Then I wasn't there. I did see Bruce at the Palladium around that time.I don't remember any other details. I do remember Andy Warhol taking photos before the show started.
So strange that "next door" (same company/label) to Springsteen are the people doing masterful work on the Dylan Bootleg Series, yet Bruce's people are clueless about how to treat this live material with respect.
Of course. It was an exciting archival component for a number of fans. That said, at that the time of the box set's release, there was not one single officially released concert from the famed 1978 tour. Springsteen is sitting on at least six multi-tracked shows, and instead of releasing the audio from one of these legendary concerts on a box set celebrating the Darkness On The Edge Of Town period, he released grainy black and white footage with audio from a video-feed or soundboard. The lack of 1978 live multi-tracked audio was a major omission.
The first set of the '88 Stockholm broadcast is in great sound quality. I have the second set which has to be from the same radio source. They turned down the mix so low that you can't enjoy the show. I imagine Springsteen has a full board mix of the second set and encores.
The "bomb scare show" was at the Uptown Theatre in Milwaukee, WI Oct 2, 1975. The show with Ronnie Spector was at the Palladium, New York City Nov 4, 1976.
Do you actually believe that Landau tells Bruce what to do and he alone decides what and when to release it? Jon Landau works for Bruce, not the other way around. Bruce know exactly what he wants to do. He listens to Landau and Steve Van Zandt (and I'm sure Patti to some extent) but the final yes or no for anything will come from Bruce and Bruce alone.
It's weird aint it. He got multitracks from his most legendary tour and all we got in 40 years are just fragments. Why in hell did they release the Agora bootleg(that everyone has) before a proper mixed show? It's beyond stupid!
There was a bomb threat before the Palladium show also. There was no time, however, for the Bruce and the band to "get loose" at the bar.
Then there were 2 bomb scare shows. I was there and remember it well. If you click on the link below, I think you can hear the whole show. From Brucebase: 1976-11-04 - PALLADIUM, NEW YORK CITY, NY NIGHT / RENDEZVOUS / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / IT'S MY LIFE / THUNDER ROAD / MONA - SHE'S THE ONE / SOMETHING IN THE NIGHT (with Steve Paraczky) / BACKSTREETS / GROWIN' UP / TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT (with The Miami Horns) / JUNGLELAND / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (with The Miami Horns) / BABY, I LOVE YOU (with Ronnie Spector) / WALKING IN THE RAIN (with Ronnie Spector) / BE MY BABY (with Ronnie Spector) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE (with Steve Paraczky) / BORN TO RUN Final show of a six-night run in New York City is one of the best gigs of the year, if not all-time. Carl D’Errico (co-writer of "It’s My Life") is in the audience and Bruce delivers one of his finest-ever performances of the song. A stunning cover of The Animals' "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" is also featured, and to top it all off Ronnie Spector guests on three of her most famous Ronettes-era hits, all given inspired arrangements by the E Street Band. A pre-show bomb hoax results in Bruce jokingly asking the audience to look under their seats. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" features a snippet of "Theme From Shaft" in the midsection. Bruce recites a tiny section of Joe Tex's "Hold What You've Got" after "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out". Soundboard recording, which is fortunate as this is quite a unique show. Originally released on boot vinyl LP 'Last Night In New York' (which has Bruce’s bomb scare rap intact) and more recently released on the CDRs 'We Gotta Get Outta This Place' or 'A Streak Of Light Through The Tunnel' and CD 'Paid The Cost To Be The Boss' (unknown label). In August 2011 an upgraded version of the second set emerged which does not dip in quality after "Jungleland", unlike all previous releases.
The audio was mono, to make it even worse. This was probably my biggest disappointment music wise of the last 10 years. Still hoping for a big 1978 audio box.
This is a major point. While I greatly enjoy Bruce's archive shows, the reality is that they are heard by very few people outside of the diehards. At the end of the day, they will do very little to add to his legacy as a great live performer. Dylan's Columbia Bootleg series are official product and receive the marketing and press that gives the general public the opportunity to at least know they exist. My hope is that Bruce will see that some of his great shows should receive this treatment. Profit margin be damned. The man is worth several hundred million dollars! Time to make moves that will cement the legacy. Official Columbia releases with professional packaging. Oh, I know none of the above will happen. His management is notorious for "not getting it". End of rant.
I don't think it's mainly his management. I think it's mainly HIM. His whole career has been shaped by his strong, idiosyncratic views of his own performance, and his frequent lack of perspective on it. I suspect the Springsteen organization has far less autonomy over release and marketing decisions than, say, Dylan's management does. That's why it took decades to bring the sonics of the CDs and LPs up to code. That's why he only now has an archive series. That's why there isn't yet a box set covering 1982-85, which would be his "The Cutting Edge" and elicit the critical and historical appraisals mentioned above, and why there's no sign of it anytime soon. We all might wish Landau et al. were a little more like the Wondermints were with Brian Wilson, when they tried to lead him gently toward "Smile." ("Hey, Brian, let's play 'Cabin-essence!' Wasn't that a cool song?") Still, it all comes down to one guy. When it comes to release decisions, Bruce's situation is almost as bad as the Beatles's. They, at least, suffer from having to reach consensus among four people. His is a paralysis of one.
I think it is tough for a working artist to have to face the fact their best live work was nearly forty years ago and many of your fans are not that interested in hearing shows you performed from the past 20+ years.
Fair enough, but he had the same problem judging the quality of his past work in 1985! That's why we got a live box with an inferior "Backstreets," no "Jungleland," and only one track from 1975 or earlier! If anything, he's gotten better. I will agree that the recent archive selections smack a bit of overcompensation.
Well, I'm not so sure - especially not 20 years ago, when "Bruce-mania" had really faded. 30 years ago, there would've been more excitement, but I think a lot of the tizzy about "1975-85" was the "event" nature of it. Bruce was still the biggest rock star in the world, and he was "finally" releasing a live album - it was a big, big deal. If he put out a live album every 2 months, the excitement would've quickly died...
I don't claim no one would want to buy the CDs, but there's just no way - not even in deep "Bruce Country" - each and everyone would be news and an event. Like I said, "1975-85" was a major deal because Bruce remained massively popular and there was pent-up demand for a live album. Look at the 1987 Beatles CDs. The first four were major news because they were the 1st Beatles CDs released in the US. When all the rest hit during ensuing months, they got much, much less coverage - except maybe for "Pepper's" because it was the album's 20th anniversary, but I think even that CD got less attention than the 1st batch of 4. 1st Bruce archive release in 1986? Lots of attention - especially if this is an alternate universe where "1975-85" doesn't exist. After that? Good sales but no "mania"...
