New for 2024: Article for 1985, 1989, 1992, and 2004; audio for 1985 and 2008; video for 2016
1962: Adele Springsteen takes Bruce and Ginny to their first-ever rock concert when Chubby Checker plays at Steel Pier in Atlantic City. She also takes them to see Anita Bryant that evening. Bruce enjoys the afternoon show a lot more than the evening show.
1968: The Castiles play a show at Hullabaloo in Freehold, New Jersey.
1974: A scheduled E Street Band gig in Memphis is cancelled.
1978: Bruce and the E Street Band make a Darkness Tour stop at San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts.
1984: A big, big night for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: The Born in the U.S.A. Tour kicks off at the St. Paul Civic Center Arena, with Nils and Patti making their official debuts as full-fledged members of the band. Film director Brian De Palma is on hand to film Bruce’s performance (twice!) of “Dancing in the Dark” for the now classic music video, and fan Sandi Pederson is front and center. This is also Courtney Cox’s debut–as most people know, she’s the “lucky fan” pulled out of the audience to dance with Bruce on-stage.
Watch footage from the video premiere below, and then listen to a never-before-circulated soundboard recording of Bruce’s first-ever public concert performance of “Dancing in the Dark.” (Sorry about those drum machines…)
In the setlist, a couple of notable moments: Bruce covers “Street Fighting Man” for the first time, and “No Surrender” makes its debut as well, the latter song in a short-lived arrangement with an extended instrumental ending and a new final verse.
1985: The Born in the U.S.A. Tour arrives in Paris for the first of two nights at Parc de la Courneuve. The show was captured in stunning (for the time) video and audio quality.
Meanwhile, “Glory Days,” Bruce’s latest single, climbs the charts and is profiled on American Top 40.
1988: Night Two in Rotterdam on the Tunnel of Love Tour features the first performances of “Chimes of Freedom” and “Paradise by the ‘C’” in a decade.
1989: Bruce plays a 20-minute-long “Twist and Shout” with The Fabulous Greaseband at The Headliner in Neptune, New Jersey.
1990: Bruce records “Seven Angels” at Oceanway Studios in Los Angeles.
1992: Bruce and his new touring band bring World Tour 1992 to Paris for the first of two nights at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, where Bruce reveals that “Darkness on the Edge of Town” and “If I Should Fall Behind” share a common character.
1993: Bruce and Patti publicly reveal that their third child is on the way.
2000: Bruce and the E Street Band play their penultimate Reunion show at Madison Square Garden, their ninth show of this final MSG stand. Several songs from this show are recorded, filmed, and eventually released on Live in New York City.
2004: Bruce discovers a painting of himself by local high school student Michael Antrim, who submitted it for (and won) an art contest held by the Freehold Library two years prior. Bruce heads over to Michael’s house in Red Bank to sign it. Learning that Michael plays guitar, he spends time playing with him–about 90 minutes in total spent at the boy’s house.
2008: The Magic Tour heads north for a Scandinavian leg, starting with a show at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.
2013: Bruce and the E Street Band bring the Wrecking Ball Tour to Stade de France outside of Paris, where lucky fans get an acoustic pre-show that features a cover of “Burning Love.” Elliot Murphy and his son guest-star on “Born to Run,” and Bruce tour premieres “Lucille” in the opening pack.
2016: The River Tour (2016 edition) almost returns to its original form in Oslo, with at least 13 songs from the album making the setlist.
2018: Springsteen on Broadway continues its theatrical run at the Walter Kerr Theater in New York City.
2021: It’s Night Two for the return engagement of Springsteen on Broadway, and Bob Seger is in attendance.
