BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND : ATLANTA, SEPTEMBER 30, 1978

 

Disc One (72:49)

  1. Good Rockin' Tonight
  2. Badlands
  3. Spirit In The Night
  4. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
  5. Independence Day
  6. The Promised Land
  7. Prove It All Night
  8. Racing In The Street
  9. Thunder Road
  10. Jungleland

Disc Two (56:28)

  1. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
  2. Night Train
  3. Fire
  4. Candy's Room
  5. Because The Night
  6. Point Blank
  7. Not Fade Away / Gloria / She's The One
  8. Backstreets

Disc Three (44:10)

  1. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
  2. Born To Run
  3. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
  4. Detroit Medley
  5. Raise Your Hand

Label : Nugs.net

Venue : Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Recording Date : September 30, 1978

Quality : Soundboard recording (A+)

Review (Kieran's Thoughts) : When the First Friday era of the Archive Series came to an end last month, it left many fans curious about when the 59th show to be unearthed from the vault would see the light of day. Given that Springsteen’s twentieth studio album, Letter To You, is going to be released on October 23rd and there’ll possibly be one or two more singles released beforehand, that surely ruled out #59 until November at the earliest. Anyway, here we are today marvelling at the newest jewel in this Live Downloads crown, so all aboard this midnight train to Georgia as we see what’s good and, well, a little less good about the fifth and final 1978 radio broadcast to be officially released by Nugs and Bruce Inc. The funny thing about this show is that while we now have eight releases from the Darkness Tour (too many or too few depending on your preference), compared to the likes of Passaic, Winterland and Agora, which either had stunning or satisfactory bootleg recordings to emphasise their elite status in the live catalogue, the recordings of Atlanta that we’ve had over the years almost held the show back from being appreciated to the fullest. Whenever there’s been a discussion on forums and social media regarding the best versions of select songs ever, this has always been a frontrunner where it concerns “Prove It All Night” and “Backstreets”. Weather conditions hindered the audio quality of those performances back in 1978 and beyond, but that’s most certainly not the case here – and when you consider that those two songs arguably define the 1978 tour, that could very well make this the essential ’78 recording. With confirmation that Bruce, The E Street Band and the audience are ready for showtime, Bruce tells those in attendance and those of us listening forty-two years later what we want to hear, and really what we knew going into this show, “There’s good rockin’ tonight!” – And believe me, it’s damn good. This isn’t quite on the level of Passaic night two audio-wise, but it definitely could be performance-wise, and that’s very much down to the guitar and piano playing of Bruce, Miami Steve and The Professor. Credit also has to be given to Bruce and Stevie for their vocals, as Stevie leads the backing harmonies very well and Bruce thrills us with the contrasts of his soulful, Orbison-esque singing and Lennon-esque howls. This one even ends on a strong note, with the outro transitioning into the intro for “Badlands” being absolutely immense. With eight releases from this tour, we now know exactly what we’re getting with songs such as “Badlands”, but that doesn’t make them any less delightful to listen to, and the crispness and clearness of the instrumentals in the opening thirty seconds – Bruce and Stevie’s guitar, Garry’s bass, Danny’s organ and Max’s drums – of this one makes that abundantly clear. With less than five minutes played on the night, those many bootlegs of this night that have served fans well over the years are already redundant. And if you wanted one more example early on to confirm that, check out the guitar solo at 2:14 – thunder and lightning outside, thunder and lightning onstage too. In last month’s Meadowlands ’84 release we heard the first performance of “Spirit in the Night” since New Year’s Eve 1980 and I mentioned in the review for that show how the slower tempo from Roy and Danny made the end of that long wait to hear the song all the more exciting. There’s a slow build into this one too, and even though “Spirit” was a setlist regular in ’78 (it features on every tour show officially released so far), I’ll be damned if this isn’t as riveting a build-up as six years later. This one isn’t sang as smoothly by Bruce, and it also isn’t as wild as Passaic, but it’s a strong vocal performance from him and it’s also a great exhibition from Clarence, who owns his first full song display on the night with unsurprisingly tremendous sax playing. In addition to that, what we get from this “Spirit” is some great audience participation, as while we’ve already heard them reacting loudly in the previous two songs, here we have an opportunity to hear how good they sound singing along and filling in the gaps Bruce leaves open for them. No need for Bruce to ask them “Can you feel the spirit?” back in ’78, he already knew they could. “You guys are nuts out there!“ Before getting stuck into “Darkness”, Bruce tells a funny story calling back to one of their early shows in Atlanta from the Electric Ballroom when they were virtually unknown. He mentions how during this gig he jumped off the stage to the reaction of just one fan, who proceeded to shout “Go Bruce!” in the face of his new idol. The only problem here is that he thought Stevie was Bruce and was shouting it at him! So yeah, that’s how unknown they were. That brings us to the tour’s titular song, and just in case there was anyone inside the Fox Theatre on September 30th struggling to tell the band members apart at this point of the show, the seven men onstage make a statement with all of their instrumentals and vocals during it. It’s a very intense version of “Darkness” (the best kind of version) and what stands out is the unique way in which Bruce delivers certain lyrics. In the last fifty-eight shows released from the Archive we’ve been able to note more than a few songs where Bruce alternates between singing and speaking lyrics, and while this is similar, there’s something more to his performance – check out the way he sings “For wanting things” at 3:11, it’s very direct, incredibly emphatic and I can’t recall this on any other ’78 rendition. It’s followed by “Independence Day”, which has already evolved so much since its live debut on July 7th, and I really like Bruce’s comment in the intro where he talks about it being the flip side to “Adam Raised a Cain”. I’ll be honest in saying that I’ve never given much thought to “Independence Day” on the Darkness album and how powerful that contrast with “Adam” would be, even after listening to both from The Roxy. However, with that in mind as this version plays, I can appreciate the tenderness of the performance even more than on the four other tour releases it appears on. Even the smallest comment can impact how we perceive a song. “The Promised Land” afterwards is as strong as ever, featuring tremendous backing vocals from Clarence, imperative contributions from Roy, Danny, Garry and Max, and a guitar solo by Miami Steve two and a half minutes in that steals the damn song away from the rest of his bandmates – even Bruce who again sings impressively. Just when you think “The Promised Land” (or any song) can’t surprise you anymore, trust in Stevie Van Zandt to leave you in awe. “Alright Atlanta, do ya think you’re ready to prove it all night?“ On the subject of listening to music and being astonished, what can you really write or say to describe how incredible this is? There are times with these Archive releases where you anticipate something being better than great, and every now and then there’ll be the odd occurrence where you feel let down, but most times you’ll think this project has peaked. Then you hear something like “Prove It All Night” from Atlanta, GA on September 30th, 1978 and after thinking you’re either going to undersell it or risk hyperbole when talking about it, you just end up feeling grateful. Whether that’s gratitude for the music of Springsteen and The E Street Band, the Archive Series, or just the intricacies of this particular performance, such as that swirling guitar at 4:15, Bruce’s cry of “BIG MAN” for Clarence to bring the thunder at 6:25, or that uncommon “Yeah yeah yeah yeah! / “prove it all night!” between Bruce and Stevie late on. Peak E Street. I was tempted to say something along the lines of “tough luck” to whichever song Bruce had up next in the setlist, but somehow, someway, he follows that “Prove It All Night” with this “Racing in the Street”. Dedicated to his friend Mike, there’s evidently meaning behind every line Bruce sings on this night, as his vocals and nuances give competition to the version released last month from August 6th, 1984 (I didn’t think that was possible). Seriously, listen to the way he sings lines like “we shut ’em up, then we shut ’em down“, “we’re callin’ out around the world” and “there’s wrinkles ’round my baby’s eyes“, you’re not hearing anything sounding like that on Passaic, Winterland or Houston. Having said that, one aspect of this version that’s familiar to Passaic is his tweaking of the lyric to “summer’s hanging on“, which adds a little more intimacy alongside him stating, “we cover all the Southern states“, as well as emphasising the fragility of time – something we’re likely to be talking about even more in two weeks upon the release of Letter To You. That feeling of time running out and the need to squeeze in just one more ride has been there in Springsteen’s music for a long time, as far back as 1978. And if the vocal nuances don’t quite do it for you, there’s always going to be the bliss created by the playing of Roy Bittan and Danny Federici on piano and organ. Of course, for there to be any kind of ride, you need to get in the car and that’s what makes “Thunder Road” perfect as a follow up to that outstanding version of “Racing”. The performance isn’t too dissimilar to the other seven versions we have from the tour, but with that context following on from “Racing” and the combination of both the Robert Mitchum and “land of peace, love, justice, and no mercy” stories beforehand, this benchmark performance automatically becomes must listen. If anything, “Thunder Road” being relatively standard compared to “Prove It”, “Racing” and “Jungleland” helps me out with my “Prove It” conundrum by saying everything that needs to be said. “Jungleland” ends the first set, and alongside the solos of Miami Steve and Clarence on guitar and saxophone, this powerhouse performance of Springsteen’s titan track has its positives in once again providing us with excellent audience participation, and also in giving us more fantastic singing from Bruce, from his hushed deliveries in the opening – “from the churches to the jails” – to his roaring “hungry and the hunted“, culminating with his howls at the finale. Just like “Badlands”, “Jungleland” is one that after so many releases we can more or less expect beforehand how good it’s going to be, but the magnificent seven really go the extra mile on this one. Did they have to go there? No, that was just the mentality of this band at the time. “Better early than not at all!“ Summer might be hangin’ on, but it’s the end of September, and considering that it had been debuted ten days prior and also that this is a Bruce Springsteen gig, that means it’s time for “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”! This will be the first and last time I play this version of the song for the next two months, so I’ll quickly say that I like the melody played by Roy in the intro and everything Clarence contributes, and move on to the second song of the second set! That second song, a cover of James Brown’s “Night Train” is an Archive Series first, instrumentally played on the fly while the “snow” that fell moments earlier is cleared offstage, and it’s an enjoyable listen. Not the blow away performance of this show by a long shot, but it’s nice to have it in the collection, and it can somewhat connect this release to the very first in the Archive Series, which is always fun. With the next six tracks in this set being almost identical (with the exception of “The Fever”), to those played in the middle of the second set in Houston, we’re able to note that theme of lust, love and betrayal flowing throughout this sequence. “Fire” begins this run, and after last month’s stellar Meadowlands performance, the next version of this song officially released was always going to be a downgrade. This isn’t awful, but it just lacks the quality of vocals from Bruce, the enthusiasm of the (women in the) audience, and the antics we can surmise are going on between Bruce and Clarence onstage. Thankfully the next three songs are as much highlights on this release, if not more, as “Fire” was on the September Archive release. “Candy’s Room” gifts us excellent contributions from Max, Roy and Bruce, with the latter thriving on guitar and with certain vocals – “we’ll go drivin’!”. I can appreciate that some fans might want Nugs and Bruce Inc. to explore other eras now that we have as many Darkness Tour releases as we do, but when “Candy” sounds this good, can you really be unhappy? On the other hand, if “Candy” isn’t your idea of ’78 at its finest, maybe “Because The Night” will be, because that guitar intro and guitar solo are the only sounds from the instrument on this night that contend with “Prove It” for the “Sent me into nirvana trophy“. The fact that we now have eight versions of this song, from this tour, sounding like this, is one of Nugs’ and Bruce Inc’s greatest achievements. Hopefully number nine will pop up someday, but until then, make sure to enjoy this (and other seven) as much as you can! “Candy” and “Because The Night” start a very strong run of excellently played songs, with “Point Blank” up next as arguably the best ’78 version of the song yet. Where “Independence Day” was just about the finished product for The River, this one is still quite different in its melody and with the verses about “Baby“. The only aspect that makes me doubt it being the best is how Danny isn’t as prominent here as on the September 20th release, but that’s more or less made up for thanks to what we can hear of The Phantom alongside Roy (3:20), as well as the guitar playing and my favourite moment of the song, Bruce’s whisper of “they’ve got you in their sights” (7:23). You’re damn right it’s a moment of essence. The Darkness Tour has always been revered for its loudness, and we don’t half get that in the opening line of “Not Fade Away” afterwards. I’d advise turning the volume down from one hundred to about eighty for that, but feel free to turn that dial all the way back up for the rest of the song, “Gloria” and “She’s The One” (Please, send any neighbour complaints to Colombia Records in New York City, NY) because this combination should be experienced at maximum sound – those Stevie led harmonies in “Not Fade Away”, that awesome spelling of “Gloria” and the quadruple of guitar(s), organ and piano ten and a half minutes into “She’s The One” call for it. Maybe it’s the recency bias, but this is my favourite performance/variation of “She’s The One” from this tour. “The rains came tumbling down“ With “Prove It” and “Because The Night” you have two fantastically intense performances spurred on by searing guitar playing, but with this “Backstreets” the intensity doesn’t come mainly from the guitar. Don’t worry, this has immense guitar playing in abundance (and then some), but this is a Bruce showcase, one of those performances where he reaches deep down into his soul and shares it to make a version that will last through the ages. Any ordinary performance I’d be focusing on that “Backstreets until theeee end” (4:45) as the highlight, but this is no ordinary performance, and you’ll be fully aware of that long before we get to the titan “Sad Eyes” interlude and Bruce makes what I once thought was the greatest rendition from The Roxy ultimately second at best. Stunning. If you love Bruce’s “there’s a little cafe on the other side of Hoboken” line on last month’s release, I suspect you’ll adore the opening two and a half minutes of this version of “Rosie”. On this occasion Bruce stays silent, and lets the guitar and The Professor’s piano do the talking with a lovely instrumental take on the Jay & The Americans track. And then… lift off! Now, following that this one isn’t too dissimilar to any other from the tour, but with that intro, Stevie’s harmonies and the always unmissable band intros, this sixteen minuter is a nice breather (you read that right) following the passion of “Backstreets” and the energy of “Born to Run” afterwards. “Wherever you are, you can’t hide! Come out tonight!“ With a quick thanks to the audience for their support over the last few years, especially “during the hard times off the road“, and “here’s to ya“, “Born to Run” is sang with purpose, and with a promise that the audience’s support won’t be in vain. It’s also a fine indication that the last few moments of this show will be played at a rapid tempo. “Are you ready for the tenth?!?” This is rapid alright, and it’s thoroughly enjoyable too. With brilliant vocals and instrumentals all around, the star of this one has to be Clarence for his delivery of “kid you better get the picture” alone – I love his emphasis on “picture“. Mind you, Stevie continues making a great argument for being star of the night with his backing vocals and guitar playing. I don’t think I’ve heard a Darkness Tour show that highlights the importance of Stevie in this band at this time better than this one. “Not done, yet just getting warmed up now…” After getting confirmation that the fans are ready and can handle such an experience, the Fox Theatre is treated to ten minutes of “The Medley”, and if that isn’t making good of that promise hinted at in “Born to Run”, I don’t know what is! This is admittedly slower in tempo than the versions we can hear from 1980, but even without being alive in 1978 I can imagine a lower in tempo “Detroit Medley” did more damage to you than most other heavy metal artists entire song catalogues combined. It even has Bruce exhausted – “Big Man, I don’t think I can go on” – but he finds the strength to continue after some much needed motivation by Clarence (who plays a mighty fine sax siren throughout) and ultimately from 7:10 that tempo is raised higher (and higher, and higher…) for what is a superb final two minutes of the night. Until they’re not, as the audience’s craving for another one is met with “Raise Your Hand”, which isn’t amazing (bar the excellent instruction of where to send neighbours complaints), but as always it’s a good listen that ends the night on a high note rather than a flat one, and God knows this night deserved to go out on a high. Long anticipated, the fifth and final official release of a radio broadcast from the Darkness Tour meets and exceeds fan expectations. With all timer performances of “Prove It All Night”, “Racing in the Street”, “She’s The One”, “Backstreets”, and astoundingly good audio quality to do them justice, the Archive Series post-First Friday is serving us better than any of us really could have imagined.