlin, where Bruce plays “Satan’s Jeweled Crown” for the very first time. This show is available as part of Bruce’s official archive series–get it here.
2005: At his solo show at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Bruce treats fans to the tour premieres of “Wreck on the Highway” (his first performance of that song in over a decade), “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” and “Dry Lightning.”
2006: The Seeger Sessions Tour stops in Barcelona. Watch the local news coverage and interview below.
2009: Max Weinberg misses his first show in 35 years as his son Jay takes over the drums for the entire show for the first time in Albany, New York.
2013: Bruce continues playing full albums on the Wrecking Ball Tour, this time Born to Run in Copenhagen.
2014: The High Hopes Tour makes its penultimate stop in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where the set includes an opening “Clampdown,” the tour premiere of “Be True,” and a stunning solo piano performance of “For You.” For more highlights from this show, see my Where the Band Was report from this date. Stream or purchase this show here.
2016: The European leg of the River Tour kicks off with a show at Camp Nou in Barcelona. Immediately noticeable: Bruce is no longer playing the entire The River album, although he does play much of it, along with a rare outing for “I Wanna Be With You” and the tour premiere of “Twist and Shout.” Stream or purchase this show here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTMlnalx0a8&pp=ygUgc3ByaW5nc3RlZW4gMjAxNi0wNS0xNCBiYXJjZWxvbmE%3D
