New for 2024: Review for 2003 and 2012; video for 2009; new entry for 2023
1973: Daryl Hall and John Oates open for Bruce and the E Street Band for two shows at Max’s Kansas City in New York. This is the third of a five-night/ten-show stand.
1974: Continuing a week of Texas shows, Bruce and the E Street Band play a show at the Ritz Music Hall in Corpus Christi.
1978: Bruce and the E Street Band take the Darkness Tour north to the Montreal Forum. A few snippets of the show were captured on Super-8 film–check it out below.
1980: The River Tour visits Texas, starting with a show at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, where the band plays “The Yellow Rose of Texas” for the occasion.
1984: Bruce and the band make a Born in the U.S.A. Tour stop at Arizona State University in Tempe.
1996: Bruce plays a very special acoustic show at a very special venue: his old elementary school, St. Rose of Lima. This isn’t his first time playing the school gym (that was back in his Castiles days), but it’s his first time back since then. Although this show is technically part of the Ghost of Tom Joad Tour, in reality it’s a very different performance. First of all, he isn’t solo: Patti and Soozie join him on several numbers. Secondly, the setlist is very different, with nine tour premieres. Bruce opens with a gorgeous, Soozie-accompanied “The River” and closes with a world debut: “Freehold,” which Bruce wrote for the occasion. In between, there’s gem after gem: “Two Hearts” and “When You’re Alone” with Soozie and Patti, “Open All Night” and “Used Cars” solo, an absolutely stunning “Racing in the Street” with Soozie, and more. Check out the clips below, and then buy the official archive series release here.
2003: Bruce makes a guest appearance at a Muscular Dystrophy Association benefit in Aberdeen, New Jersey, performing “Jersey Girl” and other songs with the house band.
2005: Bruce is in Philadelphia, and you know what that means: fans attending Bruce’s solo acoustic show get their traditional surprise treat–this time the long-awaited return of “Drive All Night,” played for the first time in 24 years. (Watch that moment and other highlights below.) That’s not the only tour premiere: Bruce also opens the show with “Born in the U.S.A.” — as a solo harmonica number. Not bad for a Night One!
2009: Bruce and the E Street Band play the second of two very special full-album shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Tonight features a full performance of The River, featuring tour premieres of “Crush on You” (in only its fourth performance since the original River Tour), “Stolen Car” and “Wreck on the Highway.” The encore features a couple of premieres as well: “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “Sweet Soul Music.” This show is available for purchase as part of Bruce’s official archive series–get it here. For more highlights from this show, see guest-blogger Marietta Phillips’ Where the Band Was report.
2012: Bruce supports the 6th annual Stand Up for Heroes benefit for the Bob Woodruff Foundation at New York’s Beacon Theater, performing a four-song acoustic set and exercising his comedy chops. Watch his entire set below.
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.
2021: At the fifteenth annual edition of Stand Up for Heroes at Alice Tulle Hall in New York City, Bruce performs four songs, including the public debut of “Letter to You” and the first acoustic “Hungry Heart.”
2023: Bruce’s scheduled show in Calgary is postponed by more than a year due to his peptic ulcer disease. As of this writing, the show has not yet been held.
