Something magical happened after he stepped off the stage at the Garden in September 1979. He took back that record he delivered to Columbia. He decided to let it all in, the good, bad, goofy, sullen, and thought-provoking. The River was born and remains to this day the most expansive vision he ever produced. A record that I will never get tired of. How is it possible to have "Crush on you" and "Point Blank" exist in the world? It's the same world of isolation and hometown gun violence and a world of blue dresses and first dates. A world of harrowing joy and suffering. We walk amidst our wreckage. This music gave birth to my fandom on an autumn night in Los Angeles thanks to my crazy Mom, how I held her hand so hard. This world is my world, I am not me without it....
Uniondale in 1980, what can be said, the band is strong like a coiled snake with a bite so pungent. So many songs and moments to mention. The goofy singing of Merry Christmas giving way to the band exploding to Badlands, Darkness with all those mournful and defiant inflections. The birth of his social commentary with This Land. The River my god....Prove it may be the greatest version ever.
Then the goofy party time of the second set...then the triple header of Stolen Car, that singing as he hit the chords. Driving all night fleeing a sad house. Point blank and Wreck. There is a price to pay...nowhere in his career has he made a setlist with so many pitfalls and false endings. Then more party time. Ramrod, a song about death, and 40 years before it is true wrote You can Look, a song that makes more sense now than it did in 1980. The fear, the sadness, the explosion of violence we see every day..."nobody's gonna stop me!!!" (maybe just a song about frustration and a need to be connected and free.)
Then Backstreets performed as a maturing man, so well done. Then of course the rest...it goes on and on and on and we hope it will never end...now I look back at that younger version of me, before any of this made sense. I stood on my chair as the Medley faded. So much life to live...now years later we have the archive series to remind ourselves and rejoice in the magic that was, and now is again through the magic of bootlegging.
Oh my, there's more!
I saw this for the first time today over on BTX and it needs to be posted here. Recorded on December 31st, 1980 - and January 1st, 1981 😉 - Wow!
And this one as well, because why not!
The Archive Series has been on a damned good run this past year or so.
What a joy it is to have gotten this show's "Who'll Stop The Rain?", and Fenway 2012's, in the same year. And all of the history that comes with them.
Something magical happened after he stepped off the stage at the Garden in September 1979. He took back that record he delivered to Columbia. He decided to let it all in, the good, bad, goofy, sullen, and thought-provoking. The River was born and remains to this day the most expansive vision he ever produced. A record that I will never get tired of. How is it possible to have "Crush on you" and "Point Blank" exist in the world? It's the same world of isolation and hometown gun violence and a world of blue dresses and first dates. A world of harrowing joy and suffering. We walk amidst our wreckage. This music gave birth to my fandom on an autumn night in Los Angeles thanks to my crazy Mom, how I held her hand so hard. This world is my world, I am not me without it....
Uniondale in 1980, what can be said, the band is strong like a coiled snake with a bite so pungent. So many songs and moments to mention. The goofy singing of Merry Christmas giving way to the band exploding to Badlands, Darkness with all those mournful and defiant inflections. The birth of his social commentary with This Land. The River my god....Prove it may be the greatest version ever.
Then the goofy party time of the second set...then the triple header of Stolen Car, that singing as he hit the chords. Driving all night fleeing a sad house. Point blank and Wreck. There is a price to pay...nowhere in his career has he made a setlist with so many pitfalls and false endings. Then more party time. Ramrod, a song about death, and 40 years before it is true wrote You can Look, a song that makes more sense now than it did in 1980. The fear, the sadness, the explosion of violence we see every day..."nobody's gonna stop me!!!" (maybe just a song about frustration and a need to be connected and free.)
Then Backstreets performed as a maturing man, so well done. Then of course the rest...it goes on and on and on and we hope it will never end...now I look back at that younger version of me, before any of this made sense. I stood on my chair as the Medley faded. So much life to live...now years later we have the archive series to remind ourselves and rejoice in the magic that was, and now is again through the magic of bootlegging.