New for 2024: Video for 2012; new entry for 2023
1966: The Castiles play a show at the Hullabaloo in Middletown, New Jersey.
1973: Bruce plays his first-ever show in Maine, co-headlining with Orleans at Ricker College in Houlton.
1974: Bruce, Garry, Max, and Roy stop by WMMR-FM in Philadelphia before heading out on the road for a week of shows in Texas. Ed Sciaky records a fascinating interview with Bruce, well worth listening to. During the interview, “Born to Run” receives its radio debut when Sciaky decides to play Bruce’s demo so that Bruce can hear what it sounds like on the radio. The recording below may be a bit confusing to follow at times, as it’s Sciaky in 1979 doing a retrospective on his interview from this date in 1974, but it’s a great document of the original conversation. Take a listen.
1975: Bruce and the E Street Band play their first of three nights at Arizona State University in Tempe.
1976: It’s Night Five of six at the Palladium in New York City on the Lawsuit Tour; tonight’s show is notable for the debut of “Mona” as the intro to “She’s the One” and the last known “A Fine Fine Girl” for 33 years.
1980: Bruce and the band play their final night of a four-night stand at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, where the 1978 version of “Prove It All Night” makes its final appearance for 32 years. Flo and Eddie guest star on “Hungry Heart,” and Jackson Browne joins the band for a final encore of “Detroit Medley.”
1984: On American Top 40, host Casey Kasem shines a spotlight on Bruce’s marathon shows while introducing “Cover Me.”
1992: It’s Election Day in the United States, and during Bruce’s show in Milwaukee, Bill Clinton is declared the winner. Bruce congratulates him from the stage, dedicating (fittingly) “Glory Days.”
1999: Patti Scialfa has a perforated eardrum, forcing Bruce to postpone a scheduled Reunion show in Minneapolis.
2000: Bruce returns to The Stone Pony for the first time in five years, joining Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers on stage at Bob Benjamin’s first official Light of Day benefit for the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. Listen to the entire show below. (Bruce joins after the first two songs.)
2001: Bruce makes an encore appearance at Light of Day 2001 at Tradewinds in Sea Bright, joining Joe Grushecky three songs into his set. Listen to their performance below, featuring Bruce’s first performance of “Fire” in 15 years.
2002: The Rising Tour returns to the U.S., and the next leg kicks off with a show at American Airlines Center in Dallas, where Don Henley makes a guest appearance on the tour premiere of “I Fought the Law,” and Bruce plays a rare solo piano “Incident on 57th Street.”
2005: Hurricane Wilma forces the postponement of a scheduled show in Sunrise, Florida.
2009: Bruce plays “Brown Eyed Girl” for the very first time when the Working on a Dream Tour stops at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. Other highlights include “I Fought the Law,” “So Young and in Love” and a full album performance of Born to Run. Frank Bruno makes a guest appearance on “American Land” in the encores.
2010: Bruce’s third appearance at Stand Up for Heroes (at the Beacon Theater in New York City) is his most productive: he once again auctions a guitar and brings in $140,000 for the Bob Woodruff foundation. Oh, and he also joins the Max Weinberg 7 to perform “Open All Night,” “Kitty’s Back,” and “If I Should Fall Behind.”
2011: Almost one year to the day, Bruce and Joe Grushecky reprise their pair of Soldiers & Sailors shows in Pittsburgh, with the same format. Bruce joins opening act The Composure for “Dancing in the Dark,” performs a mini-acoustic set, and then joins Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers for a full set.
2012: The Wrecking Ball Tour stops in Louisville, where “Streets of Philadelphia” gets a rare outing.
2017: Springsteen on Broadway continues its theatrical run at the Walter Kerr Theater in New York City.
2018: Springsteen on Broadway continues its theatrical run at the Walter Kerr Theater in New York City, minus Patti Scialfa, whose absence means that the audience receives the “B” set.
2023: Bruce’s scheduled show in Vancouver, B.C. is postponed by more than a year due to his peptic ulcer disease. As of this writing, the rescheduled show has not yet been held.
