As Bruce Springsteen continues his sold-out Springsteen on Broadway run, he has continued to release live concerts from his archives. It has been a little while since we looked at these, so we thought we might catch you up on the most recent ones. And a special reminder: all titles are on sale today for Cyber Monday (25% off CDs, 50% off downloads)!
Released a couple of weeks ago is Springsteen and the E Street Band live from Stockholm, Sweden on July 3, 1988. This concert was part of Tunnel of Love Express tour, which was of course supporting 1987's album Tunnel of Love. What makes this concert significant, however, is that the first 90-minute set was broadcast to radio stations at the time, making it one of most known concerts in the Springsteen canon. "Chimes of Freedom" from the show was released on an EP of the same name. But the broadcast did not contain the full concert, which would continue for another set and three encores. Now, for the first time, the entire concert is being officially released, remixed from the multi-tracks.
Shortly after this tour, Springsteen would disband the E Street Band. Other than recording a couple of tracks for Springsteen's first Greatest Hits album, the full group would not come back to together until 1999's Reunion tour. The concert that has just been released is the final one from the tour: July 1, 2000 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Portions of this concert were included on the Live in New York City album released in March, 2001, but this is the first time you can officially hear the entire show. Unique tracks from this show include the closing number, "Blood Brothers," which had never been performed on a tour before.
Perhaps to tie in with the concept of Springsteen on Broadway, another recent concert is from March 19, 1996 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Falling between the other two concerts released, this concert was is support of The Ghost of Tom Joad and features a solo, acoustic set from Springsteen. He had performed in this way before, but this was the first time he embarked on a full tour in the format. Many of his familiar songs were recast with new arrangements to sit alongside newer material.
In addition, Springsteen has also released the concert from December 8, 1978 in Houston, Texas. This show first appeared in The Promise: Darkness on the Edge of Town boxset in 2010, but this is the first time it has been available separately. All proceeds from the sale of this concert will go to benefit MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund.
All three newly released concerts have been mixed by Jon Altshiller and mastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering.
All the shows are offered in a variety of formats: Direct Stream Digital or DSD (with 64 times the sampling rate of CD), MP3, FLAC or Apple Lossless, HD-Audio (24 bit/192 kHz, FLAC-HD or ALAC-HD) and CD-R ($26.00). A CD-R plus MP3 package is also available for each.
All previous ten volumes of The Bruce Springsteen Archive Series are available at Springsteen's official live store for download and physical purchase. You can also sample tracks at this link which you'll find just below!
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Stockholm Stadion, Sweden, 1988 (Columbia/Nugs.net, 2017)
Set One
- Tunnel of Love
- Boom Boom
- Adam Raised a Cain
- The River
- All That Heaven Will Allow
- Seeds
- Roulette
- Cover Me
- Brilliant Disguise
- Tougher Than The Rest
- Spare Parts
- War
- Born in the U.S.A.
- Chimes of Freedom
Set Two
- Paradise in the "C"
- Who Do You Love?
- She's the One
- You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
- I'm a Coward
- I'm on Fire
- Downbound Train
- Because the Night
- Dancing in the Dark
- Light of Day
First Encore
- Born to Run
- Hungry Heart
- Glory Days
Second Encore
- Can't Help Falling in Love
- Bobby Jean
- Cadillac Ranch
- Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
- Sweet Soul Music
- Raise Your Hand
Third Encore
- Quarter to Three
- Twist and Shout
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Madison Square Garden, New York, July 1, 2000 (Columbia/Nugs.net, 2017)
- Code of Silence
- My Love will Not Let You Down
- Prove it All Night
- Two Hearts
- Atlantic City
- Mansion on the Hill
- The River
- American Skin (41 Shots)
- The Promised Land
- Youngstown
- Murder Incorporated
- Badlands
- Out in the Street
- Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
- The E Street Shuffle
- Lost in the Flood
- Born in the U.S.A.
- Backstreets
- Light of Day
- The Promise
- Ramrod
- Bobby Jean
- Born to Run
- Further On (Up the Road)
- Thunder Road
- If I Should Fall Behind
- The Land of Hope and Dreams
- Blood Brothers
Bruce Springsteen, King's Hall, Belfast, March 19, 1996 (Columbia/Nugs.net, 2017)
- The Ghost of Tom Joad
- Adam Raised a Cain
- Straight Time
- Highway 29
- Darkness on the Edge of Town
- Murder Incorporated
- Nebraska
- The Wish
- It's the Little Things
- Brother Under the Bridge
- Born in the U.S.A.
- Dry Lightning
- Reason to Believe
- Youngstown
- Sinaloa Cowboys
- The Line
- Balboa Park
- Across the Border
- Bobby Jean
- The Hard Land
- Streets of Philadelphia
- Galveston Bay
- The Promised Land
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund: The Summit, Houston, Texas, December 8, 1978 (Columbia/Nugs.net, 2017)
- Badlands
- Streets of Fire
- It's Hard to be a Saint in the City
- Darkness on the Edge of Town
- Spirit in the Night
- Independence Day
- The Promised Land
- Prove it All Night
- Racing in the Street
- Thunder Road
- Jungleland
- The Ties that Bind
- Santa Claus in Coming to Town
- The Fever
- Fire
- Candy's Room
- Because the Night
- Point Blank
- She's the One
- Backstreets
- Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
- Born to Run
- Detroit Medley
- Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
- You Can't Sit Down
- Quarter to Three
I get Bruce and his people want to cover all eras, and I’m sure they think the later years are as good as the early ones, but this series has been seriously lacking in 70s and early 80s stuff.
Honestly, no pre-1975, only one 1975 release, no ‘76, two decent but flawed from 1977, two from ‘78 (With still no Roxy or Winterland), one and 1/3, maybe, from 1980 (WHY wasn’t the FULL AUDIO from ASU ‘80 released??) , and nothing from 1981 (Night for the Vietnam Vet, please?).
But lots from Tunnel of Love up to the present.
I have little interest in the post-Born in the USA years, although I’m sure there are some gems to be found (And I would certainly welcome a good, complete Seeger Sessions show).
Having Roxy ‘78 free of the clicking that’s on every copy I’ve ever heard (Not to mention the cuts) would be momentous. Why haven’t there been any Bottom Line ‘75 shows?
Of course, the sound quality of this series has often something to be desired too. I wish Bruce and Sony would put together a Vault/Bootleg Series more like Dylan has been giving fans for ages now.
Regarding the sound quality of this series, that should’ve said “has often LEFT something to be desired.”
12/31/80, for instance, sounds no better than the bootleg that’s circulated for ages. I’ve read enough gripes a out the more recent shows as well.
Odd that, to date, the only true “vault” release (of a complete show) Sony’s ever issued (As opposed to nugs.net) is the Hammersmith ‘75 show. That was great, why no more?