Bruce Springsteen's 1980/81 tour in support of 'The River' was renowned for its marathon shows that routinely ran about 3 1/2 hours, with maybe a 20 minute intermission in the middle. He'd do a 90 minute first set and in that one set give you a better show than most acts would in their full show, and you'd know that in 20 minutes, Bruce and the band would come back out and party with you for another 2 hours.
Bruce would literally play to the point of exhaustion, with the band right there with him. The audience would also have nothing left in the tank. I remember the show I saw on that tour, (about 3 weeks after today's clips were shot) from the front row on the floor at the Montreal Forum. I walked out of there a spent man, at the ripe old age of 23. I remember having one quiet beer somewhere on Crescent Street with my friends, and then we all just packed it in and went home. We were done.
Years later, I read a story somewhere that touched on those years in Bruce's life. As I recall, the gist of that story is that Bruce was going through some serious personal issues at that time, primarily related to having little sense of who he was off stage. He hated his off stage life, having no significant purpose beyond his music. So, being on stage was an escape for him from his personal life. He would play until he had nothing left to give because he just didn't want to leave the stage, knowing how unhappy he could be wherever else he might go.
Today's clips are from rare 8mm film shot by an audience member from the floor, near the stage. These are from the legendary New Year's Eve show on Long Island as 1980 turned into 1981. This show reportedly ran through 38 songs in about 4 hours.
'Cadillac Ranch' typically opened the second set on that tour.
'Sherry Darling' usually followed, with the dancer pulled up on stage towards the end of the song.
He'd follow that with 'Hungry Heart', his first big single. Did you know Bruce wrote 'Hungry Heart' for The Ramones? Wisely, manager Jon Landau wouldn't let Bruce give that one away. Good call, Jon.
This being New Year's Eve, to mark midnight, Bruce played Wilson Pickett's 'In The Midnight Hour', then cracked open some champagne and shared it with fans. Note the cast of characters on stage for the celebration.
As great as Bruce and his E Street Band are these days, so tight, so professional, and still playing with all the joy of rock 'n roll, there was something very special about those shows on the River tour. Perhaps it was that man with the guitar giving you every last drop of his best, like his life depended on it, and maybe it did.
Happy Friday!
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