Bruce Springsteen may have found mass appeal for his blue-collar everyman image, but he’s also grown into a formidable entertainer. The Americana icon relishes in spotlights and screaming crowds, delivering performances that last for around three hours and remain captivating to his bandana-sporting fans throughout.
Over half a century into his career, Springsteen shows no signs of slowing down. He’s firmly in his mid-70s but still tours with unparalleled energy and enthusiasm, ensuring that crowds get the most for their money. Just last year, he played over 60 dates across the United States and Europe as part of his Springsteen and E Street Band Tour.
With such a lengthy set time to play with each night, Springsteen is free to revisit music from throughout his career and even music from outside of it, from Commodores covers to Tom Waits tracks. Though he incorporates different covers and setlists into his tours, there is a 1978 track that Springsteen seems to continually revisit, having played it live well over 700 times.
‘Prove It All Night’ was the first single Springsteen released from his 1978 record, Darkness on the Edge of Town, but it never quite achieved the same success or legacy as all-time hits like ‘Born to Run’ and ‘Dancing in the Dark’. This slightly underwhelming success has never deterred Springsteen from featuring it in his live set. However, as Setlist reports, he has played the track 746 times.
A stunning rock track with flourishes of piano, the song tells a love story with glimpses of Springsteen’s Americana trademarks. It finds The Boss contemplating sacrifice in love, working “real hard” to buy his lover shiny things. “Girl, you want it, you take it, you pay the price,” he declares. Over four decades on from the track’s first release, Springsteen retains it as a staple in his setlist.
Although ‘Prove It All Night’ boasts an impressive 746 live outings, it still doesn’t quite reach his top ten most-played songs, coming in at number 11. Up against fierce competition, it loses out to the likes of major hits like ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ and ‘Dancing in the Dark’. Perhaps expectedly, the track Springsteen has played live the most is ‘Born to Run’.
Having featured in his setlist over 1,800 times, Springsteen’s signature 1975 hit more than doubles the plays awarded to ‘Prove It All Night’. But for a far less well-known and well-loved track, it’s an impressive feat.
Watch Springsteen perform ‘Prove It All Night’ live below.
