Resurrecting a thread I originally started elsewhere.
Given we have such a plethora of riches from the Archive series along with the 2014 and 2016/17 tours, chances are good at any one time someone could by revisiting a past release when they come across a song or a performance that suddenly just inspires the enthusiasm to share with the rest of us.
So this is a home for those thoughts as they strike.
I'll start by stating how knocked out I continue to be by the LA 1985 show. From what I gather, most folks who were around for that tour felt the last stadium leg was the least impressive. But I love this show.. overall, it's my favourite BITUSA tour show. The band is absolutely smoking.
Having said that, my favourite individual song performance from the BITUSA archive shows lies elsewhere.... the incomparable Drift Away cover
So since we got back from Paris my brother has really been craving more live Bruce, and I've been advising him on what Archive releases to listen to based on what I believe to be the best shows and, maybe more importantly, what eras I know he likes.
On one hand, he really doesn't care for Passaic 19/9/78, which is worrisome, but on the other, he's telling me that the show he's listened to most recently is perhaps the best he's ever heard.
That show is August 23rd, 2008. He tries to not look at the setlist beforehand, and remember he hasn't spent the last decade listening to these songs ad nasuem, so he's in wonderment about the songs played and the quality of performances. Despite having struggled to understand and appreciate how acclaimed this show is since April 2017, I'm very happy about how much he loves it. Maybe it does just come down to Archive oversaturation on my part, and this show is that damn good.
November 26th, 1996 appears to be this month's release.
I love this show and can't wait to listen to it in even better quality than its bootleg had.
1978-10-01 - FOX THEATRE, ATLANTA, GA
THE LAST TIME / BADLANDS / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN / HEARTBREAK HOTEL / FACTORY / THE PROMISED LAND / PROVE IT ALL NIGHT / IT'S MY LIFE / THUNDER ROAD / MEETING ACROSS THE RIVER / JUNGLELAND / FOR YOU / FIRE / CANDY'S ROOM / BECAUSE THE NIGHT / POINT BLANK / KITTY'S BACK / INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / BORN TO RUN / TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT / DETROIT MEDLEY / QUARTER TO THREE
Premiere of the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time" (one of only three known versions outside of clubs), the last known "It's My Life" and the last "Kitty's Back" of the tour. The latter will not be played again until the Christmas show of December 17, 2000. Final tour performance for "Incident On 57th Street" as well. The nearly complete second set listed here is courtesy of an attendee who had the forethought to make a note of the setlist. The song after "For You" was written as a question mark - audience recollection and surrounding shows combine to support it being "Fire". A fan present recalls "The second night was added after the re-scheduling and so has the correct date. That's the second show I went to that year and it remains my holy grail of live tapes. The one song I know for sure that's not listed is "Incident On 57th Street" segueing into "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)", as on The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle. "Quarter to Three" returned in place of "Raise Your Hand". I remember it being a longer show than the Saturday show". A contributor to the Greasy Lake website recalls "it included the early version of "Point Blank" and ended with "Kitty's Back", "Incident On 57th Street" and "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" with the album piano coda linking both songs. For the second encore he played "Raise Your Hand" and an extremely high energy "Quarter To Three" that ended with Bruce standing on Roy's piano and ripping his shirt off before leaping off and dancing off stage as Miami Steve directed the band to the finish." It has been suggested that the show included "New York City Serenade" - given the evidence we have it's certain that "New York City Serenade" was NOT played. Billboard magazine reported an attendance of 3,822 (a sellout) and gross receipts of $32,487.
I've played what I consider to be a blinder and hoyed all 2022 Archives into a playlist (called, erm, 2022 Archives) that I've just been listening to on shuffle as of late - both for fun and for early 2022 Top 10 planning.
Listening to "The Medley" from Wembley '81 right now and a perennial question in my life will be how and why I fought so hard against it winning that poll over on the other forum. Love "Trapped," but the opinions of 22/23 year old me boggles the mind.
Over the last several months I have become infatuated by the core five-pack on Reunion Tour releases. The idea of playing "Youngstown," "Murder Inc.," "Badlands," "Out in the Street" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" on any of the six 99/00 releases makes me so incredibly excited and only makes me value this tour all the more.
It is 8/19/84.
Worth a download as it contains Reason to Believe and My Father's house.
If they released a Joad show, that would have been top-quality sarcasm.
I have heard from multiple people that it will be a B/USA show released tomorrow.
I am looking at you 8/19/84!!
1984-08-19 - BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ
BORN IN THE U.S.A. / OUT IN THE STREET / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / ATLANTIC CITY / REASON TO BELIEVE / MY FATHER'S HOUSE / COVER ME / DARLINGTON COUNTY / GLORY DAYS / THE PROMISED LAND / MY HOMETOWN / DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN / BADLANDS / THUNDER ROAD / HUNGRY HEART / DANCING IN THE DARK / CADILLAC RANCH / TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT (with The Miami Horns) / NO SURRENDER / PROVE IT ALL NIGHT / FIRE / GROWIN' UP / BOBBY JEAN / RACING IN THE STREET / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / JUNGLELAND / BORN TO RUN / DETROIT MEDLEY (with The Miami Horns) / TWIST AND SHOUT - DO YOU LOVE ME (with The Miami Horns)
Set includes the first ever performance in the U.S. of "My Father's House". "Glory Days" includes two bars of "Out Of Limits". "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" includes the "Come A Little Bit Closer" introduction and a bit of "Hail To The Chief" in the midsection. "Detroit Medley" includes "Travelin' Band". The Miami Horns (consisting of Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg (trombone), Mark Pender (trumpet), Stan Harrison (tenor saxophone) and Eddie Manion on baritone saxophone) guest on "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" and the final encores.
I used to call it 'First Friday'. Now I call it 'Springsteen Concerts I Can Afford Day.'
Looking forward to the archive on Friday....We are getting close.
I really hope this archive release shakes me from the TM pricing fiasco depression I am in right now.
I feel like a friend has passed away and worse, all the things we talked about were lies.
So I've been listening to the 2012 Helsinki show over the past week and at one point as a new song started, I actually said out loud, "oh for fuck sake." Because it's fucking ridiculous that this guy has such a fucking plethora of amazing songs to pull from.
It was this stretch:
21.THE RISING
22.BADLANDS
23.LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS
24.WE ARE ALIVE
25.BORN IN THE U.S.A.
26.BORN TO RUN
27.DETROIT MEDLEY
28.GLORY DAYS
29.DANCING IN THE DARK
30.TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT
31.I DON’T WANT TO GO HOME
32.(YOUR LOVE KEEPS LIFTING ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER
Which, I MEAN. Come ON.
Some of those were in places in the set they wouldn't normally be. (On other tours, I mean.) And hearing "Badlands" there, between those two, was so unexpected to me and made that warhorse sounds so fresh. "Glory Days" was a bit faster than usual and all the better for it. And "Dancing in the Dark" has been one of my favorites since the first time I heard it, but in the middle of a run like that, it's just so goddamn joyous. It retains, as always, the lyrical darkness, and yet it allows you to not run from your troubles, as Pete Townshend once said, but to dance all over them. With 80,000 of your closest friends.
And Steve's vocals on "I Don't Want to Go Home" emphasizes that there's a big difference between someone who doesn't necessarily have a lovely voice, and someone who can't sing. 'Cuz homebody can absofuckinglutely sing.
Just for info, there's a Nugs sale on. 5$ a pop.
It's only on MP3s though not FLAC.
For 5 Bucks i finally sprung for my first acoustic show 😊
Heads up, there's a 50% off MP3 and CDs Nugs sale happening until May 8th.
I have no clue if this means anything to any of us on here, but maybe a release was accidentally looked over?
I'm thinking that we get something good this time. Don't ask me, I don't know for sure.
Maybe Bruce will be singing lead vocals.
It's been a while since I spent a few hours cruising the Archive Series, playing random tracks as they strike my fancy.
How in hell did it slip my mind that we had Vigilante Man from 88?
Ok, not strictly Archive as such, although it does use the Nugs audio of the show concerned.
Brisbane 2017... the video isn't the greatest, but it's more than watchable, but the audio is official.
I was going to say get it while it's hot in case the You Tube police take it down, but it appears this has survived on line since February this year.
Okay, Bruce and Nugs, you've got all of 2022 to deliver a live version of The Long Goodbye.
So, it's 5 pm New Years Eve here, beer number 2 is open and I was thinking 'hey, why not try to list the 2021 Archive releases in order of preference ?'
(Hopefully this is fairly innocent and won't step on ground @Mario Brega will cover in his blog).
Except... I can't. What a ridiculous year for the Archive series... an absolute embarrassment of magical riches.
So I need to ponder further, maybe sink another beer or two and come back to it. (The only thing I know for sure is that there is a certain 2012 show from Boston that I will annoy all the '1975 to 1985 or bust' crowd by ranking above at least a couple of classic era shows).
Gee whiz, anyone else want to have a crack at this?
September 14th....40 years since the end of the River tour 1980/81. Another Backstreets feature set. This one covering the highlights of Oct to Dec '80.
OMG. shoot me now.