Bruce Springsteen 1970

No set details known. ONE show, held indoors in North Hall, with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill.

No set details known. Steel Mill audition in the afternoon (along with two other bands) for the right to play a series of open dates at the venue - but they don't get the job.

THE WAR IS OVER (13.52) / LADY WALKING DOWN THE RIVER (9.59) / JEANNIE I WANT TO THANK YOU (9.47) / AMERICA UNDER FIRE (6.27) / GUILTY (7.09) / THE TRAIN SONG (6.48) / GOING DOWN SLOW (16.19)

ONE show, with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill. BOZ SCAGGS was the scheduled headliner but he cancelled at that last minute due to illness and so STEEL MILL played alone. This is the show attended by critic Philip Elwood, who turned up intending to review Scaggs but ended up writing a highly favorable review of STEEL MILL that appeared in the 14/1/70 edition of ‘The San Francisco Examiner’. The above-noted setlist emanates from long-circulating, excellent quality soundboard audio from one of the California gigs. This is very likely (but not absolutely certain) to emanate from this 13/01/70 show, as it seems to correspond closely to details noted in Elwood's article. Elwood mentions that the group opened with a brief warm-up instrumental rendition of "Satin Doll" - that track doesn't appear on the circulating tape. However the other tracks mentioned by Elwood do appear and the crowd noise corresponds with Elwood's 1984 comments that very few people were in attendance.

No details known. ONE show with STEEL MILL opening for headliner THE ELVIN BISHOP BAND. According to Vinnie Roslin the group was paid only $5, which they split among one another. The Elvin Bishop Band received $90 as headliner.

No set details known. ONE show with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill. The first of two performances at this venue during this early 1970 California trip. Owner Bill Graham had apparently seen one of Steel Mill's performances at The Matrix and subsequently contacted the group, hiring them as a last-minute substitute for another act that cancelled. This performance led to another gig at Fillmore West the following week, a studio demo session and, lastly, a $1,000 signing offer from Graham that the group declined.

Set details unknown. Steel Mill open for headliner Boz Scaggs. As the show opener this performance is likely to have been limited to 60 minutes.

No details known. ONE show, with STEEL MILL opening for headliner BOZ SCAGGS. As the show opener this is likely to have been about a 60-minute performance.

No set details known. ONE show, double bill, with Steel Mill opening for headliner BOZ SCAGGS.

No set details known. STEEL MILL opens for another up-and-coming young Maryland-based band GRIN (led by Nils Lofgren). Springsteen first met Nils at this time. This show took place at Fillmore West (also known at the time as the Carousel Ballroom) either on Tuesday (17th) or Wednesday (18th) – these early midweek shows for new artists were rarely advertised. The Grin-Steel Mill billing was recently noted and confirmed by Vini Lopez.

“The Fillmore West (Carousel Ballroom), as it actually looked like when Steel Mill performed there. This photo was taken soon after - in mid 1970”

STEEL MILL rehearsals at site and then formal recording of 3 Springsteen compositions – and Bruce’s first time in a recording studio since a session with The Castiles in 1966 (see 18/05/66 listing). After brief in-situ warm-up rehearsals, which weren’t recorded, the band recorded each song in one take. There were the only three songs rehearsed and the only three songs recorded. Pacific Recording Studios (also known as ‘Pacific Recorders’) was then-located at 1737 S. El Camino Real, not too far from Springsteen’s parents’ home in San Mateo. This studio is perhaps best known as the place where both The Grateful Dead’s ‘Aoxomoxa’ LP and Santana’s debut LP were recorded. Promoter Bill Graham, who at the time had recently started his fledgling ‘Fillmore Records’ label (Elvin Bishop and Cold Blood were among his initial signings), actually offered STEEL MILL a contract – which the band rejected due to its poor terms and conditions.

No set details known. ONE evening show, featuring STEEL MILL. This was group's final gig before hurriedly departing California to return by car/truck to the east coast and a show scheduled to take place in Richmond in about 65 hours.

No set details known. ONE evening show, held at ‘The Center’ (note: this venue would be re-named ‘The String Factory’ in May 1970), with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill. The band drove non-stop from California to Richmond to make it on time to this gig – and they just made it. In a 1979 interview in the fanzine ‘Thunder Road’ Vini Lopez commented: "we had to get back to Richmond in 3 days to do a gig. We made it. But that was a delirious show. I drove most of the way back, me and Tinker".

GUILTY / JEANNIE I WANT TO THANK YOU / YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME / CALIFORNIA BLUES / I AM THE DOCTOR / GOIN’ BACK TO GEORGIA / AMERICA UNDER FIRE / THE WAR IS OVER / ON THE ROAD / SWEET MELINDA / CROWN LIQUOR / LADY WALKIN’ DOWN BY THE RIVER

ONE show, held in the school’s “Center” (this venue will soon be renamed “The String Factory in May 70), with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill. The above-mentioned 12-song setlist is culled from a 90min+ audience tape of the show that is in extremely limited circulation. This is likely to represent most if not the entire show and it includes the only known audio of “You Say You Love Me” and “On The Road”, plus a rare performance of Billy Chinnock’s composition “Crown Liquor”. This gig is believed to have been bassist Vinnie Roslin’s final performance as a member of Steel Mill. His replacement will be Steve Van Zandt.

No set details known. STEEL MILL rehearsals, featuring new member Steve Van Zandt on bass (replacing Vinnie Roslin). Van Zandt had been a guitarist in THE WHIRLWINDS (1964), THE MATES (1965-66), THE SHADOWS (1966-67), lead guitarist/vocalist in THE SOURCE (1967-69) and keyboardist in THE JAYWALKERS (1969-70) prior to joining Steel Mill.

No set details known. ONE show, with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill. This is the earliest verified public performance to feature new member Steve Van Zandt on bass. By 1970 the once-hip national Hullabaloo chain of discothèques had veered in a decidedly top-40 direction - far removed from the progressive rock of Steel Mill. Tom Yolton, guitarist for Richmond band Mercy Flight, has jokingly commented….."when word came out that STEEL MILL was playing Hullabaloo everyone said….where the hell is that? It turned out it was well away from the VCU campus. It was a club with mirrors on the walls. I remember asking someone in the band about it later and getting some reply like “Oh man did that suck...nobody was there and they wanted us to play dance music"

No set details known. ONE show, with STEEL MILL (featuring new band member Steve Van Zandt on bass) the sole act on he bill. See Poster above.

No set details known. A special promotional STEEL MILL rehearsal performance designed to generate local publicity for the band in the wake of their California tour and Steve Van Zandt recently joining the lineup. A small group local media personalities were invited to come and meet/chat with the band and watch them rehearse in an informal setting. One of the few journalists who actually turned up was Joan Pikula of the Asbury Park Press, who then wrote a nice article about the group that appeared in the paper a few days later (15/04/70…see news). This was the first of what would turn out to be several positive articles/reviews from Pikula over the next 15 months.

GUILTY / BLACK SUN RISING / CALIFORNIA BLUES / I JUST CAN'T THINK / SWEET MELINDA / RESURRECTION / AMERICA UNDER FIRE / GOIN DOWN SLOW - 20 MORE MILES

No circulating audio. ONE show, with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill. The above-mentioned partial setlist is from a review of the show by Joan Pikula that appeared in the 20/4/70 edition of the Asbury Park Press. Several other songs were played but the titles were not mentioned in Pikula's review.

FUNKY BROADWAY (2:20) / GUILTY (7:58) / GOIN' BACK TO GEORGIA (5:31) / THE WIND AND THE RAIN (19:19) / RESURRECTION (13:28) / GARDEN STATE PARKWAY BLUES (29:40)

ONE show, with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill. This was a replacement concert for a cancellation of the musical “Hair”. The above-mentioned setlist is taken from a circulating soundboard of very good to excellent quality, although end-user quality tends to vary widely due to the fact the material has been in circulation for over 20 years and some circulating copies are many generations downstream. This 6-song, 78-minute segment of audio, long referred to in collector circles as “the West End gig”, would have to rank as the most misidentified, misdated and cannibalized of all Springsteen recordings. To make matters even messier though, the show’s epic 30-minute finale, “Garden State Parkway Blues”, is sometimes edited into separate segments and assigned fictitious titles such as “Mountain Child”, “I Got A Woman” or “Sunlight Soldiers”. Many LP and CD bootlegs (such as “TORN AND FRAYED”, “THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN STORY VOL 3” and “DEEP DOWN IN THE VAULTS”) contain one, two or several of these tracks – assigned to a wide variety of incorrect dates/venues. However “SUNLIGHT SOLDIERS AT THE WEST END” (Rattlesnake) includes the complete audio and merely messes up the correct date/venue.

This soundboard tape is very deceptive in that drummer Vinnie Lopez’s voice microphone is abnormally dominant in the mix, so much so that it sounds like a co-lead singer (i.e., Robbin Thompson) is interacting with Springsteen throughout the show. However under an extremely close comparison it can be determined that the “co-lead” vocalist is actually drummer and background vocalist Lopez, with his microphone turned way up in the audio mix. Robbin Thompson’s voice is definitely not present.

There are three critical clues during the performance that, when combined, powerfully point to the true location and date of this show. Firstly, Bruce’s dedication to the “West End Fire Department” - this signifies a Long Branch or close proximity location. Secondly, the distinct sound of wooden side bleachers being stomped during the final song – this signifies it’s indoors and it’s a gymnasium (not a theatre or concert hall). Thirdly, Bruce recites the opening line of James Taylor’s song “Sweet Baby James” during “Garden State Parkway Blues” – that places the show no sooner than late March, 1970. Consequently this audio can, to a high degree of probability, be identified as coming from this April 24, 1970 show.

No set details known. ONE show, with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill. A return weekend engagement at the club (the group had first played here in late March).

“Promotion for Steel Mill’s Fri & Sat (May 1-2, 1970) Hullabaloo shows. This AD emanates from the April 1970 edition of ‘The Richmond Chronicle’. Thanks to Ray Bonis for his research efforts. Note: a small amount of Posters were also made up at the time using similar artwork to this AD”

ONE show, double bill, with Steel Mill headlining and MERCY FLIGHT opening. This was an end of the school term, 2PM, outdoor show. Set details are unconfirmed, although there are recollections that “For What It’s Worth”, “Guilty”, ‘I Am The Doctor” and “Resurrection” were among the songs performed. NOTE: This gig took place several days after the tragic shooting of students at Kent State University in Ohio. It’s now suspected this fully documented May 10th show is the true source and date of the long-rumored May 4th “Kent State” tribute gig that allegedly took place at the college. The May 4th date does not match historical information in the school’s archives. It should also be noted that the circulating audio from the 24/4/70 show at Monmouth (see listing in BRUCEBASE) may possibly be from this show.

No set details known. ONE show, with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill and performing for the school prom.

MC Introduction – KT 88 (4.13) / JEANNIE I WANT TO THANK YOU (9:07) / I AM THE DOCTOR (7:31) / SOMETHING’S GOTTA BREAK (8:00) / TEMPORARILY OUT OF ORDER (6:49) / SWEET MELINDA (5:47) / COME ON (4:30) / RESURRECTION (11:10) / AMPLIFIER BLUES (9:29) / FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH – RUN SHAKER LIFE – TWENTY MORE MILES (12:59, end cut)

ONE show, double bill, held in the VCU Gym, with STEEL MILL headlining and MERCY FLIGHT opening. This gig is infamous because it ended with Vini Lopez arrested for unruly behavior. The above-noted setlist is culled from a circulating 80-minute audience recording of only fair quality. There are continuity cuts between most songs. This is not the complete show, which contained at least 20 minutes more music (2-4 songs). This audio has never appeared on any mainstream bootleg but does circulate via various custom sources – some with between-song chatter deleted or songs missing. This audio is sometimes attributed to an alleged gig at VCU Gym on May 16, 1970. However VCU’s archives don’t indicate any show on the 16th. Comments made by Springsteen during the show point to the audio as being from the documented May 23, 1970 VCU gig. Mercy Flight’s co-manager, Russell Clem, can be heard introducing STEEL MILL. During the middle of the country-rock inspired “I Am The Doctor” Springsteen tells crowd “we went swimming today down in the James River (outside Richmond) and we took our surfboards with us”. During the intro to “Resurrection” Springsteen mentions canoeing earlier that afternoon. Bruce sings, “here we are back in Richmond, Virginia again” as the opening line of “Amplifier Blues”.

From the outset of this show there were problems with the school’s generators. There was a power outage during MERCY FLIGHT’s opening tune, “Mississippi Queen” and the problems continued intermittently for the remainder of the evening. This, combined with VCU officials’ complaints about the loudness of STEEL MILL’s performance, caused tension between the band and officials. Springsteen and Lopez can be heard making related comments during the show. Following “Jeannie I Want To Thank You” Bruce remarks to the crowd “there’s a weird thing going on between your officials and us”. At another point Bruce can be heard extorting: “there should be no restrictions on me”. At another point Bruce tells the crowd “we’re gonna finish this one with you guys and split to the middle of the road and play”. Despite the drama the audience is enthusiastic and the band’s performance is excellent. The MC’s comments and opening instrumental are in the correcting performing order. The rest of the audio is in its likely running order. Although it has not surfaced as part of the circulating audio, there’s attendee recollection that “Guilty” was performed following the opening instrumental “KT-88” (there’s an edit so this is plausible). All songs are complete except for the final song, which is cut prematurely close to its true conclusion. It is likely there was another song played after “Twenty More Miles” that’s missing from the audio source – and it would seem it was during that point that VCU officials shut the band’s power off as they overran the 11PM curfew. Lopez in an act of defiance continued playing his drums, which resulted in him being hauled way for disorderly conduct – an incident that Vini has jokingly referred to in several interviews.

No set details known. ONE show, double-bill, with STEEL MILL headlining (but playing first) and MERCY FLIGHT closing. This was a private function - "The 1970 Rumson-Fairhaven Regional High School Junior-Senior Prom". STEEL MILL opened at 9:30PM and played a 1¾ hr show consisting of their usual self-penned material. After a short intermission MERCY FLIGHT came out and played a 1¾ hr show consisting of dance/top-40 covers (not their usual setlist). Festivities ended at 2AM.

GUILTY (9.04)(minor cuts)/ COME ON (4.30)/ KT88 (3.28)/ BLACK SUN RISING (8.11)/ I AM THE DOCTOR (5.36)/ JEANNIE I WANT TO THANK YOU (7.37)(fades)/ SOMETHINGS GOTTA BREAK (7.21)/ GARDEN STATE PARKWAY BLUES (5.12)(cut)

TWO shows, double bill, with STEEL MILL opening for headliner GRAND FUNK RAILROAD. Bruce and the boys were a late substitution for Detroit's now-legendary MC5 (who, ironically, had just released an album produced by Jon Landau). There was no time to print new tickets to reflect the billing change, as evidenced by the ticket scan below. The above-mentioned 8-song setlist is from a circulating audience audio source (weak quality) and is likely to represent the complete performance. An announcer can clearly be heard at the beginning explaining to the audience that the MC5 are delayed in Connecticut and, as such, Steel Mill will be playing instead. These remarks positively link this performance to this venue and date. Nothing in the audio identifies if this is the early or late show. NOTE: this material is often identified as being from to a variety of incorrect shows, notably Feb 1970 in Richmond. There is a concert review in the 15/06/70 Asbury Park Evening news that probably relates to this concert - anyone who may have chance to get a scan of this please send it on. Thanks Jan.

No set details known. ONE outdoor afternoon show, double bill, with Steel Mill opening for headliner DAVID PEEL & THE LOWER EAST SIDE. According to recent comments by Vini Lopez, Steel Mill’s performance was cut short because of a thunderstorm.

No set details known. ONE show, with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill. This venue had previously been owned and operated by Free University under the name ‘The Center” and Child-Steel Mill had player here several times (see listings). It was sold in March 1970 and re-opened, revamped and under private ownership, in May 1970 as ‘The String Factory’.

"AD from ‘The Richmond Chronicle’ promoting the May 1970 the grand opening of The String Factory. Courtesy Ray Bonis"

No set details known. ONE outdoor evening show, double bill, with STEEL MILL headlining and GLORY ROAD opening (lineup included Garry Tallent and Bill Chinook). As can seen in the press report below, this was almost certainly the largest audience Springsteen had played in front of up to this point in his career. Despite some pre-event complaints by local residents, the show ended without incident about 1AM and was deemed a major commercial success by the Swim Club owners – who immediately began organizing a similar event for the end of summer (see 11/09/70). Please note that audio once incorrectly attributed to this show can now be found under the listing for 17/07/70.

Thanks to Lelands for the poster images and Dari for the article - click on it to read the full story.

DANCING IN THE STREETS (10:50) / COME ON (4:45) / SHERLOCK GOES HOLMES (9:44) / GARDEN STATE PARKWAY BLUES (27:25) / RUN SHAKER LIFE (4:10, end cut)

ONE show, double bill, with STEEL MILL headlining and LOTUS opening. The above-mentioned partial setlist is taken from a circulating 58-minute soundboard recording of good-very good quality. This audio has has only partially circulated on a bootleg "Don't Sweat It" Vinyl in limited quantities and in poor quality. It is circulating in complete form via private CDR sources (usually identified only as “summer 1970” or “mid-1970” or “unknown location”). The audio seems to include the first 3 songs of the night and the final two songs, with “Run Shaker Life” cut very prematurely. This would represent only about half of a normal show’s length. Following a nice show-opening “Dancing In The Streets” Springsteen jokingly comments “it’s all happen’ out there in the street, so what are we doing in here”? During the epic “Garden State Parkway Blues” Bruce mentions driving through Ocean Grove on a Sunday, as well as the fireworks at the Freehold Raceway – both comments draw a noticeable crowd reaction. These comments indicate this audio is from an indoor summertime performance in the Asbury Park area. When combining the sound of the audience size, the track listing and the very limited gig bookings the band had during the summer of 1970 – these combined offer a strong likelihood this audio is from either this night or the following night’s Sunshine In show.

Set details unknown. ONE show, with STEEL MILL headlining and LOTUS as the support band.

No set details known. A rare performance by FUNKY DUSTY & THE SOUL BROOM, a short-lived (summer-fall 1970) 4-piece band consisting of Steve Van Zandt (“Funky Dusty”) and Garry Tallent, Southside Johnny and drummer Bobby Williams (‘The Soul Broom”). Apparently Springsteen was in attendance and joined in a late evening jam. At this point in mid 1970 both Tallent and Williams were full time members of GLORY ROAD (along with David Sancious and Bill Chinnock), Van Zandt was a member of STEEL MILL and Southside was a free agent, having recently left his former band MAELSTROM. This Funky Dusty & The Soul Broom side-project was a catalyst for what became THE BIG BAD BOBBY WILLIAMS BAND in late 1970 and SUNDANCE BLUES BAND in spring 1971. Note: Funky Dusty & The Soul Broom was singer Jeannie Clark’s backing band at the infamous Clearwater gig on 11/09/70.

“Funky Dusty & The Soul Broom onstage at The Upstage in mid 1970, possibly at this gig. Left to Right: Van Zandt, Southside Johnny, Tallent and Bobby Williams (cropped out in this photo)”. Courtesy of Carrie Potter from the Tom Potter Photo Collection.

CANCELLED concert, never rescheduled. This all-day, outdoor event was supposed to feature STEEL MILL as headliner and three or four support acts, including MERCY FLIGHT and JEANNIE CLARK. So the 1ST Annual Nothings Festival turned out to be just that. Thanks to Tom Cool for the info.

MC Introduction - DANCING IN THE STREETS (8.20) / COME ON (4.30) / KT88 (3.50) / THE WAR IS OVER (14.28) / WHY DO YOU DO THAT (6.14) / SHERLOCK GOES HOLMES (9.46) / GOING BACK TO GEORGIA (5.18) / RESURRECTION (13.52) / GUILTY (7.58) / WE'LL ALL MAN THE GUNS (11:26) / RUN SHAKER LIFE - TWENTY MORE MILES (14.43) / GOOD LOVIN' WOMAN (9:34)

ONE show, triple bill, with blues band MARLO MAYS & THE STINGERS opening, MERCY FLIGHT performing second and STEEL MILL headlining and closing. Held under the stars on the upper deck of the parking complex. The general concept for this show was modeled after The Beatles memorable rooftop performance in the film “Let It Be” (which was in theatres at the time). This is one the most famous of all Steel Mill’s gigs and it’s now firmly a part of Richmond folklore. Promoter Russell Clem provides the immortal MC introduction. This was Steel Mill’s first gig in about a month and their performance actually starts off somewhat ragged as a result – something both Bruce and Vini Lopez apologize for this during the show.

The above-mentioned 12-song setlist is culled from audio from this show that circulates in several variations. An audience tape of only fair quality has been in circulation for many years. Fortunately a substantially better (very good) quality and more complete specimen of this audience recording has emerged in the collector market over the past couple of years – and it is absolutely worth obtaining. In addition to the new audience source, some soundboard audio has also recently emerged from this show. The soundboard audio is missing two tracks (“The War Is Over” and “Guilty”) found on the audience recording and the soundboard quality isn’t nearly as good as the better of the two audience sources. Importantly though, the soundboard audio includes the show’s encore “Good Lovin’ Woman”, which is not found on the audience audio. None of the above-mentioned audio has ever been released on any mainstream bootleg.

The 12-song, 110-minute setlist is not the complete show. It would appear that the audience audio is complete up to an including “We’ll All Man The Guns”. There is then a 2 – 4 song segment of the show that has never circulated from any source. One of the songs definitely performed during this “missing” segment was “The Wind And The Rain”. Both "I Am The Doctor" and "Sweet Melinda" have cropped up in attendee recollections and may have also filled this gap in this show. From an historical standpoint the two most important tracks are “We’ll All Man The Guns” (Bruce introduces it as just written) and Bruce’s 1969 song “Good Lovin’ Woman” (Bruce introduces it as “an old song”). Neither of these two songs are available elsewhere. NOTE: A day or so after this show Springsteen met privately with Mercy Flight's lead singer Robbin Thompson and offered him a position in Steel Mill. After a few days of deliberation Thompson accepted the offer, resigning from MERCY FLIGHT on Aug 23, 1970 and relocating to New Jersey to join Steel Mill the following week.

No set details known. Formal hiring of new STEEL MILL vocalist Robbin Thompson and then 3 days of intense rehearsals at Challenger in preparation for the Steel Mill concert (and Robbin’s public debut) at the upcoming Nashville Music Festival. Robbin, a Florida native, had been lead singer (and songwriter) in popular Florida-based bands THE HANGING FIVE (1963-4), THE FIVE GENTS (1964-5), THE TASMANIANS (1966-7) and TRANSCONTINENTAL MERCY FLIGHT (1968) before relocating from Florida to Richmond in early 1969 and forming MERCY FLIGHT.

“New STEEL MILL vocalist Robbin Thompson (shown sitting/center) with his former Florida-based group ‘The Tasmanians’ circa July 1967”

No set details known. The debut public performance of STEEL MILL’s new vocalist Robbin Thompson. ONE show, a morning until late evening outdoor extravaganza – ‘The 3rd Annual Nashville Music Festival’, sponsored by popular city radio station WMAC. This was an outdoor event, with the artists performing inside the Centennial Park Band Shell. About 20 different artists took part (see AD below), ranging in style from traditional country to progressive hard rock. Headliners included Roy Orbison, Brian Hyland, Ronnie Milsap, Bobby Bloom and rock bands Ballin’ Jack, Ten Wheel Drive and Illusion. STEEL MILL was one of only a couple of acts on the bill without a record contract – some college students with connections on the festival’s organizing committee had seen Steel Mill perform previously in Richmond and helped the band procure a slot on the bill. The weather was lovely and the crowd was about 50,000 – the largest audience Springsteen would play in front of until the 1980’s. Springsteen famously recalled this show in his speech inducting Roy Orbison into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1987.

Upper left - A Nashville newspaper AD for Sunn Music Speakers showing the festival’s artist roster, with ‘Steel Mill’ (ironically) listed just above Roy Orbison. “Bruce and Robbin Thompson (looking a lot like Jimmy Page-Robert Plant!) on stage in Nashville at the famous Roy Orbison show”

Cancelled Steel Mill performance. This was a 3 day, multi-artist outdoor music festival held in the school’s 40,000-seat Kenan Stadium. Many attendees camped around or in the vicinity of the venue, creating a ‘mini-Woodstock’ atmosphere. The major headliners for the event were JOE COCKER, JAMES TAYLOR and SLY & THE FAMILY STONE. The members of Steel Mill arrived in Chapel Hill at this festival on their way back to Richmond the day after their Nashville gig opening for Roy Orbison (see above listing). Although Steel Mill were not booked to play, the guys hatched a brazen plan whereby they would sneak their equipment van (and themselves) into the venue, pretend they were one of the scheduled acts, set up their equipment and just start playing to the crowd. Hilariously they managed to beat security, get in and start setting up their sound system several hours before James Taylor’s afternoon appearance – only to be thwarted at the very last minute when they were just about to start playing. They were all then thrown out.

No set details known. Fist of several days of STEEL MILL rehearsals for the upcoming Sept 11th Clearwater show, featuring Mercy Flight drummer Dave Hazlet, who has come up from Richmond on short notice to be a temporary fill-in for drummer Vini Lopez, who is stuck in Richmond sorting out legal difficulties.

Photo alledgedly from a band rehearsal the day prior to the Clearwater gig on the 11/09/70. (It actually comes from the stock shoot in March 1970). See the news report here.

No set details known. ONE 5hr show, held outdoors, with STEEL MILL headlining a quadruple billing featuring support bands TASK, SID'S FARM and local folk singer JEANNIE CLARK (with her backing band consisting of Steve Van Zandt, Garry Tallent and Southside Johnny). A gig now steeped in folklore. In Steel Mill's lineup for this show was drummer Dave Hazlett (from vocalist Robbin Thompson’s former band ‘Mercy Flight’). Hazlett had come up from Richmond to fill in for the absent Vini Lopez, who was stuck in Richmond due to a marijuana bust on a communal property where Vini’s then-girlfriend lived (everyone in the commune were charged - Vini was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time). Steel Mill was intending to use its earnings from this show to help defray Vini’s legal costs. So the unique Steel Mill lineup for this Clearwater gig was Springsteen, Van Zandt, Federici, Thompson and Hazlett.

Steel Mill had played a similar event at this venue in June that had gone smoothly. However some local residents had subsequently complained to town officials about the noise level so late at night – this resulted in the curfew time for the September concert being lowered from 11PM to10PM, as well as a much stronger police presence. Several audience arrests for marijuana possession during the show got the crowd upset. Then when 10pm came around (Steel Mill was part way through its set) the police took a hard line about the curfew and said “show’s over”, which escalated into a near-riot. During the ensuing mayhem some sound equipment fell onto the local Chief of Police (who was very slightly injured). Danny Federici earned his famous nickname of "The Phantom" by disappearing from the melee with lightning speed. The aftermath of this show was extensively covered in the local media at the time.

ONE show, a daytime double bill held on the beach, featuring SID’S TASK and local folk duo JACK AND VERN. This hastily organized, word-of-mouth-only, concert was put together to raise funds to help defray the legal costs of individuals arrested at the 11/09/70 Clearwater gig. Although long listed as a Steel Mill concert date NEITHER STEEL MILL OR ANY OF ITS BAND MEMBERS PERFORMED AT THIS GIG. However Steel Mill did donate its sound equipment for use at the show. It is speculated that Steel Mill may have initially contemplated performing but backed out due to the unavailability of Danny Federici and/or Vini Lopez. This show went off without incident and $200 in donations was raised.

I CAN’T TAKE IT (8:35) / WHY’D YOU DO THAT (5:58) / SHERLOCK GOES HOLMES (10:02) / GOIN’ BACK TO GEORGIA (4:50)

ONE show, double bill, with STEEL MILL opening for headliner THE IKE AND TINA TURNER REVUE. A soul band and a progressive rock group was a strange billing combination – consequently it’s perhaps not surprising that less than half the tickets to the 3,000-seat Mosque were sold. Former ‘Back Door Club’ owner John Richardson, who orchestrated the event, has stated that he lost a fair chunk of money on this show. The above-mentioned setlist is taken from a circulating 29-minute audience recording of only fair quality. This audio has not been issued on any mainstream commercial boot but is circulating via custom sources, sometimes with the venue-date unidentified. As undercard STEEL MILL would have played about 60-70 minutes, so there are likely 3 to 5 songs missing from the circulating audio. The audio evidence supports reports that the venue was half empty. The crowd reaction to Steel Mill is polite but indifferent – an indicator the band wasn’t headlining. “Why’d You Do That” includes a customized refrain mentioning the town of Woodland Falls that seems to have been used only when playing in Virginia. “Goin’ Back To Georgia” features Bruce and Robbin Thompson alternating the lead vocal.

DANCING IN THE STREETS / GOIN BACK TO GEORGIA / CHANGE IT / GARDEN STATE PARKWAY BLUES / I CAN’T TAKE IT / TRAIN RIDE / RESURRECTION

No circulating audio. ONE show, double bill, with STEEL MILL headlining and SUNNY JIM opening. The above-noted partial setlist is culled from a review of the show by Joan Pikula in the Asbury Park Press on 19/10/70. (see the article here). A sellout performance in the College’s Gym, with a crowd that Pikula estimates at near 4,000. This was the debut public performance of Sunny Jim, a group formed in May 1970 that included former Castiles drummer Vince Manniello and former Castles and Earth organist Bob Alfano. Please click the ‘News’ item to view an article/photos on Sunny Jim.

Monmouth College Poster plus photos of Robbin and Vini from October 1970, possibly taken at this gig. Vini's short hair was a consequence of his September "holiday" in Richmond. Thanks to Lelands for the Poster image.

Set details unknown. One show. STEEL MILL headline. New Jersey folk singer JEANNIE CLARK is the support act.

No set details known. ONE show, quadruple billing, featuring STEEL MILL, BIG BROTHER, FEAST and S.R.C. The headliner, SRC, was a Detroit-based outfit that, at the time, had three weak selling LPs out on Capitol Records, as well as a classic 60’s garage-type single "Black Sheep, Black Sheep". SRC is probably best known via its earlier mid-60's incarnation called ‘The Fugitives’.

No set details known. ONE show, double bill, with STEEL MILL headlining and INSTITUTION opening. This was a 9PM - 1AM show, so Steel Mill must have played at least 2hrs.

Early Show: DANCING IN THE STREETS (13:49) / DO IT NOW (13:15) / I CAN'T TAKE IT (9:07) / OH MAMA (4:25) / CHANGE IT (9:58) / I GOTTA BE FREE - TURN ON YOUR LOVELIGHT (11:27) / TRAIN RIDE (13:49)

TWO shows, triple bill, with the bottom-billed STEEL MILL opening for the 2nd billed CACTUS and headliner BLACK SABBATH (fronted by a spooked Ozzy Osbourne, who received death threats before the show). The above-mentioned 7-song, setlist comes from a very recently surfaced excellent audio quality soundboard and represents the complete 76-minute performance from the early show, with no continuity breaks in the audio. This is not Steel Mill at its best, but it does contain the previously uncirculating "Do It Now". The original master tape had the recording date on it and, additionally, there is verifying commentary by Robbin Thompson during the performance. About 8 minutes into "Dancing" the generator power fails for 12 seconds, much to the frustration of Bruce who comments "we must be the Guinea Pigs here tonight". According to an attendee recollection each of the three bands played similar length sets. After the end of the evening Springsteen spent about an hour backstage jamming with Cactus bassist Tim Bogart. There is no circulating audio from the late show.

No details known. Springsteen traveled to California by car in Dec 1970 to visit his parents and young sister Pamela. Information is sketchy, but apparently Bruce may have performed/jammed with some local musicians at a club/s in the San Mateo area during the 2-3 weeks he was visiting.

"Bruce, with his 8yr old sister Pam's head peeking out from under the covers, at his parents’ home in San Mateo in December 1970"

No set details known. TWO shows, 9:00PM and 1AM, with the STEVE VAN ZANDT & FRIENDS the lone act on the bill. The “Friends” included Springsteen (just back from a Christmas trip to California), Tallent, Federici, Southside Johnny, Joe Hagstrom (guitar) and Bobby Williams (drums). An early attempt by Van Zandt to formulate new directions in the wake of Springsteen’s Dec 1970 decision to end STEEL MILL.

GUILTY (10:43) / GOIN BACK TO GEORGIA (8:27) / OH MAMA (4:18) / CHANGE IT (10:07) / MARY LOUISE WATSON (9:00) / DANCING IN THE STREETS - HONKY TONK WOMEN (12:05) / I CAN'T TAKE IT (7:56) / TRAIN RIDE (13:23) / I GOTTA BE FREE - TURN ON YOUR LOVELIGHT (12:00) / RESURRECTION (11:00) / RUN SHAKER LIFE (10:39)

ONE show, double bill, with STEEL MILL headlining and GODZILLA opening. The above mentioned 11-song setlist is believed to be the complete show and the entire performance is circulating in very good to excellent soundboard quality, although the material has a notorious history of being cannibalized, re-sequenced and incorrectly dated. Be aware that this show is sometimes listed as a 12 or 13 song performance if "Honky Tonk Women" and/or "Turn On Your Lovelight" are counted as separate songs. Some of this show is available on the CD "GOING BACK IN THE PAST" (Wild Bird) and "ALL THOSE YEARS" (Templar) - and parts are found on several other boots, sometimes with incorrect venue/date information. This performance is best obtained through private CDR sources that have the complete show with proper sequencing. Most recently released on CDR "Right The F*** On" (Palace) - which is a earlier generation tape compared to many sources and is worth aquiring. NOTE: track running time info may vary widely depending on how between song "dead time" is allocated.

No setlist details known. ONE show, double bill, with STEEL MILL headlining and NATIONAL DEBT opening. A pre-concert newspaper article in the Middletown Courier (see below) mentions two shows scheduled for this night - but none for the following evening. These two shows were ultimately “split”, with one show taking place on this, and then the following night.

News article courtesy of Dari. Photo - Steel Mill relaxing in the Green Mermaid, Courtesy of Carrie Potter from the Tom Potter Photo Collection..

ONE show, double bill, with STEEL MILL headlining and NATIONAL DEBT opening. This was advertised as the final-ever Steel Mill gig and current evidence supports this. The dissolution of Steel Mill was amicable. Apparently Bruce had informed members in December, prior to a Christmas trip to California, of his desire to explore other musical directions. Speaking of his brief, 5-month (Sept 70 - Jan 71) Steel Mill tenure, vocalist Robbin Thompson has commented: “it was a strange thing. No one really knew why I was in the band….but about half way through (his tenure) I knew the band, as it was, wasn’t going to last, especially me.”

The above-mentioned partial setlist is taken from a recently unearthed, very good quality soundboard recording that is now in limited circulation. This material has yet to appear on any mainstream CD boot. The audio features continuity between songs and marks the first-ever appearance of any Springsteen audio from The Upstage. These three songs are culled from early in the set and may possibly be the show’s opening three numbers. This is also the first time a rendition of “Sweet Melinda” has surfaced in nice sound quality. The remainder of the show has not surfaced.

Photo's of Bruce, Robbin & Steve Van Zandt onstage at the Upstage January 1971 - Courtesy of Carrie Potter from the Tom Potter Photo Collection..

JAM IMPROVISATION #1 (15:20) / JAM IMPROVISATION #2 (11:25)

TWO shows, 9:00PM and 1AM, with the ‘STEVE VAN ZANDT & THE BIG BAD BOBBY WILLIAMS BAND’ the lone act on the bill. Springsteen is believed to have made a guest appearance during parts of one or both of these shows. The Big Bad Bobby Williams Band was a fairly short-lived group (Nov 1970 – Mar 1971) and consisted of Bobby Williams (drums, vocals), Garry Tallent (bass), Steve Van Zandt (vocals, guitar), David Sancious (organ) and Southside Johnny (harp, vocals). The above-noted setlist is culled from nearly 27 minutes of very good quality soundboard audio of the band that is in limited circulation. The exact date of the recording is not yet known, although it’s from this close-proximity time period. The audio is likely to be from either this Jan 29th Upstage gig or from a show the band performed at the Sunshine In on Feb 19th (see poster below). This audio represents only a small part of an entire show and the musicians heard on this segment of audio are Van Zandt-Tallent-Sancious-Williams. Southside is not heard and neither is Springsteen (who didn’t play on Feb 19th). Van Zandt handles the vocals on both songs and his lead and slide guitar work here is phenomenal – the best representation of Van Zandt’s guitar prowess available on any known audio.

No set details known. TWO shows, 9:00PM and 1AM, with the STEVE VAN ZANDT & THE BIG BAD BOBBY WILLIAMS BAND the lone act on the bill. An early attempt by Van Zandt to formulate new directions in the wake of Springsteen’s Dec 1970 decision to end STEEL MILL. Springsteen guests.

No set details known. An “open mike” night at the club (i.e., no pre-advertised acts on the bill). Springsteen attends and jams with a variety of different shore-area musicians at various points throughout the evening.

No set details known. ONE show, double bill, with Springsteen headlining and country-rock band HIGHWAY opening. This was a Jewish Community-sponsored dance orchestrated by the Young Hebrew Association (YWHA-YMHA), who utilized the park facility as its clubhouse. Although the Poster billing "Bruce Springsteen" implies a possible solo performance, it wasn’t. The billing reflects the fact that Bruce had no settled band (or band name) at this point. Springsteen utilized a 4-piece backing band for this show and according to the most reliable recollections its lineup consisted of Steve Van Zandt, Vini Lopez, Garry Tallent and David Sancious. Apparently the entire show (including Highway) was audience audio recorded by the head Rabbi, but then accidentally erased soon afterwards.

TWO shows, 7:30PM and 10:30PM, triple bill, with Springsteen (under the unique moniker of “BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & FRIENDLY ENEMIES”) opening for the 2nd billed COWBOY and headliner THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND. Bruce and Steve Van Zandt were major Allman Brothers fans and during February Bruce lobbied hard to be part of the show – despite the fact that Steel Mill had broken up and Bruce had not yet settled on a new band. Ultimately Bruce decided to utilize the extended clan of musicians he’d been jamming with at The Upstage during preceding weeks – and this event is perhaps the ultimate example of Asbury Park performing legend.

The billing name “Friendly Enemies” was chosen during February. It was actually a week or two prior to this March 27th gig that the famous moniker “Dr Zoom & The Sonic Boom” was conjured up – but it was too late to change the name on the promotional material and posters for the show. Indeed, much of the long-standing discrepancy about how many Dr Zoom gigs were performed stems from the fact that some people count this night’s two shows as Dr Zoom gigs – others don’t count them. The two shows on this night weren’t billed under the name “Dr Zoom” – but they included all the elements of the 2 later Dr Zoom shows in May, in fact they included more musicians and props than the either of the 2 later “official” Zoom shows.

Springsteen’s backing band for this gig (the so-called “Friendly Enemies) consisted of Steve Van Zandt (guitar), Garry Tallent (bass), David Sancious (keyboards), Vini Lopez (drums, vocals), Southside Johnny (harp, vocals), Albee Tellone (sax, vocals), former Rogues member John “Hotkeys” Waasdorp (electric piano), Bobby Feigenbaum (tenor sax), Bobby Williams (drums, vocals) and Tinker West (congas). NOTE: Danny Federici was not present at this show. There was also a chorus/skit troupe of Upstage regulars nicknamed “The Sonic People” that included Connie (the baton twirler), Robin Nash, Kevin Kavanaugh – topped off by a quartet (Kevin Connair, Bruce Greenwood, Danny Gallagher and Upstage bouncer “Big Tiny”) that sat on stage playing the game of Monopoly during Bruce’s performance. At one point during the show Springsteen sat at the Monopoly table while singing (see photo below). The Monopoly game and the baton twirling were unique to this show – these antics were not incorporated into any later shows. The name “Sonic People” later became known as “The Zoomettes”.

Apparently The Allman Brothers got a kick out of Bruce’s combination of zany props and inspired music. Backstage between shows Duane Allman gave some slide guitar tips to Steve Van Zandt and also played some impromptu slide on top of a soundboard tape listening session of Bruce’s early show that Tinker West was conducting. Allman was quoted as saying "that's one cookin' band, man". Sadly this would turn out to be the only Sunshine In appearance for The Allman Brothers Band. Although tentatively booked for a Nov 1971 return engagement (note Poster under the 07/08/71 listing) the death of Duane Allman in an Oct 31st motorcycle crash caused the group to cancel.

No set details known. Billed as the “Bruce Springsteen Acoustic Jam”. The Green Mermaid was the coffee/tea house located on the floor below The Upstage.

No set details known. TWO shows, billed as the “Bruce Springsteen Jam Concert” - Bruce’s method of finding the right combination of musicians for a new band. Out of these shows will emerge THE SUNDANCE BLUES BAND, DR ZOOM & THE SONIC BOOM and ultimately THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND.

ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND (making its commercial debut) the sole act on the bill. This gig included the original line-up of the group with Southside Johnny (harp), Van Zandt (lead guitar and vocals), Lopez (drums and vocals), Tallent (bass) and Joe Hagstrom (rhythm guitar). Springsteen makes a brief guest appearance.

ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This gig included the original line-up of the group with Southside Johnny (harp), Van Zandt (lead guitar and vocals), Lopez (drums and vocals), Tallent (bass) and Joe Hagstrom (rhythm guitar). Springsteen makes a brief guest appearance during the encores.

“Photo of the original Lineup#1 of The Sundance Blues Band, taken during rehearsals at The Upstage Club in April 1971, shortly before their commercial debut. Left to Right: Steve Van Zandt (lead guitar, vocals), Joe Hagstrom (guitar), Vini Lopez (drums, vocals), Southside Johnny Lyon (harp, vocals) and Garry Tallent (bass). Springsteen would end up replacing Hagstrom in mid-May and remain a fixture in the group until mid-July. Photo from the archives of The Asbury Park Evening Press.”

ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This gig included the original line-up of the group with Southside Johnny (harp), Van Zandt (lead guitar and vocals), Lopez (drums and vocals), Tallent (bass) and Joe Hagstrom (rhythm guitar). A possible Springsteen appearance during this show, but not certain.

ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This gig included the original line-up of the group with Southside Johnny (harp), Van Zandt (lead guitar and vocals), Lopez (drums and vocals), Tallent (bass) and Joe Hagstrom (rhythm guitar). A possible Springsteen appearance during this show, but not certain. Guitarist Joe Hagstrom left the band after this gig and Springsteen took his place starting the following week.

IT TAKES A LOT TO LAUGH, IT TAKES A TRAIN TO CRY / GOIN’ BACK TO GEORGIA / BO DIDDLEY / JUMBELIAH / CRY TO ME / FAST BLUES SHUFFLE / ZOOM THEME / SLOW BLUES / ONE MORE TRY / ROLL OVER BEETHOVAN – REELIN’ AND ROCKIN’

ONE show, triple bill. This is the first of only 2-ever performances of DR ZOOM & THE SONIC BOOM (the other show was outdoors the following day). Undercard acts for this debut show were SUNNY JIM and GODZILLA (who were a late substitution for CONERSTONE). In reality DR ZOOM was merely a progression of Springsteen’s March 1971 “Friendly Enemies” shows at Sunshine In and his April 1971 “Jam Concerts” at The Upstage. Much of the long-standing confusion about how many Dr Zoom shows were performed stems from the fact that some people count the above-mentioned March-April gigs as Dr Zoom events, while others don’t count them. Technically speaking they weren’t Dr Zoom shows, but they did contain most of the musicians and the same party-like atmosphere.

The members of the DR ZOOM & THE SONIC BOOM were Springsteen, Van Zandt, Dave Sancious, Garry Tallent, Vini Lopez, Southside Johnny – plus: Bobby Williams (percussion), Albee “Albany Al” Tellone (sax, vocals) and Bobby Feigenbaum (sax). There was also a 7-member backing vocal troupe nicknamed “The Zoomettes” (Jeannie Clark, Robin Nash, Connie, Kevin Kavanaugh + 3 others). The MC was Kevin Connair. Danny Gallagher handled the on-stage props. Danny Federici was not involved in the Dr Zoom shows.

The 10-song setlist noted above has been culled from a document (in Bruce’s handwriting – see below) that is probably the song schedule for this debut Dr Zoom gig. The material is clearly identifiable by Bruce’s header of “Sonic Tunes”. Whether or not Bruce made any late changes to this setlist for the actual performance is not known. “Fast Blues Shuffle” may be Bruce’s name for “Last Night In Tulsa” (as also performed at the following day’s Zoom gig). THERE IS NO AUDIO OF THIS DEBUT DR ZOOM SHOW IN CIRCULATION. Collectors should note that the widely circulating boot CD “The Bruce Springsteen Story, Volume 5” (E St) mistakenly lists that audio as being from this Sunshine In gig. However the audio is actually from the following day’s outdoor Dr Zoom performance at Newark State College (see 15/05/71 listing for details).

IT TAKES A LOT TO LAUGH, IT TAKES A TRAIN TO CRY (6.50)/ SOUTHSIDE SHUFFLE (8.49)/ LOOK TOWARDS THE LAND (5.54)/ GOING BACK TO GEORGIA (8.07)/ LAST NIGHT IN TEXAS (8.43)/ WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW (11.23)/ JAMBALAYA (8.23)/ ZOOM THEME (2.29)/ LADY OF BOSTON (12.35)

The 2nd (and final) performance of the DR ZOOM & THE SONIC BOOM from the 1st annual "Ernie The Chicken Festival" - an excuse for an all-day, outdoor party extravaganza featuring several local bands including SUNNY JIM and ODIN. A very good quality soundboard tape of most (possibly all) of the Dr Zoom set has been in circulation since the early 1990's and can be found on the CD boot "The Bruce Springsteen Story, Vol 5 - Dr Zoom & The Sonic Boom" (E.ST). The liner notes of the bootleg incorrectly lists the audio as emanating from the previous night’s performance at The Sunshine In – however this audio is definitely from the outdoor (not indoor) Dr Zoom show. MC Kevin Connair can be heard jokingly warning the campus Ambulances (who were parked nearby) to get ready as Bruce opens the show with some screeching guitar.

“Pictures from the May 15th Dr Zoom show. LEFT PHOTO (left to right): Garry Tallent, drummer Bobby Williams (just barely visible), Springsteen and Southside Johnny (with hat). RIGHT PHOTO (left to right): Springsteen, Southside Johnny (with hat) + “The Zoomettes” (Connie, Robin Nash, unidentified female, Jeannie Clark, unidentified female in miniskirt, unidentified female with afro and Kevin Kavanaugh). Thanks to Billy Smith for the Poster image.”

ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This was the official debut of Line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (installed as a fully-fledged band member). Springsteen replaced guitarist Joe Hagstrom. Bruce would end up staying in the band until mid July, when he departed to devote his energies to the newly formed Bruce Springsteen Band.

No set details known. ONE afternoon show, 4PM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This was Line-up #2 (Southside, Van Zandt, Tallent, Lopez, Springsteen). Following this gig Bruce and most of the guys in the band head over to The Upstage for another two evening shows under a different name.

No set details known. TWO shows, 9PM and 1AM, with BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE HOT MAMMAS the sole act on the bill. Bruce’s backing band is likely to have been Sancious, Van Zandt, Lopez and Tallent. The Hot Mammas are believed to have been some of the girls in the “The Zoomettes”, not the soon-to-be-hired BSB vocal duo of Barbara Dinkins & Delores Holmes. A key transitional performance in the rapid-fire evolution between “DR ZOOM” and the “BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND”.

ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This was Line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member). A typical gig at this club consisted of four 40-minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).

TWO shows, 10PM and 2AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This was Line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member).

Promotion for the Upsatge gig of June 18, 1971 and the June 19-20 shows at the Prince.

ONE show, 4PM to 7PM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. A very rare afternoon gig at the club. This was Line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member).

ONE show, 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This was Line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member). A typical gig at this club consisted of four 40-minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).

ONE show 2AM to 5AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This was Line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member).

ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This was Line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen. Note: this was Springsteen’s last gig as a core member of Sundance Blues Band, although he would continue make guest appearances right up until the band was mothballed in early 1972. David Sancious (keyboards) was later added to the line-up of Sundance Blues Band in place of Springsteen.

CC RIDER – DOWN THE ROAD APIECE (10:31) / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME (5:20) / NOTHING CAN STOP ME (4:42) / LAST NIGHT IN TULSA (4:30) / GOIN’ BACK TO GEORGIA (7:55) / NATURAL MAGIC (2:25, end cut) / Unidentified Instrumental (17:25) / DANCE DANCE DANCE (6:14) / JAMBALAYA (6:39)

ONE show, quadruple billing, with the newly-formed BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND headling the outdoor “2nd Annual Nothing’s Festival”. Undercard acts were SUNNY JIM, ODIN and JEANNIE CLARK. This gig is the first known performance of The Bruce Springsteen Band. They’re essentially a modified version of Dr Zoom & The Sonic Boom (i.e., minus The Zoomettes, Southside Johnny and the various vaudeville elements). The lineup of this initial version of The Bruce Springsteen Band is Springsteen, Van Zandt, Sancious, Tallent and Lopez - plus (on selected tracks) Bobby Feigenbaum (sax), Harvey Cherlin (trumpet), along with the vocal duet of Delores Holmes & Barbara Dinkins. This large 9-member lineup of the band will eventually expand to 10, with the addition of Bruce’s manager Tinker West on congas. However this “big band sound” will only last about 2 months before it begins to shrink.

The above-mentioned setlist is taken from a circulating 66-minute outdoor audience recording of (at best) fair quality. Given this show was a 4-artist billing this audio is likely to represent most (possibly all) of Bruce’s performance at this show. This above-mentioned audio (minus “Natural Magic” and “Jambalaya”) can be found on the CD boot “DOWN THE ROAD APIECE” (Golden Stars). These performances of “Natural Magic” and “Jambalaya” are not currently found on any mainstream boot. Collectors should note that the liner notes on the “DOWN THE ROAD APIECE” CD bootleg mistakenly credit this audio to a 17/12/71 indoor club performance at Rutgers.

“Preparing for its debut – the original 10-member “big band” Lineup #1 of THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND rehearsing at Challenger East in June 1971. (Left to Right) David Sancious (keyboards), Carl “Tinker” West (blocked from view by Sancious but Tinker’s hands are visible on the congas), Vinny Lopez (drums), Garry Tallent (bass), Steve Van Zandt (guitar), Springsteen, Harvey Cherlin (trumpet, but blocked from view by Bruce), Bobby Feigenbaum (sax), Barbara Dinkins (vocals) and Delores Holmes (vocals). Plus, another photo of Bruce in Challenger from either this session or time period”

Set list is undocumented. THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND opens for the (at the time) red-hot HUMBLE PIE. After the show an impressed Peter Frampton, leader of HUMBLE PIE, tells Springsteen and the band he'd like to have them open for HUMBLE PIE on a national basis. Frampton also states that he would be happy to get the band an audition with his record label, the prestigious A & M Records. For no logical reason BSB manager Tinker West declines both offers on the spot. The story is corroborated in separate published interviews with Peter Frampton and BSB trumpet player Harvey Cherlin. The Show was reviewed in very favorable terms in the Asbury Park Press of 12/7/71. (see the article here). The 10-member BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND for this show consisted of core members Springsteen, Van Zandt, Tallent, Lopez and Sancious, plus (on selected songs) Harvey Cherlin (trumpet), Bobby Feigenbaum (sax), Delores Holmes (vocals), Barbara Dinkins (vocals) and Tinker West (congas).

Photo of Bruce and Barbara from the July 11 show as well as a photo of Bruce and Steve that is also believed to emanate from this show.

No set details known. ONE daytime outdoor show, with the 10-piece BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND headlining. Support act was SUNNY JIM. This was the first known gig a Springsteen-led band had played in Monroe Park since his Richmond debut (with CHILD) on June 1, 1969. Apparently after their show some of the BSB and its entourage went to see an outdoor concert by ‘The Byrds’ somewhere in the general vicinity (possibly the State Fairgrounds in Richmond).

Early Show: NOTHING CAN STOP ME / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME / unknown instrumental / SOME TIMES AT NIGHT / NATURAL MAGIC / BORDER GUARD / LAST NIGHT IN TULSA / I HOPE I’M TRUE / IF YOU WANT TO GET HIGH / I’M A BIG GIRL NOW

Late Show: CHEROKEE QUEEN / SHE’S GOT THE LORD / YOU DON’T LEAVE ME NO CHOICE / IT’S ALRIGHT / DO IT WITH FEELING / SPANISH DREAMS / JUMBELIAH / GYPSY RIDER / FULL OF LOVE / DANCE DANCE DANCE / SO MUCH STYLE / FAST BLUES / SHE'S GOT THE LORD

TWO shows (9:00PM and 11:30PM), double bill, with The Bruce Springsteen Band (in its 9-10 member incarnation) headlining and Sunny Jim opening. This was the first of two consecutive Thursday evening appearances at the club. THERE IS NO KNOWN AUDIO OF EITHER SHOW. The above-mentioned song listings emanate from a 2-show Springsteen-handwritten setlist document that has been recalled with some degree of confidence by one of the BSB members as emanating from either this night or the following week’s booking at this club. These are all Springsteen compositions and there are several rarities here of which no circulating audio has yet emerged from any show, rehearsal or studio source. “Nothing Can Stop Me” is also known by the title “Come On Billy (Break Out the Wine)”

CC RIDER – DOWN THE ROAD APIECE (10:00) / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME (5:07) / NOTHING CAN STOP ME (5:15) / I’M IN LOVE AGAIN (4:11) / DANCE DANCE DANCE (5:52) / YOU DON’T LEAVE ME NO CHOICE (8:55) / JAMBALAYA (12:47)

ONE show, with THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND (along with a several other un-signed groups) performing as part of the Guggenheim Memorial Concert Series that took place daily in Damrosch Park during the summer of 1971. According to the New York Times the headliner and scheduled 8PM show closer on the 23rd was THE RICHARD GOLDMAN BAND, a classical orchestra noted for its creative use of wind and brass instruments. Bruce and his team were one of several unnamed-in-print undercard acts, each of who were allocated hour-long performing slots. At one point Bruce can be heard off mike asking “how much more time do we have?” The response back is “15 minutes” and Bruce times the end of his show impeccably. The fact that Bruce’s mid-1971 lineup included horns may have been the reason Tinker got this particular booking. The trumpet and sax are highly prevalent throughout and the arrangements (likely created by Van Zandt) are outstanding.

The above-mentioned setlist is taken from a soundboard recording that is available on the CD “THE BRUCE SPINGSTEEN STORY, VOLUME 6” (E Street Records). The bootleg cover implies some Columbia Records/CBS affiliation with the recording – but this is just fantasy artwork. This 60-minute recording has continuity between songs and is almost certainly the complete BSB show from this afternoon gig. Although this was an outdoor event, Bruce and the band were performing within the Guggenheim Band Shell. The superb acoustics of that shell, combined with an un-degradated source tape, have resulted in a truly exceptional concert document. Add to this a tight, highly disciplined and inspired performance by the entire band and it’s easy to see why most rate this Damrosch gig as the finest pre-CBS Springsteen concert currently in existence. This texture of this performance is more in keeping with the funkiness of Bruce’s 1974 Wild & Innocent Tour dates and early Asbury Jukes shows. It is essential audio in any Springsteen collection.

The 9-member Bruce Springsteen Band at Damrosch Park is the same as the 10-member contingent that performed at The Sunshine In ten days earlier (see 11/07/71 listing) with the exception that Tinker West is not playing congas – it seems Tinker was busy working the soundboard. This show includes some of Bruce’s finest early-period songwriting efforts. There are definitive live performances of “Jambalaya” and “You Mean So Much Tom Me” plus two songs (“I’m In Love Again” and “You Don’t Leave Me No Choice”) that are not available from any other show source. Delores Holmes delivers the sexy Ronnie Spector-ish lead vocal on these two songs. A Springsteen lead vocal of these two songs has yet to surface. Bruce’s searing guitar work during “You Don’t Leave Me No Choice” is among his all time best.

No set details known. TWO shows (9PM and 11:30PM), double bill, with THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND headlining and SUNNY JIM opening.

Ultra rare Poster for the July 29, 1971 gig at D’Scene - Thanks to Lelands for the image, and right, the Club in 1971.

YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME (4:54) / NOTHING CAN STOP ME (5:01) / NATURAL MAGIC (5:39)

ONE show, double bill, with THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND headlining with a 90-minute performance and PSYCHOTIC BLUES BAND opening with a 60-minute performance. The above-mentioned partial setlist details are taken from a suite of three circulating soundboard recording of good quality that first surfaced on the CD “THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN STORY, VOLUME 4” (E Street). A fourth soundboard recording found on this CD, “Hoochie Koochie Man”, is a performance by the Psychotic Blues Band from this show that does not feature Springsteen. As is usually the case with releases on the E Street label, the music is significant but the liner note information is wildly inaccurate.

The Bruce Springsteen Band at this show features the same 9-piece lineup that played at Damrosch Park two weeks earlier. There may be an additional horn player performing on “You Mean So Much To Me”, although it’s hard to tell for certain. Of particular noteworthiness is “Natural Magic” – this is one of Bruce’s finest-ever love songs and this is the strongest circulating rendition. Unfortunately there is no audio of the rest of this performance in circulation.

"The Bruce Spingsteen Band at Sunshine In. Visible members of the band in this photo are (left to right) Barbara Dinkins, Delores Holmes, Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt".

LITTLE QUEENIE (start cut, 4:20) / BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG CITY (8:05) / DON’T YOU WANT TO BE AN OUTLAW (6:50) / JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH – IT’S TIME TO GO HOME (5:55) / I’VE GOT TO HAVE YOU BABY (5:03) / YOU BETTER BE NICE TO ME (5:01) / ROUTE 66 (5:46) / THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN (5:47) / DANCE DANCE DANCE (6:45) / JUMBELIAH (12:38)

ONE show, triple bill, with the 5-member BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND headlining. The support acts were acoustic trio NASH, LARGE & ROSS (who opened) and SUNNY JIM. This was an afternoon, outdoor show orchestrated by Tinker West’s Blah Productions. Garfield Park is located at the intersection of Broadway and Ocean Ave, near the ocean. The above-mentioned 10-song, partial setlist is culled from a 66-minute audience recording of this show, none of which has ever appeared on any mainstream boot and all of which remains in very limited circulation. Unfortunately the taper utilized a cheap recording device. The sound quality is consistent but is weak (fair), although it’s not horrible. While the opening seconds of “Little Queenie” are missing, all other songs are complete. However this BSB performance apparently lasted nearly 2hrs, so there’s quite a bit missing and discernable edits can be heard in between songs on the audio source.

The BSB line-up for this show is Springsteen, Van Zandt, Sancious, Tallent and Lopez. Although Bruce handles all the lead vocals, the performance is unusual in that Springsteen is on piano for most of these 10 songs from this show. Sancious plays the organ and Steve Van Zandt handles much of the guitar chores. Tinker West guests on congas on “Dance Dance Dance” and the rousing finale “Jumbeliah” (which also features an unidentified walk-on troupe of backing vocalists consisting of inner circle troops and members of both undercard bands). Highlights of this show are “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (the only known Springsteen performance – and its great), as well as the only known audio of two Springsteen compositions, “It’s Time To Go Home” (also known by the title “Festival”) and “You Better Be Nice To Me”.

No set details known. ONE show, 9:30PM to 1AM, with THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND the sole act on the bill. Evidence strongly points to this night as being the start of what would turn out to be a virtual 3½ -month residency at the club, encompassing nearly 40 shows. NOTE: September would also mark the beginning of the end of the 10-member “big band” lineup of the BSB that Springsteen had been utilizing since July. Due to financial constraints the non-core members of BSB (Dinkins-Holmes-Cherlin-Feigenbaum-West-Daniels) will only appear, either in whole or in part, at a handful of special occasion gigs during the remainder of 1971.

As fate would have it, Norman Seldin & The Joyful Noyze (featuring its then-new member Clarence Clemons) was in the final stages of a 7-week (July 16 - Sept 5) residency at the nearby Wonder Bar. By comparing the common denominator times in both bands performing schedules it can be deduced that it was most likely on this night (or the night before) that Clarence Clemons walked over to the Student Prince during a Wonder Bar intermission and first met (and jammed with) Springsteen. Contrary to widespread belief (and Bruce and Clarence’s wonderful, but “embellished”, stories of the meeting) Clemons did not quickly resign from Seldin’s band and join Bruce – he remained a fixture in The Joyful Noyze until October 1972.

Upper left - Promotion for The Joyful Noyze's Wonder Bar residency. The group photo (taken in early June 1971) includes the recent additions Clarence Clemons (2nd from left) and lead singer Karen Cassidy (far right). It was Cassidy who recommended to Clarence that he go and checkout Springsteen at the Prince. Upper right - Photo of Clarence with The Joyful Noyze on stage at The Wonder Bar during the mid July to early Sept, 1971 residency. Phot courtesy of Billy Smith.

Onstage at The Student Prince circa late September or early October, 1971. Left to Right: Barbara Dinkins, Delores Holmes and The Sensational Soul Man

No set details known. ONE show, double bill, with THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND headlining and Joe Cadora’s rock band ICE NINE opening. Held in the Student Union’s Ledge Club.

ONE show with The Bruce Springsteen Band the lone act on the bill. A typical performance at The Student Prince consisted of three or four 40-minute sets with healthy breaks in between.

“Bruce Springsteen Band (Sancious-Lopez-Van Zandt-Springsteen-Tallent) onstage at the Student Prince during one of the fall 1971 gigs. David Sancious is to the far left, not quite visible in the panorama”

A combination promo/help wanted AD from mid Oct, 1971.
Courtesy of Brookdale Community College Archives.

No set details known. ONE show, triple bill, with The Bruce Springsteen Band headlining. Undercards were New Jersey-based outfits TUMBLEWEED and BLACK FORREST RHODES, both of who had recently become involved with Tinker West’s Blah Productions. The 3-member, acoustic-orientated TUMBLEWEED deserve special mention. They had recently returned from studio sessions in Nashville (booked under the name MONTANA FLINTLOCK) – events orchestrated by Mike Appel. TUMBLEWEED would turn out to be the original connection between Tinker West and Appel, one that would soon see Tinker drive Springsteen to New York to meet Mike.

Although pre-concert promotional material for this Oct 23rd performance specifies a 5-member BSB lineup (see below), this show probably included three of the part-time members of the group – Harvey Cherlin (trumpet) plus Delores Holmes & Barbara Dinkins on background vocals. In interview Cherlin has mentioned this specific 8-member lineup as performing au gratis gig at University Of Richmond in October 1971 that Cherlin further states was his final-ever gig with Springsteen. NOTE: An audience recording (see the 30/10/71 listing for details) is often linked to this show but it does not feature either Cherlin or Barbara Dinkins.

Upper left AD Courtesy of Ray Bonis - Richmond, VA. Thanks to Zeny for the use of the poster photo.

No set details known. ONE show, with The Bruce Springsteen Band headlining, New Jersey band HIGHWAY billed second and unspecified “others” also listed as performing.

No set details known. ONE (informal) show, with Springsteen and members of his band taking part in a 2AM-5AM jam session with numerous other Asbury Park musical identities. This was the second to last night The Upstage was open. There was a similar jam session show on the final night, however Bruce and his band did not attend because they were performing a gig in Richmond.

MC’s introduction / GOT MY MOJO WORKING (6:14) / LIVIN’ ROCK AND ROLL (4:06) / TALKIN’ ABOUT MY BABY (8:26) / HOOCHIE COOTCHIE MAN (8:29) / DON’T YOU WANT TO BE AN OUTLAW (8:07)

ONE show, triple bill, with the BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND supporting headliner CACTUS. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band was originally scheduled to headline with Cactus 2nd billed. However Butterfield cancelled a couple of weeks beforehand and Springsteen was substituted. Though not mentioned on the gig Poster (below), also on the bill and opening the show with a 45-minute performance was local band MORNING SON (John Mulkins, David Waddle and Steve Knopp). Audio evidence suggests the BSB lineup for this show was the core 5-piece band, plus the vocal duo of Delores Holmes and Francine Daniels (who’d recently replaced vocalist Barbara Dinkins).

The above-mentioned setlist is taken from an audience recording of only fair quality that started circulating in the early 80’s and then widely propagated after it was booted on the LP “BRUCE 1971”. The original boot correctly identified the audio source venue as the VCU Gym. However, because no 1971 VCU gig had been identified by 1980’s concert history sources, some people began linking this audio to other shows. This 40 minutes of audio (which is only about half the total performance) now circulates via homemade CDR, sometimes with material from other shows. Bruce would later utilize the melody from “Talkin’ About My Baby” for his far superior 1972 composition “Janey Needs A Shooter”. The ladies are heard on the three Springsteen compositions but not the two cover songs.

No set details known. ONE triple bill Halloween show, with THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND headling. Support bands were TUMBLEWEED and BLACK FORREST RHODES. The BSB lineup for this show is the same as the previous night in Richmond – the core 5-piece band, plus the vocal duo of Delores Holmes and new member Francine Daniels. However this is believed to have been the final-ever gig with female backing singers.

No circulating audio. Bruce's first-ever meeting with future manager Mike Appel, held at Wes Farrel's publishing company, where Appel was then-employed. Tinker West, who knew Appel through the group TUMBLEWEED (a.k.a. MONTANA FLINTLOCK), organized the get-together and drove Bruce to New York City for the meeting. Bruce performed 2 or 3 or 4 songs (accounts differ), some on piano, some on acoustic guitar. Only Appel and West were present at this first meeting. Appel has stated in interview that he was not particularly impressed by what he heard at this initial audition but did see raw creativity in the lyrics of "Baby Doll". The titles of the other songs performed are unclear. The meeting ended with an agreement to keep in touch but no commitments from either party. Note: the next Springsteen-Appel meeting, in March 1972 (see Brucebase listing), would elicit a dramatically more enthusiastic response from Appel.

AIN'T THAT PECULIAR (4:17) / YOU SURE CAN DANCE (7:27) / DARKNESS DARKNESS (instrumental) (11:33) / THE BAND'S JUST BOPPIN' THE BLUES (10:22) / I REMEMBER (7:23,cut) / WHEN YOU DANCE (10:47)

ONE show, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. The above-mentioned partial setlist is taken from a long-circulating, muddy soundboard recording. Comments made by Bruce regarding video footage being shot during the show positively link this audio to The Student Prince. Prior to beginning “I Remember” Springsteen can be heard informing the audience that a gentleman named Mark Romanski is present and filming. Romanski, a friend of Steve Van Zandt, was filming as part of a course project he was taking at University. Sadly all the film footage was destroyed in the early 1970’s. It is believed this filming was undertaken at one of the November 1971 shows, although the specific date has not been determined. The first five songs exhibit continuity and are clearly part of the same set. “When You Dance” is from this show but it seems to be the final song of evening. Southside Johnny is a guest and handles the lead vocal on “Ain’t That Peculiar”. Southside’s harp playing can be heard on all the songs except for “When You Dance”. “I Remember” is cut prematurely.

ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical BSB gig at this club consisted of four 40-minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). An "unravel-the-Springsteen-song-titles" table mat puzzle (shown below) was produced by the club for use during this month-long BSB residency. The 11 songs titles mentioned are "Cowboys Of The Sea", "Down To Mexico", "Just Can't Change", "I Remember", "Like A Stranger", "Magic Loving", "Maria", "No Way", "Make Your Mind Up", "When You Dance" and "Funk Song" (more commonly known to fans by the title "The Band's Just Boppin' The Blues" or "Secret To The Blues"). Interestingly these eleven songs range from Steel Mill-era creations ("Just Can't Change") to recently written material showcasing Springsteen's rapidly developing lyric skills ("Cowboys Of The Sea"). Two of these songs ("Maria" and "No Way") are not known from any circulating audio.

ONE show, 9:00PM to 11PM, with the Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. This was an unusual show in that it was held midweek (Tue). The early closing time allowed Bruce time to travel to nearby Linden to join in on a late night jam.

ONE 4hr show. Bruce makes an unadvertised guest appearance at this quadruple billing concert featuring local groups THE RICH BARON BAND, TAYLORS MILLS ROAD, TUMBLEWEED and PSYCHOTIC BLUES BAND. Bruce had been invited to the gig by Pat Karwin, the lead guitarist of TUMBLEWEED and participates (on lead guitar) in a 30-minute end-of-show "jam" that included a lineup of Springsteen, Karwin, and members of PSYCHOTIC BLUES BAND. Bruce participates on extended versions of THE YARDBIRDS and B.B. KING classics mentioned above. Tinker West organized and managed the sound equipment for this show.

"Courtesy of Rob Paparozzi, the founder, vocalist and harp player of PSYCHOTIC BLUES BAND".

ONE show, 9:00PM to 11PM, with the Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. This was an unusual show in that it was held midweek (Wed), Thanksgiving holiday eve.

SWEET MISS SALLY (9:15) / SHE’S LEAVING (9:38) / KEY TO THE HIGHWAY (6:54) / SURE CAN FEEL THE PAIN (14:09)

ONE show with The Bruce Springsteen Band the lone act on the bill. A typical performance at The Student Prince consisted of three or four 40-minute sets with healthy breaks in between. The above-mentioned partial setlist is taken from a circulating 40-minute audience recording of only fair quality that has never been issued on any mainstream boot. This audio circulates via custom CDR sources, typically alongside some of the audio from the 17/12/71 Rutgers gig. The audio evidence suggests a fairly empty premises for this night’s show. While this is clearly a late period BSB club performance, the precise date and venue is not verified. The Student Prince is the most likely location, however it is possible this audio is from one of the Jan 1972 BSB shows at Captain’s Garter or the 15/04/72 Rutgers show. From an historical standpoint the key tracks are “She’s Leaving” (later recorded as a solo demo – here it’s performed with the band) and the excellent “Sure Can Feel The Pain”. “Sweet Miss Sally” is sometimes titled “Mistress Annie” by some sources.

ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical BSB gig at this club consisted of four 40-minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). In an interview with Ed Sciaky (see 03/11/74 listing in BRUCEBASE) Bruce commented that he played "If I Were The Priest" (which Bruce said he wrote in the late 70 - early 71) at one of the shows during this residence at The Student Prince, although the specific gig is not known and there is no circulating audio of the performance.

05/12/71 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ

The above-mentioned partial setlist is from an audience recording that probably dates from this December period and probably comes from this venue. Precise details cannot be determined.

12/12/71 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ

MC’s introduction / MARY LOUISE WATSON (9:27) / SHE’S A WOMAN (2:58) / WALKING THE DOG (8:40) / DON’T YOU WANT TO BE AN OUTLAW (10:25) / WHEN YOU DANCE (2:53, end cut)

Full set details are not known. ONE show, triple bill, with the 5-member BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND headlining. Undercard acts are SOUTHERN CONSPIRACY and POWERHOUSE. Held at “The Ledge”, a club-coffeehouse located within the school’s Student Union facility.

The above-mentioned partial setlist is taken from a circulating 35-minute audience recording of poor quality that has a notorious history of being cannibalized. The MC’s introduction and the first two songs can be found on boot CD “DOWN THE ROAD APIECE” (Golden Stars). The remainder of the audio has never appeared on any mainstream boot but is circulating via private CDR sources, usually with no time-venue identification. Typically the final two or three tracks of this 35-minutes of audio are found combined with audio from an unrelated performance (see 03/12/71 listing in Brucebase). “Walking The Dog” is complete but it usually circulates incomplete. Only the first 3 minutes of “When You Dance” is in circulation.

Unfortunately it sounds as if the taper placed his microphone in the middle of a table of student drinkers, so the band’s performance is obscured by close proximity crowd noise and chatting. However the conversation does confirm the venue as being The Ledge. Although it seems likely that more of this performance would have been recorded by this source, only the 35 minutes of audio has surfaced to date. Collectors should note that the remaining 54 minutes of audio found on the “DOWN THE ROAD APIECE” CD is from an outdoor gig at Brookdale Community College on 10/07/71, not from this Rutgers show as that CD’s liner notes claim.

ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical BSB gig at this club consisted of four 40-minute sets separate