Browse 74220 Reviews & Comments (Page 689)

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 Brucefan24 One show, double bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining and slide guitar virtuoso Ellen McIlwaine opening (a late replacement for Hall & Oates). A Brucebase reader who attended comments: "The opening act was originally supposed to be Hall & Oates but as we were on our way to the show on the Jersey Turnpike we heard them guest DJ'ing on WMMR-FM in Philadelphia. The show was primarily Wild & Innocent stuff. Bruce ended with a bunch of rock classics and them came back to do a solo "For You" on piano." Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band / Ellen McIlwaine May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 THE E STREET SHUFFLE / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / BORN TO RUN / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / KITTY'S BACK / FOR YOU / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW / TWIST AND SHOUT Setlist likely incomplete. Second of two shows, double bill, with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band opening for headliner Bonnie Raitt. This is one of most famous Springsteen gigs yet, ironically, one of the most inaccurately reported - the key point of confusion being that there were two separate admission shows on the night and the long-circulating audio has been long-attributed to the wrong show. Precise setlist details of the late show remain problematic due to conflicting recollections. Critic Jon Landau's much-quoted "I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen" line emanates from this night. Landau only attended, and his Real Paper review only covers, the late show. However Landau's review, in conjunction with information from other attendee recollections, provides an accurate, albeit partial, setlist for the late show, one that lasted 20-30 minutes longer than the early show. Bruce opened with the slow arrangement of "The E Street Shuffle", the only known instance that Bruce has opened with this song. "For You" is the solo piano version. Bruce knew that Landau was attending the late show and he unveiled at least one new composition (possibly up to three) for Landau's ears. One of these, "Born To Run" (identified in Landau's review as the song with the "Telstar" guitar opening), is confirmed via multiple recollections, including later comments by Landau to Dave Marsh. If one or two additional "new songs" were performed during the late show (and this is where there are conflicting stories) then these would have been either "Angel's Blues" (previously only played on March 10) or "The Fever" (rarely played and considered new) or two songs that Bruce had written and was already fiddling with in the studio, "Jungleland" and "A Love So Fine". Bonnie Raitt / Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 Soundcheck: THE E STREET SHUFFLE / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / I SOLD MY HEART TO THE JUNKMAN / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / THE E STREET SHUFFLE / KITTY'S BACK / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) First of two shows, double bill, with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band opening for headliner Bonnie Raitt. This is one of most famous Springsteen gigs yet, ironically, one of the most inaccurately reported - the key point of confusion being that there were two separate admission shows on the night and the long-circulating audio has been long-attributed to the wrong show. The audio is from the early show, an excellent performance that includes a unique cover of the Dinah Washington / Etta James WWII-era blues classic "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman" (performed by Bruce in the 'comedy mode' as recorded by The Starlets in 1961, the likely inspiration). "The E Street Shuffle" includes "Having A Party" and "Kitty's Back" includes a snippet of "Bright Lights, Big City". The MC's use of the name "The E Street Band" in his introduction is the earliest appearance of that name on any show audio or promotional material yet unearthed. The E Street Band name was conjured up only a few weeks earlier. Bonnie Raitt / Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 Bruce base: One show (a four-artist Spring Carnival Extravaganza), held outdoors in the parking lot of the school's Ice Hockey Arena from 1.00pm - 6.00pm. Springsteen was topped-billed but actually opened the show, seeming in order to be able to make it on time to another booked spring carnival show later that evening 60 kilometers away at the University Of Hartford (see following listing). All four bands played about 90 minute sets and it was an outstanding bill, with funk masters Fatback, the always-hot-in-concert Aerosmith, and Fairport Convention (who closed the festivities). And to top it off the whole event was free, including food and drink! One attendee recalls "Born To Run" being performed, although this has not been confirmed. Aerosmith / Fairport Convention / Fatback / Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 BobHopeToDie Sponsored by King Cobra so this was a genuine shitshow. Cheeseburger May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 One show, with Springsteen and band the sole act on the bill at this notorious watering hole for military personnel from Fort Dix. This was the debut gig for drummer Ernest "Boom" Carter, who was a childhood friend of David Sancious. As had been the case with the three previous scheduled shows in Ohio, Springsteen had directed Mike Appel to cancel or reschedule this gig, as Carter had only arrived in New Jersey (from Atlanta after a call from Sancious) a few days earlier and had only managed one till-dawn rehearsal with the band. However, under threat of retribution from Satellite Lounge owner Carlo Rossi, Bruce agreed to play. Source: http://brucebase.wikidot.com/gig:1974-02-23-satellite-lounge-cookstown-nj Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band opening for headlining Texas blues guitar legend Freddie King (and his band). Springsteen opened but played a 90-minute show. Like the previous night, the crowd turnout was disappointing. Freddy King / Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 Bruce base: One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band opening for headlining Texas blues guitar legend Freddie King (and his band). King was booked for a six-night residency, however Springsteen was a special guest only for the first two nights. Bruce played before King both nights but was allowed to give a headliner-length performance. Bruce's booking at this small, 300-seat club came about after Mike Appel became aware of a CBS Sales Convention taking place in Nashville and, additionally, that the entire CBS contingent would be staying in a hotel near this club. Appel conducted a handbill/leaflet drop to each room in the hotel, inviting nearly 200 CBS sales and marketing people to attend the shows. However, according to Appel, nobody from CBS turned up and the club was painfully empty. The audio evidence certainly backs up Appel's recollection. There doesn't sound like there are more than 100 people in the club for Bruce's show. It is speculated this soundboard was recorded because Appel wanted to have material from the show to give to the CBS people he (wrongly) anticipated would show up. This was a single show consisting of two sets. First confirmed performance for "Incident On 57th Street". There was a short intermission after "Thundercrack". The opening song of the second set, "You Mean So Much To Me", is missing its opening minute or so. Similarly "Blinded By The Light" was the final song in the second set and the opening minute of the first encore, "Let The Four Winds Blow", is missing. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" (which contains the "Shotgun" segment) was the final encore. Freddy King / Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 One show, with Bruce and the boys the only act advertised on the bill, but a newspaper review and recollections confirm that a cover band called Dick van and the Dykes were the opening act. Partial setlist listed comes from newspaper reviews of the performance. Source: http://brucebase.wikidot.com/gig:1973-12-20-bristol-motor-inn-bristol-ri Dick Van and the Dykes / Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining. This gig has been rumored as having been cancelled. However senior management at Pinecrest (who were there in 1973) have positively confirmed that it took place. A local area band (name undocumented) opened the show. This was a hastily organized booking, with little time available for pre-concert advertising and promotion. Consequently only about 200 tickets were sold (the venue held over 600). A 90-minute performance by Bruce. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band / Jet Jeffords May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 One show, with Springsteen and band the sole act on the bill. A more than two-hour performance that involved three 45-minute sets with an intermission between each. The upcoming events section of the October 13, 1973 Phoenix Arizona Republic indicates that Springsteen was scheduled to play Phoenix's Celebrity Theatre on December 8 in support of Roger McGuinn. Presumably at some point this performance was cancelled. Roger McGuinn / Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 One show, with Springsteen and band the sole act on the bill. A more than two-hour performance that involved three 45-minute sets with an intermission between each. The upcoming events section of the October 13, 1973 Phoenix Arizona Republic indicates that Springsteen was scheduled to play Phoenix's Celebrity Theatre on December 8 in support of Roger McGuinn. Presumably at some point this performance was cancelled. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 Brucebase: Cancelled by Springsteen the day of the show. It was intended to be a single show, double bill, with Springsteen and band (as they’d done the previous week at University of Massachusetts) opening for John Mayall. Bruce was a $1500 contract, Mayall was paid extra to play an additional set. The school’s Yearbook includes several photos of Mayall's performance. John Mayall May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 WALKING THE DOG / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / THE E STREET SHUFFLE (with Albee Tellone) / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / 634-5789 (SOULSVILLE, U.S.A.) / FOR YOU / THUNDERCRACK / TWIST AND SHOUT Second of two shows, with Springsteen and band headlining. Two or three local bands (names unverified) acted as the undercards. This was an unusual show structure, as the first show took place during the day but the second show was not until much later in the evening. It is likely that the second show is the source of the circulating audience recording. It should be noted that these shows were held at the Roxy Theatre in the Manayunk neighbourhood of Philadelphia, and not the same venue as the more well-known, up-market Roxy Theatre ten miles away in the heart of downtown Philadelphia. The theatre was on the corner of Ridge and Leverington Ave, and was knocked down in 1981. A Dunkin' Donuts currently sits on the site of the Theatre. Advanced ticket sales were slow, which necessitated Bruce plugging the gig the previous three nights at his My Father's Place residency. Bruce can be heard twice thanking the crowd for traveling to (in Bruce's words) "this God-forsaken place" to support him. Albee Tellone guests on baritone sax on "The E Street Shuffle" (which includes "Having A Party"), as he did during most of the September-December 1973 gigs. "For You" is the solo piano version. "Thundercrack" includes an exceptionally long band-introduction segment. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 First of two shows, with Springsteen and band headlining. Two or three local bands (names unverified) acted as the undercards. This was an unusual show structure, as the first show took place during the day but the second show was not until much later in the evening. It should be noted that these shows were held at the Roxy Theatre in the Manayunk neighbourhood of Philadelphia, and not the same venue as the more well-known, up-market Roxy Theatre ten miles away in the heart of downtown Philadelphia. The theatre was on the corner of Ridge and Leverington Ave, and was knocked down in 1981. A Dunkin' Donuts currently sits on the site of the Theatre. Advanced ticket sales were slow, which necessitated Bruce plugging the gig the previous three nights at his My Father's Place residency. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 One show, double bill with Bruce and the boys headlining and The James Montgomery Band opening. Booked for a fee of $2,000 by the nearby Hobart & William Smith College. The College had originally contracted John Sebastian as the sole act for this evening, but he cancelled a couple of weeks before the gig and the Student Concert Committee was able to procure both Springsteen and Montgomery's services for the same price. Montgomery opened with a 60-minute, Chicago blues-dominated set. Apparently Bruce and the band arrived late in an old black station wagon, roaring down an alley beside the theatre. Springsteen's show lasted 90 minutes and included a triple encore, finishing with "Twist And Shout". Partial setlist gathered from various sources that attended the show, including Tom. James Montgomery Band / Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 Bruce base: 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / ZERO AND BLIND TERRY / SOMETHING YOU GOT / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / BLINDED BY THE LIGHT / THUNDERCRACK Setlist may be incomplete. One show with Bruce and the band the sole act on the bill. Bruce's first ever appearance in New Hampshire. The 11-song setlist listed is a recollection of an attendee and would seem to represent the complete gig. A brief snippet of information on a blog, by an unidentified blogger, suggests that this show was held during a snowstorm and was attended by only around 50 fans. Some sources list two extra songs at the end of the set, "Mama Don't Allow No Guitar Picking" and "Call On Me". The latter may be the 1963 song by blues and soul singer Bobby "Blue" Bland, but it is far more likely to actually be "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)", which Springsteen was regularly playing around this time. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 One show, held in the Pritchard Gymnasium, with Bruce and the band the only act on the bill. Even though admission was free for students of the school the concert was not a sellout. A brief report the following day in the school's newspaper mentions that one of Springsteen’s acoustic guitars had been stolen at this gig and requests its return. Albee Tellone reported that he always brought along his own personal acoustic guitar which happened to be the same model Bruce had. They were placed in the dressing room side by side, but only Bruce's was taken. Probably because he had a newer case for it. Bruce used Albee's guitar for the remainder of the year until Mike Appel bought him a new one for Christmas. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 From Brucebase: NEW YORK CITY SERENADE Incomplete setlist. One show. Bruce and the band played a full set, although one attendee remembers that Jim Stafford was meant to headline (purportedly he did play one song; see the Eyewitness tab). Last minute difficulties with the College-supplied grand piano caused a delay to the start of the concert. Albee Tellone recalled that a professional piano tuner was finishing up as he and partner Jeff Hall set up the band for a sound check. "When the sound check started, we knew immediately that something was wrong." Danny Federici figured out that the man had tuned the piano to itself (very common) but it didn't match the notes on his organ which is tuned by a tone generator onboard the B-3. The sound check went on as well as could be without the piano. "The tuner returned and had to tune to notes on the B-3 organ being played by Danny Federici. The crowd started to take their seats while he was finishing up. When he finished he stood up and bowed to the audience who gave him big round of applause." "We actually started the show on time," said Albee. "New York City Serenade" is listed based on an attendee recollection. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025
 Brucefan24 THE E STREET SHUFFLE (with Albee Tellone) Incomplete setlist. One show, with Springsteen and band the sole act on the bill. This was the first night back on tour after the three-week hiatus required to complete the Wild & Innocent album. This is also considered to be the first show of the Wild & Innocent Tour, however the concept of a tour to support the album is very much a modern construct. The band were touring constantly, and would continue to do so until March 1975. There was very little promotion or press. This show also marked the live debut of "The E Street Shuffle", as well as the first-ever guest slot in the lineup by Albee ("Albany Al") Tellone on baritone sax. Tellone, who had been a member of Bruce’s band during the 1971 Friendly Enemies/Dr. Zoom period, had been working as the Greetings Tour sound manager since November 1972. Tellone would end making stage appearances in the band (but only during gigs where "The E Street Shuffle" was played) from this night up until mid-December 1973, when Albee left the tour to start his own band. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band May 14, 2025