Bruce Springsteen, Thundercrack

I didn't plan it this way, but over the past month I have featured four cuts from Bruce Springsteen's second album, 'The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle'.  The catalyst for this flurry of classic tunes was Bruce's November 7th first ever top to bottom performance of the seven cuts off that album.  This week I'm featuring a song that might have been cut number eight were it not for the fact that there simply wasn't enough room left on the disc for another long song.

Bruce's sophomore effort yielded some of his most beloved concert pieces, including 'Kitty's Back', 'Incident On 57th Street' and 'Rosalita'.  'New York City Serenade' is one of Bruce's most rarely played in concert songs, and yet judging by its performance and the crowd reaction on November 7th in Madison Square Gardens (see the November 13, 2009 fix), I think we'd all love to be in the audience some night for a reappearance, with strings of course.

Now this is an educated guess, but I think 'Rosalita' was Bruce's pre-encore show closer for every full length concert from the beginning of the 'Born to Run' tour in 1975 (and many shows in 1974) until midway through the 'Born In The USA' tour towards the end of 1984, (and perhaps several times thereafter, and also as an encore).  I doubt that there are official records anywhere on this, but perhaps that makes 'Rosalita' the Cal Ripken of show closers.

Before 'Rosalita', a common closer was the song that opened the great aforementioned November 7th show, 'Thundercrack'.  I was fortunate enough to be in the pit (about 10 feet back, slightly on the Steve side of Bruce) in Toronto on the 'Magic' tour and caught my only ever 'Thundercrack'.  To this day, it is still my clearest memory from a night of many great ones. 

Here's the first of two of the many ways to do 'Thurdercrack', acoustically on piano from the great 'Devils and Dust' tour.

Way number two is from a May 1, 1973 performance at Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, with the inimitable Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez on drums.  By the way, on this night, Bruce opened for Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show and headliners New Riders of the Purple Sage.  I hope the marquee was big enough for all those names.

Happy Thundercrackin' Friday!

Comments

[Friday Bruce Fix]

You're welcome, Anja. You just made me watch it again! It's great!

[Anja]

I've watched this video two Friday's in a row now and it has made my day BOTH times. God I love him!!!! Thanks!

[Crash]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ! Must be an East Coast thing with Bruce Springsteen...