New for 2024: Review for 1984; new entry for 2023
1973: A scheduled gig at Syracuse University is cancelled to make room for production work on The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle.
1975: Bruce and the E Street Band play their second of two shows at the Houston Music Hall, where they play “A Love So Fine” for the very last time (at least until it’s resurrected as “So Young and in Love” in the post-Reunion era).
1981: It’s the end of the River Tour with this final show at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum, and it’s Steve Van Zandt’s last show as a member of the E Street Band for 18 years. Also saying their goodbyes for a while: “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City” (next seen 15 years later) and “The Ties That Bind” (resurfacing 18 years later).
1984: On Night Three (of six) at the Philadelphia Spectrum on the Born in the U.S.A. Tour, the Miami Horns make a guest appearance.
1985: Bruce and the band play their second of two nights at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
1995: Bruce makes a guest appearance with Joe Ely at The Viper Room in West Hollywood, where the two play “All Just to Get to You.”
2003: At his Rising show in Chapel Hill, Bruce finally starts acknowledging his TOL/HT/LT era, tour premiering “Brilliant Disguise,” and “Living Proof,” the latter of which is its first E Street Band performance. The trend will continue throughout the rest of the tour, perhaps not coincidentally while The Essential Bruce Springsteen compilation is in production.
2007: Bruce and the E Street Band rehearse for their upcoming Magic Tour at Asbury Park’s Convention Hall.
2010: As part of the promotional push for the upcoming box set, The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story, Bruce attends the Toronto International Film Festival for the premiere of the documentary The Promise: The Making of the Darkness on the Edge of Town. Before the screening, actor Ed Norton interviews Bruce on stage.
2012: Bruce and the E Street Band play a Wrecking Ball show at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, where “Blinded by the Light” makes its tour debut and Ali Weinberg (Max’s daughter) plays the accordion for “American Land.”
2013: The Wrecking Ball Tour continues its South American leg with a stop in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Bruce opens the show with “This Little Light of Mine.”
2016: The revived River Tour wraps up at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. The “autobiography” theme continues, but there are surprisingly few surprises. “Rockin’ All Over the World” is the final tour premiere, and Peter Wolf makes his customary Boston appearance. Bruce delivered a special thank you message to his fans via E Street Radio.
2023: Bruce’s scheduled show in Pittsburgh is postponed by almost a year due to his peptic ulcer disease.
