{"id":25695,"date":"1988-03-11T11:00:00","date_gmt":"1988-03-11T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/?p=25695"},"modified":"2026-02-08T05:53:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T13:53:06","slug":"matr-solar-circus-and-bruce-springsteen-stems-and-seeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1988\/03\/11\/matr-solar-circus-and-bruce-springsteen-stems-and-seeds\/","title":{"rendered":"Stems and Seeds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The band is Solar Circus, a North Jersey-based Grateful Dead-influenced band (at one point, Dead songs comprised about half their sets) that broke up in 1997 but can&#8217;t quite manage to stay broken. (The members were still getting together for live shows as recently as 2020.)<\/p>\n<p>The song is &#8220;Stems and Seeds,&#8221; the opening track from the band&#8217;s 1992 <em>Step Right Up<\/em> album and featured song in <em>Tie-died: Rock &#8216;n Roll&#8217;s Most Deadicated Fans.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dWxYkrA-594?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>The date was August 10, 1995&#8211;just one day after Grateful Dead founder Jerry Garcia passed away from a heart attack at the young age of 53.<\/p>\n<p>Solar Circus played a gig that night at the Metro Lounge in Long Branch, New Jersey, and with raw emotions sweeping both the band and the crowd, the show essentially became a tribute to Garcia and the Dead.<\/p>\n<p>Taking in the show from the bar was a famous local musician.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We were lucky enough to find Bruce sitting in the back of the bar,&#8221; recalled Solar Circus vocalist and lead guitarist Mark Diomede, so he asked Bruce to join them. &#8220;He got this faraway look in his eye for a second, then he agreed to do a couple songs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In true Springsteen fashion, a couple of songs turned into five; in true Dead fashion, those five songs kept Bruce on stage for more than an hour. They played three covers together (&#8220;Mustang Sally,&#8221; &#8220;All Along the Watchtower,&#8221; and a 30-minute version of &#8220;Not Fade Away&#8221;), and they played two Solar Circus originals, including &#8220;Stems and Seeds.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Bruce doesn&#8217;t sing in the recording below (since this was an impromptu performance, we can assume that he wasn&#8217;t familiar enough with the band&#8217;s original songs), but we can hear his prominent guitar throughout, especially when he takes a solo about five minutes in.<\/p>\n<div id=\"v-wvkjqrYF-1\" class=\"video-player\"><iframe title='VideoPress Video Player' aria-label='VideoPress Video Player' width='758' height='568' src='https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/wvkjqrYF?hd=1&amp;cover=1&amp;loop=0&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;permalink=1&amp;muted=0&amp;controls=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;useAverageColor=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow='clipboard-write'><\/iframe><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" src='https:\/\/s0.wp.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/video\/assets\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js'><\/script><\/div>\n<p>That was the first and only time Bruce performed with Solar Circus.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stems and Seeds<br \/>\nFirst performed:<\/strong> August 10, 1995 (Long Branch, NJ)<br \/>\n<strong>Last performed:<\/strong> August 10, 1995 (Long Branch, NJ)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 March 22, 2021<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One time only: Bruce Springsteen joins local band Solar Circus for an impromptu performance of the band&#8217;s 1992 song, &#8220;Stems and Seeds.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,3609,5],"tags":[1417,3137],"class_list":["post-25695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover-me","category-little-help","category-meeting-across-the-river","tag-solar-circus","tag-stems-and-seeds"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/solarcircus.jpg?fit=1080%2C1078&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9w3Lk-6Gr","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31938,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1988\/10\/07\/matr-solar-circus-and-bruce-springsteen-better-things\/","url_meta":{"origin":25695,"position":0},"title":"Better Things","author":"Ken","date":"October 7, 1988","format":false,"excerpt":"One time only: Bruce Springsteen joins local band Solar Circus to pay tribute to the late Jerry Garcia.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover Me","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/cover-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/betterthings-1.jpg?fit=1080%2C1078&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/betterthings-1.jpg?fit=1080%2C1078&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/betterthings-1.jpg?fit=1080%2C1078&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/betterthings-1.jpg?fit=1080%2C1078&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/betterthings-1.jpg?fit=1080%2C1078&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":58367,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/10\/kingdom-of-days-august-10-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":25695,"position":1},"title":"Kingdom of Days: August 10","author":"Ken","date":"August 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"On this date: The Castiles play their final show, Bruce's 1972 performance at Max's Kansas City is captured on video, and Bruce's eleven-night World Tour 1992 Meadowlands stand wraps up in style. More highlights inside.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Kingdom of Days&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kingdom of Days","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/kingdom-of-days\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/19720810_front.jpg?fit=770%2C779&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/19720810_front.jpg?fit=770%2C779&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/19720810_front.jpg?fit=770%2C779&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/19720810_front.jpg?fit=770%2C779&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7877,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2019\/03\/14\/roll-of-the-dice-wild-billys-circus-story\/","url_meta":{"origin":25695,"position":2},"title":"Roll of the Dice: Wild Billy&#8217;s Circus Story","author":"Ken","date":"March 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"More an impressionistic scene than a story, \"Wild Billy's Circus Story\" is one of Bruce's most carefully crafted early songs, full of delightful musical and lyrical detail. Insights, backstory, and some remarkable early performances inside.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Roll of the Dice&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Roll of the Dice","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/roll-of-the-dice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/circus.jpg?fit=980%2C980&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/circus.jpg?fit=980%2C980&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/circus.jpg?fit=980%2C980&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/circus.jpg?fit=980%2C980&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57724,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/16\/kingdom-of-days-july-16-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":25695,"position":3},"title":"July 16","author":"Ken","date":"July 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"On this date: Bruce kicks off a magical show at Circus Maximus with \"New York City Serenade\" (complete with strings), plays a one-time-only cover of \"Honky Tonk,\" and makes surprise appearances at Jersey shore bar gigs. More highlights inside.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Kingdom of Days&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kingdom of Days","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/kingdom-of-days\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rome16.webp?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rome16.webp?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rome16.webp?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rome16.webp?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rome16.webp?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15844,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/24\/cover-me-not-fade-away\/","url_meta":{"origin":25695,"position":4},"title":"Cover Me: Not Fade Away","author":"Ken","date":"June 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Bruce covered \"Not Fade Away\" as far back as 1971 and as recently as last summer. It's always at the ready for an impromptu team-up--watch some of best ones inside.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover Me","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/cover-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/notfadeaway.jpg?fit=640%2C638&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/notfadeaway.jpg?fit=640%2C638&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/notfadeaway.jpg?fit=640%2C638&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55556,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/09\/kingdom-of-days-january-9\/","url_meta":{"origin":25695,"position":5},"title":"January 9","author":"Ken","date":"January 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"On this date: listen to the earliest live recording of Bruce and the E Street Band, a full performance of Springsteen on Broadway, and more.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Kingdom of Days&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kingdom of Days","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/kingdom-of-days\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/19730109_front.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/19730109_front.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/19730109_front.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/19730109_front.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25695"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66315,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25695\/revisions\/66315"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}