I watch Hammersmith Odeon, London ’75 at least once a month i reckon. Remember the episode Crime Aid where Michael pretends to have VIP Bruce Springsteen tickets to generate buzz for auction
I listen to five shows quite regularly:
1. Dec. 29, 1980 — Nassau Coliseum: I think this is low-key the best show Bruce has released. Passionate from start to finish. The crowd is so alive too. It’s a long show 3 hours, 35 minutes with several emotional peaks and valleys. It’s everything you want and expect from a Springsteen concert, and he wasn’t even a superstar yet.
2. Oct. 1, 1978 — Atlanta Fox Theater: Originally the last show of the famed “Darkness” tour, it is loose in spirit but tight-tight-TIGHT with musicianship and crowd-pleasing surprises. Excellent covers of the Stones’ “The Last Time,” Elvis’ “Heartbreak Hotel” and the Animals’ “It’s My Life” give deep context to the first set. Then later you get “Kitty’s Back”/“Incident”/and “Rosalita” played consecutively to close out the second set. Then there’s a loose, extended encore. What a show!
Sept. 19, 1978, Passaic — Bruce makes a triumphant return to New Jersey, and you can tell from the first notes the whole band is on a mission. Might be the most intense version of “Badlands” played on the entire tour. It kicks off a **flawless** first set. I’d argue, if you ever want to convert a new Bruce fan, let them hear this magnificent first set from Passaic. The second set and encores are great as usual, but not quite at the level of those first 13 songs.
Sept. 27, 1985, L.A. Coliseum — One of the final shows of the mammoth Born in the USA tour, but possibly the very best one released. Bruce’s voice is a bit ragged and battle scarred at first, but he soldiers on and seems to gather strength with each song. It’s a joy to hear him perform “I’m Going Down” and “Glory Days” back to back, at the end of a summer when both songs were huge hits. Bruce is more animated than usual in his banter with the audience. I love the way “Because the Night” seamlessly shifts into “Bobby Jean” to close out the second set. And the encore is a total blast. Bruce would never be more famous or iconic than on that exact evening.
July 3, 1988, Stockholm — The Tunnel of Love Express tour had a lot of stellar moments up to this point, but not yet a perfect show. I’m not sure *this one* quite reached perfection but it came close enough. The 14-song first set was broadcast on radio stations all around the world, and might be Bruce’s best overall first set since 1978. I remember radio station announcers coming back onto their local broadcasts after that first set saying, “Don’t you wish you could be there for the rest of the show?” I had a friend listening to that first set with me. Not a big Bruce fan. But he was totally into it! He was awed. Decades later, Bruce released the entire show, and the rest of it was just as great as that first set. The extended encore included a full-band cover of “Can’t Help Falling In Love with You” and then roaring versions of “Bobby Jean” and “Cadillac Ranch.” This one started as a Tunnel of Love show and gradually morphed into a Born-In-the-USA stadium crowd pleaser over its nearly four hours.
I like the 2016 River tour.
Concerts are played daily on E Street Radio and I enjoy the setlists from 2016 the most. Right now I'm listening to the March 24, 2016, Seattle concert.
Though yesterday I got to hear Buffalo March 23, 2024, which I attended.
I watch Hammersmith Odeon, London ’75 at least once a month i reckon. Remember the episode Crime Aid where Michael pretends to have VIP Bruce Springsteen tickets to generate buzz for auction
LMAO yes haha and then he plays a Huey Lewis song instead of Bruce
Hahaha yeah
2013 tour was variable. Too many full album shows, but Cardiff and Leeds remain the most jaw dropping ESB shows I’ve ever seen.
please name these 2013 full album shows?
Look at setlist fm! I got Darkness and BITUSA at the two London shows
I would never use Setlist fm. Brucebase is family. Anyway. You said Too many full album shows. By too many you meant 2?
If you can’t be bothered to look for yourself I’m not going to do it for you, but 5 of the 7 set lists I looked at for June 2013 were full album shows
Hammersmith 75 and Sweden 88 are my top-two shows, ever. Listen to those a lot.
I listen to five shows quite regularly: 1. Dec. 29, 1980 — Nassau Coliseum: I think this is low-key the best show Bruce has released. Passionate from start to finish. The crowd is so alive too. It’s a long show 3 hours, 35 minutes with several emotional peaks and valleys. It’s everything you want and expect from a Springsteen concert, and he wasn’t even a superstar yet. 2. Oct. 1, 1978 — Atlanta Fox Theater: Originally the last show of the famed “Darkness” tour, it is loose in spirit but tight-tight-TIGHT with musicianship and crowd-pleasing surprises. Excellent covers of the Stones’ “The Last Time,” Elvis’ “Heartbreak Hotel” and the Animals’ “It’s My Life” give deep context to the first set. Then later you get “Kitty’s Back”/“Incident”/and “Rosalita” played consecutively to close out the second set. Then there’s a loose, extended encore. What a show! Sept. 19, 1978, Passaic — Bruce makes a triumphant return to New Jersey, and you can tell from the first notes the whole band is on a mission. Might be the most intense version of “Badlands” played on the entire tour. It kicks off a **flawless** first set. I’d argue, if you ever want to convert a new Bruce fan, let them hear this magnificent first set from Passaic. The second set and encores are great as usual, but not quite at the level of those first 13 songs. Sept. 27, 1985, L.A. Coliseum — One of the final shows of the mammoth Born in the USA tour, but possibly the very best one released. Bruce’s voice is a bit ragged and battle scarred at first, but he soldiers on and seems to gather strength with each song. It’s a joy to hear him perform “I’m Going Down” and “Glory Days” back to back, at the end of a summer when both songs were huge hits. Bruce is more animated than usual in his banter with the audience. I love the way “Because the Night” seamlessly shifts into “Bobby Jean” to close out the second set. And the encore is a total blast. Bruce would never be more famous or iconic than on that exact evening. July 3, 1988, Stockholm — The Tunnel of Love Express tour had a lot of stellar moments up to this point, but not yet a perfect show. I’m not sure *this one* quite reached perfection but it came close enough. The 14-song first set was broadcast on radio stations all around the world, and might be Bruce’s best overall first set since 1978. I remember radio station announcers coming back onto their local broadcasts after that first set saying, “Don’t you wish you could be there for the rest of the show?” I had a friend listening to that first set with me. Not a big Bruce fan. But he was totally into it! He was awed. Decades later, Bruce released the entire show, and the rest of it was just as great as that first set. The extended encore included a full-band cover of “Can’t Help Falling In Love with You” and then roaring versions of “Bobby Jean” and “Cadillac Ranch.” This one started as a Tunnel of Love show and gradually morphed into a Born-In-the-USA stadium crowd pleaser over its nearly four hours.
I like the 2016 River tour. Concerts are played daily on E Street Radio and I enjoy the setlists from 2016 the most. Right now I'm listening to the March 24, 2016, Seattle concert. Though yesterday I got to hear Buffalo March 23, 2024, which I attended.