New for 2024: Article for 1969; audio for 1975
1969: Bruce, along with the other members of Child, attend Janis Joplin’s gig at Asbury Park Convention Hall as backstage guests of The James Cotton Band (Joplin’s opening act).
1973: Bruce and the E Street Band play their fourth night of a week-long residency at Oliver’s in Boston.
1974: Bruce hires Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg as new members of the E Street Band. Max and Roy responded to Bruce’s ad in the Village Voice and tried out during audition sessions in mid-August. The band immediately kicks off intense rehearsal days (up to ten hours a day) lasting for two weeks.
1975: Bruce and the E Street Band wrap up their three-night stand at Alex Cooley’s Electric Ballroom in Atlanta. The setlist includes “Then She Kissed Me” in its last appearance for 33 years to the day (see below).
1978: On the final night (of three) at Madison Square Garden on the Darkness Tour, Bruce brings his mom on stage during the final encore of “Quarter to Three.”
1981: At Night Three of six River Tour shows at the L.A. Sports Arena, Bruce and the E Street Band play a tour one-off cover of “Rave On.”
1982: Bruce joins Mama Tried on stage at the Brighton Bar in Long Branch, New Jersey for “Twist and Shout.”
1999: On an off-day during their five-show Reunion stand in Boston, the Springsteen family takes a side trip to Pioneer Village in Salem.
2008: Bruce and the E Street Band play what is widely (and personally) considered to be one of his best shows ever, certainly of the Reunion era, in St. Louis. Four tour premieres at this penultimate Magic Tour show, including two (“Then She Kissed Me” and “Mountain of Love“) not played for 33 years (to the very day for one of them), along with performances of three epics (“Backstreets,” “Drive All Night,” and “Jungleland”) all in one show. The show is available for purchase as part of Bruce’s official archive series–get it here. For more highlights from this stunner of a show, see my Where the Band Was report.
2009: Back-to-back tour premieres at Night Two in Mansfield on the Working on a Dream Tour: first, the return of “Independence Day,” followed by an instrumental “(Love is Like a) Heat Wave” during the sign collection. Jay Weinberg takes the drums from his dad for the second half of the show, and Ken Casey joins the band for “American Land.”
2016: Bruce and the E Street Band kick off the ten-show “victory lap” leg of what really shouldn’t be called the River Tour anymore, with the first of three shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. Right away, it’s clear that this leg is going to be special: the show opens with “New York City Serenade,” featuring an eight-piece string section led by Sam Bardfeld of the Sessions Band. The strings return later in the show for the tour premiere of “Jack of All Trades,” but these are far from the only highlights: Bruce is reflective tonight, in fresh storytelling mode, perhaps in anticipation of the release of his autobiography. “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” is played by request, and “Mansion on the Hill” is played as a duet with Patti. A final encore of “Jersey Girl” accompanied by fireworks caps off the third longest show Bruce has ever played in the USA… but it will drop several notches before the tour ends. Fore more highlights from this show, see my Where the Band Was report.
2018: Springsteen on Broadway continues its theatrical run at the Walter Kerr Theater in New York City.
