Bruce Springsteen’s 10 most important live performances

Funny story: Bruce Springsteen isn’t called ‘The Boss’ because of the music he makes or the legacy he has cemented for himself within the music industry. It actually all comes from the fact that when he initially started playing gigs with the E Street Band, when the promoter was looking to pay the band, they would point towards Bruce and say, “Go to him; he’s The Boss.”

Now, that name has taken on a slightly different meaning, as Bruce Springsteen is commonly referred to as The Boss because he is one of the greatest performers in the history of sound. Even today, at 74 years old, he puts on some of the best gigs that music lovers could attend, as they’re packed with energy, containing all of the hits, and done by a performer who relishes every single moment he gets to spend on stage.

Playing live has always been massively important to Springsteen, and despite having a catalogue of fantastic gigs behind him, it doesn’t stop him from continuing to strive for the next level. Pyrotechnics and fancy stage lighting have never mattered to Bruce. For him, it’s all about the sound, and his career is laced with important gigs that made him the professional he is.

Here, we’ll look at some of the most essential shows throughout Bruce Springsteen’s career and see how much they helped him develop as a live performer.

Bruce Springsteen’s best performances:

Harvard Square Theatre, 1974

In 1974, when Bruce Springsteen opened for Bonnie Raitt at the Harvard Square Theatre, one of the critics in the crowd wrote afterwards, “I saw rock and roll future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen.” The gig cemented Springsteen as an artist that people need to watch, as his energy and love for the music he was making was clear from the word go.

With his best work still to come, Springsteen showed that his passion for music would resonate in the songs he would write and how he would play them. An origin story for rock’s biggest superhero, one of the starting points for the legacy of Springsteen was in the Harvard Square Theatre.

The Main Point, 1975

Only 270 people could attend Bruce Springsteen’s iconic gig in The Main Point, Pennsylvania, and what a gig it turned out to be. Arguably the most important in Springsteen’s career, even the gig’s bootleg recording sounds better than many bands playing their very best music.

What made the show so crucial in Springsteen’s career was the fact that it was broadcast live on the radio, so people around America had the chance to hear what they were missing by not attending Bruce Springsteen’s gig. He was put on the map with this show, as people got to experience a man who would shape rock music forever.

The Bottom Line, 1975

In the build-up to his Born To Run album, Bruce Springsteen performed ten shows, all of which helped build up some buzz for what would be a legendary album. This run of shows began at The Bottom Line in New York, and the first time many people heard the likes of ‘Born To Run’ and ‘Thunder Road’ went down as a significant night in music history.

A lot of the time, when people hear great music for the first time at a live show, they don’t recognise it for the hit it will become. This is no slight on the listener; some songs are difficult to translate live, and they don’t have the same impact on the first listen; however, those who heard the songs from Born To Run immediately knew they were on to something special.

Hammersmith Odeon, 1975

Hammersmith Odeon was a huge gig for Bruce Springsteen, as it was one of the first shows that put him and his live performance on a global map. He was still young and raw and took his music incredibly seriously, resonating with the audience lucky enough to experience that London gig.

Interestingly, Springsteen wasn’t very happy with this gig. He felt like the way he had been billed put too much of an expectation on the audience. The venue had placed posters around the room hyping up the show, which Springsteen didn’t agree with. “My business is show business, and that is the business of showing…” he said, “Not telling. You don’t tell people anything; you show them and let them decide.”

Agora Ballroom, 1978

The gigs prior to 1978 were all about two hours to two and a half hours long. Now, Bruce Springsteen is renowned for playing well over three hours. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when he started playing his famously long gigs, but he certainly did it in the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland.

He really set himself aside from any other artist out there by playing shows like this. It’s not just that he played for long periods but also that he didn’t lapse in energy or quality throughout that period. Springsteen continued to play with high energy and gave people a show that they would never forget.

Winterland Ballroom, 1978

Springsteen’s gig at Winterland Ballroom involved him playing a perfect setlist of hits that had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Tracks such as ‘Prove It All Night’, ‘She’s The One’, ‘Backstreets’ and ‘Fire’ were all performed flawlessly.

The gig took place just ten days before Christmas, so Springsteen and the E Street Band decided to perform their rock-infused rendition of ‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’ as well. The gig was certainly a Christmas present to many people, as the bootleg of the show was the recording that converted many current Springsteen fans.

Capitol Theatre, 1978

This was an exciting moment for Springsteen, as not only was it the end of a three-night run at Capitol Theatre in Passaic, but it was also the last time he would play smaller venues in the northeast of America. Though Springsteen had already made a name for himself in the last four years, as he continued performing, he continued to prove himself as an artist who was more than a phase.

This was the end of an era for Springsteen, as after this run of shows, he moved on to playing at larger stadiums. Now, these stadium shows are second nature to the boss, but these early shows were a pivotal moment for him.

Madison Square Garden, 1979

Doing one of his earliest stadium shows, Bruce Springsteen took part in the ‘No Nukes’ concert. This was a legendary show that gave rise to one of Springsteen’s most famous live albums. It was recorded over two nights and done as a means to help the activist group Musicians United for Safe Energy.

These gigs cemented Springsteen as the best live performer of the ‘70s. Not only that, but it also showed how much of an advocate for political issues Springsteen was. He touched upon political subjects in his music, but holding shows that testified for a non-nuclear future showed he was happy to use his platform for the causes he believed in.

East Berlin, 1988

Bruce Springsteen turned up to a frustrated crowd in East Berlin, where the communist community was frustrated with constantly being stuck behind the Berlin Wall. It turns out that while the wall was still standing, one of the best things that the people of East Berlin could be subject to was a top-quality rock show.

Historians believe this is one of the biggest gigs that ever took place in East Germany and that there wouldn’t have been many residents who weren’t aware of it. Springsteen had called for the wall to come down before visiting the country, so performing there was the final step towards bringing down the wall. “Forget David Hasselhoff,” said author Erik Kirschbaum, “Unlike Springsteen, Hasselhoff didn’t go to East Berlin to perform, and neither did he call for the wall to come down a year before it happened.”

On Broadway, 2017 – 2018

It’s worth including a recent concert on this list to emphasise that despite decades since Springsteen’s first shows, he remains one of the best and most energetic performers around. Springsteen’s shows on Broadway are the perfect point of reflection as they allowed him to do what he did best: live in the present while also looking back on his life.

Many fans watched these gigs with trepidation, thinking Springsteen was saying goodbye to the touring life, but he continues to outperform himself year after year.

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